a proper goth doesn't stink...

Perhaps you are like me and have had your senses offended by some less than careful black clad monster on the dance floor. They twist and twirl, all the while kicking up a stink that can only be described as "barnyard". Everyone knows a good and proper goth does shower regularly and makes an effort to smell good, or at least, non-offensive.

One of the more daunting challenges to my beauty regimen was finding a good deodorant. Keep in mind that deodorant and antiperspirant are two very different things that are usually combined in most conventional formulations, but not in naturals. You will still sweat with natural deodorant, but a good one will keep the stink at bay. I am going to list most of the deos I have tested for your benefit because unfortunately many did not hold up to an all night dance party...

THE BAD:

• Price: $3-7 at various healthfood stores
• First impression: Very clean smelling. Has propylene glycol :/
• Lasting impressions: I was absolutely horrified at how I smelled after a few hours.

Yes, yes anyone who has switched from conventional deo/antiperspirant will tell you that there is always a "detox" period the body undergoes where it leeches out toxins while it adjusts to the healthier you. This can make you smell a million times worse than you normally would using something natural. Not the case for me! I had already suffered through the "stink week" with another blah deodorant, and was still amazed at how I could reek like a football players lucky socks with this concoction. Kiss my face? More like kiss my ass!

• Price: $3-7 at various drug and health food stores.
• First impression: Wow this smells really, really good! Has propylene glycol :/
• Lasting impressions: Oh dear God I am willing to possibly get cancer to avoid smelling like this ever again!!

Tom's of Maine is one of those "healthy" brands that can be found easily for the neophyte. They have marketed themselves very well in the last several years and are thus fairly popular among better for you brands. Greenwashed or not I used this during the first week of my healthy deo challenge. I showered and shaved and put this on. It sort of burned after shaving. Never-the-less I forged on. It smelled very nice at first, then morphed into some cloying mix of peach jolly ranchers and onions. BAD BAD BAD! It's also very sticky under your arm. Because I initially liked the scent, I decided to give this another go after my "stink week" had passed. SAME results. Ew, ick, bleh.

• Price: $9.85 from bubbleandbee.com 
• First Impression: Geranium Lime? No propylene glycol? Awesome!
• Lasting Impression: A crumbly mess!

Oh Stephanie, I really wanted to like your pit putty! After doing a ton of research I came across your site and was so excited about all the great reviews. This stuff comes in many different scents and has ingredients that totally make sense, and some that even work to wick sweat away! Sadly this was just too unwieldy for me. It's very crumbly and balls up under your arm. Lots of it falls off and gets onto your clothes. Since I happen to wear mostly black and dark colors, this was truly unacceptable. You simply cannot have deo stains under a black light can you? I even went back to the site and read the FAQ recommendations on how to use this best and still had issues with crumbles and the like. Stay tuned for there is redemption for Steph and Bubble and Bee coming later...

The Good:

• Price: $3-7 at most health food stores.
• First Impression: Yay it's not sticky! Has propylene glycol. :/
• Lasting Impression: Next day go to deo!

Desert essence is one of those faker green washed organic companies. Although I am very opposed to this and stopped buying their products, I am still using up what I have left of this one. This has no scent but works like crazy. If you have been working up a bit of a stink just swipe this on and the smell is gone!

• Price: $10.85-$11.85
• First Impression: Wow this really works! No propylene glycol!
• Lasting Impression: Fabulous!

Bubble and bee redeemed themselves with these "design a spray" deodorants. There are tons of scents you can mix and match and all are highly effective due to the quadruple distilled organic grain spirits. You can also pick from ready made scents which are available. I use this before putting on anything else and sometimes as a body spray.

Next we come to one of the greatest discoveries on my hunt for healthy...ETSY! There are a myriad amount of people making their own formulations on this site. I can't go through all of them, so I will just speak about the ones that I have tried and think deserve a try from you as well.

 

• Price: $7-14
• First impressions: WOW! So many pretty scents!
• Lasting impressions: A texture more like conventionals, and it works!

Sobe botanicals is a fabulous storefront that makes one of the best deos I have found among other things. They are creamy and with just the right amount of scent. They are free of propylene glycol and come in yummy flavors like aquolina's pink sugar, so you don't have to smell like a hemp factory or patchouli wagon.

• Price: $7-14
• First impressions: I SMELL LIKE CAKE!
• Lasting impressions: I STILL SMELL LIKE CAKE!

 LuckyGirlBoutique has even more awesome scents to choose from and the same creamy formula that is free of propylene glycol. I use bubble and bees spray first and then one of these deos rubbed in. I can personally attest to the fact that this combo holds up to a full night of dancing and anything that might happen to you afterwards. ;)

The BEST!

• Price: $9.95
• First impressions: It's like frosting for your pits!
• Lasting impressions: My absolute favorite!

Bubble and bee recently created the absolute best deodorant I have used and have thus ended my crusade against stink. "Pit putty creams" are everything I was looking for: easy to use, no white marks on your clothing, fantastically scented, healthy ingredients, and above all insanely effective! They have a base of organic shea butter, arrowroot powder, coconut oil, sunflower oil, and aluminum-free baking soda. With scents like geranium lime, lemon clove (my particular favorite), "jasmint", lemongrass, spearmint tea tree, and "super pit putty" which is a blend of lemon clove and patchouli, there is something for almost everyone.

UPDATE!!!

Bubble and bee have recently come out with a new scent of pit putty cream! Orange vanilla!! It smells amazing and I can't wait to try it out on the dance floor and let you know how it works!