CG Is Concerned About Culture:

My husband doesn’t like my deodorant - Degree Ultra Clear Pure Powder 100% little black dress approved. Here’s the problem: I’m sweaty, smelly, and I wear black because I’m all punk rock & stuff. What are my alternatives?

The Right Brain Assuages Her Antiperspirant Angst:

You have only 4 options:

1. Try the 11 million other brands of deodorant on the market until you find one that your husband likes.
2. Pick a musical lifestyle that`s less limiting on your wardrobe and a little bit less passé like, say, Emo.
3. Use his Speed-Stick.
4. Get divorced.

Thanks for asking The Beauty Brains.

Germaine Pie Is Puzzled By Her Pits: What causes darkened armpits and what can we do to get rid of them? They’re so embarrassing!

The Right Brain Raises Her From the Pit of Despair:
It’s not surprising that so many people have this problem - there are at least FIVE different reasons your pits could be darker than they should be.

Cause #1: Shaving.

When you shave you cut the hairs off at, or just below, the surface of the skin. If your hairs are slightly darker than your skin color, they can give the appearance that your skin has a dark stain when it`s really just sub-surface hair.

What To Do About It: Stop shaving and try waxing or plucking instead so you get rid of the hair below the skin surface. Since the hairs aren’t lurking so close to the top of your skin, they won’t be as visible.

Cause #2: Buildup of dead skin cells.

According to at least one dermatolgist, dark spots under your arms are the result of dead skin cells that are trapped in microscopic “hills and valleys” on your skin.

What To Do About It: Exfoliate, preferably with a product containing lactic acid.

Cause #3: Antiperspirant and deodorant usage.

In theory, some ingredients in these products (perhaps the fragrance) could be reacting with the skin to cause discoloration. Practically speaking this seems unlikely but many people do claim that when they stop using APDs, the darkness goes away.

What To Do About It: Try switching brands or using a deodorant instead of an antiperspirant. You may stink a bit more, but hey, the Left Brain lives for experiments like that!

Cause #4: A medical condition called acanthosis nigricans.

This condition causes light-brown-to-black markings on the neck, under the arms, or in the groin. It can be related to insulin production or to a glandular disorder and it typically occurs in people who are overweight.

What To Do About It: Watch your diet to control insulin production and use Retin-A, 20% urea, alpha hydroxyacids, and salicylic acid prescriptions to lighten your armpits.

Cause #5: Hyper-pigmentation.

This condition causes your skin to produce excess melanin pigment. It doesn`t usually affect armpits, so it’s a less likely cause.

What To Do About It: Use a skin bleaching cream to destroy the excess melanin. The Beauty Brains don’t recommend this unless you consult a dermatologist first. You can also try laser treatment to destroy the pigment.

Janessa Just Wants To Know:
I recently discovered your blog and have become totally obsessed! Thanks for offering us all with the real truths about cosmetic what`s-what`s and what`s-not`s. I was just wondering if you could give me the scoop on aluminum zirconium in deodorants causing diseases such a breast cancer and Alzheimer’s. I`ve heard lots of people talking about it recently and all my friends are switching to natural deodorants and think I should to. However, I was a little skeptical and did some researching and supposedly this whole thing is nothing but an urban myth! Is it true that there are no medical dangers that accompany the use of deodorants and anti-perspirants that contain aluminum zirconium? Oh and while we`re on topic, I just had another quick question. What do you think about LUSH`s new line of Deodorant Powders and their effectiveness?

The Right Brain’s Reply:
Good for you Janessa, you did your own research instead of just believing what you were told. That’s what being a good Beauty Brainiac is all about!

According to Snopes.com (a good source for debunking urban myths) there is no proven connection between antiperspirants and breast cancer. Basically they say that recent research on this topic is contradictary and that the status of the urban legend is unconfirmed. Rather than repeat their findings here, we suggest our reader check out their link.

But what about the Lush product you asked about? We found that their Powder Puff Deodorant Powder contains the following ingredients: Cornstarch, Kaolin, Magnesium Carbonate, Rose Petals, Rose Absolute, and Perfume.

What do we think of it’s effectiveness? To be fully effective, deodorants should contain an antimicrobial agent to stop most of the body odor from being formed in addition to a perfume to cover up the stinky stuff that sneaks through. (Deodorants don’t stop perspiration, only an antiperspirant can do that.) Powder Puff doesn’t have this active ingredient so it may do a fine job of covering some body odor, but it won’t be as effective as a product that does. Use at your own risk!

Kalisa Questions:
I recently tried a Degree Ultra Clear Antiperspirant (specifically, the one that promotes itself as “Little Black Dress-approved”) and, after using it just a couple times, lots of tiny little hard bumps appeared on the surface of the product. Not too comfortable on the freshly-shaven sensitive girl-parts. What causes these and is there anything I can do to prevent them?

The Right Brain Responds:
It’s hard for us to diagnose the problem without actually seeing the product, but we do have a couple of theories. (We always do, don’t we?)

First, let’s set the stage by looking at the ingredients in Degree:

Active Ingredients: Aluminum Chlorohydrates

Inactive Ingredients: Cyclopentasiloxane, Stearyl Alcohol, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, PPG-14 Butyl Ether, Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Fragrance (Parfum), Dimethicone, Polyethylene, Steareth 100, Helianthus Annus Seed Oil (Sunflower), BHT

There are a couple of interesting points to note about this formula. First, instead of the more common zinc-based aluminum salts the product uses Aluminum Chlorohydrate (AC) because it’s easier to formulate with in clear systems. But it’s also possible that the AC is crystalizing out, forming the little solid bumps that are the scourge of your arm pits.

It’s also possible that the product is drying out because you didn’t put the cap on tightly (or because the cap is defective) and the stearyl alcohol (the other major solid in the formula) is solidifying causing the bumps.

In either case, you’ll be in a lot of discomfort if you keep using it as it is. We suggest cleaning the top of the stick and replacing the cap tightly. If this doesn’t solve the problem, throw that stick away and buy a replacement: if you really like the way Degree works and smells (aside from the armpit gouging dots-of-death, of course) then buy another Degree. (Heck, if you write a complaint letter you’ll probably get a coupon for a free one anyway!) And if Degree doesn’t suit your temperment, then try another brand that promises to be safe for LBDs.

As a side note, we see that 3 of the 4 people who reviewed this product on drugstore.com said that it left white marks on their skin/clothes. Even though those comments may not be statistically significant, they don’t make Degree sound very “Little Black Dress” approved afterall!

We hope this helps!

PS The Barbi Doll pic is for Glitterati, wherever she is!