[SarahSchilling]

Most deodorant made the very outer layer of skin on my underarms peel off. Not painful at all, its the kind of peeling you get from a sunburn....only with no sun. I took it as my body giving me a sign.

It falls into the same category as toothpaste for me, which is poison. I now use aluminum free baking soda in place of each. When I am taking PM, I don't stink either way though lol.

[flamesabers]

Most deodorant made the very outer layer of skin on my underarms peel off. Not painful at all, its the kind of peeling you get from a sunburn....only with no sun. I took it as my body giving me a sign.

It falls into the same category as toothpaste for me, which is poison. I now use aluminum free baking soda in place of each. When I am taking PM, I don't stink either way though lol.

Thank you for the information. I've been looking for a deodorant that doesn't contain aluminum.

[EricaB]

A few years ago, well maybe a decade or two, there was a concern about aluminum being a contributory factor in Alzheimer's disease. So I switched to the only deodorant I could find without any aluminum - Tom's of Maine. I've been using it ever since without any bad effects, and it seems to control odor ok. It comes in a few scents and also unscented.

I buy it at Trader Joe's, think I've seen it at Walmart and have seen it offered for sale on the manufacturer's website.

There may be other non-aluminum deodorants these days, I don't know. Also, Tom's of Maine is a line of hygiene products including mouthwash and toothpaste. Their website is here.

[SarahSchilling]

I tried toms of maine once, but it made the skin peel off as well. It must be the propylene glycol or glyceryl laurate. Not to put down Tom's, at least it doesn't contain aluminum. I started trying to avoid that a few years back when I read an article in a medical journal about how they'd find aluminum in the brains of people who had altzeimers postmoderm. They stated that they couldn't figure out how it got there though lmfao. Gee I wonder....

Anyways, flame...if rumford baking soda isn't strong enough (arm and hammer has aluminum, although they don't list it on the label), then you could try a crystal deodorant. I've used them before and they worked well, just kinda expensive by comparison(to baking soda, not to Toms).

It really sucks, almost everywhere else in developed world, companies have to list all ingredients on labels. In the US, they only have to list "active" ingredients. Like, for example, if you buy some ibuprofen, ibuprofen is the only listed ingredient. They don't bother listing the binder used in the tablets, even though some people are allergic to certain binders.

Btw, you can also use baking soda for shampoo. As for soap, yardley's is by far the best and cheapest store brand I've found.

[flamesabers]

Anyways, flame...if rumford baking soda isn't strong enough (arm and hammer has aluminum, although they don't list it on the label), then you could try a crystal deodorant. I've used them before and they worked well, just kinda expensive by comparison(to baking soda, not to Toms).

It really sucks, almost everywhere else in developed world, companies have to list all ingredients on labels. In the US, they only have to list "active" ingredients. Like, for example, if you buy some ibuprofen, ibuprofen is the only listed ingredient. They don't bother listing the binder used in the tablets, even though some people are allergic to certain binders.

Btw, you can also use baking soda for shampoo. As for soap, yardley's is by far the best and cheapest store brand I've found.

The arm and hammer deodorant I got says it's aluminum-free.

http://www.amazon.com/Arm-Hammer-Essentials-Deodorant-Unscented/dp/B001CI8NZI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1373236070&sr=8-2&keywords=aluminum+free

The other arm and hammer products I saw in the store didn't say anything about being aluminum-free, so I assume they have it.

It's strange. This whole deodorant thing started for me because I didn't like the scent of one and I was becoming concerned how some of them were staining my white undershirts. I guess the days of me just buying whatever deodorant are on sale are over for me.

I'll give the arm and hammer I got a trial run. So long as it keeps me from smelling and it doesn't stain my clothes, I'll be happy with it.

The next time I need to buy soap and shampoo, I'll take a look into trying out your other recommendations.

[SarahSchilling]

Oh, sorry. I was just talking about the A&H baking soda. Didn't even know they made deodorant. I'd probably go with that or Tom's if I wasn't allergic to deodorant in general ;p

Baking soda works well most of the year, but in the summer it doesn't last too long.

[flamesabers]

Oh, sorry. I was just talking about the A&H baking soda. Didn't even know they made deodorant.

That makes sense. When you mentioned rumford baking soda, I was looking for an actual deodorant product on Amazon, but all I could find was the baking soda.

I'd probably go with that or Tom's if I wasn't allergic to deodorant in general ;p

The A&H deodorant I got at a local grocery store had a pretty reasonable price tag. (It was on sale I think). I'll stay with that unless it doesn't work at all.

[MissC]

So much of the stuff out there for sale, ostensibly to put in and on our bodies, is way beyond unhealthy.

A few years back, my brother developed an awful rash, starting on his calves and spreading northward. At first he thought it was an alkali burn from pouring concrete. He saw a dermatologist who was mystified, but prescribed the standard cortisone cream, which of course only treats the symptoms.

Long and short of it... after a couple conversations, we figured out that he had indeed changed a skin care product. It was an allergic reaction to a new deodorant! Last thing you'd think when the symptoms show up on the legs, no?

Since then, every time I hear the phrase "allergic contact dermatitis" along with "my dermatologist can't figure out what's causing it", that person gets the same quiz: what have you changed lately in your personal care regimen? Thus far, I'm batting 1000.

Just knowing what's in so many of these products is enough to turn me off of them. Detergent residue on my clothes and mainstream bath soap make my skin crawl, and the "fragrances" in the market's cleaning product aisle make me choke.

Maybe each individual manufacturer and each individual product isn't trying to poison us... but put together a few dozen of them and it adds up to a whole lot of ick.

[SarahSchilling]

the "fragrances" in the market's cleaning product aisle make me choke.

Maybe each individual manufacturer and each individual product isn't trying to poison us... but put together a few dozen of them and it adds up to a whole lot of ick.

Yeah, the cleaning product isle is probably the third worst smelling isle. Second is the pets one, and ironically the first is gardening LOL.

Anyways, its simply a matter of profit in most cases. Chemical alternatives to natural ingredients are just cheaper, with no short term side effects for most people. Given that the vast majority of people shop based on price rather than ingredients, it's a easy choice to make from the perspective of a business. From their point of view, everyone dies anyway.

It's more than a little disturbing, but such is the inevitable result of corporatism. On the plus side, life is pretty convenient.

[flamesabers]

During the last few weeks when I'm outside and I see topless males, I realized this gets me thinking about how my chest used to be totally flat and the progress I've made with pm. Has anyone had a similiar experience?