Talking Scents with Pit Liquor: Muddy Mint Soap
At Pit Liquor, we’re committed to creating strong, effective products without sacrificing our beliefs. When we set out to pair delicious-smelling soaps with our ultra-effective, organic deodorants, we knew there would be no compromising our ethics. After searching high and low, we found Simi and her awesome, Colorado-based soap making company Muddy Mint.
Coming Up Short on Soothing Suds
Simi’s soap making journey didn’t start by accident, but rather like all great inventions, was born out of necessity. “I purchased my first bar of handmade, cold process soap in 2017 after struggling with dry skin for a few years. The bar made a huge difference in how my skin felt and I became obsessed with making my own soap.”
Simi became a woman on a mission. She wanted to step out of the shower and not instantly crave moisturizer - a tall order, especially in the dry climate she calls home. After much trial and error, she landed on a soap recipe that was nourishing, natural, and didn’t dry out the skin.
Shelves at the Muddy Mint soap warehouse.
Muddy Mint Sweats the Small Stuff
Simi is meticulous and committed about what goes into her soap. “Our soap is all-natural, palm-oil free, and caters to those with dry and sensitive skin. Not all handmade soap is created equal.” She said “no” early-on to ever using palm oil because of the myriad environmental concerns associated with palm oil production. Instead of copying other cold-pressed soap makers and using coconut oil, Muddy Mint bars contain luxurious butters, like shea and cocoa - natural remedies for thirsty skin.
Most importantly, it’s not about what Simi puts into her soap recipes, but what she leaves out. “We never ever use fragrance oils (even natural ones) or any kind of synthetic colorant. All our bars are scented with pure essential oils, or left unscented. We only use plant-based colorants and clays to color our bar.” No dyes, no fragrance, no BS. Now that’s clean.
Partnering with Pit Liquor
Simi is particular about which companies she partners with, admittedly turning down a number of others before Pit Liquor came knocking. “I get quite a few inquiries to make custom soaps or do white label or private label. My answer is always no. We only make custom soaps for two or three companies and all of them are local.”
The decision to partner with Pit Liquor came easy for the team at Muddy Mint. Simi explains, “We are both committed to keeping our products completely all-natural and we share the same environmental values. Our product categories overlap beautifully and they were willing to include my business name on the labels instead of "hiding" the maker.”
Both woman-owned businesses have like-minded customers and each founder was right in believing that by combining forces, both businesses would benefit. Everyone wins when women support women.
Natural Should Mean Natural, Dammit
Muddy Mint and Pit Liquor both mean what they say and so do our labels. Natural means natural. “People don't realize that just because it says ‘lavender’, it doesn't necessarily mean it's real lavender! The word "natural" isn't regulated at all, so people use it for all kinds of things. I think it's pretty rare to find a product that really is all natural.”
This partnership is strong and sweet. Strong because of our natural, ultra-effective alcohol-fighting formula and sweet because we focus on supporting local makers, growers, and creators while choosing ingredients that are organic and sustainable. Do your pits and the planet a favor by shopping our artisan soap and natural, alcohol deodorant.
Breaking up with Body Odor for Good
My mom took me to the pediatrician at seven years old because I had body odor. She was convinced something was wrong with me. Perhaps I was suffering from Trimethylaminuria (fish odor disease), or starting puberty very early. The doctor, who always handled my mother’s anxiety and late night phone calls with grace and gentleness, assured her that I just needed to scrub better under my pits because I was a bit smellier than the other kids.
Obviously, the problem got worse once I hit puberty. No kid’s body odor situation deescalates from seven to thirteen. Plus, living in Central Florida isn’t exactly conducive to not sweating. The only time I got a break was one week in January when temperatures dipped below seventy degrees. So, instead of stuffing my bra, I stuffed my armpits with folded up paper towels to create a buffer between them and my light yellow uniform shirt.
Middle school was hard enough, especially when you’re two heads taller than all the boys - and most of the girls. I had to get pit stains out of the mix if I was to survive. Eventually, the doctor put me on a prescription deodorant, of which 20% was aluminum. It was the early aughts-- tanning beds, Furbies, and Limewire were popular. No one knew any better.
Fast forward to adulthood. My braces and nail biting habit were gone, but my body odor was here to stay. My friends (God bless them for their honesty) never failed to let me know that I needed a little refresh. I stashed deodorant sticks in every bag and would frequently visit the bathroom for a little bird bath when on a date. I could not get away with a natural deodorant product, despite my best efforts.
I needed the chemicals and I needed them badly. Moving into a van didn’t help the issue. Roaming around solo for a year with no running water got me super comfortable with my body odor, but I can’t speak to how the gas station attendants, campground hosts, and unassuming baristas felt. I tried several popular natural brands, lemon wedges smuggled away from the bar caddy, and face toner. Nothing worked. At least I was never truly alone, with my armpit bacteria along for the ride.
Like all of the best things, Pit LIquor came into my life unexpectedly. And honestly, I didn’t believe it would work for me. I mean, alcohol and some essential oils? Couldn’t I just concoct this by myself with a bottle of rubbing alcohol from the drugstore for $0.99 cents? Nevertheless, I tried a few sprays of my boyfriend’s Whiskey Vanilla. It killed my odor instantly, which was a pleasant surprise. But I wasn’t sold.
I continued to use it over the next few days but returned to my regular travel size powder fresh (yuck, I know, but powder fresh was the only thing that smothered my typical lox-bagel-extra-red-onion scent). Like earworms and chia seeds, something about Pit Liquor was sticking with me.
Then my deodorant spirit guides stepped in to facilitate a slow stroll past a shelf of Pit Liquor at the local market. Compared to my $2.99 travel size conventional stick, it was certainly a splurge. However, my pits had been drinking aluminum for the past seventeen years and I wasn’t a stranger to splurging on fun items that caught my eye - 4th of July costumes, a surfboard I’ve used once, etc. After a first, second, and maybe third thought, I grabbed the Coconut Lime variety and plopped it into my basket.
To say I’ve never looked back wouldn’t be entirely true. I forgot it last time I traveled and used a conventional roll on in a pinch. But 99% of the time, the pretty glass bottle comes along. I’m still genuinely surprised that it works so well, doesn’t make me smell like booze, and doesn’t stain my shirts. On particularly sweaty days, I’ll need a refresh toward the afternoon. But other than that, my pits are just good to go. I get to let my body sweat, like nature intended. I get to put healthy, effective ingredients on my body and rest assured they are doing no harm. I get to smell like real lavender, real oranges, or real vanilla. But most importantly, I get to do the wave at large events without assaulting neighboring nostrils. It really was that simple all along.
But hey, Pit Liquor is all about transparency so I want you to know that I write for this company. You’ll see my name on some other blog posts, although none as personal as this. However, I started writing for them because I love their products so much. If I can shepherd others down the path to healthy, odor-free armpits, confidence in their bodies, and pride in the way they show up in the world, then hell yes—my English Lit degree wasn’t a waste afterall! I’m changing the world, Mom, one pair of pits at a time.
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