I've always used deodorants because I wanted to avoid the aluminum (in some cases also zirconium) that almost all antiperspirants contain.  A couple of months ago I ordered a deodorant stone from a mail-order vitamin company. However, I became a little suspicious because no ingredients were listed on the package.  The next time I stopped at the local health-food store I decided to look at the deodorant stones they were selling.  This was very revealing.  On one product was roughly the following statement:   Made from mineral salts derived from natural bauxite ore.  For those who may not know what bauxite is, it is *aluminum* ore.  A similar product from the same company lists potassium alum as one of the ingredients.  My mother purchased a deodorant stone from a vitamin store that listed potassium alum as the active ingredient.  My mother wanted a product that does not contain aluminum and she was incorrectly told by the clerk that the product doesn't have aluminum in it.  By the way, potassium alum is just the common name for potassium aluminum sulfate. So, the bottom line is that deodorant stones are not an aluminum-free alternative to the antiperspirants that many people use.  Since avoiding aluminum seems to be the reason why many people decide to use the deodorant stones, I feel that the way they have been marketed borders on being deceptive. I should also add that there is no conclusive evidence that using aluminum-containing antiperspirants is in any way harmful.  There is a _link_ between aluminum concentrations in the brain and Alzheimer's disease; however, heredity appears to play a major role in determining who gets this disease.  If I had a history of Alzheimer's in my family (fortunately, I don't) I would definitely avoid aluminum-containing antiperspirants, antacids and baking powder (there may be others).  I would also cook only in glass (preferred), stainless-steel, enamel or cast-iron cookware

If I had a history of Alzheimer's in my family (fortunately, I don't) I would definitely avoid aluminum-containing antiperspirants, antacids and baking powder (there may be others). I'm afraid I wasn't paying much attention at the time, but there was some talk in alt.folklore.science a few weeks back suggesting that the Alzheimers/aluminum _link_ was in error... perhaps if you bring it up there someone can point out references. Aluminum or not, I simply find the B.O. rocks to be less irritating to the skin, and they don't have that weird deodorant smell.

The _link_ between aluminum and Alzheimer's has been shown to be false - it was something to do with a flaw in how the testing was done.

: I've always used deodorants because I wanted to avoid the aluminum (in some : cases also zirconium) that almost all antiperspirants contain.  A couple of I have used baking soda as a deodorant for decades. It works, its cheap, its available everywhere. It was thought-provoking, when I was at a retreat several years ago, to discover that my roommate was using vinegar as a deodorant

            Don't you realize that the biggest source of aluminum intake is from the WATER and from food and drinks processed with the WATER? No matter what kind of cookware you use, you will get aluminum from the WATER!             All city water systems use alum (aluminum sulfate) to settle solid wastes. This has been done for centuries in much of the world