A Response to LisaLise’s Blog “Why Your DIY Baking Soda Deodorant is Causing a Skin Reaction “

I began researching baking soda 4 years after I had been using my own home-made deodorant for 4 years. My deodorant caused a paradigm shift in me. If I could make my own deodorant that was incomparably better than the ones I’d been buying for 36 years (I’m 50), what else existed that would work as well?

While doing my research, when googling “studies on sodium bicarbonate deodorant” one of the top sites is LisaLise blog with a scathing attack on the use of baking soda. Because of my ongoing research, I come across her blog many times and each time it upsets me.

LisaLise claims that people are being driven by fear of commercial products to “experiment with all manner of alternatives – the most common (and damaging) being DIY baking soda deodorant.”

I would argue that using a mix of chemicals formulated by big corporations with the sole mission of making a profit is a dangerous experiment of a riskier nature.  Obviously, big corporations won’t sell anything that has a possibility of immediate negative effects, but I don’t imagine the executives care much about the long term impact of chemicals on the body, as long as any negative health repercussions are not traceable back to their product, (or to be even more cynical, it takes so long to trace it back that product that the executives are all happily and richly retired).

She claims we are being driven to experiment with Baking Soda because we believe in the misconception that some baking soda can be more natural than others and something she calls “The Detox Hoax”, both empty arguments that is used to makethe real point which is baking soda can cause a rash, redness and dry, cracked skin.

True, we know for sure that some people experience these reactions when using bicarbonate of soda. We also know that it doesn’t do this to everyone. Many many people ( I don’t know the percentage although I continue to look for studies) have no reaction at all, some have a temporary reaction, others have an intermittent reaction and some do find they have a reaction that tells them not to use baking soda as a deodorant.

More study needs to be done. I have a theory that your ability to tolerate baking soda may have something to do with your body’s alkaline level-perhaps due to diet-thus explaining an occasional sensitivity to baking soda.

I believe that for most people baking soda is an awesome, effective and safe deodorant; it prevents bacteria from growing under your arm pits and thus, prevents smell. It can absorb moisture without staining whites, it can preserve the other ingredients in the deodorant so it will last without additional preservatives.

I suspect LisaLise, like so many of us- myself included-believe that the cosmetic industry always know best because they have the research, the money and the scientist. She writes

“…there is a reason the industry hires professional cosmetics chemists/scientists to formulate their products. They know which ingredients will work with others, which ingredients will be well tolerated and they know how to dose each ingredient.

But I think we need to remember that the reason the cosmetic industry exists is to MAKE MONEY. So they aren’t being paid to find the best answers but the most profitable answers. Their studies are often picked by the money-people. Even if research is started by someone who is committed to offering a product that we want, corporate boards don’t elect people who want to make the world a better place to live.

I think we don’t have access to a good baking soda deodorant from a commercial producer is because of the rashes. Corporations can’t work with individual reactions. They deal in large groups of people and don’t necessarily always deliver the best solutions but the solutions that they can sell easily without any fear of bad publicity.

They simply can’t risk selling a product that MIGHT give you a rash.  It would be bad publicity and they might get sued. It’s the classic hot coffee problem. A company is unwise to sell a coffee that is too hot in case someone spills something on themselves and sues. It doesn’t matter if 80% of the people want hotter coffee, it is too risky for the company and there isn’t enough profit to justify the risk.

However, small owner run companies are more likely to offer individualized service. We’re all different, we all share similarities but we are unique and require unique solutions.That’s why we do need to experiment at home, break away from big corporations products, empower ourselves and buy from people who are making things face to face. I’d rather buy my product from LisaLise than from Dove. In my opinion, the best way to arrive at our own individualized solutions is by sharing our experience and what we think we know with each other.

Some people are more sensitive to baking soda than others just as some people are sensitive to antiperspirants. Every day I talk with people who tell me they rash every time they use a commercial antiperspirant, granulomas can be caused by commercial antiperspirants.

I sell the best deodorant I’ve ever used to other people because I know I wish I’d had my product years earlier. I also make it in the hopes that I can make a living doing it. People hug me and shake my hand and thank me for making a great product. I am working with others who rashed and were discussing other solutions to try. I want people to experiment and share their solutions.

I fear that LisaLise’s one-sided blog will prevent others from making the same discovery that I did, baking soda makes an awesome deodorant! I hope my rebuttal encourages others to try baking soda before they dismiss it.

Post Script:

Please stop using any deodorant immediately if you suspect that there is any risk of you ending up like one of LisaLise corresponder; “…in hospital with a 6 month recovery period”.