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Tay’s Faves: Ursa Major Hoppin’ Fresh Deodorant

Hi! My name is Taylor, and I am the Head of Operations at Gratisfied. I moved back to Richmond, VA (my hometown) in February of this year to join the Gratisfied team after spending the last 7 years in NYC and LA. I have spent much of my adult life trying to concoct the Golden recipe of diet, exercise, skincare, mindfulness and lifestyle to become my “perfect” self in every sense of the word. One of the greatest lessons I have learned is that oftentimes less is more when it comes to routine and that self love and acceptance, while often the hardest to achieve, can be the secret ingredient. Throughout this journey, I have tried every wellness trick in the book and sampled more products than I’d like to admit. I now have an arsenal of products, activities and rituals that I recommend to friends and family, and I’m going to start sharing them here. Welcome to Tay’s Faves!

I don’t remember when exactly I got the itch to try natural deodorant, but it was one of the first products I read about and was easily and immediately convinced to make the switch. Given the August heat, I figured deodorant would be a great product recommendation to start with! Finding a natural deodorant was not as straightforward as some other natural product transitions have been, so I hope my experience will save you the agony of unprotected pits. 

First, why use natural deodorant? There is a lot of information around why it is smart to move away from conventional deodorants and antiperspirants. Many deodorants contain hormone disrupting chemicals and preservatives that function to mask body odor and can cause skin irritation as well as many underlying issues. Antiperspirants specifically contain aluminum, a neurotoxin, which functions to block pores and stop you from sweating. Sweating is your body’s way of releasing toxins and excess minerals, and antiperspirants prevent this from happening. Plus, it just feels wrong to be applying heavy metals every day to such a sensitive area full of lymph nodes. Need more convincing? Read more here: Why You Should Switch To Natural Deodorant.

I have tried at least 5 other brands that I won’t name here, and they were always sticky, difficult to apply and worst of all – did not work. Finally, a fellow wellness queen suggested Ursa Major Hoppin’ Fresh, and I have never looked back. It goes on smooth like a conventional deodorant, has a fresh, minty scent and most importantly, IT WORKS! 

Disclaimer: Making the switch can be rough for the first few days (i.e., stinky) but stick with it, and I promise it is worth it.