Advice? Deodorant that won't bleach or discolor underarms in shirts?

Thought I'd put this question out there for the community. Can anyone recommend an effective deodorant that doesn't end up darkening/bleaching or otherwise discoloring the armpits of shirts (especially light colored ones is where it's most noticeable).

I know mostly the reaction that causes this to happen comes from washing in hard water. When I lived in Vegas (the water was so hard there it was awful) I literally stopped buying white or light colored tops because within a few months the armpits had yellowed or grayed.

I've had the same problem in SoCal (although the water isn't nearly as hard) and just recently had to turn a gorgeous Thomas Wylde pale gray fluid top with amazing acrobatic skeletons trimming the collar and hem in to a DIY hacked muscle shirt because (I'm assuming) deodorant caused the underarms to get bleached out (even though this top was dry clean only). It was either that or I just had to throw it away or donate because the bleached out underarms were so noticeable.

For the record I use just basic Secret solid deodorant. Has anyone else had this issue and what did they do? I've got some rather pricey tops that I'm gonna be pretty miffed if they end up looking ruined after only owning them for a few months (and this isn't helping with my desire to wear more lighter color palettes!).

Any advice or ideas are greatly appreciated!

10 years ago

Anonymous

I select the deodorant that has the lowest concentration of aluminum. That seems to help a lot. I would provide the brand name I use, but I am not currently at home.

ironkurtin

Veteran

InStyle recently covered a deodorant that nullified the sugars in sweat or something, avoiding odor. That may be worth looking up.

However, sweat itself may be the culprit. If so try one of the CertainDri products,

For yellowing I find a paste made of Tide with Bleach and shout, left to harden on the stain before washing, works pretty well. Bleaching has never happened to me so I'm no help there, sorry.

kerry

I haven't used this myself but I have a friend who uses crystal deodorant when she wears white (and maybe light colours). She only uses it in this application (I think because it doesn't fight wetness that well).

Jenny H

Active Member

I've been using a rock/crystal deodorant. I find that people either love or hate them but it works for me and I don't have any problems with discoloration (I will say, it does take about a week to start working at its best). I've also heard great things about a fancy (French?) non-staining deodorant called lavilin that you only apply once a week.

minimalist

BF uses Lavilin during the week, at least on days when he wears shirts he made. Says it works for him about a third as well as Mitchum does. That's better than my results, but I probably just have the wrong body chemistry for it.

BTW Lavilin is from Israel.
http://www.hlavin-industries.com/about_us_680

Helena

I've had luck by spraying the underarms of my white shirts with vinegar and/or adding vinegar in lieu of bleach to the white load - helps a lot.

April

Liquid Rock from Kiss My Face has a Lavender formulation that actually smells good. (The scent of most underarm products makes me ill.) You have to lay it on thick. It's a deodorant and not an anti-persipirant, so it will not keep you dry but it does help with odor and of course has no aluminum to discolor your clothing.

I used it all winter and also became fond of freshening things up later in the day with a hit of EO http://www.eoproducts.com/Cate.....orant.aspx also in the Lavender scent. I absolutely hate when something claims it's lavender scented and then smells like a can of air freshener. The EO lavender smells like you're standing in a lavender garden.

You can also try going back to your discolored shirts with a product called Deo-Go. I've had moderate success with that removing yellowing.

Golden

I use lavanila products and haven't noticed a problem.

texstyle

(website)

I have a lot of white tees and several shirts that have gone for many years with no discoloration. I used to have it happen back when I used traditional chemical products. Now I use Jason Natural Deodorants in Tea Tree (no chemical anti-perspirants because sweating is a natural way of the body to cool itself and shouldn't be stopped unless it's excessive). I also can recommend adding Borax powder to your whites when you wash them to help soften the water and brighten any yellowing. Soaking in a solution of hydrogen peroxide and water can also get rid of yellowing/stains. I used that trick to save a white shirt with red wine spilled all over it.

JAileen

I heard the author of this book interviewed on NPR's Fresh Air the other day.

http://www.amazon.com/Boyfrien.....my+handbag

She said the best way to deal with this particular problem is to spray with an enzyme cleaner (such as Oxyclean) soak, and then wash. Give it some time with the enzyme. After washing, don't put the item in the dryer until you're sure the stain is out because the dryer will set the stain. Note: I have not tried this myself.

Here's the interview. It was pretty interesting.

http://www.npr.org/2014/04/03/.....e-is-messy

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Minnie

I use a natural, unscented, aluminum-free deodorant from Tom's of Maine which works well for me.
I do not sweat much under my arms and this may not be strong enough in a humid climate or for people who tend to sweat profusely under their arms.
My clothes have no armpit discoloration. My husband claims the natural deodorant doesn't work for him, uses a regular gel one and his shirts do get stains.
I'm not sure if it's the aluminum or individual composition of sweat, or a combination

rabbit

I've sometimes had the problem you describe with dry clean only clothes. I wonder if it's some mix of the dry clean chemicals and residue that causes it over time. I've had some colored silk shirts that I eventually had to just get rid of. In hindsight hand washing them regularly would probably have been a better bet, but I wanted to keep their colors vibrant.

With light colored washable clothes all the suggestions sound good. I haven't had luck with using geo deodorants myself (I don't want to be stinky for the week it takes for them to sometimes start working), and little luck with 'clear' deodorants.

I think the enzyme idea is a good one, especially with colored clothes. I've used Oxiclean in the past, and recently am using the Pet Odor Eliminator enzymes with cats and rugs, and it's amazing how well they work at dissolving and disappearing organic stains completely.

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