lit pits.

Happy Caturday! Yes - CATurday [insert adorable cat emoji]. Today, I have decided to open up a new tab entitled "Natural". Here, I will write posts about natural remedies and tips that work for me. Feel free to remix at your own free will. This post requires me to get personal, and is a bit T.M.I., but I believe it is for the greater good so I'll politely take my "L" with pride and dignity. In any event, I, Shanelle Julia Rosita Campbell, am a sweater. Sweater? To wear? No silly! See below:

sweat·er

pronounce/ˈswedər/

noun

1. One who sweats a whole damn lot...

ex.: "My goodness, Shanelle is such a sweater! Look at her shirt. I know it ain't that hot today..."

Yes, BIHHHHHH [said in my best Plies voice]! It ain't that hot, but I can't help it! I sweat like someone is chasing me to every destination. I have tried EVERYTHING except an actual surgery--all brands of deodorant and antiperspirants, including men's. My body would eventually reject each and every one of those, and literally just stop working altogether. I would put on deodorant, and have to go to the restroom midday to wipe down with soap and re-roll myself, only to repeat a couple hours later. It was quite ridiculous. Also, I would often develop what we refer to in Jamaica as a "wax and kernel". You may know those aggressive under-the-skin lumps, seemingly cystic, that are painful as hell and are caused by product buildup. Brutal. DISCLAIMER ALERT: For the record, I am not embarrassed by any means at the fact that I sweat as much as I do. I really don't care about that in all honesty, despite my dramatic intro. My numero uno concern has always been about ensuring that I am odorless. Trust me, it has been a rocky road to get to my place of pit-peace. In the last year or so, I discovered the concept of making a paste out of baking soda and water to eliminate this issue. I would smear the paste under my arm while getting dressed, and walk around the house for another ten minutes before putting on my shirt just to let the paste dry. Let's evaluate here:

Pro: I literally smelled like NOTHING. It was incredible.

Cons: What a fxckin' mess! I would leave a baking soda dust trail everywhere in my house, sometimes even in my bed. It would be everywhere! Also, it would leave such an aggressive white/yellowish armpit ring on my clothes. Lastly, this shxt would burn the living daylights out of my skin! When I say burn, I mean my skin would be raw to the point where I would have to put a layer of shea butter before application.

Whew! Glad that's over. The cons definitely outweighed the one little pro. In any event, I did some Googling and found a viable, and still affordable, solution. All I do now is mix the baking soda with some melted coconut oil, and add a few drops of an essential oil for fragrance. I use peppermint oil, but feel free to use what you want. What a difference! I now have a subtle, minty scent, without any smell of perspiration. As I mentioned, this is not an antiperspirant so I am still sweating, but to sweat and smell like a damn angel with no damage to my skin is clutch! I apply the paste and let it dry for five minutes just to be on the safe side, but the dusting is minimal, and there is no ugly ring on my clothes! Quick tip: I use this paste on my bikini line as well. This makes parties, trips to the gym, hot summer days, and that time of the month a breeze! Let me know how this method works for you. CHAO!

Peace, Kings & Queens

xoxo

Shanelle Julia Rosita Campbell