Sweating the small stuff: deodorant and minimizing other stinks

When I first started walking down the primrose path to green living, one piece of advice jumped out at me: don't sweat the small stuff. Yet, that's what I literally find myself doing. The deodorant thing. I know it's not just me. Mom go Green has struggled to find a natural deodorant that works, but doesn't irritate her skin. Is it vanity? I don't know. But I really couldn't stand it if EnviroMom's motto became: "EnviroMom is so green you can smell them coming!" Yet I fear that's the road I've been on with the natural deodorants I've tried so far. Now I realize everyone's body chemistry is different so what works for you may not work for me. Two cases in point:

• Jason Aloe Vera: This deodorant may work for you. For me, it works for about 7 minutes, then goes into nuclear meltdown, and I start to smell like a sailor who has been out to sea, under a hot blazing sun, and hasn't taken a shower for far too long...
• Kiss My Face Active Enzyme: This deodorant may work for you. It did not work for me. It's just a good thing they don't call it "Kiss My Armpit."

Both the above sticks are paraben and aluminum free. That's great. Regrettably, they don't help in the de-stink department for my body chemistry. Sadly, I've reverted back to something along the lines of Secret. I don't stink, but I'm creeped out by the active ingredients in the one I'm using and the Speed Stick or whatever Cheap-o-Dad uses: aluminum chlorohydrate, propylene glycol and triclosan (the key antibacterial in those hand sanitizers I despise so much!!). I'm not sure what to do about the stinky armpit business. Maybe I'll just take a hall pass for now, and hope that I'm not giving myself cancer or killing the earth by using crappy deodorant.

As far as other stinks go (specifically the ones that emanate from children's bottoms after going poop), I have managed to wean our family off those moist flushable wipes that I at one time had placed on our sacred cow list. We are managing quite handily with pre-moistening (with tap water) a small wad of recycled-content toilet paper for those times when a wet wipe is needed. No need for an extra chemical-laden disposable product and that annoying plastic box that's hard to recycle.