Antiperspirant stains are the pits. Help.

October 31, 2017 9:40 AM

I spent about a decade using the clear deodorant sold at Trader Joe's. They stopped carrying it. I can't find a replacement or acceptable alternative. My pits hate everything I try, except for the kinds that are ruining my clothes.

I have tried damn hard to avoid aluminum in deodorants. I do not want or need an antiperspirant. I just want a deodorant that will not cause me to ruin my clothes (off-color stains from the product) or break out into a rash (I apparently have incredibly sensitive pits). The clear stuff from TJs worked but I can't get it any more and have no clue who actually made the product. I can use the Dove "non-irritant" antiperspirant without having a reaction BUT it is wrecking my clothes, contains aluminum, and is not available in a plain deodorant, antiperspirant only, at least anywhere I shop.

Brands I have tried (and failed): Tom's of Maine, Kiss My Face, Jason, Burt's Bees, Schmidt's... Herbal Clear used to work but for some reason seems to irritate me now, at least the sport variety.

I have seen a doctor. He couldn't find anything overtly wrong. He recommended a $20/tube antiperspirant, which is a no-go on both a cost and content basis. At that price I'd almost rather stink.

I have no other known allergies or skin issues. I can't figure out on an ingredients basis what exactly in the deodorants might be at fault here. I've checked the prior posts. I'm at a loss.

I have access to Whole Foods, several co-ops, and Amazon so anything you can suggest is likely something I can find. But it's also painful, itchy, and expensive to keep trying and failing! Help please?

posted by caution live frogs to Health & Fitness (24 answers total)

I bought some deodorant at Costco.com that had coconut oil and various scents. It seemed to not bother my husband, however it didn't provide much odor control after a couple of hours!
posted by tangomija at 9:44 AM on October 31, 2017

I have a similar reaction to Kiss My Face and it is indeed definitely the pits. I've had good luck with Lush's Aromaco. If you can get to a Lush, they'll let you take home a small sample, so you can see if it will work out before committing to a purchase. It's a little messy to apply since it comes in chunks, but it doesn't stain my clothes and it doesn't give me red scaly armpits. You buy it by weight; one chunk lasts me half a year or more, typically, so while it's maybe a $10 outlay, you don't have to buy it too often.

I've also done okay with Every Man Jack, which is available at Whole Foods and at Walgreens and similar. There are different scent formulations; not sure if that's part of your issue. I was fine with the mint version but they also have fragrance-free.
posted by halation at 9:50 AM on October 31, 2017

I used the Crystal roll-on for a long time and found it effective and should be easily found at most drug stores. It did not stain my clothes. However, it began to irritate my arm pits randomly earlier this year so that may be out for you.

I'm now using the Arm & Hammer Essentials deodorant and it also works well and also doesn't stain my clothes. So far, no irritation from it. I do not love the "Fresh" scent that much (it's OK) but it does come in unscented.

Both should be also be available on Amazon.

I would love a much more natural brand (and have tried several!) but these were the only two that have worked and/or didn't wreck my arm pits.

(This is obvious, but make sure you wash the clothes you were wearing with the irritating deodorant really well. I had that problem, too -- deodorant residue lingered and irritated my skin after I switch.)
posted by darksong at 9:52 AM on October 31, 2017 [1 favorite]

The Arm and Hammer that darksong recommended and Speed Stick are two others to try. Less "natural" advertising, but aluminum-free and effective de-stinkers (can't comment on the irritation except to say they don't irritate anyone in our house).
posted by tchemgrrl at 10:00 AM on October 31, 2017

Seconding Arm & Hammer Essentials. Works pretty well in a warm weather dry climate. Not for exercise or outdoor work, but acceptable for an office zombie who's outside an hour or so per day, even in 95 degree heat.

On other days, I use an aluminum anti-perspirant.
posted by cnc at 10:30 AM on October 31, 2017 [1 favorite]

I had similar needs to you and found that Crystal roll-on has worked best for me. No irritation for me and no staining.
posted by homesickness at 10:38 AM on October 31, 2017

This dovetails nicely into my hobby of promoting a lifestyle and aesthetic I refer to as "granddadcore".

I had the same thing as you, went through all kinds of earthy brands. One day I was at a Walgreens scanning options because I needed a stick now, and I saw the Old Spice varieties. One of them was the "classic" scent with a little "original round stick formula" label in the corner.

I picked it up, sniffed it, and yep, smelled like the old stuff. I looked at the back, and saw this sentence: "If your grandfather hadn't worn it, you wouldn't exist."

Okay, sold. I bought it. I've not had a pit stain yet, it takes care of the pitfunk, and my wife is unexpectedly into me smelling like a dad. I've been using it over a year and a half now.
posted by middleclasstool at 10:42 AM on October 31, 2017 [2 favorites]

I should add that by "the same thing as you" I do not include the skin irritation thing. I have no idea whether your skin will react badly to it. But it works, and it won't ruin your shirts.
posted by middleclasstool at 10:44 AM on October 31, 2017

I was coming in to suggest the Arm & Hammer Essentials but I see others have beat me to it.
posted by The Elusive Architeuthis at 10:46 AM on October 31, 2017 [1 favorite]

Seconding Arm & Hammer Essentials.

This is what keeps me presentable as well.
posted by jessamyn at 10:46 AM on October 31, 2017 [1 favorite]

Yep. Arm & Hammer Essentials Solid Deodorant. I think I can usually find it at Walgreens.
posted by jillithd at 10:55 AM on October 31, 2017

I have good luck with men's Old Spice deodorants (not antiperspirants; they often have both versions of each scent). I use Wolfthorn which somewhat inexplicably smells like candy.
posted by metasarah at 11:08 AM on October 31, 2017 [1 favorite]

I've used Old Spice for a couple decades. Whenever I tried something else just for variety it failed.
posted by sweatyone at 11:17 AM on October 31, 2017 [1 favorite]

Thirding Old Spice. Almost every thing else makes me break out.
posted by General Malaise at 11:23 AM on October 31, 2017

Oh, a thing about Old Spice specifically: their Classic formula is alcohol-based, while the High Endurance is dipropylene glycol, in case you react to the the alcohol formula. They feel very different to me when applying (the alcohol is quite cooling) but neither bother me. Just adding because it may be an added variable.
posted by General Malaise at 11:26 AM on October 31, 2017

I really like Weeleda’s spray deodorant. It comes in three scents, I like Wild Rose, but the Citrus and Sage scents are unisex. Caveat is that it’s basically alcohol with essential oils in it, so it works best for people who are fairly unsweaty to begin with. Also, I find that it works best if you do one spray in the morning, and then a reapplication in the evening. That said, no aluminum, sweat stains or sensitive pit warnings to speak of here.
posted by Champagne Supernova at 11:52 AM on October 31, 2017

Continuing the alcohol-based theme, bog-standard dollar store hand sanitizer has worked better than anything else for me. I go through occasional shaving fads, and it stings a bit the day-of (duh) or if I've been using something else (Schmidt's, e.g.) that irritates my skin. I'm partial to Le Couvent des Minimes' roll-on but that stuff is spendy. I bought a nice white linen shirt this summer and wore it a lot, it seems to have held up to this treatment.
posted by All hands bury the dead at 12:21 PM on October 31, 2017 [1 favorite]

I'm super sensitive to everything, and Sure Unscented works great for me, no residue. (It's an antiperspirant.)
posted by radioamy at 12:47 PM on October 31, 2017

Classic Old Spice. Anti-persperants used to give me rashes as well and turn all the pits on my shirts into solid chunks. Haven't had an itch or ruined shirt since going to classic Old Spice a long time ago.
posted by kpraslowicz at 1:00 PM on October 31, 2017

Have you tried Schmidt's sensitive line? I get a rash from baking soda based deodorants but their sensitive one works great for me. ALSO, Schmidt's has a satisfaction guaranteed policy that they take seriously. I emailed them after I figured out my pits can't take the baking soda kind, and they mailed me a replacement in the sensitive line for free! I'd bought the baking sode one at a grocery store! So maybe reach out to them!

I've also had success with a natural brand you didn't mention, Herban Cowboy.
posted by purple_bird at 3:16 PM on October 31, 2017

I'm partial to Aubrey Organics Men's Stock. Smells good, doesn't stain and gets me through most days.
posted by Hairy Lobster at 4:13 PM on October 31, 2017 [1 favorite]

Speed Stick! I have somewhat sensitive pits (the A&H actually bothered me a lot but they've changed the formulation since I last used it), but Speed Stick doesn't irritate me at all. It's widely available, non-antiperspirant and definitely doesn't gunk up the clothing. If this matters to you, it's very minimally scented (but not unscented) once you have it on, or at least the Classic/Original version of it is.
posted by eeek at 4:51 PM on October 31, 2017 [2 favorites]

I also like the Le Couvent des Minimes roll-on but agree that it is spendy. The roll-on dispenser is nice and easily reusable which makes it easier to justify the purchase to myself.

Somewhere (maybe here?) I read about using milk of magnesia as deodorant. It kind of weirds me out but seems to work at least as well as say, Tom's of Maine. So now I have a repurposed roll-on dispenser full of milk of magnesia on my dresser.
posted by doift at 7:54 PM on October 31, 2017

I have been using Native, and my sweaty pits like it and no stains. Not super powerful, but effective enough and no reaction.

Let me know if you want a referral link!
posted by troytroy at 6:27 PM on November 1, 2017