Wonderings and smelly classmates; Tom’s Of Maine Natural Body Bar, Lemongrass

Today I found myself listening to a song quite repeatedly because a line in it puzzled me; “You’re not a friend, you’re just a lover” (by The Birthday Massacre). I am not sure why this made me so baffled, but it made me rethink deodorants. Odd how my mind works, huh?Lately, very stinky people have been finding their way near me in lectures. Now, it’s winter here, so its not nearly as bad as it could be… but come on! I am not sure if some people just frown upon the idea of doing laundry or just have a bad deodorant! I understand that occasionally mishaps might happen, but this is not a one time thing, unfortunately. So I decided to rate yet another deodorant related product in order to help those of us who are uncertain and occasionally stinky!

 

Not long ago, while I was ordering a few products, I decided (like always) to add one cheap product that seems interesting enough. I chose Tom’s Of Maine Natural Body Bar, Lemongrass. Its basically a soap acting as a deodorant. Of course, I was sceptic. Unfortunately for me, due to my heavy traveling, I soon ended up forgetting my shower bag and was forced to use the few products I had left in my dorm room. I had no deodorant other than the Tom’s lemongrass bar and the days were not exactly cold. I found myself in quite a cold turkey situation; I had to use that alone for a whole week. Certainly, at first, it was not so great. I didn’t stink, but I didn’t really feel quite fresh. However, as I showered each morning, I made sure that I used it right before I finished showering, hoping to ensure some effect. On the third day, things started getting better, and in fact, I found that on low action days it was quite enough to keep me from funking up. 

The soap’s material are all natural and it is rated as a low (or zero) hazard by the Skin Deep- Safe Cosmetics website. It smells pleasant enough, and it is not one of those melty natural soaps. By melty I mean that most natural soaps tend to become very gooey when left in a little water and some would just not hold together regardless. This soap is solid. Its size is rather small, but I am not sure if I bought a travel size or what… regardless, its pretty cheap. 

The bottom line is that it does work as a stand-alone deodorant, but not for very active days. I use it daily though, just as an aid to my Pillar of (dissolving by now) Salt. I give it an 8 out of 10 and I think its a nice addition if you are looking for some reassurance.

Regarding that line… Maybe it reminded me of deodorants because the deodorant is not always our friend, but we are quite bound to it? Ack, such a long shot, huh? Perhaps I will relate my ideas of that line another time.

 Get your deodorant on, people!

Avalon Organics; Peppermint, Propylene Glycol Free, Roll-on Deodorant. Minus success = Failure.

The world around us is filled with seemingly endless options. Unfortunately, the dating world seems to offer much less options. I dunno about you, but I can’t imagine myself sitting down to write a personal ad about who I am and what I seek. “A part time, hamster and Mac loving, vegan seeks a likewise, tall male”. And even if I could bring myself to look for that elusive guy, who can actually guarantee that it would actually work? Surprisingly, deodorants seem quite the same. 

Sure, the options seem endless… But, when you are looking for an all natural one the options magically reduce. And even if you do allow yourself to perhaps flex your demands, no one can really ensure a stink free success. Avalon Organics decided to pledge their deodorant’s success, but frankly, just like any other personal ad out there, the outcome is less than perfect. Their Peppermint, Propylene Glycol Free, Deodorant has certainly failed me.

I do not mean to Poo Poo their pledge or efforts, but my body has rejected their attempt. Their ingredients are easily identified as organic and natural, other than the longest word I have ever encountered; Babassuamidopropalkonium. Now, I might be a little slow and not a native English speaker… but what the heck is that? My Mac dictionary (A.K.A Oxford Dictionary) didn’t have any idea, but the lovely people at Safe Cosmetics did.

About BABASSUAMIDOPROPALKONIUM CHLORIDE: Babassuamidopropalkonium Chloride is the quaternary ammonium salt that conformsgenerally to the formula: where RCO- represents the fatty acids derived from Orbignya oleifera (babassu) oil”.

Its not a harmful ingredient, but it is certainly something I can never pronounce. The SC website rates this deodorant as lacking any problems, which is awesome for a deodorant. The roll-on bottle states that Avalon Organics has not only “consciousness in cosmetics”, but also the also “[...] Pledge. Your assurance. Safe, effective, pro-organic body care, without artificial colors, synthetic fragrances or parabens. EU cosmetic directive compliant.”

Great. I am glad the European Union approves, but assuring effectiveness seems too much. Applying this deodorant is quite nice. Unlike that salt pillar that needs to be wet to be applied (see first deodorant quest post), this rolls on easily, smoothly and leaves a nice, cool, stingy like feel on your under pits. It had a decent smell and it generally felt o.k. for ummm… 2 hours. After that, my body did not cooperate and on a not-so-active day, I felt quite stinky.But you know me, I don’t give up that easily! I used it for a week (an unpleasant week, which might also explain why I never date) before I finally gave up. It just didn’t work. Even reapplying it a couple of times (as gross and unpleasant as it was) in the same day didn’t make it any better. I quietly returned to my pillar of salt.

I would not recommend this deodorant to any one, although I am sure that it might work for some people or else, no one would ever buy it and the company would not be making it… right? As for the value-price equation, I cannot relate to it. I don’t remember how much it was, but its safe to say, not much. It’s size is not so bad and it smells very minty. I was really hoping this deodorant would be the one, but alas… it certainly isn’t. Much like a personal ad or a blind date; the data can sound promising, but the actual reality is far from perfection. A- 5 out of 10 is what I give this product.

The company, however, seems to be making interesting products, so I will probably try my luck with a different product and I will, as always, keep you informed.

P.S. I wanted to add a link to the company website’s page about deodorant, only I didn’t find any deodorants among their products… Odd.

Natracare Ultra Regular Pads & Panty Liners

People warn you that problems aren’t so easily resolved and that change is fickle, sometimes elusive. I like to learn from experience, because I think that things that may matter to one person may not matter that much to me. This is why I chose to buy things despite their known issues and improbable change.

Today I will review a product I never thought I would be discussing; Natracare Natural Panty Liners and Ultra Regular pads!

Why did I not think that I would be reviewing it? Simply because that is the one area I never thought anything natural mattered. It never occurred to me to try anything but O.B. tampons, Always or Kotex pads and panty-liners. Frankly, if you are uncomfortable with your “feminine hygiene” products you really might feel awkward and stressed all day. I usually resent the commercials showing that time of the month to be the happiest day of our lives; the only day in which we may choose to wear white and dance around. It’s supposed to convey a sense of utter trust, I know, but perhaps trust is not such an easy matter. And say you do trust that tampon or pad to sit neatly, holding still… is it really all you have trusted it to provide?

A quick internet research shows that indeed, toxic shocks or the effects of the chlorine-dioxide bleaching process of those feminin products may lead to serious problems, and it is suspected to be causing cancer. Other views hold that using tampons or pads with chlorine dioxide bleached paper (or dioxins) might not be single handedly responsible for any more accumulation of dioxins within our bodies; however, I feel that since my goal in switching to a more natural and chemical free lifestyle was to help control that which I can in order to avoid unnecessary illnesses, I can certainly help my body accumulate less dioxins. After all, our periods are there each month for most of our lives, therefore, such prolonged use might be increasing that exposure.

With this said, I tried Natracare Ultra Regular pads and panty liners. I have read reviews prior to buying the panty liners so I knew to expect some issues with the liner stayed attached to underwear or thongs. However, I first bought the pads. They are quite soft to touch and they are a perfect fit to my tiny measures. They absorb quite well and there usually isn’t a very “overflow” or wetness like feeling to the pad. The same goes with the panty liners. They aren’t meant to be absorbing much during normal days, which means they do their jobs and they do fit nicely, but I would assume that anyone wearing a size that is not S, would probably find them a little too small. They don’t have any fragrance, which I find wonderful, as I just don’t know why more chemicals need to be added to such sensitive location. These two products seem to have two major faults though.

The first issue is certainly the adhesive or what keeps those pads and liners in place. It really isn’t working! The pads may move around when you sleep (depending on how “active” you are when you sleep) and this might also be the case during the day. I can say that most times this movement did not occur, but it is way less than perfect. If you have heavy flows, I would not recommend trying this because it certainly will not make you want to dance around in your white pants in the middle of the street! The liners suffer the same issue, but because they are not meant to absorb much during times you are not having your periods in, it doesn’t seem such a problem. They are bulky, and if you got used to super slim liners, these will feel odd and old fashioned even.

The other major issue is of course their price. They certainly cannot compete with any of the famous brand names because they can afford to sell 60 liners/pads (or more) at really cheap prices. Natracare products cost here sometimes twice as much and each package is usually smaller than any brand names’. They never seem to have any sales or reduction in price and there is certainly no “family pack” or bulk sizes. This is really a serious problem for those of us who are tight with money, because it really isn’t a convenient alternative.

On the plus side, they are made from organic materials so you will not have pesticides in your intimate parts, and they also are highly recyclable. They also feel very non-plasticky and much more nature or cloth like.

That said, at the bottom line, I would rate it as 8 out of 10. They really have to work on making the pads and liners stick! I will try the tampons sometime in the future and I would let you know how they are. I would really like companies like that to try and sell their products in kits that would include liners, pads and tampons in quantities that would fit an average woman’s cycle. They would enable a consumer to try all of the companies products at least once and also would be easier to carry around.

On another note, I would like to say that I’m back and I am planning to buy more new products soon. If you have any recommendations, feel free to send me a line and maybe you’ll see a review about it here, soon.
Have a great, healthy day!