Deoderant and chemical burns

[catbinch]

Hey lads,
Ive been looking for an aluminum free deoderant all over amazon and at the grocery. Unfortunately, most reviews plus my own experience shows that a lot of them (even all natural/sensitive ones) cause chemical burns. Will homemade deoderant do the same thing?

(sorry for my ignorance, recently got a chemical burn and i feel really SOL with deodorant)

 

[cmzaha]

If you make deodorants and use baking soda, which most people do, they can become very irritating. There are some folks here that I think make some without baking soda and some use milk of magnesium, which they say works well. Here is one thread I found https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/another-deodorant-thread-magnesium-oil.61097/

 

[IrishLass]

Here's another thread that goes into detail (in the latter posts of the thread) about making deodorant with powdered Magnesium Hydroxide (the active ingredient in Milk of Magnesia). Several us have been making our own using just babassu oil mixed with powdered magnesium hydroxide into a paste. Instead of being irritating, many of us have found it to be quite non-irritating, even soothing to the pits (at least I find it to be so), as well as being super effective as a deodorant......and non-staining to clothing as long as babassu oil is the oil used to mix with the magnesium hydroxide (i.e., instead of coconut oil, or other oils).


IrishLass

 

[cmzaha]

Palm Kernel is supposedly another non staining oil. CO will stain

 

[SoapAddict415]

If you haven't tried it yet, Arm and Hammer makes an all natural deodorant. I personally can't use it because I'm either allergic to something in it or my body just prefers all of the chemicals lol.

 

[earlene]

I highly recommend trying out the magnesium/babassu deodorant sticks so many have come to love, that IrishLass linked above. The results are really quite remarkable.

 

[Laurabolyard]

I make my own with baking soda, arrowroot powder, glycerine and essential oils. I have sensitive skin and don't find it irritating at all.

 

[cmzaha]

I make my own with baking soda, arrowroot powder, glycerine and essential oils. I have sensitive skin and don't find it irritating at all.

how long have you used it? Sometimes it takes months to a year to become irritating.

 

[Laurabolyard]

how long have you used it? Sometimes it takes months to a year to become irritating.

About a year and a half now! Ever since I found I had BC. I used to buy it from a business in Canada, then did copycats.

 

[SoaperForLife]

Some have developed allergic reactions to the magnesium so be mindful of that. I also worry about long-term use.

 

[Laurabolyard]

This is the company I used to use, and the ingredients that I've duplicated. I haven't used all f those EO, although I would love to. A costly start up, but I guess I would be in deodorant for anLONG time! I used just a few.

 

[SoaperForLife]

I think your body will naturally detox when you quit using commercial deodorant products. I think of it sort of like when I quit using commercial shampoo and went with shampoo bars with a vinegar rinse. Over time my hair adjusted to the point that I didn't need to wash it every day and no longer needed the vinegar water solution.

 

[Laurabolyard]

I think your body will naturally detox when you quit using commercial deodorant products. I think of it sort of like when I quit using commercial shampoo and went with shampoo bars with a vinegar rinse. Over time my hair adjusted to the point that I didn't need to wash it every day and no longer needed the vinegar water solution.

Agreed! I was stinky for a couple of months, not really any more. I notice it most when I've been carnivorous!!

 

[earlene]

Some have developed allergic reactions to the magnesium so be mindful of that. I also worry about long-term use.

I am curious about your specific worry about long-term use of magnesium.

(sorry for my ignorance, recently got a chemical burn and i feel really SOL with deodorant)

I am curious what deodorant gave you a chemical burn and have you narrowed down which ingredient may have caused it?

I think your body will naturally detox when you quit using commercial deodorant products. I think of it sort of like when I quit using commercial shampoo and went with shampoo bars with a vinegar rinse. Over time my hair adjusted to the point that I didn't need to wash it every day and no longer needed the vinegar water solution.

Skin doesn't detox. The kidneys and liver detox. The integumentary system is an organ that acts as a barrier to protect the inner organs from harm, as well as for thermoregulation. Granted sweat does secrete some wastes, but toxins are rarely if ever among those wastes excreted. Detoxification is a medical term that is being misused by an industry to sell unnecessary products to the public.

 

[SoaperForLife]

I believe that Zany was one of the soapers who developed a rash after using the magnesium/babassu deodorant that everyone is enamored with. Magnesium hydroxide appears to have a ph of between 9 and 10 and the msds mentions this: Eye: Causes eye irritation.
Skin: Causes skin irritation. May be harmful if absorbed through the skin.
Ingestion: May cause gastrointestinal irritation with nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. May be harmful if swallowed. Excessive amounts of magnesium may cause central nervous system depression, respiratory paralysis, and cardiac
Inhalation: Causes respiratory tract irritation. May be harmful if inhaled.
Chronic: Repeated exposure may cause kidney damage and digestive tract abnormalities.

 

[Laurabolyard]

Yahhhhh, I'll just stick with my above formula... yikes

 

[IrishLass]

Yahhhhh, I'll just stick with my above formula... yikes

Have you seen the MSDS for baking soda? If you are afraid of using magnesium hydroxide because of the what the MSDS sheet for magnesium hydroxide (CAS #1309-42-8) that SoaperForLife cited states (an older MSDS sheet, by the looks of it, which seems to show a last update of 2007), you may want to think twice about your formula using baking soda after reading the following MSDS for baking soda:

Skin: May cause mild skin irritation.
Eyes: May cause mild eye irritation.
Inhalation: May cause respiratory tract irritation. Symptoms may include coughing and sneezing.
Ingestion: Symptoms of overexposure to Sodium Bicarbonate include thirst, abdominal pain, gastroenteritis, and inflammation of the digestive tract.
Chronic Potential Health Effects: Skin: Repeated or prolonged skin contact may cause irritation, drying or cracking of the skin.
Ingestion and Inhalation: Chronic toxicity usually occurs within 4 to 10 days following ingestion of very large amounts.
Repeated or prolonged ingestion or inhalation of large amounts may cause metabolic abnormalities, and sodium retention. Metabolic abnormalities such as acidosis, hypernatremia, hypochloremia, alkalosis, hypocalcemia, or sodium retention may affect the blood, kidneys, respiration (cyanosis, apnea secondary to metabolic acidosis or pulmonary edema), and cardiovascular system (tachycardia, hypotension). Severe toxicity may also affect behavior/central nervous system/nervous system. Neurological changes may result from metabolic abnormalities. These may include fatigue, irritability, dizziness, mental confusion, paresthesia, seizures, tetany, cerebral edema
Medical Conditions Aggravated by Exposure: Persons with pre-existing skin conditions might have increased sensitivity.
Predisposing conditions that contribute to a mild alkali syndrome include, renal disease, dehydration, adnelectrolyte imbalance, hypertension, sarcoidosis, congestive heart failure, edema, or other sodium retaining conditions.

MSDS's show the worse-case scenarios for over exposure to whatever substance at hand. I don't know if you've ever seen the MSDS for common table salt, but if the only info I had on hand for table salt was its MSDS, I would never go near the stuff. lol


For what it's worth, below is the more recently updated MSDS sheet I have on hand for magnesium hydroxide. It is the same CAS #, by the way, as the one SoaperForLife cited, only this one was updated just last year (2017) Source: http://msds.orica.com/pdf/shess-en-cds-010-000030505001.pdf:


11. TOXICOLOGICAL INFORMATION


No adverse health effects expected if the product is handled in accordance with this Safety Data Sheet and the product label. Symptoms or effects that may arise if the product is mishandled and overexposure occurs are:


Ingestion: No adverse effects expected, however, large amounts may cause nausea and vomiting.

Eye contact: A mild eye irritant.

Skin contact: Repeated or prolonged skin contact may lead to irritation.

Inhalation: Material may be irritant to the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract (airways).


Acute toxicity:


Oral LD50 (rat): 8,500 mg/kg.


Chronic effects: Not listed as carcinogenic according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).


Aspiration hazard: No information available.


Prolonged use of magnesium hydroxide may lead to low phosphate levels in the body.


Application of a suspension of magnesium hydroxide in water to rabbit eyes, twice per day for 4 days caused reversible damage to the corneal epithelium due to mechanical injury.




And according to the NCBI (National Center for Biotechnology), magnesium hydroxide is approved as a GRAS (generally regarded as safe) food ingredient and nutritional supplement by the FDA. It is used in toothpastes and frozen desserts, it's a clarifier in sugar refining, and is also used as a pH adjuster in foods.

In regards to transdermal propagation of magnesium: as recently as July 2017, such propagation of magnesium is still showing to be scientifically unsupportable: source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5579607/

Based on all of the above, I for one have no qualms about using magnesium hydroxide in my deodorant. It has not caused any irritation to my skin at all, and I'm not in any way suffering from any other symptoms associated with magnesium overload.

That's not to say everyone will do as well with it as myself or the vast many others who are also doing well with it. Different folks have different sensitivities just as with any other 'GRAS' substance. As the caution advises, if irritability develops, discontinue use.


IrishLass

 

[SoaperForLife]

If you are happy using it and haven't experienced any irritation than I'd say stick with what works for you <shrug>. I was just reading a review of a magnesium hydroxide deodorant using a roller ball dispenser type system and the users all seemed very happy with its performance. On another note, haven't you noticed any changes in how much you sweat/smell since using your homemade deodorant?

 

[DeeAnna]

"...noticed any changes in how much you sweat/smell since using your homemade deodorant?..."

I don't stink -- but isn't that the point? I think sweat a tiny little bit less, but I still sweat.

 

[Dahila]

"...noticed any changes in how much you sweat/smell since using your homemade deodorant?..."

I don't stink -- but isn't that the point? I think sweat a tiny little bit less, but I still sweat.

Same here, less sweating and not stink , and it works like 24 h for me (however I am blessed with not stinky sweat)