I’m pro ALL things natural, BUT….
I am pro at all things natural, organic, ethically sourced, cruelty-free — and look for items that make my life easier, healthier, happier, and more luxurious.
I want that for myself and for you, so that’s why I’m constantly trying new products. I compare each to Almandine Wellness’ natural products, because I’m always looking for inspiration to formulate something new.
So begins the story of my burnt armpits…
I’ve been wanting to move away from conventional deodorant for years. As a herbalist, I know it takes a long time to get “off” conventional deodorant, so I am willing to wait it out and try different brands. Because I don’t know the rules about disclosing brands, I’m not posting a picture of all the “natural” deodorants I’ve tried. You’ll just have to trust me when I say 6. That doesn’t seem like a lot until you realize that 6 natural deodorants could take at least 6 years to get through.
And although I am willing to make sacrifices (trying 6 different deodorants is a time commitment), I have my limits. Apparently my limit is chemical burns. Sadly, I didn’t realize they were burnt until I looked in the mirror. I thought they were just irritated. I was mistaken!
After a couple of weeks using the natural deodorant off and on, I realized that my skin was slightly irritated, but I decided I could live with that. I stuck with it mainly because it was the best product I used so far, it was easy to apply, came in cool packaging, I didn’t have any body odour, and it was all natural.
So, I soldiered on and I applied the deodorant for 4 consecutive days.
I fought through the soreness and some of the itching. Finally, on day 5, I was reaching for the deodorant and I saw myself in the mirror. WHAT AM I DOING? What price am I willing to pay to use the natural deodorant?
In that moment, a number of things clicked for me. It was clear that I was not listening and honouring my body. I had been ignoring the irritation and the pain for a couple of weeks… what else was I ignoring?
I realized I was also ignoring the tickle in the back of my throat and the bloating I had the day before. Why was I doing this – allowing my thoughts to override my physical body? I tell clients to listen to their bodies – why wasn’t I?
When I thought it through, I realized this is a small example of what we all do every day. I then looked at the patterns in my life and realized that I was in a loop. The reasons I ignored my armpits are the same reasons I tend to always ignore my physical symptoms.
♦ Pride Disguised as Integrity – I was telling myself that as herbalist with integrity, I must always use natural products – walk the talk, you know. That was complete BS! The truth was, I was too proud and stubborn to make a change. I was committed to this new natural product in the great packaging and I wasn’t turning back.
♦ Time – I am busy! In that moment, my only thought was that I needed to get to my office to start checking off all the priorities I put on my to-do list. I just didn’t have enough time to deal with my armpits or the tickle in the back of my throat. Sadly, the next thought was worse, “I will deal with my throat later because I know what herbs and supplements to take at the last minute to make this go away.”
♦ Others Come First. The bloating the day before could have been prevented. I have been struggling a bit with migraines and for me this is always linked to digestion. When things get like this, I really need to be aware of what I eat. Bloating is my first warning sign before the migraine. I know all this and I still went to a restaurant that wasn’t ideal for me because my colleagues wanted to go. I put their needs and wants ahead of my own.
“Integrity is telling myself the truth. And honesty is telling the truth to other people”
– Spencer Johnson
None of these revelations are easy to acknowledge to myself nor you. But they are honest and true. Once I recognized that I messed up, I made the choice to do something different. I put the natural deodorant away, took some herbal supplements for my throat, and committed to eating what was right for my body. Then, I decided to put a little love into my armpits.
None of these revelations are easy to acknowledge to myself nor you. But they are honest and true. Once I recognized that I messed up, I made the choice to do something different. I put the natural deodorant away, took some herbal supplements for my throat, and committed to eating what was right for my body. Then, I decided to put a little love into my armpits.
When you choose a more natural approach to life, results are not always immediate. That was my mantra when I started the natural deodorant that burnt my skin, and then again when I applied my Argan & Aloe Body Therapy Lotion to heal my burns. As I went to apply my lotion, it dawned on me to take some pictures of the process. I was super curious as to how long it would take for my armpits to heal.
Here is the Evolution of my Recovery
Ultimately this experience showed me that it is important to stay present – old habits and patterns die hard. Using excuses to ignore body symptoms catches up to all of us and I am grateful to my pits for reminding me of that core belief.
I also want to be very clear on a second point. Just because it’s natural, doesn’t mean it works for everyone. Natural doesn’t always mean safe, so try products and invest in the ones that work for you.
It is my sincere hope that when you buy any of the Almandine Wellness products, you will have a great experience and it will improve your ailment(s). I am impressed with the speed at which my armpits healed and I thought I would share it with you all.
To Precious Pits… and the Argan & Aloe Body Therapy Lotion!
