Jamie created a unique deodorant to help women stay fresh and healthy
Unable to find a chemical-free deodorant that worked, breast cancer survivor Jamie Kastelic created her own unique formula that’s keeping countless women fresh and healthy and helping with early detection!
Jamie Kastelic’s heart sank as she heard her doctor’s solemn tone. While doing a routine breast self-exam, the 33-year-old had felt…something. “Probably a cyst,” her doctor had said, but to be safe, she’d ordered a biopsy. Now the results were in. “I’m sorry,” the doctor began. “It’s invasive ductal carcinoma.”
I have to beat this, I can’t leave my three little boys, Jamie thought fiercely. So she opted for the most aggressive treatment, which included chemotherapy and a bilateral mastectomy. Still, Jamie knew she needed to do everything she could to keep the cancer from returning. So even while undergoing treatment, Jamie began researching possible causes of breast cancer, and one word kept popping up: parabens.
“They’re a synthetic preservative used to prolong the shelf life of all kinds of products, especially cosmetics and personal care items,” she told her husband. “The problem is, they mimic estrogen. My particular cancer was estrogen-fueled!”
I have to gets these toxins out of my life, Jamie thought. In fact, my
life just might depend on it!
Creating hope
Jamie began scrutinizing labels, replacing her cosmetics and hygiene products with paraben-free options, but she couldn’t find a safe deodorant that kept her dry and fresh. Frustrated, she decided to take matters into her own hands by making her own deodorant. She spent every free moment researching ingredients and experimenting until she came up with a formula she loved, using baking soda, arrowroot, coconut oil, shea butter, beeswax and essential oils. And the best part: Jamie made the deodorant a cream that was applied with her fingertips, which would encourage her to do daily self-exams. “The armpit is right near the upper quadrant of the breast, where 95% of breast cancer is diagnosed,” Jamie explained to a girlfriend who was trying her product.
Just after Jamie finished treatment and was declared cancer-free, her sister Julie was also diagnosed with breast cancer. Like Jamie, Julie was determined to do whatever she could to get and stay healthy, and started using her sister’s homemade deodorant. “This is awesome!” Julie exclaimed. “Why
“Avoiding products with toxic chemicals can reduce cancer risk!”
— Anna Cabeca, D.O.
on Earth aren’t you selling it?”
Jamie hadn’t even considered that but… I can help other women stay safe! she realized. Still, Jamie’s hopes weren’t too high when, in 2015, she launched Spero-hope (Sperohopellc.com), spero meaning “hope” in Italian. She thought a few of her friends might buy it, but to Jamie’s surprise, the chemical-free deodorant quickly became a huge hit with women across the country.
Today, Spero-hope is sold online and at eight retail locations. But it’s the emails Jamie gets from women telling her it was using her deodorant that got them doing self-exams and helped them find a lump that fills her with pride. “I’m so happy and grateful to be here and healthy,” says Jamie, now 40. “But to help other women stay healthy too means everything to me!”