The Stench Of Stress

We all know that Fancy Free Hair & Skin makes one of the better aluminum free deodorants on the market. The thing about aluminum free deodorant is that it works with your natural body chemistry. It does not mask anything. So, when your chemistry is off, the way you smell will be a little off too. 

When I get an inquiry from a Fancy Friend about why their deodorant isn't as effective anymore, I ask a few pointed questions:

• What is your water intake? Because water flushes waste out of your body.
• What is your diet like? Processed and fast food or whole foods with ample fruits and vegetables? Because trash in means trash out.
• How old are you? While adult hormone levels tend to have found a rhythm, teenage hormones are raging! Pregnant women too. That can effect the pheromones we release, which can be perceived as body odor but really the body is just doing what it's programmed to do.
• Are you experiences more than average stress levels? Stress causes the body to release hormones which can affect the way you smell. 

Stress was taking some of my friends out this year. Especially my Fancy teacher friends at the beginning of the school year. Fortunately, all virtual everything made pushing through the smell of it all easier.

Do not run back to anti-perspirant because you hit a rough patch in your aluminum free journey. Life comes at you fast but staying away from antiperspirant should be a non-negotiable. Aside from a few times when I was pregnant, I haven't had many "pheromone-y" days since I switched to aluminum free deodorant. But, honey, let me tell you. Owning and operating a product based business during the holidays in a pandemic when there are delays in shipping for EVERYTHING is a different kind of stress. It was not the underarm odor for me this time.

The Fancy Factory, where Fancy Free Hair & Skin products are manufactured, has been operating with a skeleton staff for 9 months. Online sales have increased by 134% and the post office is slow to deliver packages. I had modest goals for our Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales. We kick our holiday sales off on Thanksgiving Day because people aren't doing anything but sitting around and scrolling on their phones anyway. Might as well shop with us. I call it Thankful Thursday. Well, I am very thankful but that Thankful Thursday sale almost took me out of here. We hit 90% of our income goal for the entire weekend in one day. My marketing team asked if I wanted to slow down on promoting the sales. I declined. I figured I could handle the influx of orders. And I handled it, like a champ. 

On Black Friday, we got busy. Filling every order we filled until we started running out of inventory. Then back to manufacturing product, packaging, labeling then filling the orders again. For 5 days in a row, I was working until 4am. Stressed. I was playing it cool though. It's what I do during grind time, I grind it out. I didn't think I was stressed, until I took my shoes off. The smell. Lord. Have. Mercy. I really thought I was sick. Coming down with a bad cold or the flu or something. I have never experienced anything like that. Ever. My feet really smelled like I was dying. LOL! On the bright side, my husband and I both knew we didn't have COVID-19. But my foot odor was so pungent, I think even someone with COVID who had lost the sense of smell could have smelled that. 

Anyway, I survived. Got all of the orders out with minimal errors. The foot smell subsided and I never got sick. Which made me realize that my feet were probably stinking because I was stressed tf out. LOL! I shared that so you know that you are not alone. Most people struggle with body odor from time to time, especially in stressful situations. Since we are all experiencing increased stress levels to some degree, be aware and give yourself grace. Take care of yourself. Get enough sleep. Drink plenty of water. Eat right. The odor will more than likely subside. 

Shameless Plug Alert:

Fancy Free Hair & Skin manufactures quality products for hair and skin, as well as provides natural hair consults for women who would like assistance on their natural hair journey. Our motto is "Keeping you fancy and free of chemicals." Visit our website, www.fancyfreehairandskin.com, to see a full range of our products and services. Sign up for our mailing list to receive natural hair tips and stay up to date on sales and the latest happenings with Fancy Free.

Visit www.fancyfreehairandskin.com to subscribe to our mailing list. Become Fancy's Friend to receive a code for 10% off your next purchase.

The Recovery Period

Once I started running outside, it was very hard for me to go back to the treadmill. I have officially

become a runner since COVID-19 shut the gyms down. I love everything about early morning runs. Well, almost everything. I don't really like waking up before the crack of dawn and I don't like those gnat clouds I have to run through sometimes. Other than that, running outside is life.

The gyms shut down in March 2020, so I've been running outside for about 7 months now. I go out 4-5 days/week. I make it the first thing I do in the morning so I know that I accomplished at least one thing even if my whole day goes to shit. Which it often does with a husband, 2 kids and a business. LOL! Anyway, I am getting faster every day. My form has improved, with the help of my physical therapist and the coaching in MapMyRun app when paired with my HOVR running shoes (gifted by one of my early morning running friends). 

I started walking in August 2019. I wanted to get more active. I was trying to

lose weight after having my second baby. Walking is actually great for weight loss but I ain't got time to be walking for no hour everyday. I needed to cover the same distance but faster, so I started jogging....and then running. I've found my groove. I have my little run routines that I alternate so that my body won't get accustomed to the same workout. One of those routines is my "Interval Run". It's like an HIIT workout for runners. If you aren't familiar with interval runs, it is when you run as fast as you can for a set time, like really push yourself, then slow down to catch your breath for a set time. Rinse and repeat. After about 4 months of adjusting my routines, I finally got into a good rhythm. I call it my "sweet spot". I found that I get my fastest pace when my recovery time is twice as long as my fast run time. So, if I run as fast as I can for 60 seconds, I need 120 seconds to recover. 

The other great thing about my morning run is that I really have quiet time to think. Over the past 7 months, I have come up with the best creative solutions to my day-to-day challenges while running. I think it's because I really don't have anything else to distract me. The only thing I have to focus on is my breathing, my stride and my thoughts. One of the things that my running routines have taught me is to pace myself. It's no secret that operating a business during a pandemic is challenging. One would think that a small business like mine, that heavily relies on in-person vending events to generate revenue would suffer with most large festivals and events being cancelled. My challenge was actually the opposite. The pandemic coupled with racial injustice being highlighted caused people to go out of their way to support black businesses. Orders surged and I was faced with a new challenge to find a solution to, how to pace myself in work.

Traditionally, I am a go hard or go home kind of person. I shout "TEAM DO THE MOST!!" from the mountain tops. However, with so many unknown factors to consider, I knew that I'd have to pace myself, work smart and ask for help when I started feeling overwhelmed. That's where my morning run taught me invaluable lessons. 

When I was faced with piles and piles of work that needed my immediate attention. I paced myself, like I do when running long distance. If I were to sprint like I do on interval runs, I wouldn't be able to go the distance. I'd tire out very quickly. Creating a schedule. Scheduling in breaks. One task at a time. Not trying to finish an entire manufacturing run in one day and stretching it out for 2-3 days. Processing 10 orders at a time instead of 30-40 at once. Pacing myself, so I can go the distance.

But sometimes I would need to sprint or work very quickly. I have a deadline. I have multiple deadlines. I go hard. Focused work. A sprint. 

Then. I. Rest. The resting is the most important part. When I don't rest, when I'm tired, I make mistakes.

I mess up someone's order. That wastes money. I mess up a product. That wastes money. I start walking circles because I'm tired, wasting time. That wastes money. 

The recovery period allows me to recovery. Physically and mentally. When I'm doing a manufacturing run, I need to rest physically. I need to sit down, maybe even soak in the tub, and get some sleep. Manufacturing is "back breaking work" as a former employee calls it. LOL! When I'm doing focus work like product development, generating content, updating my business plan, work that requires a lot of thinking, I need mental rest. I may zone out watching trash tv or play with my kids. Either way, the a recovery period is required. 

No matter what you're working on. You need to rest. I don't know who started that "I'll sleep when I'm dead" movement but that is not a philosophy that fosters productivity. You need to rest and recover. Your brain needs sleep to remove toxins and so your neurons have time to communicate. Literally "connecting the dots". LOL! Your body needs rest to repairs damaged cells and fights infection. Rest is just as important to your health as food, water and exercise. It gives your body and brain a chance to recover from everything you've put it through during the day or whenever you're awake.

What's the secret to my "Super Woman"-like productivity? There are lots of little things that I do or don't do - I'll save that list for another blog. But a recovery period is essential. I am writing this blog from the comfort of a hotel room that I checked into for the weekend without my husband and children so I could recover. COVID-19 has me in a constant state "process improvement". How can I improve this particular manufacturing procedure so that we can increase output without increasing the amount of time? How can I keep my kids engaged and get any Fancy Free Hair & Skin work done while they're home from daycare and/or school that is closed due to a potential COVID-19 exposure? Why isn't this shampoo formula lathering like the last formula when I only made one little change? How can I improve my posture while I run? How early do I have to wake up to squeeze in "sexy time" with my husband? I mean, my brain is constantly going. That. Shit. Is. Stressful. More stressful than my normal stressful life. Monthly therapy sessions help but the recovery period is a huge part of how I handle everything. I know there's an end in sight. A period of rest. 

Go forth. Do great things. Recover. Rinse. Repeat.

Shameless Plug Alert:

Fancy Free Hair & Skin manufactures quality products for hair and skin, as well as provides natural hair consults for women who would like assistance on their natural hair journey. Our motto is "Keeping you fancy and free of chemicals." Visit our website, www.fancyfreehairandskin.com, to see a full range of our products and services. Sign up for our mailing list to receive natural hair tips and stay up to date on sales and the latest happenings with Fancy Free.

Visit www.fancyfreehairandskin.com to subscribe to our mailing list. Become Fancy's Friend to receive a code for 10% off your next purchase.