Greening my Armpits!? My Green Resolution

Welcome to the January Carnival of Natural Parenting: Experiments in Natural Family Living

This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama. This month our participants have reported on weeklong trials to make their lives a little greener. Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.

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My crystal in its basket

Okay so you probably read the title and thought to yourself, “What did she do!?”  Well trust me it really isn’t that crazy and I’m actually quite impressed with the results.  I decided to try natural crystal rock deodorant in place of my trusty antiperspirant and deodorant.  This actually was not really something new to me.  My aunt has used crystal deodorant from the time we were young – though I thought she was crazy at the time.  How does a hard block of mineral keep you smelling clean if you cannot lay on a ton of layers to combat nature?  Well it does work and I am ditching the layers of goop that I used to apply daily.

Crystal deodorants do not stop you from sweating but they do eliminate the bacteria present on your skin which causes the odor.  You simply wet the crystal with water and then apply under your arms.  You can also apply it anywhere else you’d like to eliminate odor.  Husband has stinky feet – rub the crystal on them.  You’d like some other areas of your body to smell a little less “human” – rub the crystal on it.  It should be noted this is for external use only. After you are finished using the crystal, rinse, dry and place it back on your counter.  Mine came in a cute little basket so I display mine.

What I have found is that I smell like nothing for 24 hours.  I really am excited about this idea for when Little #2 arrives because I didn’t wear anything for fear I’d smell funny and mess up breastfeeding.  If you find yourself getting a little smelly sooner then that – just wet your crystal and reapply.  You’ll be back to smelling like nothing in no time.  If you do wear scents this is a bonus because your deodorant isn’t competing with your perfume.  The other bonus I noticed is that if I’m in a hurry, I don’t need to worry when pulling on my shirt because there is no residue to come off on the outside of my shirt.  No more having to quickly change and outfit because I got deodorant on it.

The traditional deodorants and antiperspirants you find on the shelves in every grocery store and pharmacy use products and chemicals to mask odor and plug up your pores so you cannot sweat or you smell like the “ocean breeze” or some other “floral” concoction.  Which if we are honest just ends up smelling gross anyway when body odor rears its stinky head.  The more I think about it, I am reminded of stories of women dousing themselves in perfumes and sweet smelling water because it was immoral to bathe often.

Aside from fears of possible health concerns which it must be noted have not found any medical research to back up those claims (I’d rather not take the chance just in case sometime in the future those claims are correct) those products are messy.  They stain your clothing and clog up your pores.  I cannot tell you how many white shirts I owned that had yellow pit stains in them because of a reaction between the dryer and my caked on deodorant or outfits I needed to abandon because of a hastily pulled on shirt.  What a waste!

The crystals are smooth so it will not scratch your skin and ranges in price.  Some brands claim that one crystal will last you a whole year so you can factor that in when considering the price of the crystal.  I love the idea of not having to remember to grab deodorant.  You can get them in block form or within a plastic dispenser.  I opted for the block form because I wanted less waste.  I have had some slips and cracks though.  It is a hard mineral so if you drop it on the floor pieces will break off.

BUY IT!

You can purchase your own Thai Deodorant Stone in Basket from Amazon. Currently they are priced at $7.69 and qualify for Free Super Saver Shipping with a $25 purchase.

WIN IT! CLOSED

In the spirit of change and new beginnings I have decided to give one of my readers a crystal deodorant of their very own. For your chance to win a crystal deodorant from The Artful Mama, enter by leaving a comment and using our new Rafflecopter system below.

The winner will receive one 4oz Thai Deodorant Crystal in a basket. Contest is open to WORLDWIDE.

MANDATORY ENTRY: Please visit 5 of the other Carnival of Natural Parenting blog submissions and leave a relevant comment on their post! You must enter your name and email address in the Rafflecopter entry system for your entry to count, after leaving a comment on this blog post.

Leave a valid email address so I can contact you if you win. Email addresses in Rafflecopter are not made publicly visible. Please leave the same valid email address in your mandatory comment so we can verify entries.

BONUS ENTRIES:
See the Rafflecopter entry system for bonus entries to increase your chance of winning after completing the mandatory entry. All bonus entries are entered directly into Rafflecopter. Give it a try, and email or leave a comment if you have any questions!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Visit Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama to find out how you can participate in the next Carnival of Natural Parenting!

Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:

• Make your own moisturizer! — Megan at boho mama whips up a winter skin-friendly moisturizer.
• Cold Water Only — Brittany at The Pistachio Project talks about how you do not need hot water to wash laundry.
• Family Cloth… Really?? — After lots of forethought and consideration, Momma Jorje finally decides to take the plunge with family cloth.
• Reduce, Reuse, Recycle : 5-5-5 Things A Day — Luschka from Diary of a First Child writes about decluttering her home in an attempt to create a gentler living space. She takes on a new project where she sets a goal of reducing, reusing and recycling every day.
• Pros and cons of family cloth — Lauren at Hobo Mama would love to continue replacing paper products with family cloth … if she could only get over how damp she feels.
• Craftily Parenting — Kellie at Our Mindful Life finds that crafting makes her a better parent.
• Changes — Laura at Pug in the Kitchen couldn’t choose just one area to experiment with, so she wrote a long post about all the fun changes initiated in her life!
• Life without Internet: Not all it’s Cracked up to Be — Adrienne at Mommying My Way tries to go a week without the Internet, only to realize a healthy dose of Internet usage really helps keep this stay-at-home mom connected.
• My Progression to Raw Milk — Kerry at City Kids Homeschooling shares her natural parenting progression all the way to trying raw milk.
• mama’s new little friend. — Sarah at Bitty Bird tries a menstrual cup to “green her period,” and is pleasantly surprised when she falls in love with the product!
• Before you throw it out, try homemade laundry soap! — Jennifer at Practical OH Mommy shows visual proof that homemade laundry soap is cheaper, easier, and works better than the store-bought chemicals!
• Oil, Oil, No Toil, No Trouble — K from Very Simple Secret talks about her foray into the oil-cleansing method.
• I Need a Hobby — Amanda at Let’s Take the Metro couldn’t decide which experiment to run, so she did them all.
• 7 days of macrobiotics for a balanced family — The Stones make a [successful] attempt to release the “holiday junking” with 7 days of macrobiotic meals to balance their bodies and souls. Elisabeth at Manic Mrs. Stone includes an explanation of macrobiotics.
• Chemical Free Beauty Challenge — Jenn at Monkey Butt Junction turned to natural alternatives for her daily beauty and cleaning routine, with great results.
• Greening my Armpits!? My Green Resolution — Shannon at The Artful Mama talks about how she decided to give up her traditional antiperspirant and make the switch over to crystal deodorants and definitely isn’t looking back!
• Going Raw (for a while) — Jenny at Chronicles of a Nursing Mom shares her family’s experience with raw food.
• Do we get to eat gluten today? — Sheila at A Gift Universe has been trying to figure out if her son does better with or without gluten in his diet … but it’s really hard to tell for sure.
• Hippies Can Smell and Look Fabulous Too! — Arpita of Up, Down And Natural details her experience of going shampoo-free and overhauling her cosmetics to find the balance between feeling beautifully fabulous and honoring her inner hippie.
• Our cupboards are full…but there’s nothing to eat — Lucy at Dreaming Aloud takes on the challenge of chomping through the contents of her storecupboard rather than going shopping — but there’s something that she just can’t bring herself to do …
• Elimination Experiment 3.0 — MudpieMama recounts the messy adventures of her baby daughter trying to be diaper free.
• Family Cloth Trial — Amyables at Toddler in Tow talks about making and using family cloth wipes in the bathroom for the first time.
• Taking a Hiatus — Amy at Peace 4 Parents shares how her experience of much less internet interaction affected her family and how it will change her approach in the future.
• Trying Out the Menstrual Cup — Lindsey at an unschooling adventure ditches the tampons and gives menstrual cups a try.
• Managing Food Waste in Our Home — Tired of the holiday waste, Robbie at Going Green Mama takes a weeklong focus on reducing food waste in her home, and learns some lessons that can take her through the new year.
• Going Offline, Cloth Tissues, and Simplicity — Jennifer at Hybrid Rasta Mama muses over her time away from blogging and social networking. In addition, she shares her newfound love of cloth tissues and simplicity.

• The Oil Cleansing Method — Erica at ChildOrganics explores an easy, organic and natural way to tackle skin care.
• Experiments in Natural Family Living – Natural Toys! — Lani at Boobie Time enjoys the silence of natural toys and being more present with her son.
• Discovering a New City and Organic Foods — Amy at A Secure Base describes her family’s switch to and search for organic foods for one week.
• My Experiment in Homemade Bread — Crunchy Con Mommy tried — and loved — baking her own homemade bread.
• Menu Planning: Stop the Excuses — Gaby at Tmuffin stopped the excuses and started planning her weekly meals, drastically cutting her grocery budget and stress level and improving the quality of foods she fed her family.
• My First Menstrual Cup — Mandy at Living Peacefully with Children was pleasantly surprised with her first experience using a menstrual cup.
• My Natural Beauty Regime — Christine at African Babies Don’t Cry shares the results of banishing cleanser and soaps from her bathroom, as well as a couple of natural homemade recipes that have worked well on her skin.
• Unplugging and Creating a Rhythm: Our Experiment in Natural Family Living — Dionna at Code Name: Mama focused less on gadgets and spent more time with her family to create a healthy rhythm for the new year.
• Experiments in Natural Family Living: 5 First Steps Toward Preparing for a Natural Birth — Charise at I Thought I Knew Mama discusses how she tackled the pressing matter of how to begin preparing for a natural birth.
• All you need is…vinegar! — Kristen at My Semi-Crunchy Life learns that one household product can replace all the cleaners in her cabinet.
• Nope Nada Ixnay Negative Pass Decline — Zoie at TouchstoneZ finds out what shakes loose if she says, “YES!!” to anything anyone asks of her over the space of 10 days.
• Reducing our exposure to toxins found in plastics — Syenna at Gently Parenting Twins throws out the melamine and BPA plastics which have been hanging around the kitchen for too long.
• Duh! — Kat at Loving {Almost} Every Moment shares how she began the process of helping her 2-year-old son stop physically acting out.
• Experiments in Natural Parenting: Starting, Stopping, and Gaining Perspective — Melissa at Vibrant Wanderings explains how pregnancy brain interfered with her attempts to complete an experiment, but how she gained some interesting perspective as she started and stopped several.
• From Experiment to Lifestyle — Abbie at Farmer’s Daughter shares her experience avoiding processed foods for a month, and deciding to make it a permanent lifestyle change.
• From Disposable Paper to Reusable Cloth – AGAIN! — Terri at Child of the Nature Isle stops flushing trees down the toilet and switches to the softest ever butt-wiping material: cloth.
• Extra! Extra! Water Heater Turned Down, Mom Doesn’t Notice! — Thomasin at Propson Palingenesis finds an energy-saving experiment that’s so easy she didn’t even realize it was happening.
• Worm Tea — CatholicMommy isn’t sure how successful her worm bin will be, but she’s having fun anyway.
• Miles to Go … — Rachael at The Variegated Life learns that when it comes to sleep debt, she’s in real deep.
• My Month With Water Kefir — Paige at Baby Dust Diaries experiments with a new fermented probiotic drink homemade in her own kitchen.
• OMG Mom is Home… All Day Everyday: A Week-Long Experiment in Connecting — What a difference a week makes! Ana at Pandamoly is afforded a week off from work and takes the chance to reconnect and reattach with her 16-month-old son through an experiment in simply being there.
• Creating Healthy Family Recipes — Deb Chitwood at Living Montessori Now shares her experiment with healthy, gluten-free recipes and a chocolate muffin recipe that was created during the experiment.
• Adventures in Alternative Haircare: No ‘Poo — This guest post at Natural Parents Network from Amy at Anktangle chronicles a months-long journey into the world of no ‘poo.
• My Experiment in Natural Family Living: Natural Family Planning — Birth control options are seriously limited for those of us trying to live a little closer to the earth, so Mama Psalmist experiments with natural family planning.

Contest closes February 10, 2012 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.