Baking Soda vs. Sweat

I haven't worn any commercial deodorant or antiperspirant for about 5 days.

I don't smell at all.

I apply baking soda once in the morning, and that's it. I've followed the advice in this link, and it works nicely. I put a small amount of baking soda in my palm. I then mix in about an equal amount of water and stir it up with my finger. I then slap it onto my armpit and repeat the procedure for other side.

The only question about this is that I haven't sweated much at all, so it still seems a bit untested. Normally, I'm a bit-time sweater. 30 seconds into some physical labor or a stressful situation and I've got walls of sweat rolling off my forehead. I'll know for sure what the results are when I've gone through a serious bout of sweating, but I will say this: Even without sweating much, going 5 days without any smell is still quite an achievement.

The link warns of using too much, since baking soda is a skin irritant. I have found that to be true. I am not sure how to manage that. I either need to use less or apply it more gently. Maybe the reason I haven't sweated is that my skin is irritated, so perhaps the pores are not working normally.

Baking soda seems like the ideal thing to use. It adds no toxins at all and it allows your body to sweat when it needs to in order to purge other toxins of its own. The smell is so far really fresh. I just hope it can hold up to a major sweat!

Warning: Do not apply any commercial deodorant to irritated skin! Some suggest that the way toxins get into our bloodstream is through nicks, cuts and other irritations caused by either shaving or an adverse reaction to deodorant. This is considered a still-unproven culprit in breast cancer.

ADDED LATER: Here is the kind of discussion that is going on linking breast cancer to deodorants and antiperspirants. Fact? Fiction? I don't know--but I would venture that no one else does, either.

ADDED MUCH LATER: See this post about concerns about baking soda and a switch to vinegar as deodorant.