(Under)armed with Freshness

For years now, I've had an ongoing obsession – over my armpits. More specifically, over deodorant. The perfect deodorant.

I've always had sensitive skin, particularly in the armpit area; and for some time, I've been concerned over chemicals contained in antiperspirants and deodorants. I've been looking for a deodorant created with as natural ingredients as possible that has either a neutral scent or soft, feminine aroma and actually works. Sounds easier than it is.

During my search, I have probably tried a couple of dozen deodorants that have ranged from OK to terrible, but none stood out as "the one." Some smelled nice but didn't really maintain effectiveness throughout the day. One worked but smelled strongly of roses and made my underarm area sting. A couple worked well enough but smelled too much of patchouli – which I can't stand.

My search may be over thanks to Kimberly Parry Organics in San Juan Capistrano. I recently tried out the natural skin care company's antimicrobial underarm spray mist deodorant, which is 83% organic and is made from whole vanilla beans, lavender flowers, vodka, grain alcohol, sweet orange flower water, vegetable glycerin, and a custom blend of organic essential oils, including cedar wood and tea tree.

The scent upon spraying is a mixture of vanilla and cedar wood, creating a lightly sweet, woodsy, fresh aroma. And the scent seemed to mask any foul odors throughout the day, even overnight. I reapplied when I overexerted myself but I didn't feel like it was an emergency if I didn't happen to have the spray nearby. My only complaint was that I had slight stinging during some applications, but it only happened occasionally and it probably has to do with my own skin sensitivities.

This is one deodorant I may just keep using.

$30 for a 4 oz. bottle at kimberlyparry.com