Product Review: North Coast Organics Deoderant

A sponsored ad on Facebook popped up on my newsfeed: North Coast Organics Deodorant. It looked interesting, but there was one problem: it was an ad for their scented deodorants. I was interested in a new organic deodorant company, but none of the scents. So I left a comment asking if they have fragrance-free deodorant, at the time feeling a little annoyed by all the ads for scented things in an overly scented world. Well, the company wrote back and said they would like to send me a free sample of their "Naked" deodorant, their fragrance-free one! I gladly accepted, and because I work in a health products store, they sent me many samples! I have yet to pass on the samples to my boss, but I have tried the Naked deodorant, which I will review here.





They were very conscientious about how they shipped me the scented deodorant samples, which I greatly appreciated. As someone with Multiple Chemical Sensitives, I can react to a safe product that has been contaminated with scents. They were wrapped in plastic, then in the shipping bag in the photo. They were kept separate from the Naked deodorant. I couldn't smell them when I opened the box all of this was shipped in, so the Naked deodorant was not contaminated with scents. Thanks so much, North Coast Organics! I only put the Naked deodorants near the scented ones for a quick picture, and it caused no problems to my Naked deodorants. My sensitives are moderate-mild, compared to many people with strong-severe MCS who wouldn't even be able to allow these scented products into their house without reacting for a week or more.

I took those aside, then I opened the bag of scented samples. WOW - they're very strong, but there were many scents packed in a small bag. They are scented with certified organic essential oils. If you're someone who wants to wear scented deodorant, this is the way to go - they're not artificial, so they're probably going to be the least irritating to your skin and everyone else around you. My guess is that I'd probably be okay with the lavender scent personally, but because I associate all smells with "reaction," I don't even want to wear something scented even if it doesn't bother me. That said, the smell was overpowering for me and gave me a pounding headache very quickly. It didn't cause me to react in any other way (no heartburn, gut ache, hives/ welts, vision loss, blood nose, etc.), but I can't speak for how they might affect others with MCS.

Just to clarify, yes, many people with MCS cannot tolerate essential oils, even though they're a natural product. It's not just synthetics that we react to. There are several reasons why essential oils are risky, but I won't get into that in this post. If you tolerate essential oils, then I definitely recommend this brand of scented deodorants! They have many scents based on "Mood," which is a fun concept. I couldn't be around them long enough to study them, so I took a quick photo and re-wrapped them:

Now, onto the review of the Naked deodorant, the fragrance-free version!

This is a really refreshing deodorant concept. You may or may not have seen some of the do-it-yourself recipes for deodorant online. This is basically one of those recipes, made and packaged for you. The ingredients are (click the link to see a photo): Organic Coconut oil, Organic carnauba wax, Organic arrowroot, and baking soda.

It's also certified:

Leaping Bunny (No Animal Testing) Certified:Yes

Vegan Action Certified:Yes

PETA Certified:Yes

USDA Organic Certified:Yes

So, why pay $10 for a stick of DIY deodorant? Because making it yourself with these quality ingredients isn't a lot cheaper, it's much messier, and it's not as portable. When I've made my own deodorant it's a mess: I didn't want to deal with adding in wax, so I had an oily concoction of coconut oil, baking soda, and starch. I often used too much baking soda, and rubbing it under my arms with my bare fingers gave me mild rashes from the scrubbing effect. It works! Don't get me wrong - I keep making my own because it does work. But I like this stick A LOT better! In fact, I like it so well that I'm unlikely to go back to making my own.

(Yes - I realize the problem of buying products in plastics, because the plastics can't biodegrade and pollute the earth. It's the ONLY drawback to buying manufactured deodorant. But I'm also supporting the economy by buying a product instead of making it myself, and that counts for a lot. As much as I would prefer to be 100% plastic-free, which I know is possible to do, I don't have the energy to make everything myself, and I really do believe in supporting brands by buying their products.)

I've used this deodorant for 3 days now. It doesn't give me the rash that my home made version did. :) It also works very well! Coconut oil is a fantastic deodorant because it's naturally anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, and very moisturizing. It's mineral rich, and magnesium itself is an effective deodorant (I know people who use just magnesium spray for deodorant.) The baking soda is also a natural odor-absorbent.

So it's an effective deodorant, but is it an anti-antiperspirant? Kind of. It does not clog the pores like most brand-name synthetic deodorants on the shelf do, but the starch and baking soda do absorb moisture to a certain point. I have not yet worked out with this deodorant. If I was working out, I couldn't care less if I have pit stains as long as the smell doesn't gag me. I worked up a good sweat at my job yesterday (that was one intensely very busy hour!) and was sweaty, but didn't notice any moisture in my pits.

If you truly care about your deodorant also being an antiperspirant, this might be a good compromise deodorant for you. You should be aware that anti-antiperspirants are risky. They work by clogging pores, usually with aluminum, to prevent sweat from coming out. There are several problems with this. Most importantly, your body is supposed to sweat. Sweating is how you regulate temperature and release toxins from your body. If you can't sweat, you're building up toxins under your skin. Also, your skin absorbs most of what you put on it. If you're applying an antiperspirant, you're most likely going to absorb a lot of aluminum through your pits over time. Too much aluminum is linked to Alzheimer and breast cancer. If you want to read more about the problems with antiperspirants, I encourage you to read these articles: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/fact-or-fiction-antiperspants-do-more-than-block-sweat/ and http://health.howstuffworks.com/skin-care/underarm-care/tips/is-antiperspirant-toxic.htm


The last part of my review is about the texture. This is a solid stick. You probably expect a solid stick to glide over your skin smoothly, but this stick has a bit of grit to it. It slides over the skin, but it's not perfectly smooth. Since I keep my pits shaved this isn't an issue. I don't mind needing to use a little extra force to slide it across my skin, but I'm still surprised that it's not silky smooth like other solid natural deodorants I've tried. I don't know if this would cause discomfort for people with pit hair. My guess is it wouldn't be much different from another solid stick, just a bit rougher. The deodorant isn't at all oily, despite being oil based. All the homemade coconut oil deodorants I've made are very oily, therefore temporarily greasy. I have to wait about 5 minutes for the grease to soak in before I put clothes on. There is no such issue with this stick!



The super short version of this review:
I highly recommend it! I'll definitely purchase this after I finish my sample! It's by far my favorite natural deodorant I've tried!


To North Coast Organics:Thank you so much for your kindness in sending me these free samples! You went out of your way to introduce me, a random Facebook commenter, to your product. You won a convert in me, and I'm more than happy to share my thoughts with my readers and friends! Please keep up the great work!


To all of you:Check out their website. They also make organic candles, massage oils, bath crystals, and more!

Exhaustion

When I get this totally exhausted, depression and hopelessness over take me. This is when I lose my desire to keep fighting. I'm too tired. Just let me give up. Right now I'm working with a cup of green tea AND my doctor's powder that gives me a huge energy boost. I'm still barely holding on, when normally caffeine has too much of an effect on me.

Have you ever watched the second season of American Horror Story: Asylum? The portrayal of the angel of death was very profound, and it feels so true to me. Basically, the angel of death came when a character was dying or begging for death and kissed the character, taking their soul into the afterlife. This angel of death had a few instances where she sat and chatted with a character for a while. "Are you ready?" "Are you sure?" She might ask. She would let the character debate with her. A couple of characters saw the angel of death multiple times before allowing death to happen, pushing her away, realizing he or she still had work to do on earth.

I haven't seen or experienced this angel of death, but the concept is very familiar to me. When I get this exhausted, I feel like I'm at the end of my rope. I feel like the angel of death could appear at any moment asking if I'm ready. If she were real, I possibly would have said a couple of times. I've been that low - no energy to give me any desire to carry on. What's scary is that when I get this low, death is the only thing I can think about. It's so inviting. I'm not suicidal - I have no desire to end my own life. I just don't have the energy to fight for any more, and my natural instinct, which I don't have the energy to fight, says "give up." I can't give up on my own - I don't have the energy to end my life. This is where I feel like I've met this angel of death, in that deep void of energy. In my case, I don't think I'm the one telling her what to do. I think she's the one telling me I'm not ready. When I eventually come around, I agree - I'm not ready. I do desire to live, just not like this. I want my health back so I can really live, not just exist.

And so this is where I find my motivation to fight. I don't want to experience that low ever again. I don't want to waste my life not living. I want, so badly, to have my health. I'm exhausted. I don't have much to give, but what I have I give to trying to reclaim my health. It's been mostly successful - kind of? To borrow from my doctor's analogy about my energy levels: I feel like I'm trying to recover from bankruptcy, and the best I can do is work a part-time minimum wage job. It means I'm finding the strength to get better, but the progress is very slow. What I need is a full time career to get out of bankruptcy, but I'm not capable of getting one.

I'm describing chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS/ ME). I know many of my readers know what this feels like too, and I appreciate that others can relate so we can give each other support, but I'm hoping that those of you without CFS are reading this. I hope you can have empathy and see that CFS isn't an exaggeration or an excuse to be lazy. Trust me, I'd much rather feel lazy than fatigued. They are not the same thing.


......

I know why I'm in this slump: I've overwhelmed myself physically and mentally.

1. I'm applying for disability, and it's a massive burden. Just today I received deadlines in the mail and I really can't handle the pressure - I just want to run away from all this.

2. My weekend was not restful, between traveling, working, and spending too much energy on a long walk visiting my old college (which I wasn't expecting to do.)

3. I have been researching my DNA results, studying the interpretation reports, and joined in some forums. I also decided to join a Facebook group for B6 Toxicity, which I have. What I've learned is overwhelming. It's too much to handle. I felt myself "shut down" yesterday. When I read what these other people are doing to manage and recover, I totally shut down because my energy got depleted just thinking about doing what they're doing. I really need to take a step back - I knew that DNA results just lead to rabbit trail after rabbit trail. I'm too tired to research that much, and I don't care to study genes enough to even be able to research that much. That's not my job - I'll leave that to the experts. But the homozygous mutations that I do have that are well studied? Yes, they are overwhelming.

Yes, I have B6 toxicity, but I'm going to eat my thanksgiving turkey anyway. I do realize that turkey is high in B6, but I don't care. I just can't do all these limitations. Maybe I'll change my mind when I come around, but whatever.


I've leaned a lot. I have answers. I have better instructions. I have new supplements that are better tailored to my situation. This is great, but it's overwhelming. It feels like such a burden.


....

I'm baring my soul in posts like this. It's not the "me" I like to present on social media. We all want to put our best face forward on Facebook, and this isn't something I'd talk about except to people I'm close to. I'm choosing to write these types of posts for a few reasons: I'm too tired to explain my crisis to everyone who really does need to know, I'm hoping to find support, and I'm hoping to support others. By admitting my problems, I'm hoping I can be held accountable and be given support in getting better.

But right now, I'm hardly able to move, but my brain is happily employing the caffeine. Sigh. Did you know that frequent sighing is a symptom of adrenal fatigue? Sigh... yeah, I do it a lot.

DNA Results Part 1

I got my results back from 23andme.com. The important result is that I'm 3% Neanderthal. :)


I'm kidding, but this is a fun fact about myself!

I'm writing this now to say that I'm not sure how to write about my results at this point in time. They are partly what I expected, but mostly a surprise: I do NOT have any MTHFR mutation. I do have 7 other mutations that geneticgenie.org was able to find, and they don't interpret all DNA.

I've been reading the research that's available to learn about my mutations, but there's one massive problem: the research that's available is limited and very new. Genes are extremely complicated, and even the leading researchers are debating about the findings and how to interpret them. MTHFR is the most understood gene, but that's not the one concerning me.

There is enough quality research on a couple of my mutations, but I am not going to report them... yet. Again, it's a very complicated issue - more so than I realized before getting my results.

I'm bursting at the seams with questions about my results, but I'm not ready to share them yet. :)