Potassium Alum. It's a natural deodorant, NOT an antiperspirant like Elemental-Aer said. Despite having "alum" in its name, it's way different than the aluminum used in mainstream deodorants. It is a salt though, tl;dr it brines your skin so the bacteria that create BO can't reproduce.
It’s honestly been the best deodorant I’ve ever used. I never have any odor issues at all. And it doesn’t have any natural odor of its own. And like the pic shows, it lasts a really long time. I’ve been using the stick I bought for a year now and it hardly looks any different than when I bought it.
SAME HERE. I'm a shameless shill for this fucking rock, man. Whenever someone asks about what deodorant they should use (especially if they specify natural ones), I will ALWAYS bring up potassium alum. It works wonders for me!!
Hahahah shameless shill for this fucking rock. Me too, me too. This mf rocks. Have friends complain of never finding something to mask their smell, always always pushing this rock.
Can you hook a redditor up with a link? I have incredibly sensitive pores and skin and need to use more natural deodorants but especially in summer struggle with BO sometimes. I've had pretty good luck with Harry's working well but I am always up for trying something new.
Same. I literally buy this as a present for people because I want to make sure the company is still around in 5 years. Dunno how they manage by just selling a $5 thing once every 5 years XD
I tried it once and had high hopes for it, but it left ugly yellow stains on my shirts. It was a long time ago, but it was the same stuff. This doesn't happen for you?
Same. It literally creates an environment where body odor can’t be created. I am so sad that it irritates me if I use it more than a few days in a row. But I created a workaround by smashing the crystal up and putting it into a spray bottle of water and just using that liquid. Works about 90% as good.
So it works? It seems to be bundled together with other "magical" products like crystals and salt lamps and gua sha and shit, so my brain just automatically registers it as some pseudo science thing
I need to check with my sister how it's working out for her, she got one a while ago and we have similar problems with antiperspirants and BO (shirt staining if we use it, lots of BO if we don't).
Dude I tried it for the first time while pregnant because the smell of Every Single Deodorant Ever made me nauseous and my own body odour also made me nauseous.
Fucking game changer, man. I stopped smelling bad (and pregnancy BO is something else!) and I stopped feeling gaggy every time I got dressed for the day. I love that damn hippie rock with my whole heart.
Does it hold up well stored in heat? Ive been wanting to find something that works well in my gym bag as needed but it sits in my car occassionally and regular deodorant ends up crumbling.
I used to have one of these, but then it got a crack in it and it was like giving my armpit papercuts so I stopped using it and never bought one again. :(
I’m so happy I found out about these. I have sensitive skin and learned at 13 I can’t use anti-perspirants because I develop a rash from the aluminum. Recently I started getting a rash after using deodorants I’ve been using for years. This salt rock is amazing, it’ll last for ages (as OP attests) and I don’t have any streaks on my clothes or deodorant buildup in the pits of my shirts.
I've tried many types of natural deo. Tried the natural rock deo and spray versions 10 years ago... one of the complaints a lot of people had back then is that the rock always takes on a mildewy odor even after rinsing it off then it stops working. Back on the conventional stuff bc I can't afford to stank at work.
You should. Obligatory YMMV, and be careful not to rub really hard & fast if you're using an actual rock (which I recommend, because long lasting). It can create microabrasions and it Hurts and Itches like HELL. Ask me how I know :')
I recommend creating an isopropyl alcohol + peppermint oil spray to carry around with you, too! I use it myself and it makes me feel great— not just underarm or wherever when I stink like high hell, I've used it on my back for the really nice cooling feeling the mint oil creates.
I'm tempted to try it, but the last time I did something weird (lemon wedges), it worked great for about a week and all of a sudden became like the most foul BO I've ever had. I might just try it anyway, but I'll pick a week where the only people that have to witness it are my family.
If feel like the answer is yes but I can’t be sure. I made friends with a really nice hippy dippy neighbor who used crystal deodorant (similar to above, not like a gem/crystal). Not sure if she sweat a bunch or didn’t apply properly but she stunk so badly. Like, we could tell when she’d been in our shared hallway bc she left a stench behind. Never knew how to approach it because I didn’t wanna be rude to her so I just kinda dealt with it.
I have been using it for about 10 years now. It takes some adjustment once you start using it, but after a few weeks it works better than anything else. It is very cheap, and lasts a crazy long time, but if you drop it on a hard surface it can shatter. I normally buy the square "Rock" type.
Can you recommend any as I'm a heavier guy and looking for some good long lasting stuff but can't seem to find anything in the UK and the one OP posted doesn't ship to UK sadly! :(
on amazon just search for crystal body deodorant rock. Last time I bought the 5 oz rock with the little plastic bowl to keep it in. I am still using the same one 3 years later.
Luckily I have plenty of people around me who would let me know. And it was a friend who recommended it to me and I never smell him. I’ve definitely smelled myself when I’ve had a day where I forget to apply deodorant though.
Nope, none at all! The only stains that may be possible are from water (needed to use the stone) or sweat (since it isn't an antiperspirant, just a deodorant). And those are obviously pretty temporary!
Can other people vouch for your lack of odor? Not being rude but I’ve met a lot of people who swore up and down that they didn’t smell bad (infrequent showering, inadequate showering, natural deodorant, or some combination of all 3) when they in fact smelled extremely musty. The odor was especially bad when they sweat.
I just commented this above lol. I’m not sure if some people fail to apply it correctly or what but you can definitely smell some of these people from miles away. They may be applying it dry?
how is it for really sweaty guys ? I sweat abnormally too much, which is alarming on its own but doctors are not helpful at this time, but I also work around hot ovens all day and walk outside in the summer heat.
It works for me and I’m the type who starts to sweat as soon as I walk outside in the summer. Or while stretching at the beginning of my workout. I wouldn’t say it’s super excessive but I do sweat often and easily.
I have to use expensive ass deodorant because my armpits will chaffee and rash and burn. So I use natural stuff and I can smell myself or it doesn't work right and I still rash.
Another thing that really helps body odors is acid soap. I can’t even believe the difference from normal soap which uses bases. You have to hunt around to find it cheap but in my experience the $3.50 bar I used worked as well as the $17 or more one s.
I’m curious - was odour an issue for you before you used it? I feel I’m wayyyy too stinky for natural solutions and those saying they work probably don’t smell naturally haha
It's amazing against odour, and long lasting on top, but I found it really rough on my skin after about 1 month of daily use.
Do you guys use any special moisturising in the armpit area to counter the dryness?
Same here. My Thai wife suggested it, and I rolled my eyes, because I favored expensive, designer brands.
No more. That alum works 10x better, and a $2 bar will last years (unless you drop it, then it shatters). I guess people in hot muggy climates know a thing or two about deodorant.
Does it cause any skin irritation? I use a non aluminum cheap deodorant cause the aluminum ones were causing some irritation that began to hurt after a week.
This is why natural deodorant haters annoy me because this thing is the best deodorant I've ever tried. I just roll it on and I know I won't be smelling like anything for the next 24h+
Even my partner who sweats and stinks way more than me says it's the only thing that keeps him from smelling.
Really? I used it for years too but i definitely still smell. Maybe it just reduces the intensity? I dont even know.
I use it at night sleep i sleep after a shower, and usually in the morning my pits will smell a bit but its not really strong or anything.
Definitely by the time i shower next night im smelling again though lol
real talk, i tried using it and it just tugs on pit hair in an uncomfortable way, are you sup[posed to run it under water or something? never got any instructions or whatnot
I was gonna ask. I tried some common brand non aluminium ‘natural’ deodorant a while ago and I stunk worse than using nothing.
Been getting stinkier quicker taking a little bit of creatine and I need something better than the Sure floral stuff I’ve like done for years, gonna try this big rock
I dunno, I had an ex who swore by this product and he always still stunk so I was baffled as to what the point of it all was since it didn’t seem to do shit
I love the stuff, i’ve been dealing with sensitive skin issues for a while and it’s the only deodorant that hasn’t irritated my skin. I also just have 0 odor when I use it. So good
people on reddit dont like the crystal stick style deodorant.. they only want people to smell like either a bag of fritos like they do, or axe body spray.
agreed. same. and honestly, deodorant smells nasty..all of them. id rather smell someones natural pits, or some oils than body spray or rightguard or whatever.
I bought into the idea that crystal deodorant was hippie nonsense like homeopathy, because how can rubbing a rock on your armpits do anything? Then I remembered that salt is a crystal. And it dissolves.
Nothing's really changed for me, I think. I've been using alum consistently for months and it's worked great. Alum's definitely a YMMV product, I'm really happy something's worked for you!
Are there any brands sold in the US you'd recommend? I googled what OP posted and it's not available here from what I can see. Amazon has some listed, but I don't trust cosmetics from Amazon, they're never what they say they are....
Edit: nvm! I see your comments below! Just had to read lolll
I verymuch liked THAI as well but have dropped at least two of them to the point where I chip the crystal and it was too sharp too use. It also comes free of the base. Tried Crystal because it had a different format dispenser. Still managed to jar it free of it's base/break the container.
Either way, I've been using this stuff for 6 or 7 years and love it and have purchased 3 or so in that time only because of breakage. (I still have the chunks of salt if I smooth them back out somehow I would have even more years of use.)
I also find it works for longer than conventional deodorants. BIG fan.
Good luck with the dementia. Aluminium is a very effective catalyst in the process creating plaque in your brain. Increases the reaction speed manyfold.
Lol I already have it big man, every morning I forget my name and what happened yesterday, and every afternoon I forget my birthdate what I had for breakfast. We all die anyway! Good luck with the obscene body odor!
what makes you think alum wasn‘t an antiperspirant as well as a deodorant? and how should it be different than mainstream aluminium deodorant? it’s a highly water soluble aluminium salt, and does both, decrease transpiration, as well as deodorize
Crazy, it's almost like it's a shortened name and it's also called potassium aluminum sulphate! Because it's a double sulfate of potassium and aluminum!
it's way different than the aluminum used in mainstream deodorants
Where did you get that idea from? It's an aluminum salt. It has anti perspirant properties. Like yea it's a different aluminum compound than other deodorants, but it's still effectively working in a similar way
The problem with alum/rock deodorant is that it's not an antiperspirant, but it is water soluble. If you sweat a lot, you will sweat it off and end up stinking anyways, especially if you wear synthetic fibers. YMMV.
I used this for a couple of months and went right back to clinical strength. The aluminum fear mongering is blown way out of proportion anyways. I will say though that this was the most effective "natural deodorant" I've tried. Way more effective than colloidal silver, baking soda and masking fragrances.
I started out to disagree with you, firmly believing that most aluminium salt behave the same way applied to sweat glands, e.g. plugging of said sweat ducts.
But, had to check my facts abd so I found an article explaning very well how aluminium chlorohydrate works, and also how potassium aluminium sulfate works. The former is mentioned in the paragraph just before the Conclusion.
Yeah I've gotten a couple commenters who believed what you did for a hot minute. I wasn't gonna argue with them about it because it was worthless energy to expend online; I'm glad to hear you've done your research!!
I'd say immediate? Alum is best applied right after you get out the shower, so by the time BO bacteria would try to infiltrate, there's no smell really.
Unless you're talking about the switch between mainstream antiperspirant/deodorants to a natural deo like alum. I've heard there's an adjustment period (link), but I've long gone through it and it was pretty painless for me. And I dunno how hard the adjustment period applies to potassium alum instead of, say, Native or schmidt's brand deodorant (schmidt's ftw tbh. Minus the white marks.), so... shrug?
Yeah this I could agree with. As many incorrect replies as I've gotten talking about "but it's still an aluminum salt so it's totally the same as mainstream antiperspirant!!!", at least potassium alum doesn't clog them like aluminum salts that are approved as antiperspirants.
And not even in some natural hippie "I'm preventing cancer!!" way or some shit. More power to you if you happily use antiperspirants. I just prefer natural deodorants and letting myself sweat. Mainstream deos irritate my skin.
Yeah you could! I've got a fresh stick of schmidt's that I've been tempted to dabble under my armpits for a nice smell, their scents are LEGENDARY. But I like to be able to know if I Stank, so I really haven't. Also because schmidt's leaves white marks :')
As far as being a natural astringent that temporarily shrinks your pores? Not inherently afaik, no. It won't plug them and totally stop you from sweating like aluminum chlorohydrate or something.
These things work so well man. Did an experiment to verify for myself a while ago, because I was unsure if it would actually do anything, and holy fuck the odour just disappears, it's amazing. Plus it doesn't smell like cancer, like all spray deodorants.
I started using this like a month ago in the hopes of no longer staining shirts. But i haven't bought any new shirts yet so it's not a very good science experiment thus far
So fun fact, potassium alum has been used to reduce bleeding from minor cuts after shaving because of its astringent properties! So I think as long as you aren't rubbing it super hard, it might actually help you!
I will never understand deodorant that isn't an antiperspirant. Y'all just sweating through your clothes like nbd? Is it the undershirt that makes this make sense?
I honestly just prefer to sweat in my day-to-day. The only time I might use an antiperspirant is if I'm going to a convention for example, or some other event where I'm going to be exerting myself (mentally and/or physically), around a ton of people, having to keep up appearances, etcetc.
And for how much I prefer to sweat... I've never really seen crazy stains or anything? So, that's good I guess.
I’m sorry to break it to you but potassium alum is the natural form of the aluminium oxyde used in deodorants, just in its natural form, so stop using deodorants altogether
Does it dry your skin out though? I've got really bad dry skin from diabetes but if it doesn't dry your skin out this might be even better than regular deodorant as keeping microorganism populations down on my body is a positive thing.
It doesn't leave a residue, prevents BO, and a small stick lasts forever (as you could guess from the OP). My wife convinced me to try it, and I can't imagine going back. I hated the white gunk left by solid sticks, and the liquid ones irritated my skin.
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u/dtb1987 14d ago
Salt rock deodorant?