Friday, January 15, 2016

What's That Smell? Schmidt vs. Tom's

Schmidt

The title of this post poses a question that I'm often asked after someone has hugged me or  come in close contact. On the occasions when I've been asked this question, people want to know what product I'm wearing as well as all of the necessary purchasing details. I purchased some hair perfumes which I hauled in a recent video, so suffice it to say that I like to smell good. Unfortunately, "what's that smell" is a question I asked myself twice this week when a less than pleasant scent assaulted my olfactory senses.
So the woman who likes to smell good offended herself, twice in one week, how does that happen? 

The Beginning 
The negative effects of aluminum in antiperspirants have always lingered in my mind during deodorant purchases, but I've continued to buy them for years. I've tried my share of natural deodorants and one after the other, they have failed me. Well four weeks ago I was determined to give natural deodorants another shot when I found the $10 jar of the Schmidt brand deodorant, sitting atop a shelf in a Ricky's NYC store.
I purchased the Bergamot and Lime scent which has a deliciously light citrus scent. I didn't even care that it wasn't packaged like traditional deodorant roll up sticks. Instead it was tightly packed into a glass jar, complete with a stick provided to assist in scooping out the product.
After scooping you're  supposed to rub the product  between your fingers to transform the crumbly substance  into a creamy paste.
I began using the product the day after I bought it, and I did so for approximately the next three weeks. It helped to keep armpit odors at bay, but another problem soon presented itself. As shown in the picture below, my armpits became discolored after three weeks and I experienced intermittent itching. Both problems were enough to cause me to put down the stick and discontinue using this natural deodorant. 
Notice my discolored pit in the picture below. Please excuse any stray hairs..lol

I've had discolored armpits in the past when I used the Oyin Handmade's deodorant, so I'm confident that in a few weeks my armpits will be back to normal.  Schmidt didn't work out for me, but I wasn't jumping off of the natural deodorant train that quickly. After all aside from the discoloration, the the odor protection  provided by Schmidt was definitely acceptable.  


Tom's

Next, I  turned my attention to the Tom's brand of natural deodorant in the apricot scent, which I scored on sale for $3 from CVS.
It smells just like a bushel of freshly cut apricots, and that my friend is where the good times end. I used it all of this week, the fourth and smelliest  week of my  natural deodorant trial. Twice this week my own armpits  caused me to question which frowzy person entered my personal space, but alas I was the armpit offender. The natural ingredients can be found below.

Although Toms boasts 24 hour protection, it couldn't even get me through an 8 hour work day. My armpits didn't become further discolored and I didn't experience any itching, but the absence of odor protection forced me to throw in the towel.
You win aluminum I'll be back in your  clutches shortly, unless someone out there has a great natural deodorant recommendation.... I'm all ears.
Thanks for reading
PJD 

12 comments:

Rileynak said...

I've been using natural deodorants for over a year now. The first few weeks to months are usually the roughest. I've tried a few brands but the ones that have continuously worked are Primal Pit Paste and Ozone Layer.
PPP has strong, regular and light baking soda formulas plus a sensitive/non baking soda formula. I've used all of them except the strong (way too much baking soda for me). Baking soda causes discoloration and a rash for me if there's too much in the deodorant so usually I just rotate using the various formulas and that helps.
Ozone Layer is baking soda free. Only has shea butter, beeswax, and medical grade ozone. It actually works really well.

Product Junkie Diva said...

Rileynak
Thanks so much for your comment and suggestions. I have never heard of Ozone Layer and I am now very interested. I had a feeling that it was the baking soda that didn't agree with me but I wasn't entirely sure, now your comment confirms my suspicions.
Thanks for reading, commenting and sharing.
PJD

Unknown said...

Hey PJD,

This posts was so informative I've often wondered about Schmidt's. I too am always on the quest to find the best natural deodorant out there because of my family's long history with cancer, but I have yet to find anything that works. Recently, I have tried Piper Wai after seeing the company featured on Shark Tank a few weeks ago, but I have found that it works for a short period of time, and it even makes my armpit area softer, but I cannot wear sweaters with it or else I will sweat like crazy!

Product Junkie Diva said...

Thanks so much Kimberly! You just can't go wrong with softer armpits :-). There has to be a good formula out there somewhere, so I'll let you know if I find something outstanding.
PJD

Unknown said...

Switch to the sensitive version of Schmidts! The regular formula made me itch due to the baking soda. After switching to their sensitive formula, I haven't had issues with itching, odor, or wetness.

Unknown said...

Switch to the sensitive version of Schmidts! The regular formula made me itch due to the baking soda. After switching to their sensitive formula, I haven't had issues with itching, odor, or wetness.

Anonymous said...

I'm so glad I'm not the only one with the problem i used schmidts and i got a rash and my arm pits were discolored bad after only one week I called the company they sent me 2 free one was sensitive skin. And one was the jar. It seems like I'm still having the problem with the sensitive skin and thank you for posting because I was thinking of trying toms next

Anonymous said...

I have Ben using SallyeAnder baby balm instead of deodorant. It's made from different essential oils, bees wax and some butters. No smelly pits and it smells really good. SallyeAnder.com

Anonymous said...

I have Ben using SallyeAnder baby balm instead of deodorant. It's made from different essential oils, bees wax and some butters. No smelly pits and it smells really good. SallyeAnder.com

Product Junkie Diva said...

Thanks Rosie!
PJD

Unknown said...

I have had the exact same experience with both of these products ! .. someone let me know when they find the happy medium! ☺️ ..

Sojourner said...

I stopped using regular, aluminum deodorant over ten years ago. Had great success for eight years using the clear crystal mineral ones. Until research indicated that it was equally toxic as regular, aluminum products.
Now I use Toms. It’s ok during all seasons , except summer. But I refuse to knowingly use anything toxic again. Sorry to anyone around me. 🙂