Over 18 years ago, we received a message from a reader who was traveling in Brazil. She had left home without her deodorant. The weather was hot and humid. She was afraid that her underarm odor was overpowering and made a beeline for the nearest pharmacy. The cab driver wondered what she needed and she confided that she was desperate for an underarm deodorant. He told her that people in Brazil used milk of magnesia (magnesium hydroxide). This white liquid has been used as a laxative since since 1873. You can read the history at this link.
Creating a Safe and Affordable Solution for Underarm Odor:
Here is the message we published on February 27, 2006 from a reader of our syndicated newspaper column:
“I want to share a remedy I learned about when traveling in Brazil. Just apply milk of magnesia to your armpits. It is the best underarm deodorant!”
Since then we have heard from hundreds of people that liquid milk of magnesia (MoM), found in antacids and laxatives (in a familiar blue bottle), is surprisingly effective for managing underarm odor.
Here is a recent story from someone who also grew up in a hot and humid climate:
“My family has used milk of magnesia as a deodorant for 60 years since Cuba. That is what everyone used, even before the revolution.
“My family still uses it today in the United States, since it’s better than any deodorant.
“This is old news for us!”
Another Reader Appreciates Milk of Magnesia to Control Underarm Odor:
Q. Ever since you started writing about it, my husband and I have been using milk of magnesia as our deodorants. I use it right out of the bottle, pouring a little in my palm to apply it. Sometimes I use the blow dryer on low to dry it faster. I like to add some spearmint or orange essential oil to the bottle to make it smell good.
Over time (the bottle lasts for a few months at least), the liquid starts to thicken. This actually makes it easier to apply. Towards the end, I even have to thin it with water and shake it up a bit because it gets too thick. I just wish it didn’t contain sodium hypochlorite as a preservative.
A. Thank you for this testimonial. Most people have no idea what sodium hypochlorite is. It is more recognizable as bleach. And we agree with you, even in a dilute concentration, bleach is not something we would want to put on our underarms.
That is partly why we created The People’s Pharmacy Milk of Magnesia Aluminum-Free Roll-on Deodorants. We are pretty sure we were the very first developers of such a product. We gave milk of magnesia a shorter name: MoM. Since then, there have been a lot of copycats by some major companies.
Many younger people never heard of milk of magnesia. We wanted to make this product more understandable and so we have started rolling out (pardon the pun) our People’s Pharmacy Unscented “Magnesium Rich” deodorant in both 2 oz and 3.38 oz sizes. You will find them in the Body Care section of our store.
What makes our product so much easier to use than the liquid laxative that our reader describes above is the roll-on applicator and the lack of the bleach (sodium hypochlorite) preservative. We also checked to make sure there was no benzene in our deodorant! You have read that some antiperspirants and deodorant products were contaminated with benzene. You can read about that scandal at this link.
Underarm Odor and/or Whole Body Odor?
We have been intrigued to see that some major manufacturers have gotten into the whole body deodorant biz. They are advertising their products for armpits, boobs, butt cracks, private parts and goodness knows where else. The range of chemicals that are being used to deodorize the whole body is a bit overwhelming to us.
We have always believed that the best way to deal with body odor is to shower or take a bath periodically. But arm pits are a bit different. There are a lot of folks who develop armpit odor if they get nervous or sweat a lot. That’s why we think a natural approach with magnesium hydroxide is a lot safer than using aluminum salts found in antiperspirants. You may find this article of interest:
Is Your Aluminum Antiperspirant Setting You Up for Smellier Armpits?
Magnesium Rich Deodorants Easier than Milk of Magnesia:
The only other problem (besides the sodium hypochlorite preservative) with sloshing milk of magnesia on your underarms from a laxative bottle is the messiness factor. Some people get around that by using a cotton ball or a little spritzer bottle.
By the way, we cannot speak to the reason the FDA seems happy with the idea of putting bleach, even in small concentrations, in a product that people swallow. We are equally concerned about using it on delicate underarm tissue.
That’s partly why we came up with the People’s Pharmacy Unscented “Magnesium Rich” deodorant in both 2 oz and 3.38 oz sizes. It is entirely aluminum free and contains no bleach. Not only does our Roll-On come unscented, but you can also get it in a gentle woman’s fragrance. My personal favorite, though, is this herbal fragrance. I bet you will love it too. If not, you get your money back!
A woman in Williamsburg, VA calls it “The Best.”
“This is the only deodorant my husband can use. He has been using this for many years after having tried many over previous years! Wonderful product.”
A woman in Tiburon, CA says:
“I like this deodorant a lot. It has a clean fresh smell, not sweet – just fresh.”
Why not give our Magnesium Rich deodorants a try at this link?
