Female Disruptors: Christie Shumate of Underarm Deodorant Granules On The Three Things You Need To Shake Up Your Industry
Believe in yourself. There were several instances along my journey of creating the Underarm Deodorant Granules where I faced challenges and could have given up. But, that would have always made me wonder: “what if ……”. I find that whenever obstacles cross my path, I like to find a way over, under, around or through them. That way, I can be a “glad I did” and not a “wish I had”.
As a part of our series about women who are shaking things up in their industry, we had the pleasure of interviewing Christie Shumate, Founder of Underarm Deodorant Granules.
Christie Shumate is an award-winning licensed Esthetician and Certified Medical Electrologist, who has been in the beauty industry for more than 30 years. Her Jupiter, Florida based Spa, Transformations Esthetics & Wellness, boasts some of her personally developed cutting-edge techniques as well as an impressive roster of celebrity clients.
Christie’s work took a different turn when two of her friends were diagnosed with breast cancer. Christie became deeply involved with their survival journey and realized the deodorant they were using contained a possible connection to a cancer- causing chemical: aluminum. Christie set out on a mission to find deodorants without aluminum but what she found on the market simply didn’t work. “Every single natural product that I used simply wasn’t effective, so I decided to take matters into my own hands,” Christie said. Using her esthetics background Christie created the world’s first plant based, aluminum free Underarm Deodorant Granules that actually work! Underarm Deodorant Granules debuted at a private label manufacturing show, where they were awarded one of the “Innovative Products of the Year”.
Since its creation, the product has become a game changer in the natural world. The single-use, sanitary application method is being hailed as a “genius move” by influencers and bloggers for the simple fact that with this method, you avoid putting bacteria from your underarm directly onto a stick or roll-on and then using it over and over, every day, re-exposing yourself to more bacteria. With this product, you wet your fingers under water, sprinkle a pea-sized amount of granules onto your wet fingers and massage it in to your underarm. “I wanted to create something that didn’t exist on the market, something that was innovative but most importantly safe,” Christie said in a recent interview. “We need to know exactly what we are putting in and around our bodies daily and the health consequences of using aluminum.”
Christie is now on a dedicated mission to educate men and women about the products they use and specifically enlighten women about breast implants, aluminum and all its effects. She has been featured on CBS News, The Palm Beach Post and many other local and national outlets. She is always open to discussions about health, wellness and of course deodorant. For more information, please go to: transformations-wellness.com .
You can currently find Underarm Deodorant Granules for sale in Jupiter at Transformations Esthetics & Wellness and One on One Fitness. They are also located at the Salt Suite in Palm Beach Gardens and at deodorantgranules.com
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?
I began my career as an Esthetician after being inspired by a plastic surgeon who would donate his Summers to go to third-world Countries and help those in need. Some of his patients included children born with birth defects as well as those injured in fires or who had suffered physically from domestic abuse.
There I was, sitting in his waiting room flipping through before and after photos with tears running down my face. Here I wanted to pay him to make me look better than perfect! And, these poor folks were hoping he could make them just look somewhat normal. It was a very humbling experience and one that changed my life. At that moment, I decided that I too wanted to be involved in a career where I could help others with their appearance and also give back.
Can you tell our readers what it is about the work you’re doing that’s disruptive?
After two of my friends were diagnosed with breast cancer, and later my mother with Alzheimer’s and her husband with Parkinson’s Disease, I began to look for a common denominator. And, I believe that I may have found it…the aluminum in the deodorants they were using.
That began my journey to find aluminum-free deodorants. And I did, but the problem was, none of them worked. Either I would be dry, but smell like a mule, or I would smell good but have to carry a mop around with me to stay dry!
So with my background in esthetics and knowledge in product ingredients, I decided to create my own aluminum-free deodorant. That’s how Underarm Deodorant Granules were created! They are the world’s first plant-based, aluminum-free deodorant granules that actually work!
What’s so disruptive about that, you may be asking? With Covid came the general public’s “new awareness” to sanitizing. We began sanitizing our hands, grocery carts, cell phones, computers, you name it. Putting this underarm deodorant in granular form provided a sanitary application method, one that was missing on the market.
Underarm Deodorant Granules are single-use, opposed to a stick or a roll-on that you have used numerous times before in an area known to produce bacteria…your underarms. Using a multi-use application method such as a stick enables it to be contaminated with bacteria that you are reapplying everyday. That’s pretty disgusting when you think about it.
Disruptive is my decision to educate the consumer on that tidbit, as well as to fight for the removal of all aluminum-containing deodorant options. Or at the very least, put a warning on the label which states: “The use of aluminum may cause breast cancer or neurological disease.” And by the way, did you know there IS a warning on aluminum-containing deodorants for those with Kidney Disease? It states:“Ask a Doctor before use if you have Kidney Disease.” What if your Doctor didn’t tell you not to use certain products? Or, what if you don’t even know that you have Kidney Disease and you continue using those products? And honestly, who reads the back of a deodorant label? These warnings need to be placed on the front where they are in plain view.
Exposing this information to the general public is going to disrupt the current deodorant market as we know it. Consumers are not only demanding sanitary products, but safe products. The big brand names will need to listen or get left behind.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
When creating the Underarm Deodorant Granules, I felt like a mad-scientist in my kitchen. For weeks, I was working non-stop mixing up all kinds of lotions and potions. And, with each prototype, I put the raw product in a container and wrote down the ingredients as well as the steps involved in making it on a piece of paper, then placed those pieces of paper on top of the containers. After working on this for several hours one day, I decided to take a break. I turned on the ceiling fan and collapsed in my recliner. Later, when returning to the kitchen, I discovered that all of the papers were now on the floor. I had no idea which paper went with which formula. It took me weeks of working non-stop to come up with these prototypes and now I had to start all over.
I am a glass-half-full kind of girl. So, I literally laughed out loud after the shock wore off. Life is way too short to worry about little things like this. But, you can be sure, that after re-creating everything for the second time, I applied tape to the papers before putting them on the containers!
We all need a little help along the journey. Who have been some of your mentors? Can you share a story about how they made an impact?
Impacts can be helpful whether they are positive or negative. First, the positive. I met one-on-one with Sheila Mains, the creator of Brownie Brittle. Sheila’s story of triumph and trials along the way is incredible. She took a lot of hard hits and had many losses along the way. But, from those as well as her mistakes, she took away lessons. With those lessons, she continued to push forward and didn’t give up. She is the epitome of “The Little Engine That Could”!
And now the not-so-nice impacts. I won’t name names, But, these are people that already have products in Retail stores. They emphatically told me that my deodorant in “granular” form would not be accepted and that I would absolutely have to turn it into stick form. I thanked them for their time and never looked back! When you believe so strongly in something as I do the granules, you owe it to yourself and those that it will effect to see it all of the way through. Don’t let others burst your bubble.
In today’s parlance, being disruptive is usually a positive adjective. But is disrupting always good? When do we say the converse, that a system or structure has ‘withstood the test of time’? Can you articulate to our readers when disrupting an industry is positive, and when disrupting an industry is ‘not so positive’? Can you share some examples of what you mean?
Disrupting an industry is always positive (the right thing to do) when you know it will affect the health and safety of others, including our animal kingdom. For instance, there are approximately 8 States that have banned disposable (plastic) bags. As a result, marine life and garbage dumps have improved as well as our forests.
Disrupting an industry that is not so positive…dare I say it? “Did you get the vaccine?” Yes, “the shot heard round the world” has new meaning. Without getting political, let me tell you of my friend who was “discharged” from her job of 23 years because she would not get the vaccine. Her company mandated, in writing, that those not willing to comply would be forced into early retirement without their full benefits package that they had originally signed on for. My friend is a breast cancer survivor and did not feel comfortable putting this “not stood the test of time” vaccine into her already compromised immune system/body. I respect her decision to stand by her rights.
On that note, two weeks ago I received an email from our Florida Department of Health, stating that a study had been conducted in 2021 for those receiving a Covid vaccine. That study reflected that there was a 1700% increase in adverse effects reported by those that received the mRNA version! Considering we are currently three months into 2023, this means that for the last 15 months, people continued to receive that particular vaccine, the one that did not stand the test of time…
Can you share 3 of the best words of advice you’ve gotten along your journey? Please give a story or example for each.
Believe in yourself. There were several instances along my journey of creating the Underarm Deodorant Granules where I faced challenges and could have given up. But, that would have always made me wonder: “what if ……”. I find that whenever obstacles cross my path, I like to find a way over, under, around or through them. That way, I can be a “glad I did” and not a “wish I had”.
It truly was my deep belief in how this product could help so many people that made me persevere and overcome those challenges. I knew creating Underarm Deodorant Granules was absolutely necessary and would be life changing not only for myself and my loved ones, but also for people around the world, both through using them and through our dedication of donating 10% back.
We are sure you aren’t done. How are you going to shake things up next?
I love creating things and ideas that are innovative, those never-been-done-befores. So, I actually can’t disclose what I am working on. But, it’s big!
In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges faced by ‘women disruptors’ that aren’t typically faced by their male counterparts?
“Business” women in general aren’t taken as seriously as a businessman. So, when we (women) begin the disruption process, it’s as if Desi Arnaz has turned to Lucy once again and said: “Is this another one of your hair-brained ideas”?
Men also have more connections in the business world and are willing to stay out to the wee-hours entertaining a Client. A female on the other hand, is not going to do that, especially if she is a wife and/or mother.
It’s more of a “good ole boys” business world out there.
Do you have a book/podcast/talk that’s had a deep impact on your thinking? Can you share a story with us?
The Bible. I have a Daily Devotional, “Time With God” which is how I choose to start each day. Yes, I read of rapes, murders and brutal beatings. But, there is so much more than that. Unending love, compassion, forgiveness, help, protection and so much more. The best part is the ending!
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
I would ban the use of aluminum in deodorants/antiperspirants. It’s purpose is to prevent you from sweating. But, there are other ingredients that can do that (like the ones in Underarm Deodorant Granules). Aluminum has other harmful effects other than those I discussed previously.
We all need to be our own advocates and truly pay attention to what we are putting on and in our bodies. If you don’t take care of your body, where will you live? :)
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
My favorite quote: “She believed she could, so she did”, by R.S. Grey, is something I live by everyday. I have a plaque in my office with that phrase as well as a shirt that I wear when I know I am going to have a “challenging” day.
Believe in yourself and take that leap of faith. Keep pressing forward and putting one foot in front of the other. You never know how your decision to act on that dream may help someone else or even save a life.
We were all given very personalized gifts and talents by God. What are you doing with yours to make a difference? It’s never too late to become a game-changer or disrupter. Just start!
How can our readers follow you online?
www.Transformations-Wellness.com
Transformations Wellness Facebook
Transformations_Wellness on Instagram
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!
