The Antiperspirant Dilemma: Pick a Stain-Free Solution
There was a period of time yellow under arm stains were causing me to lose my mind. As long as I can remember, I have worn an undershirt under my clothing. But as I got older, I started to notice severe yellow underarm stains – to the point it was affecting the outer layer of my clothing. The stains looked gross and they were ruining my favorite undershirts. I had good hygiene and I did not sweat excessively. I couldn’t figure out how to prevent the under arm stains.
As my shirts were getting ruined, I tried all the online suggestions to clean them. Most of the time it involved making a paste solution using combinations of (1) baking soda, (2) hydrogen peroxide and (3) water; and applying it to the stains before doing the laundry. It helped a bit, but I was fed up. I wanted a solution to prevent or minimize problem. There had to be a better way.
Understanding the Culprit: Aluminum
Aluminum compounds, such as aluminum chloralhydrate and aluminum zirconium, are commonly included in antiperspirants – they control sweat production. The aluminum acts as an effective antiperspirant agent, helping to reduce and control excessive sweating. Here’s how aluminum works in antiperspirants:
- Blocking Sweat Ducts: Aluminum compounds form a temporary plug in the sweat ducts, which helps to reduce the flow of sweat to the skin’s surface. Sounds healthy.
- Decreasing Perspiration: By blocking the sweat ducts, aluminum reduces the amount of sweat that reaches the skin, providing a noticeable decrease in perspiration.
It’s important to note that antiperspirants are different from deodorants. Deodorants primarily target body odor by inhibiting the growth of odor-causing bacteria, but they don’t necessarily reduce the amount of sweat produced. Antiperspirants, on the other hand, specifically aim to control sweat production.
Prevention and New Deodorant
I started to experiment with different deodorants. It worked! Below are the 3 that worked for me:
Sanex is my favorite and I currently use it. I have to thank my mother-in-law for this one. She heard me discussing my frustration with underarm stains and told me about Sanex. Apparently, her husband had the same yellow stain problem and Sanex helped. My mother-in-law gave me a bottle. At first, I was skeptical because the deodorant does contain aluminum. However, after I used the deodorant, I noticed the difference right away. Yes, I am aware it is for women, but I don’t care. It worked. The deodorant smelled good and didn’t leave a residue like some of the other deodorants I used in the past. I have been using Sanex for over 6 years. The yellow stains are barely noticeable. I can only assume the amount of aluminum used in the product is much less.
Sanex also has a version with no aluminum in it.
Years ago, I recall running out of Sanex and remember it was going to take some time for a new order to arrive. So, I came across Native through a google search. Native is a local San Francisco start up – they killed it by the way. It claimed to be the best natural deodorant out there and it is free of aluminum salts. I ran down to the local Walgreens and picked one up. I was a bit thrown by the premium price, but there was no way I was going back to use the old deodorant sticks with antiperspirant. Native claimed it would take several weeks to reach maximum effectiveness- you have to get used to the product having no aluminum, so you may feel wet under your arms while transitioning. It is pricey compared to other brands. I only used one stick and it worked well. And, no underarm stains. This is a good natural deodorant, but I have a preference to Sanex.
My dad owned a health food and vitamin store when I was growing up. So, the first deodorant I ever used was a crystal – I started using it before I even needed it. I recall a product very similar to Crystal. It came as a crystal chunk in a blue box. You would have to put some water on the crystal chunk and apply it under your arms. It appears Crystal figured out a way to package the deodorant better and make it easy to apply. Judging from the amazon reviews, people really enjoy the product. While it will not stain your shirt, it will probably not keep you as dry as you wish. But this is another option.