de-funk de pits

[earlene]

I still sweat, too, Gaisy59. How much is really dependent on activity levels or heat levels in the absence of climate control. Has it diminished in any way? I cannot truly be sure of that. There are just too many variables at play.

As to being able to determine how much I smell, well I have to say that's totally a subjective assessment. I don't think I can be a completely reliable source to say my sweat doesn't stink as much as before. To me it's just too subjective. It seems to me that it's true, but there are so many variable contributing factors that contribute to the odor of sweat, including dietary intake changes, activity level changes, stress level changes, etc. So, I don't feel well qualified to say without a doubt, this is the end-all and be-all of deodorant. But I'm really pretty happy with it and do believe on a personal level it's working very well for me. And when I add the DB fragrance, I absolutely love it for staying power as a fragrance.

BTW, SoaperForLife, I do regularly go some days without deo. My lifestyle doesn't require me to work with other people on a daily basis. Sometimes my activity level is so minimal, I don't even notice myself sweat at all, so don't feel a need to wear deo on some days. If I go out, I do wear it. After a shower, I usually put it on, but when I am at home I do not shower daily; even on the road, I don't always shower daily. Now and then I may feel a need to shower twice in a day and those are days I tend to re-apply deo twice in one day (heat & activity related). But in spite of that, I can't really report on what happens when I go without deo because I've been like this for many years, even when I wore commercially made deo. Days without deo have always been a normal part of my life, except when I worked 60 hours a week, which I did for many years, but even then, I think I didn't always wear it on my days off work. But as to what happens differently than on days with deo? I don't really see anything different. If there is anything different, I have become so used to it, I don't notice.

 

[Gaisy59]

I can appreciate where you're coming from @Gaisy59 and I regret that you find our discussion of tweaks to be stressful.

But I have to say I don't see anything inappropriate about discussing adjustments to a formulation to make the product meet the needs of a wider group of people. Teresa's original recipe (babassu with clay) in this thread was a tweak of other people's ideas. The idea of using magnesium hydroxide was a "tweak" of T's recipe that was suggested by Irish Lass. The combination of babassu and mag hydroxide is thus an amalgam of tweaks.

Given how this idea came about, I don't know that anyone can draw a line in the sand and say the "original idea" for this deo is on one side of the line and all "tweaks" are on the other. I agree you can argue a 2 ingredient formulation is really simple and adding ingredients to increase the glidy-ness and melt temperature is adding complexity. But if the added complexity also adds usefulness and pleasantness to the product so it pleases a wider group of people, I see that as a positive thing.

Look at general soap making and all the crazy things people add to soap or do to soap. I think a fair bit of it is silly, but I can see people are having fun, so I generally don't say much if I think there is no harm in what they're doing. I see the discussion here in much the same vein -- people are having fun, the tweaks are hopefully helping the basic formulation work better for more people, and the results are not harmful as best we can see.

Oh no no im just saying that some people are getting critical of what you guys are doing and what i am saying is i agree with what you are doing and yes we all adjust our likes and dislikes accordingly. I guess i didnt phrase it correctly. Kept it too simple lol. I love this thread and have received much help as i have had problems and i see everyone is trying to sort out all their problems as well. Im just getting bad vibes from some of the comments.

 

[cmzaha]

Adding to DeeAnna's number 520 post Since I sell why in the world would I want a 2 ingredient formula. There are enough DIY'ers out there. I am certainly not going to sell something easily copied. Mentioning soap, many times my additives are for label appeal, knowing most add nothing to soap...

 

[Gaisy59]

Adding to DeeAnna's number 520 post Since I sell why in the world would I want a 2 ingredient formula. There are enough DIY'ers out there. I am certainly not going to sell something easily copied. Mentioning soap, many times my additives are for label appeal, knowing most add nothing to soap...

Interesting...

 

[KristaY]

I just remade my deo using my 1st babassu and it's awesome. Firm enough to roll up from my containers but melts easily when applied and glides smoothly. (No ripping the skin off my pits like Gaisy experienced). The previous batch which has the 2nd babassu is so soft I can only firm it up by putting it in the fridge, then it's too firm to roll up. Basically it's a gloopy goo. Yes, it's hot out there but it's usually 75-76 in my house. Travelling with it is a mess. So now I'm wondering if I got the butter 1st time and straight oil the 2nd time. Both containers say the same thing "INCI: Orbignya Oleifera Seed Oil. SAP 245-256". If the 1st one is truly babassu butter, shouldn't the label include the hydrogenated oils that would make it a butter? I've sent an email to the company asking them about it but haven't received a reply yet.

 

[SoaperForLife]

Day two - same result as yesterday. No deodorant and no stink.

 

[Gaisy59]

I just remade my deo using my 1st babassu and it's awesome. Firm enough to roll up from my containers but melts easily when applied and glides smoothly. (No ripping the skin off my pits like Gaisy experienced). The previous batch which has the 2nd babassu is so soft I can only firm it up by putting it in the fridge, then it's too firm to roll up. Basically it's a gloopy goo. Yes, it's hot out there but it's usually 75-76 in my house. Travelling with it is a mess. So now I'm wondering if I got the butter 1st time and straight oil the 2nd time. Both containers say the same thing "INCI: Orbignya Oleifera Seed Oil. SAP 245-256". If the 1st one is truly babassu butter, shouldn't the label include the hydrogenated oils that would make it a butter? I've sent an email to the company asking them about it but haven't received a reply yet.

Its confusing isnt it. And why are some companies only selling the butter while others only sell the oil? Thats how i was confused in the first place.

 

[SoaperForLife]

When I google on babassu butter I get body butter for sale or recipes for body butter or babassu oil. BTW, did anyone get the latest email from WSP with the deodorant recipe? They are using magnesium stearate in their recipe "for its odor reducing properties" which I am questioning because when I google on it, it doesn't have much to say on that... Earline - this is the end of day three of no deodorant. Granted I didn't spend much time outdoors today so I didn't sweat at all but even when I sweat, there is no odor. I have never gone without wearing deodorant before - even though I don't work off the farm. It took a long time to get to this point and I'm just going to keep on with the experiment until people avoid me.

 

[earlene]

When I google on babassu butter I get body butter for sale or recipes for body butter or babassu oil. BTW, did anyone get the latest email from WSP with the deodorant recipe? They are using magnesium stearate in their recipe "for its odor reducing properties" which I am questioning because when I google on it, it doesn't have much to say on that... Earline - this is the end of day three of no deodorant. Granted I didn't spend much time outdoors today so I didn't sweat at all but even when I sweat, there is no odor. I have never gone without wearing deodorant before - even though I don't work off the farm. It took a long time to get to this point and I'm just going to keep on with the experiment until people avoid me.

That's quite interesting that you are on day 3 without an odor.

I passed by a woman with her children in the grocery store today whose odor (her odor, not the kids) was so horribly strong and offensive, it made me wonder if they had a home or working plumbing in their home or if she has an illness causing the odor. Sometimes in public restrooms, I will notice that some women's body odors are not revealed until they partially disrobe to use the facilities, and then it lingers in the room for a while after they are gone (I am not talking about the average normal odor, but the 'she hasn't washed in over a week' kind of odor.)

So watch for that. I don't know how sensitive your nose is, as all of us have varying degrees of ability to smell things, some of us can smell things the average person doesn't even notice. And I do truly believe some of us are poor judges of our own personal odors, for whatever reason. Me, I can smell the chemical changes of illness when either of my sons are sick. I thought it was a 'mom' thing, which may be to some degree true (I don't really know if there even is such a 'mom' thing), but I've also learned that my nose is more sensitive than some, although not as sensitive as some others. My husband who was a smoker for decades can't smell a lot of things I can smell. And I've got a pretty good sense of taste, which is linked to the olfactory sense, so it's not surprising I can ID foods going off before a few others in my family (they also happen to be smokers/former smokers.) Many things can interfere with the sense of smell, though, not just smoking.

BTW, my name has no 'i'.

 

[Moose Wrangler]

Success!

I made a second batch with magnesium hydroxide. Unlike the first batch with magnesium chloride there was no burning sensation this time.

 

[TeresaT]

That's quite interesting that you are on day 3 without an odor.

I passed by a woman with her children in the grocery store today whose odor (her odor, not the kids) was so horribly strong and offensive, it made me wonder if they had a home or working plumbing in their home or if she has an illness causing the odor. Sometimes in public restrooms, I will notice that some women's body odors are not revealed until they partially disrobe to use the facilities, and then it lingers in the room for a while after they are gone (I am not talking about the average normal odor, but the 'she hasn't washed in over a week' kind of odor.)

So watch for that. I don't know how sensitive your nose is, as all of us have varying degrees of ability to smell things, some of us can smell things the average person doesn't even notice. And I do truly believe some of us are poor judges of our own personal odors, for whatever reason.

That’s because we become accustomed to it. We don’t smell our own “morning breath” even though it is directly under our nose because we’ve acclimated to it. We don’t find our own body odors offensive because we’ve become used to it. It has to be really bad for us to notice, or we have to be consciously seeking it. At that point, if WE notice it, what do others smell?

Based on my own personal experiences, I cannot believe after three days with no deodorant at all, there is no odor. Especially if s/he is that physically active. Is the OP using deodorant soap or deodorizing powder? It doesn’t have to be a commercial product, BB has a deodorant additive composed of enzymes that works well in cold process soap according to their website. I know it works well in my deodorant. DE and baking soda are what give my untalcum powder the deodorant quality that it had, however little it may be; even on the hottest and most humid days, there is no odor or wetness in my groin and stomach overhang areas.

I don’t know anyone that is that physically active that wouldn’t stink after not using deodorant for three days. I don’t know anyone that lives a sedentary life that wouldn’t have at least some noticeable odor after three days of not using deodorant. The only exception would be a dedicated vegan that takes prebiotic suppliments religiously. I say that because I know I stink less when I have a mostly vegetarian diet; I’ve never gone full vegan, so I can’t say for sur there’s no odor. I was taking a prebiotic supplement for a few months and noticed very little body odor and my IBS was completely under control. I had no issues while I was taking the prebiotics. I stopped because they were too expensive for me. I’m thinking of starting again, though. If the OP is vegan with prebiotics, I’d believe there’s no odor. Other than that, I’m quite sceptical of the “no” odor. Everyone has odor to some degree. How bad or negative that odor is perceived is entirely up to the smeller.

 

[DeeAnna]

Off topic to @TeresaT -- Have you considered making and eating lacto-fermented food, such as sauerkraut? Or other kinds of fermented food that are good for the digestive system? I'm not a health care person, and I don't have IBS, but my digestive system can get out of whack from stress, so I sometimes have to deal with a rumbly, unhappy gut. If I regularly eat small quantities of the sauerkraut I make -- say one forkful per day -- my digestive system stays much happier. I think it works as good as the probiotic supplements I was taking. And the price is waaay better. Just a thought....

And now back to the deo topic -- My dad's parents (born 1898 and 1900) and my uncle who lived with them throughout his life took weekly baths. My uncle had what I now realize is a body odor. It wasn't a strongly offensive smell ... just kind of oddly musty ... so as a kid I just thought that was just him, no big deal. So I can imagine that some people might have BO of this type, but BO it most certainly was.

I find underarm odor personally distasteful, so when it crops up, it adds to my stress level, which adds to the BO, which adds to the stress, and so on. I also know how one's nose can become accustomed to it and how easily BO can put others off. Regular bathing, using deodorant, and wearing fresh clothing are important ways that help me prevent this problem.

 

[IrishLass]

And now back to the deo topic -- My dad's parents (born 1898 and 1900) and my uncle who lived with them throughout his life took weekly baths. My uncle had what I now realize is a body odor. It wasn't a strongly offensive smell ... just kind of oddly musty ... so as a kid I just thought that was just him, no big deal. So I can imagine that some people might have BO of this type, but BO it most certainly was.

This reminds me of when I was a teenager and my Great Auntie came out to visit us for 2 weeks and slept with me in my room. She was in her 70's and only took a bath once a week.....and boy did she ever progressively smell worse and worse as the days wore on after bath day. She couldn't smell her BO herself, but it was sheer torture for me who had to endure sleeping in the same room with her for a whole week. Her nose/smeller was fine, i.e., she had absolutely no trouble smelling a myriad of other things, but she just was not able to smell her own BO.

A very funny story from our past family files concerns my sis.....for the longest time she was convinced that her feet never, ever stank, not even after going for her usual daily run or playing various sports in the same pair of sweaty old sneakers, and she would often brag to us how her feet never smelled (they did, by the way....at least to our noses, but we could never, ever convince her of that). Anyway, for whatever reason her nose just couldn't detect it. Then one day when we were in our early 30's I got a phone call from her out of the blue regaling to me in an incredulous tone that (gasp!) her feet really did stink! She explained how she had come in from a run, took her shoes off, and was puttering around the house doing various chores when she kept getting whiffs of an unpleasant odor as she went about tidying up the place. After looking around a bit to try and see if she could pinpoint where the smell was coming from, she discovered to her horror it was her own feet! I don't know when I ever laughed so hard!


IrishLass

 

[SoaperForLife]

From what I gather you can get some idea of whether or not you smell by taking your clothes off and smelling them and you can even use the old soap maker's coffee trick to help with that. Huff Post had an article about a smartphone app that could be used (along with some sort of accessory) to check for smells and there are actually several devices that can be used to check for body odor that are unfortunately out of my price range at this point in time. My husband is an Aspie (Asperger's Syndrome) and delights in telling me if I have visible nose hairs or my feet smell so I'm sure that he would have mentioned something if I smelled off to him. I did have to apply my homemade deodorant yesterday as we were going to a family function. Interestingly the niece that was there wears a homemade deodorant with coconut oil and clay and not sure what all else (the printing on the label had worn off) so there were two of us there with non-commercial products on. I routinely check my shirts for odor and staining after I remove them and will often check again when they've sat in the laundry basket for a day or so.

And so the question begs to be asked... if I can't smell myself to check for body odor when I don't use deodorant then how do you really know that your homemade deodorant is actually effective? Ask a stranger on the street? Gauge how fascinated your dog is with your arm pits? Whether your co-workers resist leaning into your cubicle or pass by you with funny looks on their faces?

 

[DeeAnna]

...if I can't smell myself to check for body odor when I don't use deodorant then how do you really know that your homemade deodorant is actually effective? Ask a stranger on the street? Gauge how fascinated your dog is with your arm pits? Whether your co-workers resist leaning into your cubicle or pass by you with funny looks on their faces?

Short answer: Yep, pretty much.

Longer answer: I think most people can tell if they have a bad case of BO that crops up due to unusual circumstances, but I do think it can be hard for a person to smell a low to moderate amount of funkiness especially if the odor is an ongoing, typical thing. Think of my uncle or IL's sister as examples. If it is important for you to test what's an acceptable level of normal body odor, you'll have to ask good friends and family for help.

 

[TeresaT]

Off topic to @TeresaT -- Have you considered making and eating lacto-fermented food, such as sauerkraut? Or other kinds of fermented food that are good for the digestive system? I'm not a health care person, and I don't have IBS, but my digestive system can get out of whack from stress, so I sometimes have to deal with a rumbly, unhappy gut. If I regularly eat small quantities of the sauerkraut I make -- say one forkful per day -- my digestive system stays much happier. I think it works as good as the probiotic supplements I was taking. And the price is waaay better. Just a thought....

And now back to the deo topic -- My dad's parents (born 1898 and 1900) and my uncle who lived with them throughout his life took weekly baths. My uncle had what I now realize is a body odor. It wasn't a strongly offensive smell ... just kind of oddly musty ... so as a kid I just thought that was just him, no big deal. So I can imagine that some people might have BO of this type, but BO it most certainly was.

I find underarm odor personally distasteful, so when it crops up, it adds to my stress level, which adds to the BO, which adds to the stress, and so on. I also know how one's nose can become accustomed to it and how easily BO can put others off. Regular bathing, using deodorant, and wearing fresh clothing are important ways that help me prevent this problem.

I eat kimchi frequently because I like the taste. I don’t eat sauerkraut as often as I used to, just because I don’t eat kielbasa or hot dogs much anymore. I probably should substitute the sauerkraut for the kimchi since it’s cheaper and not as spicy. I tried kombucha once and was thoroughly grossed out by it, so never again for that. I just bought six containers of PrebioThrive, so that will do me good for about half a year. I try to drink kefir at least once a month to increase the gut bacteria, but I’ve been slacking the past several months. Thanks for the tip, though. I’ve read that fermented foods are really good for you because of the probiotics (which way the green light I needed to indulge in my kimchi obsession) but kimchi, sauerkraut and kombucha are the only fermented foods I know about. Except the fermented camel milk in the Middle East. I’m pretty safe from that, though.

 

[DeeAnna]

Kimchi is good too! And you can make it yourself as well, if you want to get into making fermented foods -- I agree making lacto-fermented food is not everyone's cuppa tea. My husband and I eat a small helping of cold sauerkraut a lot like people sometimes eat a pickle with a meal.

I just started making kombucha with the encouragement of the people posting on this thread -- https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/kombucha-brewers.69729/ My previous experience with other people's kombucha ranged from nasty to ... okay, but odd. So far, my kombucha tastes a lot like iced tea with a slice of lemon and a dash of sugar. Now I'm getting fond of the stuff.

 

[LiLiSoapz]

How does one quote the past two pages of utter hilarious undertones for scientific purposes?

I eat kimchi frequently because I like the taste. I don’t eat sauerkraut as often as I used to, just because I don’t eat kielbasa or hot dogs much anymore. I probably should substitute the sauerkraut for the kimchi since it’s cheaper and not as spicy. I tried kombucha once and was thoroughly grossed out by it, so never again for that. I just bought six containers of PrebioThrive, so that will do me good for about half a year. I try to drink kefir at least once a month to increase the gut bacteria, but I’ve been slacking the past several months. Thanks for the tip, though. I’ve read that fermented foods are really good for you because of the probiotics (which way the green light I needed to indulge in my kimchi obsession) but kimchi, sauerkraut and kombucha are the only fermented foods I know about. Except the fermented camel milk in the Middle East. I’m pretty safe from that, though.

If you like coffee or other such beverages a cool substitute is an herb called Chicory Root. The best part of it is that it is a PREBIOTIC. Other such herbs are:

• dandelion root
• burdock root
• marshmallow root
• elecampane root
• licorice root
• slippery elm (on the United Plant Savers At-Risk list)
• plantain

You can also get prebiotic benefits from certain fruits and veggies like:

• bananas
• onions
• garlic
• leeks
• asparagus
• Jerusalem artichokes

I already knew about some of these, but the bullets were taken directly from a website called "The Herbal Academy". Some of these could probably also double as a soaping additive.

ETA: Thank you so much for all who have positively contributed to this thread. I've read the whole thing and have been delightfully encouraged by the sharing and contributions that grew from a simple (yet amusing) observance. @TeresaT, you have truly sparked a Renaissance in this thread.

 

[SoaperForLife]

I already knew about some of these, but the bullets were taken directly from a website called "The Herbal Academy". Some of these could probably also double as a soaping additive.

Funny that you should post this as I was thinking along similar lines but more attuned to liver function than to having prebiotic properties. Some of the above mentioned roots are used to detox the liver. A good site for learning more is https://www.chinesemedicineliving.com/medicine/organs/the-liver/ I am studying herbalism and during my coursework discovered that I had symptoms pointing to a liver deficiency... which I have since tried to work to correct. Perhaps natural deodorants work better when you follow a liver friendly diet....

 

[bneylan]

I'm so glad I found this thread. I hate using supermarket spray deodorants but they have been the only ones to work. Recently I tried a product called 'no pong'. it's fab. A little tub of mild smelling paste - I'm sure it has baking soda in it. No problems with my skin so far. I am going to try some of the things here too. And so happy to hear about tummy fold areas and also for me under ****ies. Still doing hot flushes, so get sweaty easily. All those fold areas get raw and all medical people can offer is cortisone cream !