I've attempted to do this at least 4 times in the last 5 years, and always end up right back with a stick of Mitchum. Every other attempt occurred in summer, involved buying 7 kinds of natural deodorant between Whole Foods and Lush, and was abandoned within a month of smelliness. I even got my underarm hair laser-removed as part of this effort, and still no dice, right back to the Mitchum. I have that natural lady stink, but hate the idea of shoving aluminum and other chemicals right into the spot where my body is justifiably trying to get rid of toxins. Mitchum Power Gel has 25% aluminum sesquichlorohydrate, so it's pretty intense even by conventional standards. And it still doesn't quite perform beautifully at certain times of the month.This time, I have fall weather on my side and I'm prepared for some serious experimentation.
experiment #1: apply tea tree oil over night, and use a Tom's of Maine deodorant by day.
Fail! The tea tree oil's anti-bacterial properties certainly worked their magic, but the oil itself was too drying, to the point of causing a rash after two weeks of nightly use. Tea tree oil's beautifully woodsy smell is also a bit overpowering and likely to send sleep-time playmates running. Not to mention, have you seen the price of organic tea tree oil recently?
The Tom's of Maine wasn't strong enough on it's own, even in particularly harried winter days, so I tempered daily use with carrying around a stick of Secret for emergencies. Far from ideal and not sustainable for summer use.
experiment #2: home-made deodorant à la Ms. Mihow. Seeing a kindred spirit raving of success, I've mixed up equal almond-scented shea butter, coconut oil, corn starch, and baking soda.
