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Talk to me about deodorant crystals

I was having an issue with itchy patches of skin near my armpits. On a hunch, I stopped using my Tom's deodorant, going au natural - working from home in a climate-controlled environment (and not being a heavy sweater) means I don't have to worry about offending anyone. :)

The result has been great. The itchy patches cleared up in a matter of days and I haven't had any issues. I can't see using a chemical-based deodorant and I'm afraid of trying a bunch of other natural options that either don't work or have a weird texture.

Still, when I go out in public, I want to be sure that I'm not offensive. I'm curious about mineral salts/alum crystals and other options, but don't know where to start. Do they work? Are they hypo-allergenic? Are they ridiculously fragile (or expensive)? Should I be worried about the alum content?

Help me out!
 
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Alum is a generic name for several related chemicals. Shaving alum is usually potassium alum (aluminum potassium sulfate). It's also used in styptic pencils. Ammonium alum is the other alum commonly seen in consumer products.

Either could be used as a deodorant. You would moisten the skin and rub the alum block over the area. You could use witch hazel and apply alum over it.

Some people are concerned about aluminum in deodorants and/or antiperspirants. Alum is not an antiperspirant. It doesn't stop you from sweating. It kills bacteria and that stops odor.

How effective alum would be for you, how long it would last, is something you would have to experiment with. People is some parts of Asia have used alum as a deodorant for many years.
 
The Alum salt crystals only temporarily affect the odor in my experience, enough for me. Couple hours. I dont think the alum issue in crystals is enough to warrant significant concern.

take a look at native sensitive. Pricey but I like it
 
Have used crystal for several years now for the same reasons. Like others have said they stop odour not you sweating. There are several other alternatives to crystal that are scented. Most seem to lurk (for what ever reason) in health food stores or on the womens isle in the pharmacy.

I just go with a nice cologne and the crystal. Works for me.
 
I've been testing the alum spray and solid (Thai) for several weeks now. Even in the humid summer heat of my area, it works quite well. Be thorough in your application...
 
I'm less worried about sweat and more worried about odor. The crystal should suffice in that respect. My biggest concern is the aluminum content, how it breaks down in water and how it may be absorbed, (possibly) leading to health issues. Ideas or resources?

Thanks for the info so far!
 
It's been regarded as safe by the ancient Egyptians.
"Lizard blood, dead mice, mud and moldy bread were all used as topical ointments and dressings, and women were sometimes dosed with horse saliva as a cure for an impaired libido. Most disgusting of all, Egyptian physicians used human and animal excrement as a cure-all remedy for diseases and injuries."

I'm not sure that I want to trust their medical system. :D
 
As disgusting as those are, they weren't the reason for the demise of the Egyptians. Come to think of it, I don't know that they've all been scientifically disproven, either. 😛

You've probably been ingesting alum for a long, long time without even knowing it (pickles, etc.). At any rate, I'd certainly trust it more than the chemical factory that gets loaded into the average deodorant stick.
 
Not to get too OT but Bacteriotherapy is a thing.

but bak to topic, alum in the roll up stick is way easy to use and seems to last forever
I'm actually a supporter of fecal transplant as a way to correct the gut biome, but I think that's a far cry from smearing feces on a leper.

So, back to the topic, has anyone seen any actual research about the alum in a mineral salt crystal?
 
I'm actually a supporter of fecal transplant as a way to correct the gut biome, but I think that's a far cry from smearing feces on a leper.

So, back to the topic, has anyone seen any actual research about the alum in a mineral salt crystal?
What do you mean, long term health consequences? There's not really any lifetime double-blind studies or anything like that.

At birth, each baby is assigned either an antiperspirant stick or a placebo. If they get cancer or alzheimer's before they die, then it's "Thank you for your contribution to Science." Not really practical.
 
What do you mean, long term health consequences? There's not really any lifetime double-blind studies or anything like that.

At birth, each baby is assigned either an antiperspirant stick or a placebo. If they get cancer or alzheimer's before they die, then it's "Thank you for your contribution to Science." Not really practical.
I've already had one and don't really want the other.
 
I've already had one and don't really want the other.
Well, sorry, I was just joking around.

I don't want to give medical advice, but I found an interesting summary of the research here:

 
"Lizard blood, dead mice, mud and moldy bread were all used as topical ointments and dressings, and women were sometimes dosed with horse saliva as a cure for an impaired libido. Most disgusting of all, Egyptian physicians used human and animal excrement as a cure-all remedy for diseases and injuries."

I'm not sure that I want to trust their medical system. :D

We not doing the excrement one anymore then?

Note to self.....tell rest of the villagers 😉
 
I read up on alum a while back. It seems the aluminum in the deodorant is a larger molecule and will not pass into the body. Just what I read. On aluminum in general, I was lost to make a judgement on that.

I can get around two days of odor relief IF I wash with a lot of soap and really well. You have to wash away ALL the bacteria first, then it takes some time to grow again. I think most people do not use enough soap and/or do not scrub long enough.
 
I read up on alum a while back. It seems the aluminum in the deodorant is a larger molecule and will not pass into the body. Just what I read. On aluminum in general, I was lost to make a judgement on that.

I can get around two days of odor relief IF I wash with a lot of soap and really well. You have to wash away ALL the bacteria first, then it takes some time to grow again. I think most people do not use enough soap and/or do not scrub long enough.

Agree with all of this. I have had issues with heavy sweating and related odor. Typical antiperspirant deodorants helped with odor, but never stopped sweating for me. I switched to the Thai deodorant stones, and have liked it. Maybe I sweat slightly more, but they do a decent job at protecting odor, but slightly worse than an antiperspirant stick (I can notice a slight odor when I take my shirt off at the end of the work day, but no one else that I have asked can notice). That being said, you so have to thoroughly scrub and apply immediately after for it to be effective. Unlike a deodorant stick, they won't cover up an existing odor.

The various deodorant stones are usually the salt potassium alum (like most, but not all alum blocks), styptic pencils are aluminum sulfate, I beleive there are some natural deodorant products that are a sodium salt of aluminum as well (sodium alum). The antiperspirant sticks use substantially dissimilar aluminum compounds.

As far as researching the individual effects of "aluminium," be sure to look into the specific compound you are planning on using as they are all different compounds even though they are all aluminum compounds.

Although many people don't realize it, "simple" changes often result in dramatically different chemical properties. Ie, NaCl(table salt), NaI (sodium idiodide), and especially NaOH (lye) are all significantly different compounds, even though they are all relatively simple sodium compounds.
 
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