It's 9am. It's the end of June, and it's 65 degrees. Did I happen to mention this is San Francisco? It's not SUPPOSED to be warm in June! I'm supposed to be wearing a scarf and mittens right now! Mark Twain once mused, "The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco."

Putting bothersome global warming issues aside for a moment, let's talk about the real reason I'm taking notice. Sweat. Two years ago I made the decision to give up my paraben-laden, aluminum-based deodorant. I had used the same brand for about 20 years. Wow — that's product commitment. It's also an incredible amount of toxic buildup; a chemical compound applied daily and directly to the skin in the area of the lymph nodes on skin that opens its pores like a welcome party for increased risks of breast cancer and Alzheimer's disease. Oh dear.

It was time to shut that party down. While I had tried natural deodorants in the past, I always placed my good sense of smell above my good sense, and found each natural deodorant lacking in protection. But my concerns about parabens grew greater when a dear friend was diagnosed with breast cancer. So, two years ago, I decided to give it another go.

After six months of natural deodorant trials, I could find NOTHING clean that worked consistently for me. It's not as though it's 100 degrees in San Francisco; I don't sweat heavily, nor is my sweat particularly pungent. I had tried at least 12 different natural deodorants, and finally, I simply gave up. I bought a mainstream deodorant containing aluminum and all sorts of harmful ingredients but which DIDN'T have parabens. It worked.

I've gone along, stink-free for a year and a half, occasionally complaining about the deodorant market, but unwilling to go through another trial. So what that I'd eventually lose my memory and then my mind? At least I smelled nice.

But then it happened — I got a tip. "The Healthy Deodorant" by Lavanila, (found at Sephora) is aluminum-free, paraben-free, and "100% natural." But does it work? I'm here to tell you — indeed it does.

The scent is vanilla lavender, but frankly it smells a bit sporty.  Which is fine. I'll pretend to be an athlete. What I love is the silky/creamy texture of the solid stick, the fact that it's nice and clean, lasts all day, and WORKS.

Yes, it will leave a small white mark on your black t-shirt. We've handled that before. It's fine. What you need to know: If you go for a run (why are you running in the heat when you could be strolling?) you will probably want to freshen up before going out to dinner. It's strong, but not THAT strong. It's strong enough that you don't have to worry when you're riding the city bus and it's packed. It's strong enough that you can sit at the beach and smell only salt water in the air. It's strong enough for me.

Here's the list of ingredients — notice there are no petrochemicals, phthalates, propylene glycol, mineral oils, silicone, synthetic dyes, sulfates, aluminum or parabens.

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice (Aloe Juice, Water), Propanediol (Corn Derived), Zea Mays (Corn) Starch, Sodium Stearate (Coconut Derived), Silica, Carrageenan (Seaweed Derived), Stearyl Behenate (Coconut Derived), Citrus Medica Limonum (Lemon Peel Oil), Inulin (Artichoke Derived), Saccharomyces Ferment, Alpha-Glucan Oligosaccharide (Sugar Derived), Yeast Beta Glucan, Lonicera Caprifolium (Honeysuckle) Flower Extract, Usnea Barbata (Lichen) Extract, Valeriana Officinalis Root Extract (Valerian), Hydrastis Canadensis (Goldenseal) Extract, Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Lycium Barbarum Fruit Extract (Goji Berry), Botanical Fragrance Blend.

Top photo courtesy of Flickr's Nikita Hengbok