The Common Denominator: Stinky Underarms
Stinky armpits…unless you are an extremely fortunate soul WE ALL DEAL WITH THEM! Most people's’ biggest thought process behind buying deodorant for themselves is “do I want my armpits to smell like a spring meadow this week or lavender fields?” We often buy these products based off of the fragrance they offer rather than the ingredients they offer. I have been guilty of these things in the past, paying limited attention to what items I was putting on my skin, more concerned with if they would cover up unwanted odors.
I had heard rumors that deodorants weren’t necessarily good for you and that using them had harmful side effects but I never really dug deep into it. Besides, any time I had tried one of those “healthy” deodorants they didn’t work! I would slather that baby on there and after one workout I was smelling like an italian hoagie (sorry for the TMI but I know someone out there feels me!). I had started to give up hope, and thought well let me just go back to the “bad” deodorants because how bad can they be? Well… just for funsies here are a list of some of the ingredients that are commonly found in the deodorants you may be using. This list comes from Made Safe.
Triclosan
Phthalates
Parabens
Fragrance
Diethanolamine
Butane and Isobutane
Aluminum
Look at that list and have no idea how to pronounce half of those, let alone what half of them actually are? SAME! Why do you think it was so easy for me to ignore them for so long? But I started applying the same rule that I have with food products, to when I buy my skin products: if you don’t know how to pronounce, or what 3 or more ingredients are don’t buy it. Just to give you a snippet of information, according to Made Safe here are just some of what these ingredients can cause/do to your body.
Triclosan: This bad boy helps eliminate odors (which we are all for) however, did you know that “Triclosan is an endocrine disruptor, meaning it can mimic hormones or interfere with hormonal signaling” (MadeSafe, 2021). Did you know it also increases your chances of breast cancer? There has been so much research surrounding this that “has led FDA to ban its use in hand soaps” but it is still appearing in your deodorant (MadeSafe, 2021).
Phthalates: These help your deodorant smell good for longer BUT did you know they can “disrupt the endocrine system, especially in males” and women don’t get off the hook. This affects you too ladies! “Exposure can cause early onset puberty, which is associated with breast cancer later in life” (MadeSafe, 2021).
Parabens: These bad boys help preserve your deodorant but they are also “hormone impersonators, mimicking estrogen in the body” and you guessed it…"it has been linked to breast cancer” (MadeSafe, 2021)
Fragrance: This has got to be the good stuff right? This makes us smell good! That’s all fine and dandy but a lot of times the ingredients that make up this “special fragrance” are not public knowledge and are not listed on the label. So you have very limited knowledge of what you are putting on your body, which allows ingredients that cause concern to sneak right in.
Diethanolamine: This wonderful ingredient has also been linked to cancer
Butane and Isobutane: When I hear these I can’t help but picture my dad firing up the grill for a BBQ and I can’t help but wonder, “what the heck is this doing on my skin?” “These gasses are used as propellants in aerosol deodorants” but did you know “ The European Union and Canada have imposed restrictions on butane and isobutane due to concerns over contamination with 1,3-butadiene, a chemical linked to cancer and reproductive toxicity” (MadeSafe, 2021).
Aluminum: This is the ingredient that helps “stop” you from sweating. It does this by plugging you up, which just doesn’t sound good. As gross as it may be, our bodies were designed to sweat guys, let that sweat roll off! Want to know a scary fact? “Aluminum can cause genomic instability on the cell level, meaning it can increase our cells’ tendency to mutate; mutations can increase the chance of tumor growth” (MadeSafe, 2021).
Feeling overwhelmed? I know I was! And these are facts taken from just ONE source of information. Do you know how many legitimate sources are out there on this kind of stuff? Don’t even try to count it's A LOT! But luckily for you there is no need to give up hope because I have already stumbled across the solution! It’s ZEN PITS!
When I first stumbled across this deodorant I assumed it would be like the rest of the deodorants that claimed to be toxin free. They would either still be hiding some sneaky chemicals in there or it would be good for me but it would do nothing to control odor. Zen Pits is able to do BOTH! It is toxin free AND it keeps me from smelling like an italian hoagie. Zen Pits has 5 ingredients, that’s right FIVE. You can see them right on their website (which I have linked below) but to save you some time let me list them out for you:
Organic Aloe Vera
Distilled Water
Organic Rose Water
Lactic Acid
Rose Quartz Crystals.
Well that sure passes my “food” ingredients test. I can pronounce them all and I have a good idea of what most of them are. On their website https://zeninabottle.biz/shop/zp/ they give you a deep dive into how the ingredients are beneficial for you, what their deodorant has and doesn’t have. Let me just give you a sneak peek. Here is a quote taken directly off of their page so you can see what I mean: “Our active ingredient actually has an A rating from EWG, a website that rates each ingredient by safety level, meaning it can’t get any safer. 100% ALL natural, Safe, and NON-TOXIC” (Zeninabottle.biz, 2022)
I have never been more satisfied with a product, and let me tell you guys, I am an honest reviewer! I am that girl that always reads all the reviews of every product, destination, restaurant you name it! So I am going to do my best to give you a detailed, full of value review of this product below! Hopefully I convince you to support this business, because not only is it good for you, but it's good to support businesses that take you health seriously by providing toxin free products! And in my opinion, the more non toxin businesses we get going the better off we will be! So here goes nothing!
Health Rating: 5/5
If you didn’t catch my feelings about this product in this category from the above discussions I will reiterate here. I think this deodorant is TOP NOTCH when it comes to health rating. Having a product that I know is toxin free that isn’t messing with my hormones or exposing me to more cancer causing chemicals makes me feel so secure. There are so many areas in life that we can’t control, pollutants unfortunately being one of them. But with Zen Pits I have the ability to control something! And I choose health! Thank you! For creating products that work that are good for my body!
Pit Protection Rating: (AKA are you going to stink?) 4.5/5
I would give this a 5/5 rating too but I know someone who will read this and they will have a slight odor one day and be like “But Steph said it was 100% odor protection guaranteed”. Let me tell you, the bottle tells you you will only need 1-3 sprays per underarm and IT AINT LYING. I do 2 sprays per pit each morning and that is ALL I DO! And 99% of the time that is all I need. I don’t need to reapply throughout the day at all. Now, I will be honest, some days when I have the stress sweat going on, I will reapply with one more spray when I need to. You may not be gross like me and your stress sweat may not have a strong odor but for me, when I am stressing my armpits let you know LOL. However, this deodorant holds up better than ANY OTHER one I have tried and I mean it.
Now I know you may be wondering ok so what does it smell like? In my opinion…nothing. I can feel the stunned silence but let me explain. The job of this deodorant isn’t to make you smell pretty…it is just to eliminate the bacteria that causes you to smell. Like it says on their website, “Our approach to deodorant is SIMPLE. Kill the bacteria that is the SOURCE of the problem, and don’t add any unnecessary or harmful junk that jacks up your health” (Zeninabottle.biz, 2022). So because it isn’t designed to smell good your pits aren't smelling like a field of petunias. However, they do not smell bad either. There is literally no odor good or bad coming from your pits, because Zen Pits has done its job effectively in eliminating the bacteria that causes bad odor. This has been my experience anyway.
Value for Money: 5/5
I know people may look at the price of this deodorant and think “dude are you crazy? I am not spending $54 dollars on deodorant when I can just run over to Target and buy a bigger one for $10.00”. This is when it comes down to what you value. I value my health so I think it is worth it to spend the money. I should also let you know that my little bottle lasted me over six months! And there were some days where I was reapplying. That’s like 9 bucks a month, how much do you pay for monthly music or Netflix a month? That is just to put it in perspective. For that price you get TOXIN FREE deodorant that actually WORKS! And it lasts you a long time. Plus if you’re into crystals once you're done with the deodorant you can keep those so BONUS! In my opinion, this product is soooooo worth the price and now that I have been using Zen Pits I have ZERO plans of ever switching to another deodorant.
Zen Pits: The Pros and Cons
I am a little biased in this section because I honestly feel like this is a no brainer you should definitely get this deodorant BUT below I give you my honest pros and cons of this product!
PROS:
Toxin Free: This one is pretty self explanatory. It is deodorant that doesn’t contain any of those harmful chemicals or additives. It is something that you can feel secure with putting on your skin. Peace of mind is a definite pro for me.
Eliminates Bad Odor: As a deodorant you hope it does this, but I swear not all of them do . Zen Pits does a great job of eliminating the bacteria that causes odors in my underarms and keeps me odorless all day long!
Supporting Small Business: I don’t know if this is important for you, but for me I love supporting the little guys! This business is a small business started by an amazing woman (I recommend you read her story on the site) and she has dedicated her life to informing and helping others. Knowing my money goes to a place like that instead of an endless corporation pit makes me feel good.
Bonus Crystals: Again don’t know if they are your thing or not but if you are…every time you finish your bottle of Zen Pits you get to keep the crystals for yourself! It’s like a little prize at the end!
CONS:
Slightly Costly: Although I think this product is 100 PERCENT WORTH THE COST I know that money does not grow on trees, and people need to be cost effective when they are buying products. And if I am being honest, this one is definitely higher on the price side than most deodorants. But again, if you are able to swing it, and when you think about why it is a bit more costly I think it is completely worth it. If you break it down by how long it lasts it's only like 9 dollars a month, less than a Netflix subscription or a Starbucks coffee and sandwich.
Small Container Size: I only put this as a con because when I first got it I looked at it and was slightly nervous because it is tiny. However, like I said in the post above, it did last me for about six months which I think is a good lifespan for a deodorant.
Can’t seem to get enough: Maybe I am just greedy but if I had one wish I would wish for more Zen Pits! I swear I just want an endless supply of this stuff!
Not sold in stores: As far as I know the only way to get this gem is by ordering it through the website. Now I will say that that it is easy peazy! I have never had a problem ordering it and it has always come to me in a reasonable amount of time, however if you are like me and you don’t notice you’re running low until it is too late, it is a bummer that you can’t just run to the local store and pick up some for yourself.
PRO TIPS:
Having used this product for almost a year now I have some pro tips! First and foremost listen to the directions that come with it. They tell you everything!
They recommend giving your pits a 3 day detox before you start, and not using any other chemicals on them while actively using this deodorant, and putting enough time between shaving and spraying. LISTEN! Just to test it out I didn’t listen and tried all 3 of these LOL! It wasn’t horrible but there was definitely skin irritation (not saying that will happen to you, I do have sensitive skin, I am just sharing my experience). However, when I did follow the guidelines I NEVER had a problem.
Plan your purchases ahead of time! Remember how I told you it is not sold in stores? Make sure you order your next batch BEFORE you run out. Take a look at the bottle and once it gets about ¾ of the way empty order some more!
Shave the night before! I shower at night so I always shave at night so I don’t have to worry about it when I apply the next morning. If you are a morning shower person shave and then do your WHOLE morning routine before spraying. Don’t worry this deodorant doesn't leave marks or stains so you can spray it on right when you are ready to go!
Check out zeninabottle.biz for more holistic tips and products!
I hope you guys got value out of this and I hope you try it out! If you do let me know in the comments how it worked out for you! Remember I am not a sponsor of this product! Nor do I work for or with the company. I am simply a SUPER satisfied customer and I think it is something that definitely deserves attention! So happy shopping may your pits be fresh and healthy:)
Until next time,
Steph
References:
Deodorant & Toxic Ingredients of Concern. MADE SAFE. (2021, December 6). Retrieved March 15, 2022, from https://www.madesafe.org/whats-in-that/deodorant/
Zen pits. the best deodorant on the planet. Zen In A Bottle. (2022, February 9). Retrieved March 15, 2022, from https://zeninabottle.biz/shop/zp/
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