natural – Average Momma Bear

Does Aluminum-Free Deodorant Actually Work?

It has been over a year since I first tried Lumē Deodorant, and I’ve been using it almost that entire year (minus a few weeks as an experiment). I’ve made 4 purchases from their company, usually of discounted bundles (the only thing junk email is good for is discounts), and I’ve spent $130.52 total. I have ALSO tried a couple different aluminum free deodorants in that time to see how they rank up against my Lumē. First, HERE is my most recent review of Lumē Deodorant.

Next, here are the other two aluminum free deodorants I tried against Lumē:

Dove 0% Aluminum Deodorant in Cucumber and Green Tea
Native Deodorant in Cucumber & Mint

“I think, somehow, Target fills us with hope as we walk down their clean aisles, items curated to scream “TAKE ME HOME” to every basic mom, such as myself, so that when we get up to the register and they explain calmly that they are going to remove several hundred of our hard earned dollars from our bank account that we don’t blink an eye but smile vapidly and have instant buyer’s remorse.”

You had me at Dove

Dove has been my go-to for years. But will the aluminum free version work?

Dove 0% Aluminum Deodorant smells good… until I sweat right through it with my stinky pits within 30 minutes of applying it. Come on, Dove. I’ve spent hundreds of dollars on your regular deodorants over the years, slowly poisoning myself with aluminum. The least you could do for me is give me a natural deodorant that WORKS. Well, to be honest, I didn’t expect much after using Lumē for so long. I used the Dove 0% only a few times (just to make SURE it wasn’t a fluke). It wasn’t a fluke. Unfortunately, this deodorant did not keep my stink away.

Going Native

I was really hopeful for Native deodorant. First of all, I found it at Target. And I think, somehow, Target fills us with hope as we walk down their clean aisles, items curated to scream “TAKE ME HOME” to every basic mom, such as myself, so that when we get up to the register and they explain calmly that they are going to remove several hundred of our hard earned dollars from our bank account that we don’t blink an eye but smile vapidly and have instant buyer’s remorse. So when I saw this $12 “paraben and aluminum free” deodorant on the shelf, I thought, “why the hell not?!”

This stuff smells amazing. But does it keep away the bad smells too?

The first thing I noticed about the Native Deodorant is that it smelled super yummy. It had a distinct essential oil or extract smell rather than other deodorants with laboratory created “parfum” smells like something you throw in your gym bag to keep it from smelling like the bacteria factory it most certainly is. Native’s sharp and clean scent was sure to blast my stanky pits to kingdom come with freshness. I applied it after a shower, just like I had with the Dove, to give it a fighting chance at combating my underarm bacteria.

“Do I have to chase my two gremlins? You betcha. Do I sweat because they raise my blood pressure? Oh, probably. But if these deodorants can’t DEODORIZE me in the most common activities of my life, I can’t make them a staple of my hygiene routine.”

Unfortunately, it also fell flat for me in terms of smell protection. Now, to test these, I wasn’t doing any strenuous exercise like I had done with the Lumē months ago when I was shoveling several cubic yards of river rock in 90-100 degree weather out in our yard. Both the Dove and the Native could hardly handle my day to day mom life. Do I have to chase my two gremlins? You betcha. Do I sweat because they raise my blood pressure? Oh, probably. But if these deodorants can’t DEODORIZE me in the most common activities of my life, I can’t make them a staple of my hygiene routine.

Hello, Lumē, My Old Friend…

So every time a new “deodorant” has failed me, I’ve found myself going back to Lumē. Just like running into the arms of an old friend who I know is going to wipe my sweat away and kill the smelly jerk bacteria that keep haunting my pits. Lumē has been there for me. And to top it off, I had a representative FROM Lumē contact me about my last review concerns and make suggestions on how I can test their product better. The best part is that their suggestions actually helped! In my last review, I stated that I wasn’t sure how long my body’s “detox” period was because my hormones and a few other factors were making that unclear. This meant that even though the Lumē was still working, it wasn’t lasting as long as it had previously and I was unsure of the cause.

Lumē has been working overtime for me for a year. But is it still number 1?

The Lumē representative that contacted me suggested that I try a clothes detergent that had enzyme technology to fight and kill the bacteria that can build up in clothes. Honestly, I don’t know why I hadn’t tried this sooner. I knew of these detergents but was unsure if they could really help me. So, per her suggestion, I tried Pursil Liquid Laundry Detergent in the Odor Fighter variety I found at my local grocery store. It specifically boasts “Odor Fighting Technology” and has seemed to work very well for me. It hasn’t made the problem go away 100%, but it’s drastically better than it has ever been.

Since changing to an odor fighting detergent, I feel like the Lumē has had a better chance to work to its fullest potential. The only time I’ve found the Lumē to fail at all anymore is when I work up a deep sweat in my mommy fitness class. Especially during the time of the month when my hormones are most haywire, I tend to go through days of excessive sweating that is hard to mask without showers twice a day. Sheesh. Isn’t motherhood beautiful?!

Conclusion

So, in short, here’s what I’ve learned. If a deodorant doesn’t boast an aluminum free alternative that actually KILLS the bad bacteria that makes you smell in the first place, its MUCH less likely to actually work. Now, I have heard good things from people through the mommy-sphere who have had positive experiences with many “natural” deodorants. But, for me, they don’t work if they’re not getting rid of the bacteria.

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Sweet & Sour Turkey

This recipe has been passed down through our family for several generations. It reminds me of the holidays because every day or two after Thanksgiving, my grandfather would make up a huge batch of this with the leftover turkey. I loved it as a kid and would happily devour this morning, noon, and night until the leftovers were gone. I hope you enjoy it too! Be sure to check out my note section below the recipe for additional ideas on how to prepare this recipe. Ingredients and instructions with alternative methods are marked with (*) with the corresponding (*) found in the notes section.

Prep time: 10-15 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes – 4/8 hours depending on your cooking method
Makes about 6-8 cups

Ingredients

4+ cups of chopped turkey (rotisserie chicken works well as a replacement*)
2 Tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 2 Tbsp cold water
¾ cup brown sugar
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup ketchup
½ cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup chicken broth

Instructions

In a medium sized (3 quart) cooking pot**, begin heating chicken broth on medium high heat and add in vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar and ketchup. Stir to dissolve and mix ingredients.
As ingredients start to bubble and steam, add in cornstarch mix*** and stir briskly with a whisk. Continue to stir until ingredients begin to thicken.
Reduce heat to low and allow ingredients to simmer together for about 10 minutes. Make sure to check and stir sauce every few minutes to prevent burning or congealing on the bottom of the pan.
Once sauce is thickened, add in chopped meat and stir to evenly mix ingredients together. Let this mix simmer on low heat for about 15-20 minutes to allow the meat to absorb some of the sauce flavors.
Serve over leftover mashed potatoes, on top of leftover rolls, on buns with coleslaw, or by itself!****

Notes

*As I mentioned, rotisserie chicken can be used as a substitution for turkey. You could also make this recipe in a crock pot and start with raw chicken breasts along with the sauce ingredients. If you choose to do this method, I suggest you cook it on low for 8 hours to allow the chicken breasts to fully cook. After they cook you could shred the chicken right in the sauce and then mix the ingredients together.

I used pre-cooked rotisserie chicken for a quick and easy meal!

**You can also make this recipe in a crockpot. Using this method allows for better flavor absorption by the meat but you want to make sure to cook it on low to keep the meat from over cooking if you are using pre-cooked leftovers. If you choose the crock pot method, just place all your sauce ingredients in and mix well before adding the meat (raw or cooked).

***The cornstarch mix will only slightly thicken up the sauce and it may appear more runny than you expect. You’re welcome to play around with the cornstarch mix ratio but this recipe allows for the sauce to be thin but not watery.

****There are so many ways to enjoy this recipe. Aside from using it for leftovers, it’s great on top of rice or veggies too. The sauce is very versatile so I’d love to hear how you’ve used it. Leave a comment here on the recipe page and let me know what you did with it. Thanks!

Coleslaw is a great addition to this meal. The textures and flavors compliment each other!

Nutrition

Serving size: 1 cup of meat and sauce
1 serving is approximately 193 Calories; 1.6g Fat; 0.3g Sat. Fat; 37.5mg Cholest.; 755mg Sodium; 29.9g Carbs; 0.1g Fiber; 26g Sugar; 14.4g Protein.

My Honest Review Follow-up: Lumē Deodorant

Full disclosure: I DO NOT make any money or get any promotional kickbacks from Lumē for my review. I am reviewing this product only as a consumer/customer.

Well, here I am again. Back almost 8 months later to give you an update. I first tried Lumē deodorant back in January of this year (2019) and was pleasantly surprised by the results. But I knew, looking forward, that I wanted to conduct a little experiment to truly test the results. As I mentioned in my original Lumē review HERE, I’ve experienced sweating and odor since I hit puberty in middle school many, many moons ago. I’m not shy about it anymore, but you can be sure that I’ve put this product to the test.

Detox

I’ve read that when switching over to a more natural deodorant (without aluminum and some synthetic chemicals) your body tends to go through a bit of a detox period. Before trying Lumē, I had been using Dove deodorant for many years, believing that it was the gentlest non-natural deodorant I could find. That might have been true (it’s an unfounded theory), but I did experience clogged pores, ingrown hairs, and darkened skin under my arms consistently while using Dove deodorant. This leads me to believe that it wasn’t as gentle as I would have liked.

The first time I tried Lumē, I found that my detox period was surprisingly short, but I think that was due to the fact that it was still winter, so my sweat levels really didn’t test the limits of Lumē’s capabilities. During my first trial run with Lumē, I did notice an improvement in the health of my underarm skin. After my detox period, my underarm skin was smoother, lighter in color, and less prone to ingrown hairs after shaving.

Putting it to the Test

The weather this summer has been abnormally mild for us, but my armpits are still under a lot of stress, hormone level changes, and more temperature changes than they were the first time I used Lumē. We’ve shoveled literal tons of rocks in 90°+ weather this summer, plus I was finally able to finish my breastfeeding journey with my youngest, so my hormones have been up and down like a rollercoaster. It is possible that I’m still in the midst of my second detox period while using Lumē, but it’s been over a month since I started the new stick, so I’m hoping that’s not the case. To say I’ve been putting the product to the test is an understatement. I have noticed that I have been abnormally smelly…hooray. But I do feel like that has started to taper off.

This second time around, I don’t feel like I’m getting the same distance out of the Lumē formula that I was the first time. I’m definitely not getting more than 24 hours coverage out of the deodorant, plus I’m having to reapply occasionally, so I may be using up the stick faster. I’m hoping to be able to do a third review of the Lumē products later on this year, and I can update that review to reflect how fast I’m using the products based on the time of year or weather temperature.

What’s That Smell?

One thing I noted in my original Lumē review was that I didn’t like the smell of the original scent. In fact, I think that was the only thing I didn’t like aside from the cost. The original scent is called Lavender Sage. Usually I really like both of those scents, but for some reason I didn’t like the way Lumē had combined them. It smelled too much like chemicals to me (even though that’s not what I was smelling).

This second time around I was planning to order the unscented stick deodorant, but when I went to order, I noticed that they had added several new scents. Aside from the Lavender Sage and Unscented, they added Juniper Berry, Jasmine Rose, and Silver Spruce. (These sound like names of kids you see trending on Instagram…) I chose to get two–one Juniper Berry and one Jasmine Rose–just in case I didn’t like one of them. Once I got the sticks, I noticed that neither smell really stood out to me as especially appealing, but I liked the Juniper Berry more, so that is what I’ve been wearing. I can imagine a lot of people will like the Jasmine Rose, but I’ve never really liked the smell of rose other than straight from the flower. I have a feeling that the scent might grow on me when I start using it. I’m also interested to try the Silver Spruce eventually. Initially, I didn’t order that scent because I was afraid it would be too masculine of a scent for me, but I think I’m now willing to give it a try.

Overall

After giving Lumē deodorant another try, I can say I do still enjoy the product. I’m using more than I had back when I initially tried it due to harsher conditions, but I think I get enough coverage that I don’t clear a room with my stench. I still don’t feel as fresh as I’d like, though. I’m not crazy about the scents that they offer either. Maybe it’s more that the base scent is something I’m not fond of, and the additional smells added to it are not agreeing with me. In reality, though, I don’t smell the scent often after I apply it, which is probably for the best. Ideally, you shouldn’t smell like anything unless you want to be distracting.

I think the most valuable thing I’ve gained from using the Lumē product is cleared and improved skin in my underarm region. Since puberty, my armpits have been a point of reservation for me. I’ve always struggled with excessive sweating, sweat marks, odor, and generally unappealing underarm skin. For years, I’ve tended to cover up and hide the problem, ashamed to show my armpits or wear anything other than black. After using Lumē, I’ve noticed an almost instant improvement of my skin. My underarm skin has been smooth, less bumpy and dark, and less prone to ingrown hairs. That said, I feel that the novelty of the product has worn off, and I’m a little disappointed that I’m constantly worrying if people around me can smell me. I do hope that it’s possible that I’m not fully through my detox period and that my freshness will improve with time and usage.

Based on the differences from my original experience, I think I might have to downgrade my rating to give this product: 3 out of 5 Bear Tracks. Hopefully my impression of this product will improve by my next update!