Battling the B.O.

Me: I think I'm going to stop using deodorant.
Husband: ...please don't.
Me: I already ran out about two weeks ago, and haven't worn any...
Husband: What is wrong with you?

The fact is that your body needs to sweat. Anti-perspirants (which is what most of us use) do not let your body do so by clogging up your sweat ducts. Anti-perspirants also contain Aluminum.
Aluminum has been associated with a variety of health issues including:

Breast cancer
Alzheimer's
Kidney Problems
Seizures

All this so you can smell good? No, thank you.
Guess what else? Since your body absorbs it, it is then secreted through breastmilk. Just what I want!! My baby to glow green.

The truth is we used deodorant and anti-perspirant interchangeably. Anti-perspirants pose health risks, and do not let your body sweat. Deodorants allow you to sweat, but kill odor-causing bacteria. However, some deodorants also contain aluminum, so be sure to check the label.

I have looked into the dangers of aluminum containing anti-perspirants/deodorants and the studies are inconclusive. One theory is, that since your body cannot sweat, it cannot release toxins from the body, accumulating it in your lymph (hence the breast cancer association).
Others say those claims are untrue.
Regardless, I don't need for studies to prove this or that, why risk it?

I decided to give making my own deodorant a go. There a few variations to recipes, but I used what I had on hand at the time.
I mixed 2T coconut oil, 1T baking soda, and 1T cornstarch. You can add whatever essential oils you like for a nice smell.
I wanted to make a small batch at first, because I didn't know if I was going to like it, so I poured it into a small make-up container. You can also save old deodorant sticks and pour it in there as well.
To be honest, I didn't give it a fair try, but people swear by it! Next time, I think I will vary the recipe a little, add some oils, and use a different container.

For now, I have been using the crystal stick, which is all-natural and aluminum free. On the bottle it states "Approved by the American Cancer Society." Shouldn't they all be?
It's just as important what you put on your body as what you're putting in it.

Challenge update

Our 30 day diet challenge ended about a week ago and I'm happy to report the results: husband lost 14 pounds and I lost 7 (darn men!)
But the best part of it is that we actually continue to eat the Paleo way most of the time. Yes, it's only been a week since we've finished and I understand most diets soon fall to the wayside, but for
 us the benefit has been huge. I personally have more energy, feel fuller longer, and obviously the weight loss has been a bonus. I actually cheated about two days before the diet ended (husband ate my lunch ...sabotage?) and had myself a bowl of pasta. The entire time it was cooking, my little carbohydrate loving heart was sighing sounds of love and endearment ...and then.... It didn't taste so good..and it made my stomach hurt...and I was hungry a mere hour later. Drats!

Here's a quickie recipe for my go to breakfast and quick lunch :
(There's a few varieties of this recipe floating around the Internet, but I tweaked a few things and this is my fave version)

Paleo banana pancakes

2 bananas
1T coconut flour
2 eggs
1T almond butter (I tried this with peanut butter when I was out of almond butter...not the same but it would do if you're in a crunch)
1t vanilla
1t cinnamon
Coconut oil
Agave nectar

Mix all ingredients together except coconut oil and one of the bananas. Melt some coconut oil in a hot pan and pour a spoonful of batter in the pan  ( if you make your pancakes too thick, they will fall apart. Make sure one side is well done, otherwise they won't flip). This makes about 4 pancakes or one serving, they're very filling.
Cut up the other banana and top pancakes. I like agave nectar on top, but raw maple syrup would do, if you prefer.

They are pretty versatile, you can add nuts or berries, whatever you like. I'm obsessed with these. Enjoy!

Caution, bottle may explode

In my quest to be greener, I came across the many benefits and uses of coconut oil (in food and cosmetics). The information is available for you on many sites and blogs, but I won't list anything I personally haven't tried myself.
One of the uses is shaving cream, so I decided to try it out.
However, first I took a look at my store-bought shaving cream and the bottle said:

"Pure and Natural"

 

"Dye and Fragrance Free"

 

"Moisturizing Eucalyptus Oil"

That doesn't sound so bad, right?

 "Caution, bottle may explode"

Wait, what?

 I decided to investigate the ingredients list a little further which you'll find at the end of this post.

Now on to the good stuff. I took some coconut oil into the shower, mixed it with water and slathered it on my legs. And then... ouch! This was like dry shaving. I sucked it up and shaved the rest of my leg, and by the time I started on my other leg, it went much smoother.
That is because coconut oil turns into a liquid at warm temperatures, so I just had to let it sit a little longer.
My legs were silky smooth when I got out and didn't have an "oily" feeling. Normally, they are so dry and itchy, but now they are baby skin smooth!  Coconut oil is also a moisturizer).
The only negative is that it really plugged up my razor and will probably make it dull quicker. But, that's a small price to pay in exchange for getting all of those toxins off my body (and the ridiculous cost of shaving cream).
I'm a coconut oil novice, but I can't wait to see what else it can do for me.


Here is the ingredient list along with what I found the effects on your body are (for the particular brand I have at home). Feel free to use the info, but please link back to me if you do.


Palmitic acid - alters central nervous system, disrupts the hormone insulin.

Triethanolamine - slight irritant, was shown to increase liver cancer in mice

Stearic acid - a fatty acid with many uses. Long exposure to large amounts increases risk of cancer.

Isopentane - Highly flammablae and volatile. Passes through skin. Can cause headache, nausea, dizziness, shortness of breath, irritate throat and lungs, drying and cracking of skin, may affect liver, heart, central nervous system.

PTFE - also used in non-stick cookware. Linked with cancer and thyroid disease.

PEG-90M and PEG-23M - little info available. Moderate organ system toxicity.

hydroxyethylcellulose - mild skin reaction.

Sorbitol - Ingesting causes multiple problems, couldn't find info for topical effects.

Isobutane - "generally recognized as safe"

Lavandula and Eucalyptus oil - lavender and eucalyptus oil .. I'm guessing not in their natural form.


And I've been putting this on my skin. Scary.