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Did you know that Americans spend $18 billion a year on deodorant? Depending on how you look at it, it’s either a good thing or a bad thing. Body odor, however, is never good, and it’s nice to know that we think preventing or eliminating it is a worthwhile way to spend our money. What’s bad is that 18 billion dollars is a lot of money! I can think of lots of things I could spend my money on if I were not part of the $18 billion bandwagon.

The way I see the world, deodorant is not negotiable- certainly not this time of year. Interestingly, not everyone thinks this way. Here’s one article about one woman’s experiment to go without, and here’s another about Cameron Diaz and other celebrities who think deodorant is completely not necessary. I’d like to say “to each his/her own,” but only as long as those people are not standing too close to me!

The thing is, though, deodorant is not cheap; buying it regularly does add up, and while I’m not sure how much I buy into this, there’s a lot of talk about how commercial deodorants are full of chemicals that are bad for you. I’m not going to ditch deodorant for good (don’t worry, friends and family!), but it might not be a bad idea to just explore other alternatives. Baking soda is a natural deodorizer; mix a little bit with some water and rub into your armpits. Mix one part baking soda with six parts cornstarch to absorb wetness as well. It’s not really sweat that’s smelly- it’s the bacteria on your skin that mixes with the sweat, so kill off those bacteria with a swipe of lemon, rubbing alcohol, or vinegar after the shower and you might be able to stave off a stench.

And then, because there’s a DIY for everything these days, try making your own DIY natural deodorant! To be perfectly honest, I’ve never tried it, nor do I intend to any time soon, so I can’t personally give you my favorite homemade deodorant recipe. But I did some poking around, and this one from Instructables.com looks easy to make and doesn’t require weird ingredients that no one’s ever heard of. Plus, it has a clever little trick. If you’re up for a little experimenting, give it a try.

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