Try washing your pits with Hibiclens. Scent will be gone…
Lemon juice. Thanks, Broad City.
Do you not end up with oil stains, from the, you know, oil? I wonder if the coating of oil suffocated the odor causing bacteria.
i used this basic recipe for a year or two, and i just have to say, be prepared for the baking soda to change the PH of your pits, and then they get scaly, dry, and irritated after using it for awhile. i had to give up on any baking soda-based deodorants. the GOOD thing is that the coconut oil didn’t stain my clothes, unlike other recipes i’ve tried that use shea butter. recently i discovered a retail-based deodorant that i can actually use that doesn’t sting or burn or cause irritation, and i’m thrilled. it’s made by herbancowboy.com. i really recommend it.
Mennen speed stick works nicely for me. The regular scented gel-type variety. YMMV.
*Deodorant
Arm and Hammer makes deoderant sticks for those who don’t need baking-grade deoderants.
I would look to change the pH to make it a more acid environment. Human beings tolerate acidity a little better than basicity (it’s a word) at least in terms of topical application, and your skin is already fairly acidic to begin with. Pushing it into neutral territory might not be the best idea. Throwing on my Homebrew Hat, I would try some food-grade citric acid powder. instead of baking soda, or for that matter, vinegar. That’s just navel-gazing on my part, I haven’t tried it.
I know that Borys didn’t bring this up and just included the link for reference, but in the link it repeats the old story about deodorant being linked to cancer. The evidence linking deodorant use to breast cancer is weak. Like “The WTC was destroyed a controlled demolition” weak.
Since I decided to forgo washing with soap about 8 months ago (following an article here at BoingBoing), I’ve been getting getting great results from my alum block. After giving my pits a good scrub in the shower every morning, I just wet the block and rub it on til I feel I’ve left enough on. Let it dry over the course of 10-15 seconds and I’m good to go. Doesn’t entirely kill the odour but keeps it low and manageable to the point where I can quite often skip a day, maybe two without application.
If one lives near a Trader Joe’s, I’ve found that their very reasonably priced store brand Tea Tree Oil Soap (pack of two) is really good for the skin and naturally fights body odor.
I still use one of those gel antiperspirant/deodorant sticks under the pits, though.
My wife said that if men would just shave off their pit hair, it wouldn’t stink, but… yea.
Tertiary bonus: your pits will smell like coconut.
It works. You greatly reduce the bacterial count by eliminating most of the surface they could dwell on. You don’t have to go for a smooth shave, a rough cut will do a good enough job.
I dig the deodorant crystal. I recently switched to spray for quick application and touch-ups, plus I wanted to send more money their way. (and my rocks kept going sour over time due to lazynes or touch up application)
That’s certainly worth a try.
Seconded. As a cis man who shaves his pits, it really does make a difference. I might get lazy in the winter and go for more than a week but in the summer keeping a close shave keeps the stink at bay. Also using the commercial deodorant made from magick rocks and ground up hippies helps, too.
When i was in France I picked up this green tea deodorant and really liked it. It wasn’t heavy and it wasn’t an antiperspirant. The scent didn’t entirely mask your natural scent and wasn’t a solution for someone who gets really musky, but it took the edge off. I keep meaning to look for a place to order it in the states.
http://www.lainocosmetics.com/Green-tea-freshness-mineral-deodorant
As we were leaving, the one kind-hearted lass who (…) had managed to overcome her evident revulsion (…) whispered to me what the problem was. On board we used coconut oil soap, as it would lather up in seawater. We were used to its odd odour. They weren’t. They had formed a unanimous opinion. We stank.
Roger D. Taylor: “Voyages of a Simple Sailor”.
the LAST thing i want is MORE things to have to shave. my face and noggin are enough!
