No doubt you have seen television commercials that promote whole body deodorants. There was a time when people used deodorants and antiperspirants exclusively on their armpits. That’s where most people detect unpleasant body odor because of sweat, nerves and a dark, warm place for bacteria to proliferate. But now, manufacturers sense human insecurity about smells in other places: feet, crotch, “boobs,” and just about anywhere else imaginable. Instead of recommending a shower or bath, the promoters of such products are pushing cream, stick and spray deodorants to vanquish perceived body odor. Does anyone even know what’s in all these products?
If It’s an Antiperspirant, It’s Aluminum!
If you use an antiperspirant, you have aluminum in your armpits. That’s guaranteed. The FDA requires all antiperspirants to contain substantial amounts of aluminum.
In theory, the aluminum salts in antiperspirants work work by plugging sweat glands in the delicate skin of your armpits. Dermatologists tell us that there’s nothing to worry about. They insist that aluminum is perfectly safe, is not absorbed and you should be happy to plug up your sweat ducts.
We have written extensively about the neurotoxicity of aluminum. At last count, there were 973 citations under the query “aluminum neurotoxicity.” Here is a link. If you search “aluminum Alzheimer’s” there are 1,566 citations as I write this. Here is a link. Researchers frequently use a variety of aluminum-based products, including aluminum chloride found in some antiperspirants, to induce Alzheimer-like toxicity in animal models.
A review titled “Aluminum Toxicity” published in StatPearls, Oct. 26, 2024 states:
“Aluminum (Al) is widely used in everyday life and is the most abundant metal in the earth’s crust, occurring in various forms. Although aluminum has no known biological role in humans, it is present in concentrations similar to essential metals, such as copper. Human exposure to aluminum has increased since the rise of industrialization due to exposure from cosmetic and antiperspirant products, food packaging (such as beverage cans), food additives, drinking water, medications (such as phosphate binders), total parenteral nutrition (TPN), vaccines, pesticides, aerosols, and dialysate.
“The central nervous system is the primary target of aluminum toxicity. This toxicity is well-studied and occurs through several mechanisms, including neuronal oxidative stress, apoptosis, neuroinflammation, neurotransmitter disruption, and cytoskeletal dysregulation.”
What’s In Whole Body Deodorants?
We could not begin to tell you what’s in all the whole body deodorants that are on the market. We can tell you that there are some very long chemical names that are hard to pronounce.
Smearing, spraying and rubbing so many chemicals on so many private parts seems a little scary to us, but that’s just because we prefer soap and water and a nice hot shower to avoid body odor.
What About Vinegar for BO?
Q. I saw on the Dr. Oz show that vinegar can be used to control underarm odor. They said it changes the pH of the skin which the odor-causing bacteria cannot thrive on. The vinegar dissipates so you will not smell like vinegar.
A. We first heard about vinegar for body odor prevention more than 25 years ago when we received the following question:
“My friend uses vinegar with water under her arms and says it keeps her dry and odor-free all day long, better than deodorant.
“I want to try it, but first I want to know if it is safe to use under your arms. Is vinegar all right for this use?”
We advised:
“Some people soak their feet in a dilute vinegar (one part water to two parts vinegar) solution to deter foot fungus. Perhaps the acid environment also discourages the bacteria that contribute to body odor.
“As long as skin is unbroken (do NOT try this after shaving), we doubt that diluted vinegar would cause trouble. Nevertheless, test a small patch of skin first to make sure you will not react badly.”
Readers Share Their Vinegar Stories:
This reader calls vinegar a “miracle”:
“Thank you so much for writing about using vinegar and water on underarms. I have had a problem with smelly underarms most of my life and have tried almost every product on the market. Nothing really stopped the odor.
“When I read about vinegar, I gave it a try. It has been a miracle. I can now go out in the heat, exercise and go through the day without smelling at all. It is amazing and cheap.”
Antiperspirants and breast cancer:
“I had chemo treatment for breast cancer in 2002 and found that all antiperspirants caused redness and irritation. My doctor advised me not to use any deodorant, but that did not suit me. I tried plain white vinegar, and it worked so well I’ve kept it up ever since.”
Eliminated the stink without the sticky:
“I was skeptical about using vinegar on my underarms, but I have lost faith in commercial deodorants. They leave me feeling sticky and messy. White vinegar got rid of the stink without making me sticky. It’s amazing!”
T.E.R. uses a washcloth to apply vinegar:
“I wanted to stop using any product with aluminum. I tried several all natural organic deodorants but they didn’t work.
“I had read about using vinegar for foot odor so I thought I would try it on my underarms. I just pour some vinegar straight onto a dry wash cloth and wipe my underarms with it. Works better than any deodorant I have ever used! I use it every morning and zero odor all day! I’ll never go back to store bought deodorant! Never!”
Vinegar doesn’t work for everyone:
Nothing works for everyone. What we mean is that whether it is a commercial product or a home remedy, some people will love it, some will like it and some will find it worthless. That’s why it’s basically trial and error. There are no guarantees.
Sally reports:
“I have tried applying vinegar but it never worked. Then I tried baking soda. That smelled even worse. I am totally devastated. I want this over with so I can enjoy people’s company because now I avoid people and I have no boyfriend. I think the smell is a contributor. HELP”
Here are some stories about alternatives:
Lemon juice but not when you shave underarms!
“Hello everyone. I have been using LEMON JUICE as a natural deodorant for the past five years. One of my friends was given this tip by her doctor and she passed it on to two of her friends. We three have been using it and it works perfectly!
“We just buy lemons, cut a piece and squeeze the juice under our arms and off we go! It works even in the hot and humid weather of Hawaii.
“Only downside is that you need to have a steady stream of lemons–and it stings when you shave–(just shave at night)–but it works really, really well. Give it a whirl.”
PlanetDancer
J.H. says Milk of Magnesia came to the rescue:
“Vinegar for underarm odor didn’t work for me, but Milk of Magnesia applied to the underarm area works perfectly. Also it doesn’t sting even when used after shaving.”
Kim says Milk of Magnesia is a miracle:
“I tried the Milk of Magnesia. It is a miracle! Works perfectly! The vinegar left me smelling like sauerkraut and really didn’t work (sorry).”
Jeckle used a combination to solve the body odor problem:
“Vinegar alone didn’t work for me. So yesterday I went to the store and bought Listerine and MILK OF MAGNESIA. After a shower I applied undiluted apple cider vinegar with a cotton ball. I let my armpits dry. Then I applied undiluted Listerine and let it dry. Then I applied MILK OF MAGNESIA.
“It’s been way over 12 hours and I DO NOT SMELL!!! This is truly a miracle! I can’t believe this worked for me. I’ve had smelly under arms for about 35 years. I wish I would have found out about this before. But better late than never. Now I can have more confidence and wear cute tops and not worry about body odor. Hope this helps!”
Keep It Simple with MoM:
Whew… that is a lot of effort and time devoted to overcoming underarm odor. Most folks really want something quick and easy. Here are a couple of recent posts to our website from folks who used our MoM Roll-on Deodorant:
M.R. is enthusiastic:
“I love People’s Pharmacy Milk of Magnesia deodorant! And it doesn’t take much to be effective. I just roll on a small amount and rub it around my armpits with my finger (it rinses off easily), so I never have any “damp feeling” to contend with. Works like a charm, and protects me for at least two days.”
N.R. loves MoM Roll-On:
“Traditional deodorants irritated my underarms, so I switched to crystal deodorant over 10 years ago. Last winter, I developed an irritation in my armpits and tried not using deodorant at all. The irritation went away but now there were other obvious issues.
“I read about milk of magnesia on your website and tried it. It’s wonderful! I bought a bottle at the store and dabbed it on each morning. When I finished the bottle, I ordered the roll-on from People’s Pharmacy and love that. So much easier to get ready in the morning! Thank you for that great product – and for all your helpful information!!”
What’s in Your Armpit Now?
Whatever you choose, apple cider vinegar, white vinegar, lemon juice, baking soda, Listerine or MoM (milk of magnesia), make sure that it is not irritating to delicate skin. The underarms are quite sensitive. You want something that is gentle, effective and nontoxic.
Unscented 2 oz Aluminum-Free MoM Roll-on is now back in stock. We have a hard time keeping it on the shelf!
Women’s MoM Aluminum-Free Roll-on has a light floral fragrance.
Men’s MoM Aluminum-Free Roll-on is misnamed! It is also very popular with women and teenagers of both sexes. It has a fresh herbal fragrance.
Let us know what has worked well for you by commenting below. We would love to hear your story.
