Bubble and Bee Pit Putty Deodorant Cream

A while back, I decided I wanted to switch to a natural deodorant.  I'd heard vague things linking antiperspirants to breast cancer but was generally uneducated on the topic.  My thinking was more along the lines of "if I can find something natural that works, why not?"  So, I purchased one natural deodorant that was available at my drugstore, but was less than impressed.  Further searching on the web led to some good reviews on Bubble & Bee organic deodorants, who were about to launch some new deodorant creams in sample sizes, so out came the debit card. 

First off, it's helpful to understand the difference between an antiperspirant and a deodorant and a bit of biology.  There are two types of sweat glands, the apocrine and eccrine. The apocrine glands are scent glands that are located in the navel, armpits and groin. They produce a sticky but odorless sweat rich in fatty acids that bacteria present on the skin feed upon to produce the familiar body odor smell.  The eccrine sweat glands are found all over the body and produce a watery sweat that helps to regulate body temperature.  

Antiperspirants use aluminum to prevent your body from producing sweat.  Those concerned about the potential health risks of aluminum cite links between aluminum and the development of Alzheimer's, and a more in depth analysis of alum can be found here.  Interestingly enough, antiperspirants are considered over-the-counter (OTC) drugs, because they change the way the body does something - prevent the release of sweat.  As a drug, they are also regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).  Deodorants, on the other hand, neutralize body odor by killing or slowing down the growth of the bacteria that metabolize the protein and fatty acids that occur in sweat.  Many products contain both an antiperspirant and a deodorant.  Bubble & Bee organic deodorants do not contain aluminum and are thus not an antiperspirant.

So do Bubble & Bee deodorant creams work?  For the most part, yes.  I've had breakthrough odor at close sniff on a few occasions of wearing them, but not enough to consider the product a failure.  I doubt it was noticeable by anyone but me, as it involved directly smelling my pits at the end of a long day.  TMI, I know, but how else to test this product?  However, the true test will be during the long, hot and humid summers here and I have only had the product since October.  

Scent selection includes Geranium Lime, Jasmint (my favorite), Lemon & Clove, Lemongrass, Spearmint & Tea Tree Oil, and Super Pit Putty.  "Deodorizing Naturally" from Bubble & Bee points out that  we can have different kinds of bacteria on our skin, and different types of essential oils - Tea Tree, Clove, Rosemary, Lemongrass, Geranium, and Lavender - are particularly effective against certain strains.  While the essential oils don't kill the bacteria, they do slow them down, so matching the right essential oil to the particular bacteria on your skin can make a difference.  A sampler pack including all the scents can be purchased for $23.94, individual samples for $3.99, and regular size for $9.85 at the Bubble & Bee online shop.  You can see the difference between the sample and regular size below.  

Have you found a natural deodorant that you like or are you sticking with commercial antiperspirants/deodorants?