The Vine: January 9, 2009
Those bastards at Proctor & Gamble have discontinued my deodorant.
No more for the Secret Platinum Soft Solid. I tried their new product the “Flawless” and it’s ill-named. It never quite, I don’t know, dries like the Platinum Soft Solid did, so I walk around all day with this creaminess feeling in my armpits. Yick.
And it’s not as “unscented” as my old unscented was. And it doesn’t ward off the BO as well. And, when I wash my pits it balls up before I scrub it off, which is just flat-out weird.
FYI, I sent the angry email to P&G and they confirmed that they’re discontinuing the entire Platinum line. So if that’s what you use and like, stock up now.
Meanwhile, I’m looking for recommendations for something like what I used to use, but from a different brand. I don’t want something that takes too long to dry after application, and I want “unscented” to really mean without scent. Oh, and it should keep me from being stinky.
My coworkers and I all thank you.
Amy
Dear Amy,
This isn’t really on-topic, but next time, write a physical letter and mail it.It may not get the product reinstated, but it does tend to get you freebies, or at least coupons.I know how grannyish that sounds, but companies will try to retain your goodwill by responding to complaints in that way.
I’ve used the Secret Invisible Solid for so long that I really don’t have any alternatives to suggest (and their “unscented” does have a scent; it isn’t bothersome to me, but everyone’s different with that stuff).
Readers, anyone had to switch from Secret’s Platinum Soft Solid and found another brand they like?
Tags: Ask The Readers health and beauty
Add me to the Dove train. I don’t think they have an unscented, but the scents are very mild. I like the “powder fresh” one. My mom, who HATES any artificial scent at all, uses that one and it doesn’t bother her. It keeps me dry and unsmelly. They do have a sensitive skin version and a clinical strength.
I’m not sure if there’s an unscented version, but Degree is FANTASTIC on the dry-ness and smelliness fronts. I swear by it.
Heh. I tried “Tom’s Uselss Crap Stick” once, and it was probably around day two-and-a-half when my husband suggested that I go back to my original pit stick.
I switched from Secret Platinum to Arrid Extra Dry, and it’s amazing. No BO, no sweating, no off-putting fake-deodorant smell. LOVE.
I am a secret platinum unscented user as well and I’d noticed it was getting harder to find but didn’t know it was being discontinued – sad! Thanks for all the great suggestions!
I have used the Secret Clinical Strength unscented and its good. Recently I switched to Origins “No Offense” which is scented, but like, pleasantly naturally so. Its clear, and so far, seems good. My underarms are prone to wretched itching from deo so I have tried all kinds before finding a few that don’t irritate. So highly recommend both. Which are sort of opposites.
Funny, I thought I was the only girl using Mitchum. Guess you can’t keep a good thing secret. It’s everything I want in a deodorant, been using it for years. Dries fast, you don’t feel it, it’s completely unscented, and it’s a great deodorant.
What is going on with Secret? I had been using their Original Unscented Solid for as long as I can remember, and it’s been discontinued, too. They still make the scented version of it, but I can’t tolerate the odor. When it started getting hard to find, I bought every one I could find. I’m down to my next-to-the-last one now, so I’ll be on the hunt for something soon.
It’s only a deodorant rather than anti-perspirant, but I use Kiss My Face unscented and it makes the stink go away. Every time I try an actual anti-perspirant, my face seems to sweat more; since I’d rather have damp pits than a wet face, deodorant wins.
Mitchum’s Smart Sold Unscented. It dries really fast and it doesn’t leave residue on my clothes. It also works.
I picked up a sample size of Dove Invisible Solid in Powder scent. (I totally fell for the commercials.) The scent made me gag and the “Invisible” claim is most decidedly not. I’ve tried a gazillion different deodorants over the years, and most of the “no white residue” claims are lies.
You don’t have to use the Secret Clinical Strength at night, that’s just what the instructions say for optimal results. It can be used just like a regular deodorant. Same with the Dove Clinical Strength, too, for Dove fans.
Mitchum or Mitchum Lady. I’m allergic to all kinds of laboratory[made scents. This one is perfect. And it’s so good “you can skip a day.”
@Katherine: Hey, that’s my name! And re: the shaving thing, yeah, me too, although even an electric razor can bug me if I’m not super careful. For a while I thought I’d just never get to shave again (and I’m not THAT much of a dirty hippie… yet), and then I bought an epilator to YANK OUT all my armpit hair. Fun times. Hurt like a bitch the first few times, now doesn’t hurt as much. And I just don’t use anything on the pits for about 24 hours afterward, but oddly enough, I seem to smell less after I use it too, so that’s good.
I can’t pinpoint any one thing that led to my reactions to EVERYTHING, either. I know that after I switched to a gel for a while I couldn’t switch back to a solid, and once I switched to just a deodorant I couldn’t switch back to an antiperspirant. At this point I’m afraid even to try most granola deodorants, because I’ve had bad reactions to them too.
@maura: Really? I’ve had the opposite reaction to Dove. Everything else I tried was lies (I’m black, and they must just not use black people in their tests because invisible?…no) and the thing that made me a Dove-devotee was the fact that it actually was clear on me. I use the sensitive skin ultimate clear whatever though, so maybe that’s the difference.
No recommendations, unfortunately – I have always figured that being truly dry was a myth created by the advertising industry, and shop mainly by fragrance. A few months of the wrong antidepressant, endless trips to Target for distraction, and faulty memory about what toiletries I needed have me currently alternating between three Secret Platinum solids (Vanilla Chai, Ocean Breeze, and Kuku Coco Butter,) one Secret Platinum gel (Brazilian Cherry – a misstep,) Dove Original Clean (smells just like the soap, ) Dove Smooth Cashmere (does not smell like cashmere,) Dry Idea Fresh Clean gel, and a sample size of Secret Flawless Protecting Powder that came with the bargain 3-pack of Kuku Coco Butter. (While this is, admittedly, weird and dysfunctional, I also own about 100 colognes and perfumes – I just love fragrances.)
There was a big Unilever sale at the end of the summer, and Target had an endcap of multi-packs. I was checking out the Dove products and suddenly became aware of hostility in my vicinity. I looked up to see some guy glaring daggers at me. My cart was apparently blocking the Axe display. DRAMA! Somehow I hadn’t expected anyone to be that invested in Axe products – or at least *willing to be seen* as that invested in Axe products.
Certain Dri times a million. Sure, it stings a little the first week or so. Sure, you have to remember to put it on at night. But you do not sweat anymore. At all. No pit stains, no discoloration, no avoiding white or light-colored shirts. I personally don’t subscribe to any of the “aluminum causes cancer, Alzheimer’s, mysterious death, etc…” lines of thinking, and I also don’t think there’s anything wrong with stopping your sweat glands under your arms. I haven’t found any ill “sweat backup” effects (although my upper lip sweats far more than it used to, may or may not be related). So I recommend Certain Dri all the time. It’s the best.
I’m allergic to most scents and several normal deodorant ingredients, so the only thing I can use is Almay unscented solid, which I buy online (some store, somewhere, must carry it, but I gave up trying to find it).
To be fair, it’s probably not the most super-drying thing ever, and so not the best choice for ladies who tend to sweat a lot. But it does the job, and doesn’t smell like *anything at all*. And was a step up from talcum powder, which was all I had been able to use for the two years prior to discovering the allergies.
I use Tom’s “useless crap stick” (aka “All Natural deodorant”) and I like it quite well. The adjustment period was pretty steep though, it took me like a week and a half to stop being moist and stinky. But I smell fine now, and it doesn’t stain my shirts.
Personally, I use Suave. Either powder fresh or fresh and clean scent. They have unscented, also. My favorite deodorant used to be Secret, but we decided to try to save money anywhere we could (were saving for a house) and friends recommended Suave. Just as good – if not BETTER than Secret – and the best part is it is CHEAPER! Hope you find what you are looking for!
I live in Phoenix which recently received the dubious honor of being named the “sweatiest city in America,” and the deodorant that far and away works best for me is Dry Idea. I get a scented variety, but I know it also comes in unscented. I prefer the roll-on over the gel stuff.
I also was pretty amazed at how effective the clinical strength products are. It’s almost freakish how much it prevents sweating. I even mowed the lawn in 110 degree heat, and didn’t perspire under my arms. To be honest, it was so unnatural not to sweat in those conditions that I thought there had to be something toxic about the clinical strength anti-perspirant and mostly quit using it. I recommended it to a friend who was taking a vacation in Vegas in the summer, and she said that it stopped her from sweating under arms, except that she missed a spot and that one little uncovered area was perspiring like a fountain. Like I said, I don’t know about the science behind it, but that just doesn’t seem natural or normal. I shower in the morning, so on the rare occasions I use the clinical strength stuff the night before, I still apply my Dry Idea.
@Jennifer: Interesting that you had the exact opposite result with the Dove than I did. Is the Dove Skin Sensitive Ultimate Clear a gel? Maybe that’s the difference.
More pimping for Mitchum’s Smart Solid. I shaved yesterday, and used Mitchum’s right after doing so. No rashes or inflammation, which is a big change from the old-style Mitchum’s.
Dry Idea Clear Gel is also nice. It dries really fast (particularly surprising, considering some gels I’ve used take forever to dry) and doesn’t leave a residue. However, it’s only OK is the actual deodorizing department.
Another vote for Dove Sensitive. No detectable scent, no clothing stains, etc. I’ve been a fan for years, and it doesn’t seem any less effective.
@RB: I’m with you on the “aluminum will kill you” tip — it sounds like an email forward gone awry.
Dove Sensitive all the way. Arm & Hammer is also a win.
@ Jill/RB – Something about the fact that aluminium is a heavy metal ENTERING MY BODY freaks me out.
Admittedly it’s not been conclusively linked to any disease or symptom, but it *has* been proven that the aluminium enters the body, rather than just doing its job on the outside. I don’t know about you, but everything in me screams “that can’t be good”. It has been scientifically proven that people with Alzheimer’s have heightened levels of aluminium in their brains. I wouldn’t want to argue using anti-perspirant causes Alzheimer, but I’d say it is a subtle clue that having heavy metals gather in your body isn’t ideal.
Just because scientists can’t link it to a specific disease directly doesn’t make it innocent. Smoking does not *cause* lung cancer, but we wouldn’t exactly argue it’s harmless, would we?
Maybe I’m a total freak, but…I bike to work, I sweat, if not buckets, then glasses when I’m active and vary from stinky to fresh as a clean towel un-pit-protected.
I’ve found that Tom’s works great for me. Alternative: LUSH solid deodorants. There’s one that’s amber colored and a little block lasted me FOREVER, smelled really good on but not too strong, and worked really really well.
I’ve switched a few of my morning care routine things over to ‘natural’ products partly for breakout issues and partly environmental. Obviously neither Tom’s nor Lush are perfect in either respect but I have had enough good results to stick with both.
To add, I didn’t really find that I needed a few days’ adjustment on Tom’s or LUSH, BUT it depends on the person.
I find that I am more or less smelly at different points in my menstrual cycle. I also go through ‘shower every day/shower every other day’ phases so that will change your results.
Hope this is a de-stinking overly detailed cocktail of anecdata!
@ Leonie – Actually, cigarette smoke contains over 60 carcinogens, which are defined as substances that cause cancer.
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/tobacco/cancer
This is admittedly anecdotal only, but every woman I’ve known who has had / been treated for breast cancer has been told by her doctor to stop using anti-perspirant (with any form of aluminum in it) and to use only deodorant (with just scent to cover odor). This comes from many women (unfortunately) and from many different doctors. I’m not sure of the science behind it (maybe stopping the sweating interferes with the operation of the lymph nodes under the arm somehow?), but I’ve heard it enough times to think that it must be serious.
@ Janie – carcinogens aren’t a flat out guarantee you’ll get cancer from smoking, though. There are people who smoke a pack a day all their lives and live to be a hundred, just as there are no doubt plenty of people who use antiperspirants daily all their lives and suffer no ill effects. Fact remains, smoking is generally considered to have an averse effect on one’s health, and I’d be inclined to err on the side of caution as far as knowingly putting a heavy metal in my body. I don’t need scientists to work out an exact causal effect before I stop doing something – I’d rather just not risk it. Likely correlation does me just fine. Just my two cents, though. Of course, I get so sweaty I have to throw principles and theories out of the window and use antiperspirant anyway at times. But I’ll always be on the lookout for a good alternative.
@ Jennifer – I wish Lush worked that well for me. I tried two of their deodorants, a bar and a creamy one. The creamy one smelled divine and did a nice job, but I had to carefully wash it off every night or my skin would get irritated. The bar kept the stink at bay, but I was sweating buckets… Actually, I think I’ll just have to learn to live with the idea that not stopping the sweat because that strikes me as unnatural means, well… sweating. It’s just a touch embarrassing at the office.
Thanks, Sue – scary stuff – I’ll be following Laura to the Kiss My Face section!
I’m also a Secret Platinum Soft Solid devotee, and have found the switchover to Flawless a bit of a pain. I had the same problem as Amy, but I found that it works just like the old stuff if I make sure my pits are really super dry before I put it on, and then get dressed right away. And this is the crucial part — don’t use too much! I’ve always been something of a dewy lass, and Secret actually works better for me if I use it sparingly — 2-3 clicks, just barely enough to cover my pits, is enough.
As far as other brands, Arrid XX stopped working for me after about a year, and Degree leaves horrible yellow pit-stains in t-shirts unless I use vinegar and baking soda in the wash. I haven’t tried any of the clinical strength brands yet.
I had to abandon Certain Dri. I’m a brown girl, and it burned the skin under my armpits. After two years of not using it, they’re still scarred. If you have higher amounts of melanin, be wary of Certain Dri.
After Certain Dri, I stopped wearing antiperspirant or deodorant all together for a few months, almost a year. Honestly? Best decision I ever made. I am a sweaty girl, and after about four years of knowing that, no matter what I’m doing, no matter what I put on them (unless it’s a prescription strength nightmare that scars me), I have realized that I will sweat, and sweating is ok.
Yeah, yeah, “it’s not attractive to always have wet patches under your arms.” Whatever. I was single when I had (mostly) dry armpits, so it can’t be that my sweatiness is driving men away. I have too many other flaws to blame that one.
These days, on the recommendation of a friend, I use Crystal. I sweat, but even after massive sweating, I sniff my shirts and there is zero odor. And as someone who loathes doing laundry, this is a great thing.
@Tadpoledrain: The lessened stink after shaving? Turns out that that’s because the smell actually clings to the pit hairs. Fun.
I’ve only got one stick of Secret Platinum and I’m pretty sure it’s the Soft Solid. But I’ve found that the little trial-sized stick of Tag’s “All Nighter Invisible Solid” anti-perspirant that I got in the Frosh Kit my university handed out works well for me. It’s not a strong scent, but it is a rather male one (kind of pine-y, I guess), so I guess it’s a matter of whether you really want to smell like you’ve borrowed your boyfriend’s deodorant. Or like a pine tree.
Or it could be that I’ve gotten used to the scent ’cause it’s similar to what my fiance uses, and the height difference is enough that I’m pit-to-nose with him.
One thing, though – my university’s up in Cape Breton, so I’m not sure whether the All Nighter Invisible Solid is available elsewhere.
Add me to the Degree bandwagon. For some reason I can’t recall, I switched to it from Secret Platinum, and it’s been a reliable deodorant. (And I sweat a lot as a general rule.)
So, it’s not unscented, but I’ve been using Old Spice High Endurance for years now, after trying and rejecting a number of woman-specific deodorants that always seemed to make me smell like wet, stinky fruit. (I’ve never understood trying to make underarms smell like food — isn’t that what durian is for? I prefer a slightly musky smell, and a non-anti-perspirant deodorant, which is what led me to men’s deodorants.)
I like either Mountain Rush or Arctic Force for mild, gender-neutral scents. The High Endurance is a gel solid that goes on totally clear, keeps me smell-free (or just slightly pleasantly musky) all day, and never stains my clothes. I’ve been having trouble finding my scents lately at the local CVS, but just checked the web site and apparently they’re still making them, so maybe they’ve just been sold out. I need my Arctic Force!
I use Lady Mitchum Clear Gel Unscented Sensitive. No scent at all. None. It dries clear, it’s not sticky or creamy (once it dries), and no BO breakthrough. I would highly recommend it.
I have PCOS and sweat big time. I used to have to have a prescription, but now the Secret Clinical works fine.
After reading the comments the other day, and being intrigued by the deodorants “with cotton” I picked up the Adidas for Women. It’s actually kept me dry, which even Secret Clinical Strength couldn’t do. Also, no balling up in the shower & no gunk stuck to the pits of my shirts.
I can’t believe no one mentioned Almay clear unscented! I refuse to use P&G products, so no experience w/ the Secrets to compare to, but w/ Almay it truly is unscented and it keeps me unscented too!
I use the Dove for sensitive skin… It’s unscented and good when you have dry skin issues. Also it dries very well, sometimes I forget if I’ve even put it on!
Ewww—did NOT like the Kiss My Face roll-on. I’d forgotten my ick factor with roll-ons, I have issues. Also -I am too impatient to wait for it to dry, so I ended up doing the chicken dance around the house for 5 minutes, freaking out the cats. That was fun, but the cats will get used to it eventually, so I’m still looking for a deodorant STICK, I guess.
Gonna try y’all’s other suggestions. Thanks!
Man, that’s why I can’t frickin’ find it! Crap on a stick. I’ve been using the soft solid unscented for more than a decade. Thanks so everyone for suggestions. And thanks to Amy for asking this question.