Several months ago, I posted an article with a list of alternative options for things like soap, shampoo, hand sanitizer, face cleaner, etc. for those of us who have Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS). Because, after all, even though those things make us sick, we still need to be clean, right? Right.

Anyway, I posted this back in November (here).

Well… a few weeks ago we learned a very important lesson. And, of course, we learned it the hard way.

It all started when Old Spice seemed to have changed their ingredients for the deodorant that my dad has been using for years. It took me a few days, but I slowly came to realize that when I was around my dad, I had a chemical reaction. We thought it might be because he had recently had surgery, and that it was possibly medications he was still taking… or something of the kind. At least that’s what I thought. The only other variable we could think of was this deodorant. It was what he’d always used, but we thought he had smelled differently, so we decided to test it just in case.

And I reacted.

Before, I’d thought that I could handle my family wearing normal deodorant, as long as it wasn’t the overly scented kind, and as long as I didn’t wear it myself. I was wrong.

A few days after recognizing that my dad’s deodorant was bothering me, I began to realize and recognize that the whole family’s deodorant was an issue. A big issue. It wasn’t just that Old Spice had changed their recipe for the one that my dad used.

This realization resulted in the Deodorant Fiasco.

The next few days contained a lot of meticulously organized chaos as we washed and rewashed every piece of clothing in the house, as my family detoxed and showered like crazy, and as I tested and smelled things as fast as I could clear from them while hiding in my room.

What is the important lesson we learned, you ask? It was to not assume everything is acceptable to my body even if it was previously. We’ve learned that as my body gets better and better, clearer and clearer, I am able to identify chemicals that bother me more and more accurately. Things that I might have thought were fine before may not be now, and it’s always wise to be aware.

Which brings us to the deodorant change we had to make. I know that in that previous post I mentioned, I said that Kiss My Face (or other low-chemical, all-natural) deodorant was fine. Well, turns out it wasn’t either. I’m going to update my recommendation, then, to this:

Crystal Body Deodorant Roll-On

Crystal Body Deodorant

I know it may seem like a strange kind, and that it doesn’t seem to work at all at first, I know. But as far as I can tell it has NOTHING in it that should bother me, and nothing that IS bothering me chemically. As for it not working, well, just wait a week or two. It will get better. As you detox the chemicals more and more, you will stink less. I know, I know. You’re probably shaking your head by now. But it’s true.

So far, we’ve also noticed that the deodorant recommended above seems to only work for twelve hours at a time at the most, and you can only use it if you’ve just showered. We didn’t want to have to shower twice every day, so we discovered these:

EO Natural Deodorant Wipes

One thing that has been suggested to us many times by different people is different versions of coconut oil or homemade deodorant. At that point we just wanted to try the easiest thing… we were already up to our knees in laundry that needed to be washed before it could be worn… as  I said earlier, it was rather chaotic. Plus, multiple of the recipes used baking soda which bothers me. However, I would think that it was worth trying! If you decide to, be sure to let me know how it goes!

I hope that this all helps! And remember: NEVER assume something is fine. It may not be. 

*Also, please look through the comments on my other post, where several readers have included deodorant recipes or suggestions.