The Thai Deodorant Crystal and the Aluminum Myth
As you know one of my first posts was on Tom’s Natural Deodorant, I was addicted to the Apricot. Oh how I loved the smell of my pits when I discovered such a delicious scent…until the burning day came.
For some odd reason after multiple use my armpits felt like they were on fire. I tried doing some research on why this was happening and what I could do about it. Chaffing seemed to be one reason, I personally think it was an ingredient. I always made sure my armpits were dry before I applied, I didn’t even have to move and they would start burning…not good.
This lead to another search. Here we have Thai Deodorant Crystals. The packaging is a bit “infomercial” so at first glance you probably wouldn’t imagine it’s power but I’m truly impressed with it’s ability to keep the stink away. It comes in a few forms, we have the crystal (what I use), stick, spray and roll on.
Expect sweating but don’t expect clogged pores, stains on the clothes or white residue on the pits.
Potassium alum is what makes up the crystal, some say this is a form of aluminum and some say it isn’t. Somewhere between the beginning of the search and almost losing my mind I found that the alum is a combination of a mineral salt version of aluminum and mineral salt potassium or ammonium. With their powers combined they form “alum”.
In a nutshell because of alums large molecules it’s almost impossible for them to be absorbed into the skin. It’s topical and toxic free.
With store bought antiperspirants you welcome aluminum zirconium or cholorhydrate into your skin cells. These both are very water soluble. When aluminum penetrates into the skin cell, water comes with, the more water the larger the cell becomes. This causes pressure on the sweat gland which is now forced to close, preventing you from sweating.
It is said by the FDA that aluminum being a contributor to cancer is a straight up myth. This may be true, you certainly get all sides when researching this topic on the internet. What I feel most comfortable with is allowing my body to sweat and if the Thai Deodorant Crystal allows me to do so and it does not seem to pose a huge threat to my health than I’m all for it.
I found the crystals at our local Granary here in Florida but I’m sure any whole foods market will carry them. Peace!
If anyone has more info on this somewhat confusing subject please feel free to drop some knowledge 