Natural Deoderant: GUEST POST from Jenn Daniel

Hello to all of Amy’s lovely readers! One of my favorite subjects to talk about while working at LUSH and a subject not many want to talk about is our armpits. Ok, maybe not armpits but rather what we slap on them. There has been an interesting misconception about us that deodorant brands and commercials would like us to believe: that we shouldn’t sweat. So they give us antiperspirant that will apparently give us the armpits of runners and nervous speakers that are dryer than the sands of a desert. I hate to break it to you all but we are meant to sweat!! Our bodies have an amazing ability to keep what we need to survive and get rid of all the bad we don’t need. One of these amazing ways is by sweating out through our pores, which include the pores in our armpits. One of the worst parts about antiperspirants is that when we stop our sweat the pores start to clog and when the pores are clogged our bodies think something is wrong. The reaction is our bodies begin to overproduce and then the very common body odor begins to also overproduce.

Bit of a side trail here but it is another misconception about us that I would love to see stop…call me a hippy but our natural body odor is not some sort of terrible stench that will cause everyone to run from us! Body odor (the untainted-by-perfumes body odor) has been linked to knowing each other, recognizing mothers and fathers as babies, and attracting the opposite sex! In our culture we get so obsessed with changing and covering our smell that we end up doing the very opposite. Granted diet and exercise has a lot to do with our body odor but starting with deodorant (or adding it on to a life style change) will add to making us more naturally healthy.

Switching from antiperspirant to a more natural alternative may seem tricky but it really is not hard at all. What I always suggest is first find the deodorant that best fits you and your lifestyle. Then give yourself around a week to allow your body to make the switch. I don’t mean take a week off work, lock yourself in a room where no one can smell you, and eventually you can merge as a good smelling person…I mean your body can take around a week to detoxify and get all those antiperspirants out of your armpits. The way I helped this smelly time was by keeping my deodorant with me and, half way through the day, threw some more on my armpits! Some of the days I went to the bathroom and straight up washed my armpits after washing my hands. (I also had the opportunity to tell people what I was doing. Interesting conversations can start by washing your armpits!) It took about 5 days when I noticed I didn’t smell but every person and situation is different so it can take more or less time. Oh! And yes you did read that last part correctly…I didn’t smell! Once again every person is different but you will notice a huge change in your armpits! Wearing deodorant once or twice a week is amazing so I really urge you to try this out!

Now that we have that part done the smelly part begins! The good smelling part! Picking your natural deodorant is also not hard (Sorry I’m about to name drop) and LUSH it a great option for figuring out which one is best. (I want to add a little disclaimer at this point. I have been using LUSH deodorant for a very long time, long before I worked there so no, this is not me selling hahahaha) Many people see LUSH as the soap shop, which we have, but among so much else there is an amazing selection of more natural deodorants. LUSH deodorants have no antiperspirants, no aluminum (which is linked to Alzheimer’s and brain disorders), a few are packaging free, all are either vegetarian or vegan, and all animal testing free!

There are five different types of deodorants:

“Aromaco” came from the idea of a roll on deodorant, which you can definitely feel with how soft and gentle it is! With witch hazel to naturally cleanse of bacteria and chamomile oil for soothing you won’t miss your old deodorant. They also threw in patchouli oil for a great smell and even more soothing properties!



“T’eo” is a strong working deodorant for any and all strong jobs. Full of antibacterial oil’s like tea tree and juniper berry and with a kick of lemongrass for a natural deodorizer you can see why it kicks butt!


“Coconut” gives away its greatness with the name alone. Coconut is in four different forms in here and lots of cornstarch to absorb sweaty moments. You wont be afraid to lift your arms and show off your music video armpits!


“The Greeench” (yes it does have three E’s in it) has every smell-busting herb in it! The use of thyme and rosemary to power through any bad smell and tea tree that will kill any bad bacteria lingering in your pits. Using baking soda to suck anything up this deodorant makes you smell like a forest Nymph in from the garden…. yes please!


“The Guv’ner” to combat any smelly guys worst, well, smell! LUSH filled it up with sweat absorbing charcoal, sage to clear out bad odor, and the earthiest scent to make freshness top priority! The idea behind The Guv’ner was for the gents but ladies if you love earthy scents (like myself) make sure you give this one a try!

Go out, ask questions, and find the deodorant that is awesome for you! Any LUSH shop employee will be happy to help you in your search and answer questions you have. Don’t be afraid to branch out from chain stores and see what can work for you. If you are anything like myself and other converts, you will be the better for it! Swing by the LUSH shop in London’s White Oaks Mall and tell me how your deodorant journey is going!   


Jenn Daniel is a sweet smelling natural beauty, guitar genius, and photographer extraordinaire.

Beauty and the Beast: Dangers in Your Beauty and Baby Products *GUEST POST*

Hi there! My name is Katie, I’m a good ol’ Canadian woman living in Australia. I’m a proud momma of a 17 month old girl, and I’ve got another little bub on the way! Amy has been lovely enough to let me write about a passionate topic of mine – chemicals in our beauty products and the consequences of slathering them on our delicate, gorgeous bodies.

In my teenage years I had the unfortunate experience of suffering allergy attacks- on my face. It was terrible. My eyelids had swollen up, I had a red rash all over my face. I could not go in public. It was uncomfortable and embarrassing, but most of all, it was perplexing. What the heck was causing this? How do I get rid of it? I’ll never be 100% sure what caused it, but I did manage to learn a lot in the process. When my face finally did calm down, I was so scared to cause another reaction and I became obsessively careful about what was going on my skin. Almost every product from moisturizer to mascara was making me have a reaction. I was terrified of irritating my skin and causing another red-rash nightmare. I remember putting foundation on my face (you know that expensive stuff starting with M ending in C) for the first time in a while and having it actually BURN while applying it- I know, CRAZY right? Becoming fed up with my all-of-the-sudden extremely sensitive skin, I became voracious for information on the most sensitive products out there. Here’s a few things I learned:

• “sensitive”, “gentle”, “organic” labelling DOES NOT automatically mean it’s safe, and it does not mean “free-of-nasty-chemicals-that-are-unnecessary-and-cause-harm”.
• skin absorbs more than 70% of what you put on it. When you think of it that way, you might not want synthetic chemicals and preservatives entering your body, or your precious baby’s.

This is just the tip of the iceberg, however if you see these chemicals listed in a product, it’s best to put it down. There are safe alternatives!

Parabens- Chemical preservatives used in most drugstore and even high end beauty products. They can irritate the skin, and have been linked to hormone disruption. Parabens can mimic estrogen, causing all sorts of problems and has been linked to breast cancer.

Sodium Laureth Sulfate/Sodium Lauryl Sulfate: These similar chemicals are used in many products, giving that foamy effect- hand soap, shampoo, face wash, tooth paste, cosmetics, etc. Sodium Laureth Sulfate can be often contaminated with ethylene oxide, a known carcinogen. Both chemicals are irritating to the eyes and the respiratory tract. It also doesn’t degrade easily in the environment and it doesn’t metabolize into our liver, leaving a longer-lasting effect on our body.

Perfume/Parfum/Fragrance: Sounds harmless, however fragrance in beauty products, or just perfume alone. Can irritate the skin, especially in babies. Known to aggravate allergies and asthma. Watch out for “unscented” or “fragrance free “as these products often contain a masking agent so that you cannot actually smell the fragrance that is indeed present.

Dyes: Spot them as “CI” and usually followed by a 5 digit number. These are known endocrine/hormone disrupters and can be contaminated by heavy chemicals that are toxic to the brain.

Worst Offenders in Baby Products:

• Johnson & Johnson products – familiar name, and long list of chemical concoctions. No way I’m putting that on my baby.
• Aveeno - contains a ton of dyes, parabens, alcohol, fragrance, etc.

Better:

- Aleva Naturals: wipes, shampoo, wash and lotions (found in most drugstores and supermarkets)

- Gaia: wipes, shampoo, wash and lotions (found in most drugstores and supermarkets)

The Best:

- homemade wipes, or reusable cloth wipes. (Amy has a recipe for wipes)

- NatraCare wipes are my favourite (Loblaws, Superstore, online)

- Earth Mama Angel Baby: bath and body products are amazing! (Chapters Indigo, online, some organic grocers) www.earthmamaangelbaby.com

Worst Offenders in Cosmetics:

Almost everything at the drugstore (I know, it’s sad) and at Sephora (disappointing!) is on the naughty list. However, you can find a less offensive product in both (Burt’s Bee’s from the drugstore) and Jurlique (Sephora) is a great brand. Superstore and Loblaws actually carry a few good brands in their Healthy/Organic section like Green Beaver and Weleda.

Ok, so what can we use that is safe? There are hundreds of great organic, chemical-free, baby-safe products out there, you just have to be picky about what you buy and know where to go. If you are lucky to live by a Whole Foods, or even by an organic grocer, chances are you’ll run into a few of these good brands. You can even learn to make your own cosmetics and baby products (Amy has tons of ideas!) Check out these companies below, they have super strict criteria in order for a product to be sold. They have a wealth of information and a great selection of all sorts of beauty products, baby stuff, and even man products.

• Rocky Mountain Soap Co - amazing products. Canadian made. I love their soaps and facial cleansing oil. www.rockymountainsoap.com
• Green Beaver - Canadian made. Great sunscreen, safe body products. www.greenbeaver.ca
• Dr. Hauschka - cosmetics, skin care, body care, hair care (available at Saffron Rouge) www.saffronrouge.ca
• Pangaea Organics - skin care, body care (Saffron Rouge)
• Suki - cosmetics, skin care, body care (Saffron Rouge)
• Badger – sunscreen and skin balms (Saffron Rouge)

For more info:

http://www.saffronrouge.com/about

http://www.davidsuzuki.org/issues/health/science/toxics/dirty-dozen-cosmetic-chemicals/

http://www.earthmamaangelbaby.com/mama-resources/reading-room/earth-mama-angel-baby-announces-skin-deep-rating

Thanks for reading! Hope I helped a little! Xx Katie