Years ago I got a bit freaked out when I heard that the aluminum in my anti-perspirant might be linked to cancer, and then to Alzheimers. That research has since been disputed by other researchers. Some call it urban myth, others say the verdict is still out. At least one is waiting for the results of the Sister Study in 2014 to settle the cancer question.

Apart from issues with aluminum (particularly aluminum chlorohydrate and aluminum zirconium), there are other reasons to avoid anti-perspirants and deodorants. Many contain potentially harmful chemicals like parabens, phthalates, triclosan and propylene glycol, and these can even be found in some organic brands.

Since I haven’t really found a deodorant- organic or not- that I’ve found to be consistently effective, a few years ago, I decided to experiment with a third option: a crystal. It’s made from alum salts, which are commonly used as natural odor fighters in Europe, Mexico and Asia.

Crystal deodorants are rated by the EWG’s Skin Deep study as being completely free of potentially harmful ingredients (they give it a 0 hazard rating, on a scale of 0 to 10).

In this video, I demo my new crystal deodorant. As trippy as it sounds, and looks, I have found it effective (according to my husband anyway).