Well, it's apparent that what works for one person won't work for everyone. I've now tried full-strength alcohol, applied with a cotton ball, and 3% hydrogen peroxide, applied the same way, as well as alcohol mixed with baking soda in a spray bottle. None of these had any appreciable effect. I'm not prepared to give up dairy foods (I loves me some hot cocoa), and in general, changing one's diet strikes me as a pretty complicated and uncertain way to deal with the problem.

So the suggestions I have not yet tried are a bacteria-killing oil such as tea tree oil (one of the sites I consulted advised against using oil of oregano as it is too irritating to the skin, even when diluted) or milk of magnesia. The latter is much cheaper; at my local drugstore, a 12-ounce bottle of milk of magnesia costs only $4, while a 1-ounce bottle of tea tree oil costs $10. I realize you wouldn't use nearly as much of the tea tree oil, but still, that's an awfully big difference on an ounce-for-ounce basis, and $10 seems like a lot to risk on a home remedy that might not work. So I plan to try the milk of magnesia next, even though it seems completely off-the-wall. If it doesn't work, I suppose we can always try it out for stomachaches.

Well, I tried the milk of magnesia (applied with a rag), and it seemed to work tolerably well. However, I had to stop using it because of an unexpected side effect: apparently it still works as a laxative even when applied to the skin. There's no reason at all why it should, as far as I can tell, but the laxative effect kicked in a day or so after I started using it and eased off as soon as I stopped. So I think I'm going to have to abandon that idea.

So far, the only thing I haven't tried is tea tree oil. My skinflint side rebels at shelling out $10 for a tiny 1-ounce bottle, but I guess it will last a long time. Does anyone else use this as a deodorant who can recommend an appropriate way of diluting and applying it?

What did you find out, haverwench? I'm really curious.

I use a deodorant stone, but haven't really noticed that it works, especially as I have hair.

Oh, I gave up and bought some deodorant when we made our annual trip to BJ's (we aren't members, but whenever we get a free day pass in the mail we make a trip out there to stock up). It's "baby powder scent," which I'm not crazy about, but at least it works, which none of the home remedies seemed to do. I never got around to testing out the tea tree oil.

A summary of the results:
* baking soda applied with a damp washcloth: no effect
* apple cider vinegar applied with a cotton ball: a bit better than the baking soda but not really effective
* full-strength alcohol, applied with a cotton ball: no effect
* 3% hydrogen peroxide, applied with a cotton ball: no effect
* alcohol mixed with baking soda in a spray bottle: no effect
* milk of magnesia: worked somewhat, but caused loose bowels (don't ask me why; I can't explain it)
* giving up dairy products: too onerous. I'd rather pay for deodorant than forgo my morning cup of cocoa.

I also have tried a crystal deodorant, and I found that to be pretty much ineffective as well. I still have it, in fact--I'm not willing to rely on it as a deodorant, so I never use it, but I can't seem to make myself throw away a $5 deodorant that isn't used up. How I expect to get my money's worth out of it by keeping it sitting unused on my dresser, I really can't explain.

I have found that those stone deodorants work well on FEET but not on underarms. I think my stone deodorant would work if I shaved my underarms, but for a variety of reasons, I'm not willing to do so.

haverwench:

I also have tried a crystal deodorant, and I found that to be pretty much ineffective as well. I still have it, in fact--I'm not willing to rely on it as a deodorant, so I never use it, but I can't seem to make myself throw away a $5 deodorant that isn't used up. How I expect to get my money's worth out of it by keeping it sitting unused on my dresser, I really can't explain.

 

This made me laugh out loud. I confess the many things I've kept unused because I wanted to get my money's worth out of them somehow. 

haverwench,

I did some poking around. The crystal-style mineral deodorants are made from potassium alum, which is also called potassium aluminum sulfate. Wikipedia says that it can be used as an astringent for after shaving, to reduce the bleeding in shallow cuts and nosebleeds, and also for hemorrhoids. It might can be used for water purification, but I don't know how. I called a person with a docorate in chemistry and he's looking up alternative uses for me.

 

 I sweat a lot since I am very active, and find the crystal salt stones work wonders for me. I pay $5.95 for one, and it'll last me almost a year. I can't do much on my own that would be cheaper than that. It's cruelty free, etc. It probably doesn't work for everyone, but before it I was having to use the prescription stuff just so I wouldn't ruin clothes. This works great for me.

Here are a couple of solutions. I have tried them all and they all work. 1) Use baking soda plain - just dab it on the underarm. Yes, it cakes, but that tells you that you put on too much. 2) Oil or Oregano (get it at your ehalth food store - one bottle should last you a good 10 years)- you just need one drop (yes, one drop) mixed w/ three drops of vegetable oil and it keeps the odor completely under control. You must mix it or the Oil of Oregano neat will sting like a wicked Italian cook. 3) Hydrogen Peroxide - put it in a spray bottle and spray on - it completely eliminate existing bacteria and is a hostile patch for new stuff All are inexpensive and trustworthy.