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…
I bet you didn’t know these facts about 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.

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In the words of a grumpy old gent: “I do not believe it”.

Before I hit the streets fervently spreading the Wikaniko word in the new year, I felt I should be using (and hopefully loving) a fair few of the products.

One of the easiest eco-friendly products to “test” was the Wikaniko Deodorant Stone.  Also, one of the hardest.  To be honest, it took a wild leap of faith to go without my trusted anti-perspirant spray.

Here goes, human guinea pig, hubby scoffing quietly that it must be some kind of witchcraft (again).

Slightly surreal, rubbing a scentless stone in your arm pits.  (Yes, unlike the gentle ladies responsible for most of the anti-perspirant advertising on TV, I am happy to say “arm pits” rather than the relatively-newly-invented and somewhat feeble-sounding “under arms”).

The pure natural rock crystal eliminates odour-causing bacteria allowing perspiration without body odour.  It does not block pores. Its ‘active’ ingredients are simply natural mineral salts. There is no Aluminium Chlorohydrate which has been causally linked to breast cancer, it contains no parabens and has not been tested on animals.

And all that to one side, it works.  It. Works. A. Treat.

I’d be lying to say I wasn’t a little nervous leaving the house to do a mornings-worth of chores and a strenuous and energetic dog walk.  I resisted the urge to put the anti-perspirant in my bag in case I started to whiff.

But it didn’t actually cross my mind again until the following morning post-bath when I remembered that I was using it!

For those of enquiring mind (and occassional sloppy hygiene) like myself, it works (for me) for about 48 hours… OK, so I’m the only one prepared to admit to skipping my morning ablutions and spending a day doing housework in my PJs?  Never mind.

After 48 hours of no washing and no reapplication of said super environmentally friendly, skin friendly wonder stone, (and that’s 48 hours of running about and chasing a toddler and dog and doing endless tidying up etc) I still didn’t stink, I was just mildly aware of being slightly-less-than-fresh: my long-suffering Dad confirmed he couldn’t “smell me” when I wafted around under his nose (sorry Dad).  So no worse than skipping washing and conventional anti-persirant for a day or so.

And again, flying in the face of those doubters who say it costs the earth to save the earth, the Wikaniko Deodorant Stone costs rather a lot less than my previously-loved aerosol can of anti-perspirant and apparently lasts for months… kicking myself that my scepticism held me back for so long!

Thin people, stop reading now, the final paragraph will only distress you.

Post script for fat people: for those of us who have various crevices and creases around other parts of our bodies that could possibly also get a little hot and sticky, this product is an absolute must.  A quick whizz over with the natural deodorant stone and you’ll be confident that you are super-fresh wherever and whenever… you know what I mean, I shan’t spell it out.  All the skinny people will have read on, regardless of the warning, and are now feeling shocked and faint.

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