Not-so-sweaty Betty

Submitted by Rebecca Winward

When he was little, my brother-in-law used to think armpits were the rudest part of the human body - the mere mention of them would have him dissolving into giggles. Of course, he's now all grown up and knows the folly of his former ways, just for the record (in case he's reading this).

They may not be rude, but pits can certainly be offensive sometimes. And living in fear of the possibility that we might (gasp!) smell, the toiletries market in the UK is huge - in 2006 we spent an estimated £4.17 BILLION!

All very well and good, you might think, but have you considered the impact that your daily dose of deoderant has on the environment? The packaging, the chemicals, the energy utilised in manufacture... it all adds up. Plus, despite a variety of formulas intended to do so, no-one's yet come up with one that feels nice 'n' natural on your skin.

'Natural' deos have been around for yonks, and I've tried a whole bunch of them - herbal and floral, spray and roll-on, that funny putty stuff from Lush... but I've found nothing works quite as well as the rather excellent crystal variety. Scoff you might (at first - so did I), but a sweep or two of this mineral marvel and I was converted.

It's *not* an anti-perspirant, so please don't expect it to stem the flow, because it won't (then again, it won't block your pores with nastiness either). But as far as banishing nasty niffs goes it's fabulous. And because it does this in a cunning bacteria-busting way, it's unscented, so it doesn't make you smell like a tart's boudoir. As if you needed an extra bonus, you can also use it on your feet, so no more pongy toes when (or should I say 'if'?) the summer sunshine dictates we lose our socks and opt for sandals. Oh, and did I mention it lasts FOREVER*

So where do you get your hands on one of these little miracles? Head down to your local health shop and see what they've got on offer, you won't regret it. I use Optima's Ice Guard Crystal Deoderant Stick, which you can get online here, if you want to be a copycat...

*Well, maybe not literally, but I've had mine for a year and a half and it's still going strong - not bad at all.