Gluten-Free Deodorant: Review of Primal Pit Paste

When I first made the transition to a gluten-free lifestyle, my doctor handed me several lists of ingredients and products to avoid (and I was completely overwhelmed!)  At the time, I scoffed a bit, since I was sure that he was just a bit crazy.  I mean, gluten couldn’t possibly exist in almost EVERYTHING, could it?

After my comprehensive (and painful) transition to identifying and removing every source of gluten, and then soy, from my dietary lifestyle, he said I needed to take a look at the things I put on the OUTSIDE of my body.  Makeup, lotions, lip balm, my shampoo and conditioner, and even my deodorant.  “What?  Why in the world would gluten exist in those types of things?” I thought.

Through my journey to better health, I found out that gluten exists in many of our “exterior” products, often for the same reasons as it exists in our foods – to thicken, to add texture, and even to extend the shelf life of a product (acting as a preservative).  There are many debates as to whether the use of gluten ingredients in “external” products are a concern for those that have a gluten sensitivity or Celiac Disease.  I personally believe that exposure to gluten in any form is best avoided; as a personal coach, I teach my clients that gluten is literally a “glue”…it sticks to everything.  I’d personally rather not take the chance of exposure.

It was quite a process to remove everything from my pantry and medicine cabinet, but the results were amazing to my life and health (my story:  I lost 72 pounds, put Hashimoto’s in remission, dropped my cholesterol levels and beat diabetes).

Since that initial transition to a gluten free lifestyle, I’ve also journeyed to living a modified Paleo lifestyle:  I’m completely grain and soy free, have eliminated all processed foods, additives, and refined sugars, and I continue to tweak other items as I have continued the “learning journey” about ingredients in our foods and basic products that can be toxic to our bodies.

When I attended the Paleo f(x) conference last spring in Austin, Texas (see my re-cap here), I was intrigued to find a product that addressed the deodorant issue.  Since I hadn’t previously identified any gluten ingredients in my current deodorant, I had never really considered changing it (note that while shopping for my daughter last week, the deodorant she chose at first pass did in fact contain gluten!)

And…I’m just going to come out with it…I was concerned as to whether something else would really work for me!  I’ve always found it hard to find a deodorant that not only functioned well, but that also had a nice fragrance.  Let’s face it:  those of us with thyroid issues (and there are a LOT of us) have probably dealt with some type of uncomfortable sweating situations at some point in our lives!

So, in agreeing to try the product, I even had flashbacks to some of those embarrassing moments as an adolescent…moments we’d all rather forget about…to be honest, I think it had probably been that long since I’d finally found the one deodorant that seemed to work for me (Degree) and I had never even tried anything else!

In essence, trying out this “pit paste” was a big deal for me.  What if it didn’t work?  What if I had to cower in the corner at the next social outing, hiding my sweaty pits and reliving adolescence? [PLEEEASE NO…NEVER!]

Add to that, my air-conditioning at home had died an untimely death.  I was facing a hot summer, long days of baking (I run a grain-free bakery) and now I was putting PIT PASTE to the ultimate test!

The company generously sent me both types to try…the “stick” deodorant, which I was quite sure would be my favorite, and the pit paste – best applied by fingertip.

Before I could say “ewwww” (as an adolescent-type reaction to using the paste), I took the lid off to check it out, and the aroma from the “Thyme Lemongrass” was so refreshing!  Without any hesitation, I dipped my finger right in.

I’m a total skeptic when it comes to these things.  So, I tested the pit paste on one underarm against my regular deodorant on the other.  I switched underarms every other day to make sure one didn’t react differently than the other.  Then I tried the paste versus the stick, the stick versus my regular deodorant, and then went all out paste during the hottest week of the summer.

My conclusion?

IT WORKS!

It smells great, contains safe, pure ingredients I can pronounce, is free of aluminum (something I hadn’t really thought about before) and is something I can feel good about putting on my body!  I also learned that it is not an antiperspirant, because it’s important to allow your body to release the toxins as you sweat.  Regular deodorant actually prevents the release of those toxins, because it prevents you from sweating at all!  Plus, over time you will likely absorb the chemicals that are present in your deodorant.

I felt so great about the product that I shared samples with my customers all summer that I met at the farmer’s markets. They were excited to try something pure and good for their skin!

Someone asked me if I prefer the stick or the paste.  As I mentioned above, I thought I would love the stick, but I actually prefer the paste.  The texture was better and it was easier to apply (I felt I needed to soften the stick with my finger a bit before it would apply smoothly). As a side benefit of the paste, I recently saw a review from someone who said that by having to apply the paste with their fingertip, it was a good reason to investigate any potential lumps they found while doing so – as an added measure for detecting breast cancer!  I thought that was worth passing along.

The pit paste sells for $8.95, and comes in Unscented, Lavender, Thyme & Lemongrass, Spice, Pachouli, Royal & Rogue, and Jacked-Up Jasmine, as well as a kid’s version (orange creamsicle and lemonade).  The stick version is $10.95 and is available in most of the same scents as the paste; there is also a “sensitive” version.

Which scent would you like to try?  You can shop for their products online at primalpitpaste.com.

Happy pit adventures!

~Jen of The Gluten & Grain Free Gourmet