Making antiperspirant spray from Alum

Pitrok do a spray version as well as the crystal (i have both) but the spray does smell a bit iffy :?
it's kind of a cross between ozone and smelly armpits :roll:

i actually contacted them to find out how much alum they put in the spray version (so i could make my own)
i told them i had sensitive skin and wanted to know how strong their formula was, quite wisely they wouldn't tell me :lol:
 
I have a patent for a similar product that claims that it applies to a saturated solution. This Wikipedia page gives the solubility of ammonium and potassium alum in water at different temperatures:

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alum#Alum_solubility" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alum#Alum_solubility</a><!-- m -->

Somewhere between 5 and 10 percent appears to be a good guesstimate.
 
OK, here's an update on my foray in to home-made antiperspirant sprays.

I obtained an alum block and chipped some chunks off it. These were thrown in to my Jamie Oliver Flavour Shaker and ground up to a powder. I found a small spray bottle, a reject from Mrs PC, and emptied out the remains of the body spray or whatever it was. Then I filled it with water and put in some powder. It took a couple of days for it to dissolve fully, and after adding a little more powder I felt that the water was sufficiently saturated.

The first problem was the spray volume. This particular bottle sprayed quite large amounts in one go, enough for the liquid to dribble from my armpits right down the side of my torso (steady on boys!). The second more problematic problem was that the alum re-crystalized inside the sprayer and blocked it up. I tried it with another bottle and the same thing happened. The last couple of days I have taken to pouring a few drops in to my palm and slapping it under my armpits. Not ideal.

I now have a cunning plan. What if I added powdered alum to some cheapish moisturiser and mixed it up? Wouldn't that be pretty much the same as the Dove cream deodorant that I normally use? Perhaps then I could squish it in to a Dove container and *BINGO* a cheap version of this popular antiperspirant is born!

Or maybe this is just ridiculously stupid?! :shock: :lol:
 
Odd that this thread receive an update today!

Yesterday morning I had an extra Tae Kwon Do training session, so after the morning shower I wiped my (clean) pits with the alum block which kept me every bit as dry as a normal antiperspirant.
 
Jeltz said:
Odd that this thread receive an update today!

Yesterday morning I had an extra Tae Kwon Do training session, so after the morning shower I wiped my (clean) pits with the alum block which kept me every bit as dry as a normal antiperspirant.
Click to expand...

So really that's just what I should do instead of wasting time concocting useless gunk! Go on, I'm right aren't I?? :roll:
 
Jeltz said:
Odd that this thread receive an update today!

Yesterday morning I had an extra Tae Kwon Do training session, so after the morning shower I wiped my (clean) pits with the alum block which kept me every bit as dry as a normal antiperspirant.
Click to expand...

yup - it's been my 'go to' pit stopper for a couple of months now. Really hot humid days are the worst contender this method comes up against, and still does better than some brands of anti-perspirant/deodorants I've used in the past.
 
Pig Cat said:
OK, here's an update on my foray in to home-made antiperspirant sprays.

I obtained an alum block and chipped some chunks off it. These were thrown in to my Jamie Oliver Flavour Shaker and ground up to a powder. I found a small spray bottle, a reject from Mrs PC, and emptied out the remains of the body spray or whatever it was. Then I filled it with water and put in some powder. It took a couple of days for it to dissolve fully, and after adding a little more powder I felt that the water was sufficiently saturated.

the alum re-crystalized inside the sprayer and blocked it up. I tried it with another bottle and the same thing happened. The last couple of days I have taken to pouring a few drops in to my palm and slapping it under my armpits. Not ideal.
Click to expand...

Adam, you're over-complicating things! Your solution (sic) is super-saturated. Just add a few chunks to the water (or vice vera) and leave well alone. Grinding it up will make it dissolve faster and adding more will just make the whole thing ready to re-crystalise (as you describe).

I use a 100ml bottle with a few visible "rocks" of alum in it. When they have dissolved I usually use the solution until get below the level of the feeder tube (ie won't spray any more) and then top up with both more water and a couple more lumps of alum.

It doesn't need to be very strong, so a little alum goes a long way. Just follow my original instructions and enough with the Jamie Oliver already! ;)
 
Pig Cat said:
second more problematic problem was that the alum re-crystalized inside the sprayer and blocked it up. I tried it with another bottle and the same thing happened.
Click to expand...

Add some glycerin (actually more than some, like 20% or so) to slow the evaporation of water and keep the alum dissolved in something that does not (rapidly) evaporate?
 
Pig Cat said:
Jeltz said:
Odd that this thread receive an update today!

Yesterday morning I had an extra Tae Kwon Do training session, so after the morning shower I wiped my (clean) pits with the alum block which kept me every bit as dry as a normal antiperspirant.
Click to expand...

So really that's just what I should do instead of wasting time concocting useless gunk! Go on, I'm right aren't I?? :roll:
Click to expand...

Maybe, it certainly keeps it simple!
 
Thanks for all your replies! I haven't got any glycerin so sorry Henk, I can't try that method. Ollie's original method, if I follow it, sounds good except for my spray-hole being too wide and too much liquid coming out :? . Think I may just go back to basics and rub a block under my pits and see how that goes. :roll:
 
When I first saw that our supplier had `round alum blocks` and after reading about the use as a deodorant, I ordered them right away. They seem to be perfect to use as a deodorant stick without the need to chip or chop the block.
 

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