There are few things in this world I swear by…

July 29th, 2010 Posted by Jessica. Published under DIY Sustainable Living, Holistic Care. 5 Comments.

and vinegar on my armpits is one of them.

Over the years, I’ve tried many different deodorants and antiperspirants.  I found that I really didn’t sweat that much less with antiperspirants, and the smell of stale antiperspirant on my skin at the end of the day grossed me out considerably.  So I turned to natural products like Tom’s of Maine or Jason Natural Deodorant, only to discover that there’s some chemical in these natural deodorants that my skin is allergic to– and it turns out I wasn’t alone.  Plus, these deodorants never lasted that long and I found myself either having to reapply during the day or risk smelling like my sweat by dinnertime.

The vinegar cost $0.79 and the baking soda is about $1.00 a box. It's been almost a year and I still haven't used up half of either.

So I did what any health-conscious bicycle commuter in the digital age would do: I turned to the Internets for a solution.  After doing some research, I stumbled across several articles praising vinegar for being a natural anti-bacterial cleaning agent and several Websites claiming that baking soda makes a great deodorant for its odor-neutralizing properties and its ability to soak up sweat.  I remembered from my high school human biology class that the whole reason our sweat stinks is because of the bacteria in our armpits, so I decided to try spraying my armpits with white vinegar to kill the bacteria (with the hopes that the vinegar would also seep into my skin to annihilate any bacteria that tried to escape throughout the day), and, once the vinegar had dried on my skin, dusting my armpits with baking soda to further deodorize and soak up sweat.  This was almost a year ago, and I can honestly say that my armpits have never smelled better.  Because rather than smelling like stale roses or sweat at the end of the day, my armpits don’t smell like anything.

In my excitement of my new discovery, I’ve been zealously preaching the benefits of baking soda and vinegar to anyone I feel like I know well enough to talk armpit politics to.  A few questions from non-believers have arisen and I will now address these publicly:

My daily beauty regimen.

• Q: So if you spray vinegar on your armpits, don’t your armpits smell like vinegar all day?
• A: Nope!  Once the vinegar is dry there is zero vinegar smell.  Just spray your armpits and let them air dry before you apply the baking soda (about 30 seconds-1 minute).

• Q: Don’t the baking soda and vinegar react in a 5th grade science fair volcanic-like explosion in your armpits?
• A: No.  The vinegar is dry before you dust your skin with baking soda. Even if it isn’t completely dry, you’re not using enough of either to cause any noticeable reaction.  Sorry to disappoint.

• Q: What about sweating and pit stains?
• A: I ride my bike anywhere from 5-10 miles a day, year round.  I’m never not sweaty when I get to my destination– even in the winter.  Makes for interesting first-date conversations. But I don’t smell like sweat, and the baking soda does an amazing job at soaking up the sweat before it shows up on my shirt as a sweat stain.  In the year I’ve switched to vinegar and baking soda, I haven’t had any pit stains left over on my clothes.  That’s way more than what I can say about my experiences with using “natural” deodorants or antiperspirants.

I hope this is helpful information to anyone looking for other deodorant solutions.  I definitely plan on taking baking soda and vinegar on the road when we travel. Consider me a convert for life!