Sorry if I SMELLED

FINE PRINT: I am not compensated for recommending any of these products and am not a medical professional; therefore, nothing in this blog post should be taken as medical advice.

‍I do not recall the exact conversation or date but like most "almost teenage" boys, I clearly remember my mom telling me, "you smell..."  Shortly thereafter, I magically had deodorant in my bathroom.  Since my dad used the Mitchum brand, that's what I got as well. Needless to say, since it did not smell like Drakkar or CK1 (you'll only get this if you grew up in the 90's), it was definitely "not cool," but kept my teenage male effervescence mostly under control.  For the next few decades, I used the scent of the month from Degree, Old Spice, and occasionally got whatever was buy-one-get-one in college.  In this post, I will discuss my reasons for switching to an all natural deodorant and the road I traveled to get there...‍

BACKGROUND

‍‍‍In the late 2000's, I read a great book called "The China Study" by Dr. Colin Campbell.  This book was my first serious introduction to a vegan or whole food, plant based diet.  Shortly after reading this book, I decided to give the vegan diet a shot.  At the time, I was working out 4-6 days per week, was already cooking what most Americans would consider a healthy diet, and had a better than average A1c (5.8 to 6.5; test relating to my type 1 diabetes).  Prior to starting my new diet, I had a routine appointment with my Endocrinologist and told him about my plan.  We ran normal blood work along with a full metabolic panel, lipid panel, A1c, etc. to gather pre-diet change data.  I then embarked on my vegan lifestyle.  I am not going into all of the details about what I ate, but I was strict, and continued to do everything else as normal.  Keep in mind that prior to my diet change, I was the fittest I have ever been weighing in around 160 lbs with around 6% body fat.  After around 45 days, I ran into a lady that had known me for most of my life and also worked out at the same gym.  She came up to me with a look of concern on her face and asked me, "are you feeling alright?"  I told her that I had never felt better and went vegan a while back.  She looked at me sheepishly and went back to her workout.  After that interaction I went straight to the scale.  I weighed in at around 147 lbs and had around the same body fat percentage.  This means that I lost around 13 lbs of mostly muscle over 45 days, but had the highest amount of energy ever.  A few days later, I decided to end my vegan diet, and was back in my doctor's office for more blood work.  Overall, all of my blood work improved.  Since I was already in "good health for long term diabetic," a normal American would likely have seen a larger improvement in their results vs someone like me that was already "healthy."  This data showed me the science behind the trial and error process for determining what works best for my body.‍

FAST FORWARD A FEW YEARS

‍In August of 2015, Joe (my husband) and I were in the process of building a new home.  We had sold our existing home and moved into an apartment for 5-6 months while our home was completed.  We moved most of our stuff into a storage unit and the bare necessities into a 1 BR apartment.  After several weeks of exhausting physical labor and mental stress, I woke up early during our initial night in the apartment to Joe having a nocturnal seizure.  Fortunately, I was trained in seizure treatment and knew what to do. EMS came, took Joe to Northside Cherokee.  After several follow up appointments, he was diagnosed with a complex partial frontal lobe seizure disorder with epileptic features (but not epilepsy) and started daily medication.  Stress was determined to be the primary cause for this seizure.

Joe's family also has a long history of GI issues (IBS).  Who spends more time in the bathroom is often a running joke at family functions.  Almost 2 years ago when Joe was on a business trip in Florida, I decided that we were going vegan.  Since then, we have been followed a pretty strict vegan diet and have only taken time off for things like Pie Bar, certain beers (FYI.. Reformation is vegan), and a few other indulgences we decided were worth it.  During this vegan plunge, I decided to learn more about other vegan products.

‍VEGAN PRODUCTS‍

I have always had an oily face and battled acne most of me teenage years into my early 20's.  I saw several reputable dermatologists, tried various prescription meds, OTC beauty products, home remedies, etc. that were all focused on acne reduction.  I saw very little, if any, improvement.  Eventually, I grew out of the worst of it, but still have flare ups on occasion.  After starting our vegan diet, I realized my skin seemed to be more blemish free.  During one our grocery runs, I decided to try some vegan face wash, facial lotion, shampoo, etc.  After several different product trials, this is the regimen that seems to work best for my skin type:

Shampoo

Face Wash

Face Lotion

Body Lotion

‍

SORRY IF I SMELLED...‍

Aluminum-based compounds are used as the active ingredient in antiperspirants. These compounds form a temporary “plug” within the sweat duct that stops the flow of sweat to the skin's surface. -NIH (National Cancer Institute study)

‍The final steps in my vegan product journey were my deodorant and what my kids call "smell good" aka cologne.

Somehow the algorithms of Facebook, Instagram, etc. discovered that I was a vegan.  This was likely due to the myriad of vegan pages that I recently "liked" and/or "followed."  I clicked on a few ads for natural deodorants/antiperspirants, solid colognes, learned more about these fascinating products, and did some research for myself.  Here's what I discovered...

‍

MY BOOBS

‍The proposed link between breast cancer and the application of cosmetic chemicals with oestrogenic and/or genotoxic properties provides an evidence-based hypothesis capable of further testing... - Breast Cancer Research vol 11, Article number: S5

‍... no scientific evidence links the use of these products to the development of breast cancer... - National Cancer Institute study

Contrarian much?

‍In late 2013, I noticed that something (a lump) was forming directly under my right nipple and was becoming slightly uncomfortable.  I brushed it off for a few weeks and dismissed it as a chest muscle strain or random hard tissue; however, it continued to get larger.  Once I could visibly see it in the mirror, I decided to bring it up to my Primary Care Physician (PCP) at my yearly, routine physical.  My PCP did not think it was anything to be urgently concerned about but referred me for a mammogram and ultrasound just to be safe.  After the scans, I was told that it was not anything to be urgently concerned about (Whew!!).  Since it was causing discomfort and growing, I was referred to a General Surgeon for a consult.  After my appointment with Dr. Dua (an awesome surgeon), he thought it might be Gynecomastia which is common in many men, but is normally bilateral (both sides) whereas mine was abnormally unilateral (one side).  Since it was was causing some discomfort and growing, he recommended removal.  On May 15th, 2014, I had surgery to remove the lump.  The Pathology came back confirming everyone's assumption, it was gynecomastia.  During my post op follow up with Dr. Dua, we decided that since I never used steroids (other than prescribed ones for an ear issue in college) and did not have a history of hormone issues (other than not making insulin), we chalked it up to a random occurrence.

Two years later in 2016, I noticed another mass forming in almost the same position. This 2nd lump was slightly lower (below the nipple) on the same side.  Instead of going to my PCP, I made an appointment to see Dr. Dua.  He immediately expressed concern over this 2nd formation and suggested that I go see an Endocrinologist (hormone specialist) to have a complete hormone workup.  As a type 1 diabetic, finding an Endo was easy.  Instead of making an appointment, I sent my Endocrinologist a message, gave her the 4-1-1, and asked her to put in an order for whatever blood work was necessary to help determine causation.  All the results came back normal, meaning that my hormone levels were all within the normal range for a 30 something male.  On September 1, 2016, I went in for me 2nd lumpectomy on my right side.  Since this was the 2nd formation on the same side, Dr. Dua elected to remove more tissue around the mass to hopefully prevent it from coming back again in the future.  Again, the Pathology came back as gynecomastia.

This may seem repetitive but in 2018, I noticed another lump forming; however, this one was under my left nipple.  Since our insurance was no longer accepted by Dr. Dua (Kaiser), I had to see a new PCP, was referred to new General Surgeon, and scheduled another surgery.  Since I had a history of gynecomastia, we elected not to do any scans, ran more hormone blood work, and decided to just remove the D$%& thing.  All my blood work came back normal.  I also requested that additional tissue be removed around the lump to hopefully prevent another recurrence, the new surgeon agreed.  On August 21st, 2018, I had my 3rd lumpectomy surgery.  Shockingly (sarcastic voice), the Pathology came back as gynecomastia.

After three experiences/surgeries and after doing my own research, I decided to trial and error with some new deodorant/antiperspirant product choices.  While I cannot say with certainty that my lumps were caused by long term use of aluminium based deodorants/antiperspirants, this statement was enough of a potential correlation to see what would result with different product decisions ...it has been suggested that aluminum may have direct activity in breast tissue... (National Cancer Institute study).  ‍

My Common Sense

‍I have been a type 1 diabetic since 1/13/1988 and have learned over the last 30+ years that the best way to figure out what works best for your body is to trial and error.  Since every body is different, my body may react differently than yours and vise versa.   While you can learn things from other people's experiences, from articles, YouTube videos, doctors, etc., you will never know that something actually works or does not work until you give it a try and see what happens.  As a rule of thumb, most "trials" are never going to result in something adverse occurring as long as you know what to do in order to maintain good health during the "trial."

In the middle of reviewing several medical journal publications relating to breast abnormalities, I stumbled into the world of natural (Vegan) underarm products after clicking on an Instagram ad for Oars & Alps.  They had what I viewed as a realistic description of what a transition period would look, feel, and smell like for my body to transition from normal underarm products to natural ones (see below).

‍NATURAL DEODORANT DETOX GUIDE

When switching from an anti-perspirant to a natural, aluminum-free deodorant it can take some time for your body to regulate. Here's what you can expect during that detox period.

WEEK 1 - No odor.

WEEK 2 - You are sweating more. Your pits are purging toxins from aluminum in antiperspirant.

WEEK 3 - You’ll sweat more and smell less as your body continues to adjust.

WEEK 4-5 - Odor and sweat begin to disappear.*

*Everyone detoxes at their own pace. For optimal results, reapply as needed.

‍My initial reaction to this information was mixed... #1. It did not sound that bad but #2. I am naturally a VERY oily person, am active, sweat regularly, and did want to be "offensive" to anyone while I trialed with natural deodorant.  If you go to any gym regularly, you have likely encountered "that guy" that always seems to forget his underarm product.  While I am completely cool with someone's religion dictating what products they use,  some gyms are now instituting a "smell policy."  I did not want to be "that guy."

My first venture into natural deodorant products was with Schmidt's Charcoal + Magnesium which I picked up at Target.

I chose this primarily because it was the cheapest (around $6.99 + tax) and due to its local availability.  I figured that if I did not like it, I would easily return it, get my $ back, etc.  During my initial 24-48 hours after starting the product, I did not notice anything special.  I applied it as normal: a bit under both arms after my nightly shower and a bit more in the AM before heading out for my day.  A "bit" for me meant a few swipes up and down under both arms.  I noticed that I was more "ripe" towards the end of the day but nothing that my spouse said was highly offensive (he was my official "do I smell bad?" consultant).  Since I normally shower each evening, it was easy to hit the "smell reset" button.  After around 7 days of use, I noticed an irritation under one of my arms.  I kept an eye on it but did not alter my application.  After a few more days, it got worse, and I emailed Schmidt's customer service.  They replied promptly and suggested changing my normal application to once per day and limiting it to one swipe up and one swipe down.  They mentioned that I should not treat natural products the same as aluminum based ones.  I heeded their advice and saw my irritation improve within 2 days or so...  While my experience was going ok at best, I began to think "maybe I'm getting what I pay for.."  Since I was using one of the lowest priced products, I decided to try something slightly higher priced and see if my results improved.  I then made another pilgrimage to Target (Canton, GA).

This time, I decided to spend a bit more (around $11.99 + tax) and try the Eucalyptus and Mint deodorant from Native.

This product immediately felt "higher quality," like the difference from One Ply TP vs Kleenex Cottonelle.  I again applied this product the same way the customer service folks at Schmidt's recommended (once per day after my evening shower with one swipe up and one swipe down).  I noticed an immediate positive difference.  While the scent of the product was not as strong, it lasted the entire day.  My "smell consultant" also noticed an improvement.  At this point in my trial, no one told me that I "smelled."  I get that some folks may have been polite in-person and could have been thinking "holy $HI#" as they walked away but no one said anything...  I think that most of my friends that I see regularly would be direct enough to say something, so I took no news as good news.  Now that I had a better product, I started looking at other similarly priced products online...

The next product I decided to try was Shotguns & Shenanigans from American Provenance.

Since I was having a much better experience with my recent product selection (purchased locally), I decided to order these online and paid exactly $28.00 (included tax and S/H) for a 4-pack.  I selected four different fragrances, including an unscented one.  Since I started using this product in mid August, I have seen the same positive results, and plan to continue using the American Provenance products until I run out.  Not sure what I am going to do once my 4-pack is gone.  Continue with this brad or try yet another one.

UPDATE July 2020:

Since COVID, I have been using Bravo Sierra deodorant and see no reason to switch, it is the best!

During my underarm product trial extravaganza, I also tried "solid colognes" for the first time.  Several products that I have tried so far include:  Olivina - Bourbon and Cedar,  Duke Cannon - AIR (found this mismarked for $7.99 at a Wegmans in Virginia), and a sample pack from Fulton & Roark.  The full size products tend to last about the same amount of time as a normal sized bottle of cologne and do not cost as much as traditional men's dept store brands.

‍SUMMARY

‍Overall, I am very happy with my transition from normal underarm products to more natural ones, and plan to continue using them into the future.  If you can find ones that you like on sale or discounted, they are not much more expensive than your traditional brands.  If my product change results in fewer boob issues, the slight increase in cost will be MUCH less than paying for another surgery.  Additionally, I have the "good feeling" of knowing that my products have a lower chance of affecting my health adversely.

Scientifically, I will never be able to prove that my underarm products caused my lumps.  However, If I make it 2 to 3 years without any re-occurrences, I can correlate that my surgical choices (removing more tissue) combined with my natural/vegan underarm product choices produced a positive outcome for my health.  If lumps reoccur, it will be time to try something else and see what happens...

If you are concerned about your health, I encourage you to do your own research, and consider doing your own 30-day trial.  In the worst-case scenario, you decide to go back to what you are doing before, and are no worse for the wear.  You might just need to say "Sorry if I smelled bad..."

If you want to share your story or have a constructive conversation about this or anything else, message me, and let's grab coffee or a beer.

Have a good one,

Dan