Lime for Deodorant. True Story.

A little over a week ago, I saw a picture posted by Holistic Squid about using a cut lime as deodorant by simply rubbing it onto your underarms. I am always trying to find ways to live more naturally, especially when it comes to what I put on or in my body so this post really peaked my interest. Ironically, I had also just recently posted a request for some homemade natural deodorant recipes to replace my nasty, toxin-laden "clinical strength" antiperspirant that helps me stay dry, for sure, but also makes me feel like I'm risking my own health and the health of my sweet baby girls as they nurse so closely those dry armpits. Why? Well, check out the ingredients list: the active ingredient is Aluminum Zirconium Tetrachlorohydrex Gly (a strong anti-perspirant). The inactive ingredients are Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Cyclopentadecanolide, BHT, Dimethicone, Sunflower Seed Oil, Microcrystalline Wax, Fragrance, Silica and C18 36 Acid Triglyceride. Uhm...can you say, gross! I can! Ga-ROSS!

Back to the limes...last Monday, I bought a lime. Tuesday, I took a shower, shaved my armpits, applied some coconut oil (more on this later), sliced my lime and rubbed it on. At this point, I was certain for roughly five minutes that my armpits may combust at any moment. Holy moly. But once it dried, I went on about my business, the burning stopped and the experiment continued. I finished getting dressed, loaded up the babes and headed to preschool. I was volunteering that day and so I left one babe home with daddy (with a swap halfway through) and kept one with me (it is a little tricky to try to help manage a group of 12 three-year-olds while wearing two little nuggets at the same time). It was picture day at school, so in addition to the 12 little people, each of them had at least one parent there too. It is suffice to say, it was pretty warm in there. I began to doubt my decision to try my new deodorant plan on this particular day. Time passed. I got home and decided to give 'em a whiff. The verdict of test one? Success! Not a single bit of stink!

The next step up in the experiment process was a workout. I decided to really test it, so I didn't re-apply before my rockin', sweat-dripping workout commenced. The verdict of test two? SUCCESS!! Now, this is where it gets a little gnarly. Haha. If you are a mother, you may be able to relate...and I hope not to turn too many of you off...so here goes. Life got busy that day and while I was able to fit in my workout, I was not able to fit in a shower afterward. Surprisingly enough, as I lay in bed that night, there wasn't even the tiniest bit of smelliness...and then... Wednesday...I DID NOT re-apply, went about the day, worked out AGAIN (I know...seriously...gross...sorry) and you know what? I still didn't smell at all! I did shower anyway though. ;)

So, verdict of the lime experiment? Success. Complete success. I'm in love. It is a love that hurts a bit every now and again, but a non-toxic, natural, non-stinky love none-the-less. I would recommend it, in fact, I am recommending it to anyone.

meet your new deodorant

the first run...

storage. :)

A couple important notes:

*On days that you shave, I would definitely recommend applying some coconut oil (which also has natural anti-bacterial properties) and letting it soak in prior to rubbing on the lime.
*It is a lime, so it can cause some drying of the skin. Soooo...maybe apply coconut oil daily, recently shaved or no.
*I have had luck storing it in a ziploc in the refrigerator and have used the same lime for the past week. When the surface seemed a little dry, I just sliced off the outside couple millimeters and it was good to go. I would STRONGLY recommend clearly labeling the bag to avoid any confusion that could lead to the consumption of the armpit lime. :/
*Lime juice can cause discoloration of your clothing, so be sure to let it dry completely before dressing (uhm...at least your upper body ;p)
*Be aware that lime can increase your skin's sensitivity to sun/sunburn, so...maybe don't sunbathe with your arms up above your head.
*This doesn't seem to be so much an antiperspirant as it is a de-odorant. You got me?
*And one last cool fact. Apparently the lime juice has the ability to condition your sweat to stop being stinky all together!


For more information about using limes as deodorant and for some other homemade deodorant recipes, check out the links below.

http://www.plantpoweredliving.com/2011/10/05/use-a-lemon-or-lime-as-a-deodorant/
http://prevent-sweating.blogspot.com/2008/08/how-to-use-lemon-as-deodorant.html
http://bodyunburdened.com/lime-experiment-natural-deodorant/
http://bodyunburdened.com/diy-all-natural-detoxifying-deodorant/
http://www.vintageamanda.com/2012/04/diy-coconut-lime-deodorant/
http://www.theeverythingsoapblog.com/2012/03/recipe-best-natural-deodorant.html

and a quick recipe from my lovely friend: 1/4 c baking soda, 1/4 c corn starch OR tapioca flour (I've also heard you can use arrowroot), 5tbls of coconut oil, and 8-15 drops of essential oils.

Enjoy!