Taking a Lifestyle Leap

When you're new to the world of the non-toxic, more natural lifestyle you can feel like a stranger in a strange land. You might hear words like "ashwagandha" roll effortlessly off the beautifully hydrated lips of earthy-looking humans who seem grounded and healthy as can be.

Plus there are so many products you use daily that need to be replaced with healthier options. It takes time to get to know the companies producing non-toxic products. You want to make sure they are transparent about their process, sourcing, and uphold their promises. 

Don't be intimidated or think you have to be an "earthy"—or even well-hydrated—human to learn to choose far healthier products. Toss out the stereotypes right along with the toxins in beauty products. No matter who you are, where you're from, you deserve to find products that work for you without loading your body with chemicals that work against you.

Know What's Going On, and In, Your Skin

Did you know that your skin is the largest organ of your body? It's true. While our skin does provide an important barrier, it also does its own version of ingesting everything you put on it. Skin carries things to the inside of your body that you put on the outside. So reading labels and knowing what's going on your skin matters...a lot.

The founders and creators of Pit Liquor know our skin literally drinks in what's slathered on it and that most traditional deodorants are loaded with things like aluminum. The metal may help curb perspiration, but can come with a cost that is something to sweat. Queen Elizabeth I, one of England's most celebrated monarchs, would likely tell you to steer clear of putting metal on your skin every day.

Pit Liquor makes it easy for you to swap your metal and chemical-laden deodorant for one that is made with ingredients you could safely eat or drink. Though, the ingredients are denatured with teas and salt so don't drink it—it won't taste good. It also happens to be highly effective in quenching the armpit stench without one bit of aluminum.

Speaking of skin absorption, the Pit Liquor ingredients that will and will not be absorbed by your skin were a foundational consideration during the deodorant's formulation. The alcohol base of Pit Liquor deodorant quickly evaporates (in seconds) so it is not absorbed into your skin. It swiftly kills stink-making bacteria in your pits and then disappears into the wind, like a deodorizing super hero. Switching your deodorant to Pit Liquor is a great first or next step in a healthy lifestyle leap.

The Lifestyle Leap is Worthwhile—Take it from a Queen

In the early years of Queen Elizabeth the First's reign she was widely regarded as a great beauty with pristine, youthful skin. When she was 29, she was stricken with small pox and while she survived the infection, it decimated her skin.

The Queen began using a makeup popular among high class women called Venetian Ceruse. It was a mix of vinegar and a white lead powder. Caking it on the skin gave a milky white, almost porcelain finish—but also no doubt poisoned the Queen.

Women would consistently leave the makeup on for about a week at a time and when they would wash it off, the soap used often contained mercury. There were likely traces of heavy metals in the red dyes painted on the Queen's lips and in the black eyeliner used to outline her eyes. Insidious and then-unknown dangers laid within her beauty and hygiene regimen.

The metals slowly ate away at the Queen's skin. To hide the continuing deterioration of her skin, she caked on more and more of the makeup. It explains how Queen Elizabeth's appearance progressed into an almost clown-like look. At the time of her death, she allegedly had an inch of makeup on her face. She had lost most of her hair and teeth. There are many theories surrounding what ultimately brought her death but it's generally accepted that she had dismal blood poisoning caused by the metals in the makeup she wore. It very likely also caused cancer.

About 31 years after Queen Elizabeth died, Venetian Ceruse was classified as a poison. If she had only known. It's a sad story but also one that holds an important warning for us today as we use cosmetics and hygiene products on our bodies every day. Which chemicals allowed in those products today might soon be classified as nothing short of poison?

As thorough investigations of synthetic chemicals and metals included in many cosmetics and personal hygiene products expand, we learn more about their adverse effects in our bodies. It's why Pit Liquor is on a mission to make sure the deodorant you use every day is zapping only your pit stench and not your health.

Laycie McClain lives nestled against the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Loveland, CO. It's a handy place to live for a Wyoming native who treasures mountain adventures, a good craft beer, and plenty of opportunities for enjoying the outdoors with her husband and daughter.