Q. I switched to a mineral salts deodorant crystal to try to get away from aluminum. Now I read that it DOES have aluminum (it’s marked ammonium alum).
The crystal works great against odor but I don’t want aluminum in my life. I worry about both breast cancer and Alzheimer’s disease.
What light can you shed on “ammonium alum”? What alternatives are available?
A. Crystal deodorant stones are promoted as natural, which indeed they are. They are not, however, aluminum free. Most contain alum, a term for aluminum salts such as potassium aluminum sulfate or ammonium aluminum sulfate.
Alum is used to clarify water in reservoirs because it helps floating particles drop to the bottom. It has also been used in skin care for its astringent (drying) and styptic (stops bleeding) properties.
Other Ways to Control Underarm Odor
Alternatives include baking soda, rubbing alcohol, vinegar or magnesium as found in milk of magnesia. Many people find one of these helpful in reducing underarm odor.
Some people find amber Listerine is helpful against body odor. Others have used odorless spirits, such as vodka or rubbing alcohol. Here is one reader’s story:
“I’ve discovered a simple solution to underarm odor control. I have a small spray bottle of rubbing alcohol I use in my armpits. Voila, I have not noticed any nasty smell even after exercise. It’s cheap and inexpensive and free of aluminum compounds.”
Then there is the secret Brazilian remedy for underarm odor: milk of magnesia! Many readers have found it helpful, and it does not have any aluminum in it.
We had had a roll-on deodorant formulated for us with milk of magnesia as the active ingredient.
