Oh, hi there. It’s been a bit since I last wrote - quite A BIT actually, because, well, life. However as I type with one eye to the screen and the other to the monitor, I know that my lack of writing perfectly sums up what’s been going on. The desire to enjoy this little space is always there, but between the heaviness of the world and our current busy season of parenthood, I’ve been feeling a bit uninspired (to say the least). When I first started this little blog, it was to share a bit of classic, timeless style inspiration - art, beauty, fashion - and to navigate through a moment that didn’t quite align with my personal style. And while that is all still true, things have changed… I’ve had a second baby girl (total #girlmom) and am mostly a SAHM with freelance jobs peppered in. Ok, but you’ve been doing the mom thing for a while right? Yes, I have, but I guess I’m a mother who felt the real shift between having one child and two. It’s incredible and super fulfilling, but also overwhelming, and I’m only more recently feeling like I can come up for air, two years in. I know it sounds silly, but things like getting dressed- finding my at-home uniform, making time for old interests (reading, cooking, yoga, museums, gardening, obsessive organizing) and adapting new ones (Cricut, ecological documentaries, Pilates, podcasts) has been a bit of adventure in self-rediscovery. All this to say, I’m back and the new content will be embracing my evolved sense of self. Yay, but what does that mean, really? You can be on the lookout for real mom style, recipes I’ve tried and loved, clean beauty, going green at home, and more. If you’ve made it through to the end of this, thank you! I hope you’ll join me as I welcome this new season of modern, classic style.
xoxo
Morgan
My Natural Deodorant Experiment: Myro
*Disclaimer: I know the world is in complete turmoil right now. However in effort to keep myself sane, I’m using this little slice of the internet as a lovely distraction. I hope you’ll join me.
It was a pretty common start to any clean beauty adventure…after I had my daughter, I started to look for products that were safer (for us, especially while breastfeeding, and the environment). The EWG (environmental working group) has been bookmarked for a while now (click here to get the dirt on your fave products), and my makeup regimen is prettttty clean - when I wear it - , but making the switch to a natural deodorant felt like the big leap. Anyone can use coconut oil, but it felt more significant somehow to take the plunge with deodorant. I mean there were obvious repercussions should this go awry.
I did some initial digging and discovered the seedy underbelly of deodorant/antiperspirant. In a nutshell, when you switch to natural, your pores are still clogged with your typical deodorant/antiperspirant formula so you think this whole “going natural” thing is a breeze. Then after you’ve become weirdly overconfident in your lack of smell (just me?), your pores have purged the formula and you start sweating, and smelling, more than it seems you ever have. You walk around smelling like a PE locker room and reapply often, (like 4x a day often) until your body readjusts and s-lo-w-l-y balances i.e. you smell less. This whole experience takes approximately a month so should you go this route, be prepared and carry a deodorant with you for on-the-go applications.
I had heard about Myro from one of my fave influencers Megan Stokes of Holy City Chic and gave it a go. I was drawn to the chic minimalist packaging and eco-chic scent descriptions. I kicked off my journey with Chill Wave, a scent described as a combo of cucumber, jasmine and mint, and opted for the mint holder. It arrived in cute, insta-worthy packaging, but I held off trying right away as I had just given birth and worried about the roller coaster hormonal sweats. After a couple of weeks, I took the plunge. Shortly after trying it out, I received an email informing me that my shipment was likely affected by extreme summer heat, was compromised and would be sent a new set. (Snaps for great personal service!) I underwent the armpit detox (my poor husband), and while I loved the scent and how cute the packaging looked in my cabinet, I would randomly experience irritation - feelings of burning and itching - that would result in complete armpit peeling, which if you’ve never seen or experienced, is quite a sight let me tell you! I couldn’t figure out why this would happen so I forged on. When I was recently asked to fill out a survey with my experience, I was honest. A day or so later I was surprised to find an email from Myro asking for further deets, and lo and behold the formula I was using didn’t sound right. I was promptly sent new products with animproved formulation. I also decided to switch up the scent in case that was the reaction trigger - this time went with Pillow Talk (violet leaf, ylang ylang and wild amyris). The formula is MUCH better! It glides on like a traditional deodorant and doesn’t melt upon contact. I’m less than a month in with this new formula and scent, but I’m happy to report no irritation. Here are my key takeaways from my Myro experience:
The new formula is great. I’m still reapplying twice when it’s a warmer day, and I’m a little nervous come summer, but I love that it’s plant-based, and since you get more than one insert per order, I can easily slip one into my bag for on-the-go touch-ups.
Eye candy: Love the packaging and the scent options. Since Myro is a subscription company, I also like that I can switch them up. (I still want to try the Chill Wave in the new formula. Third time’s a charm!)
Clean and simple. I feel entirely comfortable using Myro while breastfeeding.
Excellent customer service and quality control.
Have you tried any natural deodorants? Let me know which ones you’re loving (or not!).
-MC-