Going Deodorant Free

So, I know what you are thinking.... Deodorant free? No way!
Let me tell you, it is awesome.
Like my arm pits have found freedom!

I am not a terribly sweaty or stinky person, but I also used deodorant quite religiously. I always used Arrid Extra Extra Dry... which has been pretty good to me, but I am forever searching for ways to take some of the nasty chemicals out of my daily routine. When my mother told me about an article she had read that mentioned not wearing deodorant, I am not going to lie... I was skeptical.
But, I flipped my normal deodorant stick over and quickly scanned the ingredients. Not only were there several ingredients that took me several tries to pronounce (i.e. cyclopentasiloxane: a silicon based ingredient used for making the skin softer.) The majority of the ingredients were alcohol based or derived; Diisopropyl Adipate, Stearyl Alcohol, and PPG-14 Butyl Ether. (And then there were some others including Talc, and coloring. <-- Which I don't really understand, why does my deodorant need to have artificial coloring in it?)

So, I set out to do some research.

Why do our pits get stinky in the first place?
"Apocrine sweat glands secrete a milky, viscous, odorless fluid which only develops a strong odor when it comes into contact with bacteria on the skin surface." -Thanks Wikipedia!

Bacteria. Our sweat actually does not really have a smell all by itself. Bacteria thrives on the warm wet space under our arms, like their own personal jacuzzi. Gross. So how do we get rid of stink? Kill the bacteria! Traditional deodorant does this by using those alcohol derived ingredients. But they also add stuff to keep you from sweating in the first place. The problem with this is that it also clogs the pores in your underarms, which can not only cause irritation to the skin, but it prevents the body from secreting pheromones (which will help attract the opposite sex *wink wink*). It also keeps the body from expelling the toxins that it has filtered out of the blood stream.

So after a while reading various homemade solutions, I decided that rubbing alcohol seemed like the most popular. (One person suggested Vodka, which  I vaguely remember them testing on Myth Busters and it working. But I decided that going to work smelling like Vodka is probably not the best idea if I want to keep my job.)

Week One: I grabbed the only rubbing alcohol I had in the house, and splashed away. Feeling nervous and slightly self conscious about this no-deodorant thing, I went about my day. I did a little sniff-sniff smell check every few hours or so just to be sure. After a few hours, I noticed my B.O. was starting. (not horrible) Just a little funky. Perhaps I didn't use enough? Maybe I didn't get ALL the bacteria.

So the next day, I splashed even more under there.
Same results.
Stink free for a few hours, and then it started coming back. Hmm.... Everything I read online said it worked like a charm. I am not a super smelly person, so why is this not working for me? I did some more reading, and realized what I was doing wrong! I had been using 70% isopropyl rubbing alcohol because that is what I had around the house.

The KEY: Using 90% or HIGHER solution of rubbing alcohol. The higher the percentage, the better.

Week Two: I zipped down to the local grocery store, and picked up a bottle of 91% isopropyl rubbing alcohol. It was super cheap, like less than $2. Then, while I was there, I made a pass through the health food section, and picked up some essential oils, because I figured I could add some to the alcohol and when it evaporates on my skin, it will leave a nice scent behind.
I picked up Jasmine essential oil, and Sweet Orange essential oil.

I mixed my solution in a spray bottle for easy application. And I am now proud to tell you, almost a week has gone by, and I have not gone back to deodorant. The first day with the new mix had me nervous again so I smell checked every few hours. NOTHING! To my utter surprise, it was like night and day compared to the first round.
Next day, same thing! No stink, just a very light trace of scent from the essential oils.

I have been out running, working in the garden, working my regular job, and working out this week. And after each thing, I was sure I would start to smell... NOPE.  No stink whatsoever.

I am sold. So, if you are feeling like you want to make some changes in your life that don't require a lot of time, money or effort. This is a great place to start. Rubbing alcohol is really cheap. The essential oils were kind of pricey, but they last a long time, and go pretty far. (Jasmin was around $13, but the Sweet Orange was only $4) You don't have to add the essential oils, you can just use the alcohol.

Now, the only downside is that this is not an antiperspirant. It will not keep you dry. But when I did need to keep the pits dry because of what I was wearing, I sprinkled a little bit of cornstarch baby powder under there. Dry for hours.  I will say though, I have noticed that I am not sweating nearly as much as I would have if I had just skipped deodorant one day before. Now scientifically, I have no real basis for this statement... but I believe that it may be because my pores aren't all jammed up with gunk, and my body isn't struggling to get rid of the stuff it is supposed to.

My underarm skin is nice and soft, it doesn't get irritated after shaving anymore. **be careful putting on the alcohol right after shaving, it does sting a bit. So just wait a little while first, unless you are tough and can take a few moments of pain. **

Overall, I am pleasantly surprised by this experiment.  I really suggest you give it a try!

You will need:
1 spray bottle (I used an 8oz one)
1 bottle of 90% or higher isopropyl rubbing alcohol

Optional: your favorite essential oil. (Although I would stay clear of things like cinnamon, because that would burn! But seriously, use your common sense!) 
50 drops of Jasmine essential oil
50 drops of Sweet Orange essential oil
(I did 25 drops of each first, and then did a smell test. It wasn't quite strong enough for my liking, so I doubled it. But you can adjust yours according to your preferences.)

Vermont Bans Fracking!

So happy to hear today that Vermont has voted to ban hydrofracking! Please enjoy this article from VTDigger.org 

Vermont first state in nation to ban fracking for oil and gas

Posted By Carl Etnier On May 4, 2012 @ 11:42 pm In Energy & Environment,Politics 

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Fracking diagram

With a 103-36 vote in the House of Representatives, Vermont on Friday became the first state to ban hydraulic fracturing to extract oil or natural gas. The bill passed the Senate earlier this week.
The House debate was short. Heidi Scheuermann, R-Stowe, raised concerns that Vermont was banning the practice without knowing what natural gas resources it was giving up. “We have no idea if some farmers in Franklin County might be able to take advantage of an economic opportunity on their property,” she said in floor debate. Scheuermann urged the House to vote for a moratorium, which would sunset after a number of years.
David Deen, D-Westminster, argued that there was a small “semantic difference” between a ban and a moratorium, since no legislature can bind a future legislature. “If we put a ban in place at this time, by this time next year, that ban could either be a moratorium or lifted.”
Rep. Anne Donahue, R-Northfield, raised different questions. If Vermont is the first state to pass a fracking ban, she wanted to know about the possibility of the state being sued to overturn the law. She asked about grounds for challenging the bill’s constitutionality, either under the Interstate Commerce Clause or the Supremacy Clause.
Jim McCullough, D-Williston, answered that the Committee on Fish, Wildlife and Water Resources had taken extensive testimony in recent days on those questions and been assured that there were no problems. McCullough read from a positive opinion from the Attorney General’s office, and he also said, “The matter comes down to whether you are treating in-state or out-of-state interests differently, and specifically the language treats in- and out-of-state interests the same. So we do not believe there is a commerce clause concern.”
For Paul Burns, executive director of the Vermont Public Interest Research Group, being first in the nation was a point of pride. “I’m very proud that Vermont will become the first state to ban fracking for natural gas,” he said. “I think it’s a great thing for the protection of Vermont’s critical natural resources, our air, land, water, and to protect public health. And it also sends a very strong message to folks in many other states who are taking on the gas and oil industry.”
Burns said that by Friday afternoon, hours after the bill had passed, others in the country were looking to learn from Vermont. “I’ve already gotten a couple of calls from folks in New York who are very excited to see that we’ve taken this step today. They’re going to be trying to follow in our footsteps, and we think that would be very smart.”
While state geologist Larry Becker says oil deposits could not have survived the heat and pressure in Vermont’s geologic history, there’s reason to believe that natural gas may be sequestered in Utica shale deposits thousands of feet below the surface in the northwest part of the state.
Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, extracts natural gas or oil from deep in the ground by underground explosions and injections of water, sand and chemicals under high pressure into dense rock formations such as shale. Fracking has taken off in recent years, as the industry has developed the capacity to drill at depth horizontally for thousands of feet. As a result, natural gas supplies in the U.S. have boomed and the price is at a 10-year low, down 80 percent from a peak in June 2008.
Environmentalists argue that the market price for gas doesn’t tell the whole story. “Fracking has caused enormous problems with underground water contamination and aboveground waste disposal – entire streams have been destroyed,” said Ripton-based author and environmentalist Bill McKibben.
Congress has exempted hydraulic fracturing from regulation under the Clean Water Act or the Safe Drinking Water Act. In Vermont, however, fracking might not be allowed under the state’s underground injection control rule, according to Chris Recchia, deputy secretary of the Agency of Natural Resources.
For Jordan Gonda, a legislative intern and lobbyist for Vermont Natural Resources Council, the passage of the bill represented a personal victory as well as a political victory. She comes from Pennsylvania, where she says “hydraulic fracturing has been going on for almost a decade now. It’s really been dividing up the communities there and has been a controversial energy practice.”
The American Petroleum Institute is represented in the Legislature by Joe Choquette, a lobbyist at Downs Rachlin Martin. Choquette wanted to see Vermont gather more information before deciding on fracking. “Let the EPA complete its studies. Let the EPA, the Department of Interior, the Department of Energy complete its work and allow time for the regulatory regime to be developed in New York and Quebec. Rather than that, they chose to outright ban it. I don’t think we’ll ever know whether we have a viable natural gas resource here or not.”
Choquette sees a huge difference between a ban and a moratorium that sunsets — he does not believe a ban will ever be rescinded. “I think the politics in this building are such that it’s terribly difficult for anyone who makes a reasoned argument in favor of an industrial process to win. I don’t think it will ever be overturned.”
Gonda characterizes the Legislature as having acted on the precautionary principle. The precautionary principle states that if an action or policy is suspected of causing harm to the public or to the environment, and there is no scientific consensus whether the action or policy is harmful, the burden of proof that it is not harmful falls on those promoting the action. “I’m proud and personally glad that the Legislature has decided to take the precautionary principle into consideration in making its decision.”

Article Taken From:
http://vtdigger.org/2012/05/04/vermont-first-state-in-nation-to-ban-fracking-for-oil-and-gas/

Eczema Treatment

One essential oil that really is essential for every household: Tea Tree Oil.
Tea tree oil is my go-to cure for most things skin related. (I feel like the dad in My Big Fat Greek Wedding that tells everyone to put Windex on any and all ailments... except for me, its "Put some tea tree oil on it!")

My first exposure to tea tree oil as a cure was when I was living in Mexico. The mosquitoes where I lived were like mosquitoes on steroids. The bites would itch for days, sometimes they would be there longer than a week. Someone I lived with dabbed some tea tree oil on the bites, and within minutes they stopped itching. I continued to apply it once or twice a day until they had gone away completely. It was like a miracle!

CUT TO: Many years later, I am having a really bad eczema flair up. Nothing is working. (Trust me, I have tried everything; cortisone, prescription creams, oatmeal lotions, any kind of lotion really, body oils... you name it.) Most things work for a little while, or offer a bit of temporary relief, but in short order the itching comes back.

Then, it dawned on me... tea tree oil made nasty bug bites stop itching, so why wouldn't it work on eczema? I grabbed my handy bottle, and went to work. Sure enough, within ten minutes or so, I felt the first wave of relief that I had felt in days. I continued to do this a few times over the next day, but quickly learned that because I had to cover such a large area (whole arms, and sides of legs) this was becoming rather inefficient.  Tea tree oil, while yes it is an oil, absorbs very quickly into the skin making it hard to spread over a large area. It also has a rather unpleasant medicinal type smell that stays with you for a long time if you use a lot of it.


I did a lot of research and decided that the best course of action was to mix the tea tree oil with a carrier oil (a carrier oil is a base oil or vegetable oil used to dilute essential oils.) I went with Sweet Almond Oil, which I purchased in bulk a health food store. You could also use Jojoba Oil, or even Extra Virgin Olive Oil in a pinch. (EVOO has the same pH as the oil our bodies produce, making it a really good moisturizer. )  Then I wanted something to mask the smell of the tea tree oil at least a little bit. I picked Lavender essential oil because it not only smells nice, but it has a calming effect as well.

Here is the mix I made:
         8oz. Sweet Almond Oil
         50 drops Tea Tree Oil
         30 drops Lavender Oil

Mix it all together, and keep it in a dark bottle, or in a dark place. (Light will cause the potency of the mix to decrease over time.)

I usually apply it at night before I go to bed because it does take a while for it to soak into the skin. But when I have a particularly itchy day, I will do it once in the morning and once at night.

I hope that this helps anyone who suffers from eczema!


*Please be sure to test this on a small patch of skin before you spread it all over the place. Some people are very sensitive to tea tree oil.  Keep it out of reach of children and pets, because it can be toxic if ingested. And for heavens sake don't use it on small children without consulting a doctor first!

Welcome to Get Crunchy With It!  I am creating this blog to share with the world all of the wonderful crunchy things I learn and do everyday.

"1.	crunchy
	Adjective. Used to describe persons who have adjusted or altered their lifestyle for environmental reasons. Crunchy persons tend to be politically strongly left-leaning and may be additionally but not exclusively categorized as vegetarians, vegans, eco-tarians, conservationists, environmentalists, neo-hippies, tree huggers, nature enthusiasts, etc." (compliments of Urban Dictionary) So, lets go right down the list here for a moment, so you can decide whether or not you want to hang out around here: Yes, I am a liberal. (Registered with the Green Party)  I have been a vegetarian for 12+ years now. I would make the switch to vegan if the thought of life without real cheese wasn't so utterly depressing. I am an environmentalist at heart, a nature enthusiast and photographer. I love being dirty, and finding cool bugs. I love hiking, and many other outdoor activities. I hate war, and wish people could just get along. Guns scare the crap out of me, and I cry when people kill innocent beings.  There you have it. Now you can make an informed decision about what type of information and opinions you will find on this page. If you like me so far, read on! If not, I am sure you can find another blog to occupy your time, that will better suit your interests.  For those who stayed, this is my goal: 1. To live a little bit better each day. 2. To stop: - being negative towards myself and/ or others                   -putting so many chemicals in and on my body                   - being so wasteful 3. To start: -being positive, and loving to myself and those around me                   -making healthy choices when it comes to food and beauty products                   -being resourceful, thrifty, and inventive 4. To share some of the things that I already do, and any of the new things I learn along the way with all of you reading this... In the hopes that perhaps you too, will decide to make some changes in your life that will make you feel better inside and out.  Thank you for you time, and I hope this is the start of a long and productive blogger/reader relationship. Please, always feel free to comment and/ or suggest things I should try.  -Alyssa p.s. I am in no way a professional. So take any advice here on this website at your own risk. You know your body better than anyone else, so listen to it!  If something isn't working for you like it did for me, then by all means STOP! Everyone has different allergies (even ones you may not know about). Whenever I give you recipes for various body products, please test a small spot first to be sure there is no reaction. I'm serious, it will give me peace of mind if you do.