Funny, I've recently had a long discussion about aluminum products and hyperhidrosis with a colleague so I thought I'd share… just please bear with me, it is a bit lenghy. And I'd like to say that in no way am I affiliated with any of these products, nor do I recommend/not recommend them. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif

In the US, 20% Aluminum chloride is available under the brands Drysol, Xerac AC and Hypercare. One of the UK brands of it is Perspirex, as Babb13 had so kindly shared her positive experience above. In the US, they're unfortunately all prescription. The good news is that most doctors have no qualms about writing a script for them as they're quite benign. Honestly, I'm not quite sure as to why these even need a prescription… the only reason I can think of is that some people can get a burning sensation/peeling dermatitis, in which case all you have to do is stop using it and put some hydrocortisone cream, then either ease up on your usage or quit altogether. If you don't have insurance, these cost around $15-$25 for around 30+ ml, Hypercare being the cheapest. But if you have insurance, these cost just around $5. Drysol is also available on Amazon.com, usually for a very jacked up price. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_eek.gif

The difference of the OTC (over the counter) products is that aside from having a lower concentration of Aluminum, some of them contain moisturizers or emollients to make them less harsh on the skin. As pole dancers, we don't want those extra moisturizers! Drysol, Xerac and Hypercare contain less of those extra ingredients.  Some liquid brands that I've seen while shopping around for myself include Dermadoctor Total Nonscents Antiperspirant (Aluminum Zirconium Tetrachlorohydrex Glycine 11.25%) which costs $28 at Sephora, Maxim Prescription Strength Antiperspirant (Al Chloride 15%) which is $15 on Amazon and Certain Dri (Al Chloride 12% and 25%) which is the cheapest at around $6-10 at Walmart. TIte Grip contains Aluminum chloride too, but for the life of me I can't find the concentration online. I think that's because it's part of a "secret formula", though I think Tite Grip is on a league of it's own because it offers some amount of tack too. Maybe one day they'll make a "clinical strength" too… https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_biggrin.gif

Now don't be intimidated by all the chemical names in antiperspirants containing Aluminum. There are a ton of them, chemgoddess had graciously named a few and even linked us to their wiki. The different chemical preps are just different ways of manufacturers to help get them into liquid or gel states so that you can get them on your hands or pits or wherever. Some forms are more dessicating (absorbs moisture) which certainly helps some, but it's the aluminum part that's at the meat of all this. We just have to be smart about reading the labels. If you know of other great products, please share! There are probably a ton of other products out there, and it's great that we have forum's like Veena's where we can share info https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif

Aluminum works by reacting with your own sweat to make a little colloid plug that physically block the sweat ducts. Unlike other antiperspirants that just wash off, you can actually build it up so some people can end up using less over time. Knowing that principle, there are a few added tips I'd like to give all of you to get the best use of this: 1) apply it at night, so that it has time to settle in and you don't go around touching stuff and rubbing it off; 2) make sure your hands are wiped dry before you put it on so you don't dilute it with excess sweat; 3) and most importantly, you should put it on in a patting or dabbing motion rather than just wiping or rolling it on. This really helps it get in there to block the ducts.

Also, as pole dancers, it will be helpful to know which other products that have different actions we can layer on top of our aluminum antiperspirants. This is useful to know when we try to make all our little "recipes". Example, Dry Hands' active ingredient is silica, which is a dessicant and draws out moisture. If your aluminum antiperspirant is not enough, these two would go hand in  hand.  Mighty Grip and iTac are grip aids. They do give you added tack, so this can be used to your advantage over your aluminum, but they won't keep you dry when used alone.  Doesn't really make sense to layer 2 aluminum products on each other (ie. Drysol over Perspirex). The only time you could theoretically do this is with Tite Grip as it has other dessicants aside from having aluminum. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_wink.gif

If you're wanting to experiment with OTC products yourself, I suggest trying out the lowest concentration first before trying higher doses, as you'd like to avoid any burning/peeling which would put you out of poling for a few days. Once you have an aluminum antiperspirant you lile, try it one night, see how it goes and make sure you don't get red, and if all goes well, use it daily until you're satisfied with how dry your hands are. Once you reach that state, ease up and go every other day, and decrease as much as you can until you're at a good balance of being dry and using as little as you need. Watch out for any signs of peeling or redness and ease up or quit if that happens. Everyone is different so you will most definitely have to play around until you get there. Don't throw in the towel just because it didn't work for the first few weeks. Expect it to be a work in progress.

Now, all that being said, a lot of people nowadays like to shy away from certain anti-perspirants due to concerns about Aluminum causing Alzheimer's. If you are one of these people, then these products are not for you, I am not here to argue. But for everyone else who is interested in trying these, just know that the studies linking Alzheimer's with aluminum have so far been only "circumstantial evidence" as like they say on CSI. The Alzheimer's Association takes the stand that antiperspirants are safe for use.

This friendly bit of medical advice brought to you by Gummypia, M.D., P.D. (medical doctor, pole dancer, haha!!!)