Checking Out Anti-Perspirants and Deodorants

I have a very sensitive sweat mechanism!  I live in a city where temperature  hovers from a low of around 9 degrees Celsius in the cold months of December to February to around 28 degrees Celsius in the hot months of April and May. 

The moment the mercury hits 20 degrees Celsius (around 68 degrees F), the sweat starts to flow.  The funny thing is that the sweat starts on my foreheads to my nose and upper lips when it is extremely hot.   

Which bothers me a lot (and which makes me think I should have made a post on sweat-proof primers and make-up instead). 

Luckily, I don’t get that sweaty under my arms.

But I do have friends who sweat there.  A lot.

Which made us try different antiperspirants (which block sweat) and deodorants (which block odor), at different levels of intensity.

For persistent perspiration, here are our sweat solution picks:

Milcu Underarm and Foot Deodorant Powder

How it works: Milcu is made with Potassium Alum or Tawas crystals.  Potasium alum inhibits odor-causing bacteria and stays on your skin surface as an invisible protective barrier.  Take note that Milcu is not an anti-perspirant which blocks your pores.  You still sweat, but you won’t smell bad at all.

How well it works:I have always assumed that crystal deodorants were ancient-something my grandma would use (that I definitely won’t), but I am a fan of this.  Milcu has a liquid deodorant which I use more than the powder though.  It sort of makes you proud, too, that you are not using anything unnatural on your body.  It is such a great deodorant for teens as well.

The Body Shop Aloe Anti-Perspirant Deodorant

How it works:  The Body Shop’s Aloe Line includes this anti-perspirant/deodorant.  An anti-perspirant active named Aluminum Chlorohydrate is combined with the skin-soothing aloe vera.  

How well it works: I have very sensitive skin and this Body Shop gem is very gentle and effective.  It contains the soothing, hydrating and moisturizing properties of Aloe Vera.  It is perfect and very soothing after a wax treatment. I confess:  I am not the most earth-friendly person you will ever meet, but this is natural enough to suite my taste.

Secret Original Ph Balance Powder Fresh

How it works: Secret slows the flow of perspiration to the skin’s surface by being pH balanced.  Your perspiration dissolves into the sweat ducts the moment it comes into contact with Secret’s active ingredient.  As you continue to sweat, your sweat makes the pH of the solution rise.  Once it reaches the adequate pH, the active ingredient will serve as plugs in the sweat ducts. 

How well it works:  I remember bugging my mom to get me this when it got into the market in the early 1990s. I love its powder scent!  It is sticky though and you have to really scrub hard in the shower to get it off your pits.  Plus, I get freaked out by the idea of blocking my sweat glands.

Driclor

How it works: Worn overnight, this 20 percent aluminium chloride hexahydrate liquid blocks sweat glands, so sweat never surfaces.

How well it works: Sure, the idea of plugging my sweat glands freaks me out, but a wet shiny nose (in my case) and armpit sweat stains are so un-pretty, right?

I have been using Driclor sporadically, usually in the hot summer months.  It is a strong, by prescription anti-perspirant made by Stiefel Laboratories. If you follow the instructions, you can actually get by without putting any deo or anti-perspirant after two weeks of applying once a day.  Some can go two months with just a couple of Driclor application.

This product is a godsend for people who have hyperhidrosis (profuse sweating). I have read about people with clammy, sweaty hands using Driclor, so I tried using it on my profusely-sweating nose, too.  It stung like crazy (Driclor is very strong and can cause irritation), but then, it worked. My nose stopped sweating.  The only problem was that I started sweating on my upper lips. Blocked sweat does find another route…