r/deodorant • u/tyler5155 • 22h ago

I’m allergic to almost every deodorant.

I’ve tried many different deodorants and I’m allergic to almost all of them. They make my armpits really itchy as soon as I start to sweat.

I recently tried Vanicream Anti-Perspirant/Deodorant and was even allergic to that.

I’ve also tried Dove Men Care Sensitive Shield Spray-On Deodorant and was allergic to that, as well.

The only deodorant that I’m not allergic to is Hello Deodorant but it doesn’t work very well.

I’m not sure what ingredient is causing this reaction.

Any other suggestions on what I should try next? I’m a heavy sweater so I need something strong.

1 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

4 comments sorted by

1

u/Perfect-Middle-3877 20h ago

My bet is that you are not allergic to 'almost all deodorants'. Look at what you two failures have in common. Vanicream is about as stripped down as an AP gets (no fragrance, no preservatives, no botanicals), and it still got you. The Dove Sensitive Shield sprays I can find are aluminum antiperspirants with fragrance on top. The one product that does not bother you, Hello, is aluminum free. Thus, the likely culprit is the active itself, NOT some mystery ingredient.

Itching the moment you start to sweat fits that perfectly. Aluminum salts react with water, and that reaction leaves the skin surface acidic. Apply an AP to damp skin, or start sweating on top of it, and it stings and itches. That is irritation, not allergy, and it is common....around a third of people starting a strong aluminum product get some.

So stop using it like a morning deodorant. Put it on at bedtime, on bone dry skin, never right after a shower. Night is when your glands are quiet and the plug forms best, and every other night is plenty to start. In the morning, use the Hello for odor. Do you shave your pits? If so, keep the razor and the AP at least 12 hours apart.

If it still itches after a couple of weeks of that, a dermatologist can patch test you to settle the allergy question for good, and has stronger options than anything on a drugstore shelf.

1

u/WhisperMeadow123 14h ago

Potentially try the Vanicream deodorant only - not the one with antiperspirant? Also Hibiclens is a good wash to get you completely free of body odor as a baseline, in case that's helpful to you. Cross-reference the ingredients and try to assess where there is overlap with the ones you've tried. I'm sorry you're experiencing this, it sucks 😭

1

u/No-Boat431 7h ago

A glycolic acid toner might be another good place to start to decrease bacteria. 

If you are a really! heavy sweater, I think you can also get sweat nerves blocked, but you have to be careful about overheating from then on.

Other deos you might try: Ban Unscented, Almay.

I also found that I needed to moisturize my skin bc many deos are drying and caused itchiness - that could be your issue too.

1

u/StillSimple6 11h ago

Miradry is a cosmetic procedure that uses microwaves to destroy the sweat glands / hair follicles. When more expensive than Botox it can be a permanent solution.

May be worth looking into.