Friday, September 12, 2008

Dove Deodorant and AZT

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Dove Deodorant (dove.us)

I ordered a sample of Dove deodorant one time, and I really liked it. My pits stayed dry, I didn't smell hideous at the end of the day. I don't like a lot of overpowering scent due to allergies (plus who wants to sniff my armpits?) but a subtle scent isn't too bad and that's what this stuff is. I've been using it for months and months and months now. I don't get the huge pill-clumps in my pits I got with some other deodorants and the kind I use is an invisible solid so I don't usually end up with gobs of the stuff showing on my shirts. (this is the specific kind I'm using now -- Invisible Solid Powder (dove.us).)

I recently started looking into the presence of aluminum zirconium tetrachlorohydrex (wikipedia) in deodorant. The way it works is by forming a gel to literally clog the pores in your pits so you don't sweat. It also absorbs some of the sweat that gets out anyway. I find this idea slightly disturbing -- okay, I find it really disgusting. Supposedly the AZT used in deodorant is not as toxic (wtf) as other forms of aluminum, but the jury's still out. Plus, when your pores get clogged you get acne, and who wants zits in their armpits? I hate it when that happens, so very much.

Next up: Butylated hydroxytoluene -- BHT (wikipedia). It's used in varoius cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. Not too bad, right? Weeeeell, it's also used in petroleum, jet fuel, and embalming fluid. I'm not going to go on a scare-tactic bender and say that if you use something with BHT you're putting jet fuel on your pits, but still. If I have trouble pronouncing it, it makes me a little nervous.

Unfortunately, the active ingredient in Dove deodorant is AZT, and BHT is listed as well. I'm very disappointed by this. I like the stuff. It works, my pits don't feel gross at the end of the day (unless I haven't taken a shower in a couple days, but then my pits feel much like the rest of my body), and I don't smell either macho or totally froofy. But ... AZT. Ew. The more I read about it, the less I like it. I'm not going to throw away what I still have, because I'm not swimming in cash, but I'm definitely going to be looking for an alternative.

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