I try to avoid them when I can. I imagine the controversy is not really publicized because of how prevalent they are in everything. I do believe that the high amounts of breast cancer, especially in young women, are partially linked to conventional deodorant usage. They have found parabens in breast cancer tumors but it's not an accepted definite link yet. It makes sense to me though and that's enough for me to change my habits. No need to feel dumb. You can't change what you've used in the past but you can change what you do now, and in the future. The problem is that many people care more about vanity than health so it's difficult to avoid completely because parabens and other nasties are in everything. I just go for natural as much as I can - coconut oil for moisturizer, baking soda for deodorant, paraben and sulfate-free shampoos. You also have to watch the labels because some products will claim to be paraben or sulfate free but if you look at the ingredients, it will contain some derivative of the bad stuff.

update: We still aren't 100% shampoo free. We cut down to only washing every other day, and then substituting every other of those with baking soda. I've gotten to where I look forward to a fully baking soda cleansing routine. I certainly like it even better than days when I shampoo (the one which was chemical free). We have finally run out of the chemical free shampoo and now it is time to be 100%. My son's hair was crazy oily all the time (no matter what type of shampoo or how often he cleaned it). He'd get out of the shower and it'd still look greasy?! Going this route has sent him back to the non-greasy days, AND his face acne has reduced. His hair is so soft. He loves it. Me? I love it. I feel like my hair so much less stressed. And people keep offering compliments without my asking. People who have no reason to talk to me about my hair, e.g. someone standing behind me in church and we've never talked about hair? So I think that's pretty unbiased. No one knows in real life knows we've done, except on this forum (and anyone reading it). When it gets to the point someone says, I really love how great your hair looks! What's your secret? Then I'll know I have "arrived". It's getting there. I appreciate the feedback y'all gave me before trying it. What was really cool? It was super easy to get through camping this weekend. I washed it before we went out and then this morning. But it was fine all weekend! Let me focus on the more fun stuff. ____________________ Jodi, did you stay conditioner only? How's that going?

Thank you for the lesson on soap and water, cynic. I assure you I do bathe regularly with both and still like to use deodorant. The purpose of my post was to give an alternative to the many people who think that anti-perspirants are unhealthy. I get that most people aren't interested but there are some who are. Clogging up one of the body's major detoxification points in order to smell powder fresh all day is certainly a popular choice but there are alternatives out there. This combination is working beautifully for me. I have absolutely no smell at all since I put it on this morning, with no rash or irritation. And while I agree that sometimes people can't smell themselves, I definitely can because that's how I knew that other ones I previously tried over the last few weeks didn't work, lol. Between that, and brutally honest friends, I am assured that what I've found works for me. In the end, it's up to everyone to make their own decisions. I try not to use anything on my body that I couldn't eat if I wanted to because that's what I feel is the healthiest way to live. And yes, I am a worrywort. Have you seen the recent cancer statistics? Something like 1 in 3 will be diagnosed in their lifetime, and it's rising all the time. I'm doing everything I can to avoid it. The body has an amazing ability to detoxify and heal if only we let it and not clog it up with chemicals and preservatives and parabens and toxins and all the other crap in conventional beauty products.

Back in 2012 If I had known that Annie L. McDowell rose with tiny leaves prefer loamy soil and acidic rain, I would not have given that to my sister in alkaline clay & less rain Southern CA. It died on her quickly. Re-post the tips that I gave to Lavenderlace in 2015: " Evelyn with large & dark green & glossy foliage blooms great with my alkaline soil & water for the past 6 years as own-root. Received 8 roses today 6/15 from Roses Unlimited Summer sale: Madame Earnest Calvat (pale & large leaves), James Galway (pale & large leaves), The Dark Lady (small leaves, medium-green), The Squire (large & DARK GREEN leaves), Marie Daly (PALE tiny leaves), Anna's promise (medium-green & large & glossy leaves), Twilight Zone (almost thornless, medium-green, large & thick leaves), Sutter's Gold (very large, glossy leaves). Marie Daly and the Dark Lady both have small & pale leaves, which means I have to make my soil loamy & fast-draining. Marie Daly is an Earthkind & drought-tolerant rose and The Dark Lady has Rugosa heritage. My code for OWN-ROOT roses in regard to leaves: PALE leaves prefer acidic rain. DARK-GREEN prefer heavy/alkaline clay. GLOSSY: best in partial shade & need constant water & best with alkaline minerals. TINY leaves prefer loamy and fluffy soil. Large leaves = vigorous & big root. THICK leaves = heat tolerant. SOLUTION: the pale leaves with zero blooms need added sulfate of potash & gypsum to fix alkaline tap water, or else tons of acidic rain. Tiny leaves is best in loamy/sandy soil. The large leaves also have large & chunky roots that can go through heavy & dense alkaline clay. But the tiny leaves have more cluster & shallow roots that prefer loamy & fluffy soil. The dark-green leaves The Squire likes alkaline soil & alkaline tap-water.