Taste the old El Paso

A while back, I followed a link Ann and Linda posted to a site that rated the toxicity of personal-care products. You might consider following that link; it's pretty eye opening.

I, being a delicate flower (and on account of my many allergies), am bothered by most fragrances. As such, years ago I gave up on most fragranced products. I use mostly all-natural personal care products, some with botanical oils that give it a smell, perhaps, but none with synthetic fragrances, which, incidentally are not regulated by the FDA and regularly contain known carcinogens. Just saying.

I say mostly because I still used Arrid XX Dry roll-on, and I've never found a fragrance-free version of it. I started using it about 15 years ago when I found that I sweat through every other deodorant I used in short order. A couple hours in and I would smell start smelling like Campbell's chicken noodle soup from a can; by the end of the day it would be full-on taco seasoning packet. It was rough.

Thing is, I'm skeered of the toxicity of the deodorant/anti-perspirants and I'm trying not to die. So I found a non-toxic, fragrance-free Kiss My Face product and have been using that for a few months. It's been great! It's not an anti-perspirant, but it is a deodorant. I generally shower every other day and I found that by the second day, a shower was definitely in order armpit-wise, but it was nothing anyone who wasn't me looking for a bad smell would notice.

And then, last week I was working out in the garden for a while and really working up a sweat and caught a big whiff of something. Whoa! And now since it's been warmer out, I've been cooking up a few Ortega meals under my arms. Yikes!

I've decided I'm going to strike a toxicity balance, I think, by going out and buying another Arrid for use during summertime months only, and recommencing use of the Kiss My Face product in the fall.

I believe the lawyerly types call this mitigating risk. I think this is okay.

Take the neti plunge

Any time you look up anything about allergies on the Internet, the Internet will spew a whole bunch of stuff about neti pots.

What's a neti pot? you ask?

It's this small teapot looking thing that you use to pour a homemade saline solution into your nose. If you hold your head the right way, it will pour back out your other nostril.

Gross, right?

Well, I bought one over the weekend. I was worried that I'd start laughing and nearly drown while using it, but I didn't. The trick is not to look at yourself in the bathroom mirror while you're using it.

So far, I've seen no reduction in my allergy symptoms, and I've also had some weird headaches, but I'm keeping at it. Will keep you apprised.