Finding The Right Deodorant Shouldn’t Be This Difficult

When was the last time you were in the deodorant isle?

I hadn't really looked or noticed before but there are A TON OF THEM.

The reason why I'm looking closely? This is gonna get messy and personal so follow me.

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I have started buying these new compression t-shirts. White ones. I had noticed my pit stains were pretty...noticeable. I'm not a heavy sweat dude. But I was wondering what gives?

Let's throw in I don't like using deodorants that cake up under your arms and get stuck in your hair.

And finally depending on the ones I use, I have noticed it can make me peel under my arms and sting a little bit when going on.

So I was looking to change up my deodorant. Well, let me change that. I used an antiperspirant. Deodorants to me masked odor and didn't last as long and antiperspirants worked better. That was a guess. I wasn't far off.

Antiperspirant vs Deodorant:

Deodorant protects against odor, while antiperspirant protects against sweat and odor. Deodorant will help keep you fresh, whereas antiperspirant also helps to control sweat, perfect if you want to avoid underarm wetness. (Dove)

So I bounced to the store and viola, there's a few antiperspirants that were anti-stain formula. There were clear gels and of course the solids. I tried one. Nice scent and while I didn't get stains, I did get what I could only describe as a little bit of a burn and even some skin breaking and peeling.

Next thing I know I'm reading ingredients to see what's in here that's causing a reaction. I noticed at the store there were a lot of aluminum free versions of things. So I did a deep dive and at first there was the "aluminum in antiperspirants and such cause Alzheimer's" and breast cancer in women.

Aluminum in Antiperspirants

Aluminum is the active ingredient in antiperspirants that helps reduce sweat. But the myth of it causing Alzheimer's has been debunked several times over. And negative on the breast cancer in women too. 

So if it's not the aluminum and I don't just want to cover up my funk, what could be causing the burning and skin breaking?

Fragrances & Propylene Glycol

A number of chemicals can contribute to allergic reactions  from deodorants and antiperspirants, the most common of which are fragrances. Other causes of contact dermatitis from deodorants and antiperspirants include propylene glycol (a vehicle agent used as a "carrier" for active ingredients), parabens, vitamin E (as an antioxidant and moisturizer), and lanolin. (Very Well Health)

So, now I'm looking at natural, organic, and more expensive options.

Natural alternatives that contain no aluminum salts, no ARTIFICIAL fragrances, no parabens, no propylene glycol. Mind you, these are the expensive ones that do cake up under your arm and because they are chemical free might require RE-APPLICATION throughout the day.

Come on man.

Do Crystal Deodorants Work?

How about those deodorant crystal rock stick things? You have to wet them and rub them under your arms. Do they work?

Scientific studies proving the advantages of crystal deodorant are lacking and many of the benefits are anecdotal. Some people swear by it while others swear it doesn’t work. (Healthline)

This is an expensive trial and error experiment I've got going on here. But I can't be walking around stinking.

And I am the type of guy to keep a receipt and return a $6 - $8 dollar stick of deodorant if it doesn't work or makes my pits bleed.

Or stains my shirts. Which is what got me here in the first place.

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