natural deodorant - Stuff Parents Need

Tom’s of Maine Rocks a Long Lasting Deodorant with Natural Ingredients

June 26, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · 1 Comment

This shop has been compensated by #CollectiveBias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.

Raise your hand if you DON’T wear anti-perspirant! Or maybe don’t raise your hand…depending on what you are using instead. I ditched odor-blocking products that were full of questionable chemicals a few years ago and made the switch over to deodorant, and more specifically, to products that had more natural ingredients.

I have tried MANY different brands, and in more cases than not, the products simply don’t last all day, and if I don’t do a re-application halfway through the day, I don’t exactly smell awesome by the time I’m climbing into bed for the night. And feeling a little bit stinky is not really on my list of things I want to do daily, or really ever. As a result, if I’m ever going to be away from home for the entire day, I will resort to the product I keep on hand for such emergencies: an anti-perspirant that has a whole lot of stuff in it that I don’t want to wear. But on occasion, I feel left with no other choice!

And that’s why I might have done a little dance in the personal care aisle of Whole Foods yesterday. There were fireworks going off in my heart, y’all.

Tom’s of Maine has a product called Long Lasting Deodorant. It’s got some serious odor fighting ingredients that can help folks like me make it through 24 hours without the need to reapply! All this from a brand that is PROUD of what they put into their products. Want to see what you’ll find in this deodorant (and why it’s there)? Check this out!

I’m so thrilled that Tom’s of Maine has found the perfect cocktail of natural ingredients that will get you through 24 hours without a hitch. I’m so thrilled, in fact, that I might have hopped on Polyvore after getting my new deodorant and planned an entire outfit inspired by the product.

#FreshNaturally Summer Look by stuffparentsneed featuring a royal blue top

I’m totally living in cuffed jeans this summer (if you haven’t tried the look yet, you’ll be surprised by how big of a difference showing just a bit of your leg can make in how warm you feel!). And I personally love cowl neck shirts (I think they are flattering to most body types). I love the sleeveless look here, and thanks to Tom’s of Maine, I’m feeling just fine about going sleeveless all day long. I’m ready to go run my errands, meet friends for coffee, or even do the highly glamorous stuff all adults know and love: household chores. Working up a sweat is NO PROBLEM now! Tom’s of Maine has it under control.

One other thing you may not know about me is that I’m a recovering perfume junkie. Before I had kids, I would spend a fair chunk of my disposable income on beautiful scents to wear. At the height of it all, I had 57 bottles of perfume (!!!). I’ve whittled my collection down to 13, and every scent I have smells AMAZING. I don’t like for my perfume to compete with other products, so I tend to avoid deodorants and lotions that contain perfumes. While Tom’s of Maine does offer some naturally scented deodorizing products, I opted for the unscented version so that my perfume can shine. Nobody puts my Petite Cherie in the corner, friends.

So now you know the look I’m rockin’ most days this summer, and the deodorant I’m absolutely loving. No more having to choose between natural ingredients and all-day protection! Have you been afraid to ditch your anti-perspirant due to a lack of truly reliable alternatives with natural ingredients? If so, I want to encourage you to give the Long Lasting Deodorant from Tom’s of Maine a try. I’m so glad I did! My “for emergencies only” anti-perspirant is now in the trash. 🙂

Of Fermented Fruit, Mushroom Growing and Rocks for Deodorant

November 26, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 4 Comments

My father’s mother, my memaw, is 91 years old and still rockin’ out. I get to see her in a few days at Thanksgiving, and I’m really looking forward to it. She is the last of my remaining living grandparents on my side of the family, and she has been since 1994.

There are a few very interesting quirky things that I remember my memaw having in her home, and I can’t help but wonder if any of them have contributed to her longevity. And let me just say right now that I swear I’m not making these up!

1. My memaw grew mushrooms in her bathroom. My older brother can attest to this. We don’t know what kind they were or what the heck they did. But they were there and memaw was really proud of them. I may just work up the courage to ask her about those this week. Or maybe this one is best left as a mystery…

2. “Happy fruit.” Ok, I think this concept might have German origins, but I’m not sure. Basically she had a jar that sat on her countertop and it had big chunks of fruit in it, as well as a lot of sugar. And she’d let that fruit sit for a LONG time (a few months? I’m not sure) and said it was only for adults. Ok, so now I know my memaw was totally getting her moonshine on here, letting the stuff ferment until it produced alcohol. Between that and the mushrooms, I have to say, my grandmother is full of surprises.

3. Her “deodorant.” Y’all…it was a rock.

Ok, so flash forward to a few weeks ago when I received a package from Naturally Fresh Deodorant Crystal with products to try out. I’ve actually used their roll-on products before and totally loved them, so why not expand my horizons a bit?

And then I saw this:

Omg, it’s the rock! I would know it anywhere! And I had to ask myself, “Will trying this product put me one step closer to farming a mushroom garden in my bathroom while sipping on fermented fruit from my kitchen counter?” Probably.

And then I tried it.

Ok, so here’s the deal: this isn’t actually a rock. It’s mineral salts. That’s it! And to use it, you moisten the stick and then apply it. It forms a barrier on your skin to lock out odors. And I felt like a straight-up crazy person when putting it on (no disrespect to my memaw).

Well what do you know? This stuff works great! Tim really loved it, too. He has super sensitive armpits that break out quite often. He has to switch up what he is using every few months, and there are many deodorants that will cause a rash immediately for him. He’s have great success with the deodorant crystal from Naturally Fresh. And I’m happy to admit now, my memaw was on to something.

They also sent a few other products from the line, all of which use the same mineral salts, and just dispense them in different forms. I am loving the spray mist, and of course, I love the roll-on, too. Tim doesn’t like that kind, on account of his armpit hair getting stuck in the roller…ouch! This, of course, is a non-issue for me. But it is something for me to keep in mind, as you never know what I’ll be like once I start my happy fruit jar. I can already tell that it is part of my destiny, y’all. Resistance is futile.

If you want to check out more about Naturally Fresh Deodorant Crystal, definitely head to their Facebook page. The product line works fantastic for me, and I love that I’m going natural without smelling like it. Ha! Here’s a link to places where you can buy Naturally Fresh Deodorant Crystal. They are also available on my favorite shopping destination: Amazon. My advice? Go all out and get the rock!

Naturally Fresh Deodorant Review and GIVEAWAY!!

January 6, 2012 · by Tiffany Merritt · 107 Comments

If you have been reading my blog for a while, then you know that I made the switch to natural deodorants a long time ago. I did this in two stages. First, I made the switch from antiperspirants to deodorants. It took my body a few months to get adjusted, but I swear, after a while I started to perspire less and then it was really no big deal to wear deodorant.

Then I moved over to natural products. I just don’t feel good about the aluminum found in most products, and the natural stuff has been proven to be completely safe. It is true that some natural products are more effective than others, but even with the least effective products, I find that I just need one more swipe toward the end of the day to get me through.

Really, my only complaint about making the switch has been that the natural products are more expensive. Until now, that is! I’ve been trying out a great line called Naturally Fresh that is available at every Walmart store for just $3.99! There are a variety of applications and scents, but I’ve been trying the unscented formula in a roll-on and have been VERY impressed. There’s no need to re-apply toward the end of the day with this product and the protection it provides is great!

Naturally Fresh products are made with all natural ingredients that eliminate odor causing bacteria. Their products are hypoallergenic, non-staining and contain NO aluminum.

Tim has been trying their spray mist version (he doesn’t like roll-on deodorant because his arm pit hair catches on it. Ouch!). The spray mist is purified water and pharmaceutical grade mineral salts. These are wonderful for Tim, who is part of the 10 percent of the population who suffers from rashes and irritations when he uses conventional deodorants. Plus, it really works and keeps him smelling great!

If you prefer to have a scented deodorant, Naturally Fresh does offer four exotic scents: