Whit on the trail at Tsankawi — cliff dwellings and petroglyphs if you’re up for the climb.
My son Whit visited for the first time last week. He’s a young man now (longtime Posse readers may remember him as Buckethead) and he’s also a camping-gear-loving nerd who works at REI while taking college courses. I told him we were going to do some hiking while he was here, but cautioned him it wasn’t anything toooo insane so he wouldn’t show up prepared to summit Everest. I did have a smile at his nifty water filtration device, in case we … didn’t have potable water in Santa Fe? Or maybe he just wanted to show it off.
Anyhow, he’s always offering to get me fancy gear from Arc’teryx or Patagonia with his employee discount, and I knew he’d be underwhelmed by my “equipment” – i.e., hiking shoes I bought secondhand for my 2022 Ireland trip, a fuzzy fleece Uniqlo sweatshirt, and the cheap sling bag I got from AMZ years ago for trips to the gym.
I also realized I didn’t own a single refillable hiking water bottle (we’re getting to scented product, I swear!) and off I went to the Sierra camping outlet to pick one up, so his head wouldn’t explode when I whipped out a bottle of Dasani from the CVS. After I picked that out, I had a goggle at their personal care/grooming area; they often have interesting things. Anyhow, the Humble deodorant caught my eye – they have a bunch of scents that sound nice, and the Palo Santo and Frankincense sounded really nice, so I bought it. It seems to be doing its deodorizing job (I’m not especially sweaty, so I don’t need antiperspirant) and my pits smell fantastic.
We hiked Bandelier and Tsankawi, which is like a rugged outdoor version of the chutes and ladders board game, with narrow paths worn into the volcanic tuff and, yes, quite a few ladders. I’m proud to say I kept up even though I’m 40 years older than that kid, but I was plenty tired after. He couldn’t deal with my cheapo Urban Sport one-shoulder sling bag, so we settled on his giving me his fancy Patagonia daypack as my mother’s day present, since he’d also brought his Osprey one in case his mother planned on hiking with a Trader Joe’s tote.
If you struggle with armpit odor, here’s a couple other ideas gleaned from dermatology YouTube. First, get yourself some hypochlorous acid spray. You don’t need the fancy Tower 28 one, you can probably find it in the first aid section of your drugstore. It’s gentle enough that dermatologists use it post-treatment, and I spray it all over my face in addition to my pits, as well as on my feet if they’ve worked up a stink. It’s safe to use around your eyes, and it’s a great first aid spray for random cuts and scrapes. It does smell very faintly of chlorine but that dissipates quickly.
The other suggestion is to use a glycolic acid on your armits. I was doing it for some weird hyperpigmentation, which it’s definitely helping, but apparently it also helps control bacteria. I use a cheapo one from The Ordinary. If you have sensitive/ irritated pits you might want to skip this, and if you do try it, stick to a lower concentration, and only twice a week. (FWIW I have relatively sensitive skin and it hasn’t bothered me at all.)
I know Tom and some others of you have used the full body deodorant. What other products are you loving?
I really respect Whit for the hiking thing (and you for going along.) I’m such an urban gay: I strap myself into machines for exercise but would want the Spanish Steps to have an escalator.
I’ve sued the all-over stuff for the all-over parts but still rely on good old white stuff if I’m going to be out in the heat. But then again if I get really schvitzy I’ll just take another shower. Any excuse for bath goo.
Sounds like your hiking was fun and the prep for it was funny! Glad you both had a good time.
I tried the natural deodorants and they do not work for me. I have no problem getting hot and sweaty and that can lead to smelly. Not a “look” I’m going for. Secret Clinical Strength works wonderfully. I put it on in the morning and I’m good for the day.
Last year, I had bought the Drunk Elephant Pitti cream and a couple weeks ago, started to use it. After the first week, I kept getting this random onion like smell or a general bad smell. Then I realized that it was my pits that really smelled, so I am back to the aluminum based deodorant. I still like the Drunk Elephant lotion and body wash though.