Anyway, I am particularly thinking about one thing. Deodorant. I have been told many times, and read many studies about how horrible aluminum is for our bodies, and the links with breast cancer, and all the ugliness that they are, and I don't doubt it at all! I hate the idea of stopping myself from a natural practice of sweating, however, I hate the idea of smelling bad almost equally as much.
That said, it seems I go through cycles with this particular issue. It usually starts with me getting riled up about the cause and in a fit of passion I throw away my current antiperspirant. Next, I go to the health food store and buy a new kind of natural deodorant. Next, I try using said deodorant for a few days until I realize that it is not working as well as I would like. This is usually followed by me going back to the health food store, selecting a different brand and starting the cycle again. This could repeat again before I have an important day come up in my life, ie: a date, job interview, big audition... at which point I cave, run to the shoppers drug mart, buy an antiperspirant that is on sale and I smell daisy fresh.
The real truth, yes it is confession time: I am terrified of smelling bad. The idea of someone smelling my scent and being repelled by it is more than I can bare. I am almost obsessive about smelling good, to the point where I have to make sure I am wearing just a dab of a body shop spritz or cream before I leave the house, no matter where I am headed.
Now, this week, I had a new friend tell me about something quite intriguing. He swore by using baking soda as deodorant. He said that it kept the smell away really well and he didn't have to re-apply!
I was feeling adventurous, so I decided to give it a try!
I woke up in the morning, jumped in the shower, and then before I dried my hair, I patted my arm pits with just a tiny bit of water. It dried quicker than anticipated, so I had to wet them a little bit more. Then I dumped a little pile of baking soda in my hand and dabbed it on my arm pits as I had been instructed. All was dandy until I realized I was having a bit of a clumping happening in my left arm pit. Must have been too much water. I brushed it off, sprinkled a tiny bit of water and then brushed a fresh batch of soda on. Done.
The real test was after I arrived at rehearsal. I had to get off the streetcar sooner than usual, because I had to stop and mail a letter, so I had to speed walk quite a few blocks to get to there on time. When I arrived, I could feel a little bit of moistness happening in a the experimental areas. I took off my coat and not-even-a-little-subtle-y sniffed both sides. Surprisingly, all was well!! I didn't smell a thing.
We rehearsed for a few hours and then took a break, at which point I decided to assess the situation again: This time, there was a teeny bit of musk sneaking through. I held on for a minute, and told myself that it didn't matter. I could still make it through to lunch. It was at this point that I learned we were going to be doing a ton of movement work after the break.... then I caved. I grabbed a deodorant hidden in my backpack, and the experiment was done.
All in all I have to say I was pretty proud of myself. It was the first time in a while that a teeny smell didn't throw me over the edge. The truth is: There are just some times where you can't afford to smell bad. I think that is just a part of life.
So this is the agreement I have decided to make with myself: I will have two deodorants, and one rare antiperspirant. The two deodorants will be one natural, one not as much. I can therefore make my decision in the morning based on how much physical activity I will be doing, and for very special necessary occasions I can use the antiperspirant. But not all the time. Perhaps I will try the baking soda again with differing quantities.... maybe that would work...
Whew, I am glad I got that off of my chest. What an important topic this is in the grand scheme of things.
Happy sweating!
Love and kindness all.
No comments:
Post a Comment