标签: aluminum

As you may recall from my recent Deodorant dangers blog, I recently found out that the vast majority of underarm antiperspirant-deodorants contain a whole smorgasbord of toxic chemicals, starting with strange aluminum compounds and fleshed-out with things like parabens , propylene glycol , triclosan ... In the case of the aluminum, some studies have indicated that there may be a link between this little scamp and Alzheimer's and cancer. The bottom line is the fact that I don't know how to spell or pronounce most of these things makes me less than enthused about rubbing them all over my body. As I mentioned in my original blog, my initial plan was to order a Crystal Body Stick , which is described on Amazon as being "Composed from natural mineral salts that are completely free of perfumes and chemicals." However, it turns out that the "Ammonium Alum" in this stick is just another name for "ammonium aluminum sulfate" – so we're back with aluminum (aluminum) again. Give me strength! Following the first blog, my chum Brian LaGrave emailed me to say that he had found a "do-it-yourself" recipe for underarm deodorant on the Internet. This recipe reads as follows: * 1/2 cup baking soda * 1/2 cup corn starch * 1/2 cup coconut oil At last—a recipe so simple that even I can follow it! The coconut oil is the solid white stuff that you find in jars in the right sort of supermarket. I went to my Local Earth Fare , which specializes in organic products (hey, my armpits deserve only the best!). BEWARE!!! Check the list of ingredients on everything you buy. My first port of call was the shelf containing packs of baking soda. Fortunately, the first bag I picked up carried the legend "Aluminum Free!" on the front. I hadn't even realized that baking soda might contain aluminum – this rascally rapscallion of an element can certainly sneak up on you while you aren't looking. Wouldn't it have been ironic for me to have been making my own antiperspirant for years, only to discover that it contained the aluminum I was trying to get away from in the first place! All you have to do is to put 1/2 cup of baking soda and 1/2 cup of cornstarch in a container – I used a small glass bowl that comes with a lid. Then you melt 1/2 cup of coconut oil in a skillet. Do NOT heat the coconut oil too much, because it can get VERY hot indeed. In fact, as soon as the oil has just melted you are ready to rock and roll, at which point you add it to the other ingredients in your container and briskly mix everything together. Did I mention that the coconut oil can get hot? Hopefully it goes without saying that you should wait until everything has cooled down and solidified before you apply it under your arms (take this advice from a man who knows). Anyway, I've been using my homemade deodorant for the last few days. Admittedly, the fact that I keep on sniffing my armpits may look a tad strange to the casual observer, but as far as I can tell, my concoction seems to be working nicely... Having said this, I live in fear that one day when I'm out-and-about on my travels, I hear a high-pitched voice behind me trill out at full window-shattering volume "Mommy, why does that man smell like coconuts?"  

I could not quite recall how this issue was brought up, but I was chatting with my wife ( Gina The Gorgeous ) one evening when the topic of underarm deodorant came up. No! Neither of us was accusing the other of not using enough. I think Gina had heard one of her friends say that underarm deodorant was unsafe is some way. Now, truth to tell, I sort of thought this was going to turn out to be another "old wives' tale," but I performed a quick search on the Internet and I ran a lot more information than I really wanted to discover. First of all, I'd never really paid attention to the fact that there are two terms that are bandied around in this context: "Deodorant" and "Antiperspirant". The idea is that a deodorant uses some scent to disguise your natural odor and make you (well, your armpit) smell nice. By comparison, an antiperspirant affects your sweat glands to stop you sweating at all. So when you see something marked as an "Antiperspirant Deodorant", this means that it will block up your sweat glands and make you smell nice, all at the same time. So far so good, but next I discover that practically every antiperspirant deodorant that works has aluminium in it – it's the aluminium that stops you sweating – but there are some studies that link this to Alzheimer's, cancer, and a bunch of other nasty stuff. And it's not just aluminium – it seems that the majority of conventional antiperspirant deodorants contain a whole smorgasbord of other toxic chemicals, including parabens, propylene glycol, triclosan... Having said this, I also read that these studies are inconclusive. This leaves me sitting on the horns of a dilemma, which is damned uncomfortable, let me tell you (the dilemma isn't all that happy about it either). Next, I took a look at the teeny-tiny writing on the side of my deodorant, and was dismayed to discover that some strange aluminium compound – that I can neither pronounce nor spell – forms the main active ingredient. The bottom line is that I don't know what all of the substances in antiperspirant deodorants are, but I do know that I'm no longer happy smearing them all over my body, which is – after all – a thing of beauty that deserves to be treated with respect, nay, awe! On the bright side, I also discovered that you can purchase sticks of natural mineral salts that are completely free of perfumes and chemicals. These don't stop you sweating, but they do kill the odor-causing bacteria, thereby preventing you from becoming an outcast to your family and friends. Also, one Crystal Body Stick , which costs $6.89 from Amazon, is guaranteed to last over a year of daily use, which actually ends up being a lot less than I spend on regular deodorant throughout the year (postage wasn't an issue, because I used this as an excuse to also order a couple of books off my Amazon Wish List, thereby moving me into Super Saver Shipping territory). So now I'm eagerly waiting for my salt crystal bar to arrive. Are you interested in hearing my views on how well it works when it eventually gets here?

I don't quite remember how this came about, but I was chatting with my wife ( Gina The Gorgeous ) yesterday evening when the topic of underarm deodorant came up. No! Neither of us was accusing the other of not using enough. I think Gina had heard one of her friends say that underarm deodorant was unsafe is some way. Now, truth to tell, I sort of thought this was going to turn out to be another "old wives' tale," but I performed a quick search on the Internet and I ran a lot more information than I really wanted to discover. First of all, I'd never really paid attention to the fact that there are two terms that are bandied around in this context: "Deodorant" and "Antiperspirant". The idea is that a deodorant uses some scent to disguise your natural odor and make you (well, your armpit) smell nice. By comparison, an antiperspirant affects your sweat glands to stop you sweating at all. So when you see something marked as an "Antiperspirant Deodorant", this means that it will block up your sweat glands and make you smell nice, all at the same time. So far so good, but next I discover that practically every antiperspirant deodorant that works has aluminium in it – it's the aluminium that stops you sweating – but there are some studies that link this to Alzheimer's, cancer, and a bunch of other nasty stuff. And it's not just aluminium – it seems that the majority of conventional antiperspirant deodorants contain a whole smorgasbord of other toxic chemicals, including parabens, propylene glycol, triclosan... Having said this, I also read that these studies are inconclusive. This leaves me sitting on the horns of a dilemma, which is damned uncomfortable, let me tell you (the dilemma isn't all that happy about it either). Next, I took a look at the teeny-tiny writing on the side of my deodorant, and was dismayed to discover that some strange aluminium compound – that I can neither pronounce nor spell – forms the main active ingredient. The bottom line is that I don't know what all of the substances in antiperspirant deodorants are, but I do know that I'm no longer happy smearing them all over my body, which is – after all – a thing of beauty that deserves to be treated with respect, nay, awe! On the bright side, I also discovered that you can purchase sticks of natural mineral salts that are completely free of perfumes and chemicals. These don't stop you sweating, but they do kill the odor-causing bacteria, thereby preventing you from becoming an outcast to your family and friends. Also, one Crystal Body Stick , which costs $6.89 from Amazon, is guaranteed to last over a year of daily use, which actually ends up being a lot less than I spend on regular deodorant throughout the year (postage wasn't an issue, because I used this as an excuse to also order a couple of books off my Amazon Wish List, thereby moving me into Super Saver Shipping territory). So now I'm eagerly waiting for my salt crystal bar to arrive. Are you interested in hearing my views on how well it works when it eventually gets here?