Alum Deodorant Safety? Journalists’ Resources

Mrs and Mr Everybody have been busy doing research on alum, a common ingredient used through the ages in the wool, paper and leather trades as well as in food, water and medicines. Nowadays alum is best known by consumers as a deodorant ingredient and it is the subject of many sweaty discussions on the Internet. Some journalists proclaim its wonders and other implicate the aluminium contained in alum deodorants it in the development of Alzheimers disease and breast cancer. Mr and Mrs Everybody wish to add some new points to the debate. Go for it Mrs Everybody.

It all started about four years ago when I proudly presented the yet-to-be Mr Everybody with a crystal deodorant stick made from ‘ammonium alum’ which I’d bought in a health food shop. The deodorant was promoted as pure natural mineral salts. We both thought, ‘This is neat!’ as we rubbed this rock under our arms. However, after a few months they didn’t seem to work so well. Mr Everybody’s under arms started to become itchy and then he suddenly discovered raw patches of skin in his arm pits and a rash spreading across his chest.

We stopped using the deodorant and I searched for the traceability of the key ingredient, ammonium alum on the Internet, expecting to find the sources of the natural ammonium alum mines. No results appeared. I continued to try over the next few days using the most creative of search terms. Still no ammonium alum mines. Not accepting defeat, I switched to using French search terms and the artificial source of ammonium alum became clear on the French web domains, as did the sources of natural volcanic alum … So may I present you with:

• A summary of research…
• More detailed research…
• Unusual uses of alum …
• How to reduce your aluminium exposure through foods…
• How to deodorize very sensitive skin with volcanic alum…
• Where to buy natural volcanic deodorant…

You will be glad to know that we have managed to source volcanically formed alum and Mr Everybody has made a complete recovery. His sensitive (or should I say sensible skin) has not reacted since he has been using the volcanic alum.