It's Just the Pits!

Armpits, that is.

Yes, you read that right. You don't need to go clean out your cyber ears. Well, maybe you do, but that's got nothing to do with what you just read.

This whole train of thought didn't actually start with armpits. It started with shampoo. You see, several years ago, I began having allergic reactions to different shampoos. I had never had a problem with this before, so it took quite some time to figure out what was causing my scalp to itch so badly. Not only did it itch, sometimes it would get quite sore. It wasn't until I tried some Avon shampoos that it came to light that I was having nasty reactions to the shampoos. The Avon ones caused quite a mess - severe itching and soreness, accompanied by nasty bumps and a very red scalp. My hairdresser was horrifed to see the state my poor scalp was in, and she was the one who pinpointed the problem.

At first it was just the Avon shampoos that caused a huge amount of grief, but I did realize that the milder yet highly annoying irritations I'd been having before were also likely due to shampoo. With the Avon incident, my hairdresser had me use a wonderful product called Nioxin. This is a treatment line of shampoos, conditioners, and various other bits and bobs that is targeted for thinning hair - which I also have a problem with in one spot. However, it is also often recommended for people with sensitve scalps, psoriasis, and allergic reactions. It cleared the problem up quite nicely, but it didn't occur to me to keep using it on a regular basis. Plus, I was not pleased with the conditioner that she had sold me. My hair is very fussy about conditioners and products.

There was one type of shampoo that I used to get from my hairdresser that I did not react to. Unfortunately, my hairdresser left, and I no long went to that salon. The product line is very hard to find, so over the years I tried a variety of different shampoos and conditioners, with varying results. Most I simply couldn't use, and some were not too bad, although I still had reactions to them. I finally decided today that I had to find my old shampoo - enough was enough, and I'd had enough of the itchy, irritated scalp. I hit one salon, which did not carry that line. However, they referred me to a place that carries pretty much all salon lines. I was most impressed, I must say. However, they did not carry the line I wanted. After some discussion, it turned out that my favourite line had been discontinued.

After a brief bit of shock and horror, I spoke with one of the staff and unburdened my scalp woes to her. Along with the tales of how fussy my hair is - believe me, it gets quite perturbed if a conditioner is too heavy, too light, too whatever. She recommended that I use Nioxin. I was intrigued, as I thought it was only a treatment shampoo that was not to be used on a regular basis. After some discussion around that, it turned out that I had misunderstood, and that I can use it all the time. So home I came with shampoo, conditioner (different type than the first one I'd tried), and a lovely little spray bottle of leave-in reconditioner for those days when I'm too pressed for time (aka slept in) to do the full wash and condition routine.

I love using this stuff. It smells strongly of peppermint, and is very cooling, soothing, and invigorating. The scent alone makes me feel like I'm in a spa. I came home and washed and conditioned my hair, and I'm pleased to report that although my scalp is still itchy, it's not as bad as it was. It may take several days for the treatment to take full effect, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this stuff works. Especially since I quite like the conditioner - my hair has not been this soft and manageable for donkey's years!

(Just what the hell are donkey's years anyhow?)

So where do the armpits come in? I was telling a friend of mine about this shampoo tonight, and that led to a discussion on another allergic reaction that I've recently developed. In the past year, I have suddenly developed an allery to deodorant and antiperspirant.

Again, it was an AVON product that first brought this to light. I had used this particular product for years, and loved it. So imagine my horror when I one day developed a horrid itch which then turned into a nasty and painful rash in my left pit. I didn't connect it as an allergy at first - I was actually figuring that I must have breast cancer and that was how it was showing up (lymph nodes, and all that), and that I was shortly going to die. Yeah, so I freak myself out when unusual things happen to my body - but that's a whole other story.

I picked up one of those deodorant crystals and discontinued using my AVON stuff. Just in case I was wrong and I wasn't actually dying. It took several days, but the rash cleared up and I was breathing huge sighs of relief. Then I tried the antiperspirant again, just to see how things would go. Within 5 minutes, my pits started itching madly. So I promptly scrubbed them with soap and water, and opted to use the crystal.

I've tried a couple of others since - Soft & Dri, which I had used for many years with no trouble, and a natural brand that I had not tried before. Within a few days I started reacting to the Soft & Dri. So I knew that was now out. The natural stuff actually worked nicely for a few weeks. Then all of a sudden I started reacting to it a few days ago. Argh. So it's back to the crystal.

Now, don't get me wrong - I like the crystal. It works nicely. Which surprised me, because I had tried a crystal deodorant a few years ago and let me tell you, it did NOT work. Ask my nose. It remembers. Vividly. However, the crystal is a bit of a pain - not quite as quick to put on. It works though, so I will keep on using it. I'm just praying that it keeps working, and that I don't develop an allergy to that too!

In fact, I'm praying that both the new shampoo and the crystal keep working. Mainly the crystal though. If I have to, I can just shave my head. (Don't panic Judy - I'm not planning on it.) But what the hell am I going to do if the crystal deodorant fails to keep working, or if I develop an allergic reaction? A shaved head is one thing - stinky pits is a completely different ball of wax!

So keep your fingers crossed for me, okay? And for yourselves too - you never know if you'll be sitting next to me sometime, and I'm sure you don't want me to be deodorant-free!

On a completely different note, I gave my notice at the message board I moderate at. I feel guilty because of the timing. One mod just quit, and two other ones (husband and wife) have a mother in the hospital - she's had a stroke. After I'd given my notice, the wife posted to say her mother had taken a turn for the worse, and it seems it's only a matter of time before she dies. Oh, and to make things even more sad, my fellow moderator (the daughter) is pregnant with her first child. What a nightmare for her... It was a huge shock to all of us, and we're heartbroken for the family. The timing of my quitting sucks big time, in light of that. However, I had to quit - it's too time consuming now, and I just can't do it any more. So I stuck by my decision, and so far everyone's been great about it. I feel really sad, as I enjoyed a lot of aspects of it, and I've been doing it for a long time. It was really hard to quit. I also feel relieved, though, and I feel like a huge pressure has been lifted. So that's a good thing, and it tells me that I've made the right decision.

Anyhow, that's about it for tonight. Except to ask you all to please remember my co-moderators and their Mom in your prayers, if you can. Along with the rest of the family. If she must pass from this, and cannot recover, then I pray that she is taken quickly - for her sake and the sake of her loved ones.

I am wiped, and it's WAY past my bedtime. So hopefully all of the above made some semblance of sense. Sweet dreams, everyone!