The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Deodorant
Posted by Arxsyn (Canada ) on 03/16/2016
★★★★★
Milk of Magnesia does work nicely as a deodorant. There was a time in my life under a lot of stress, my body odour was very strong and people told me so. Only clinical strength anti perspirant / deodorant helped. This stuff retails at $9 a pop. Searching for less chemicals in my life l tried rock crystal. Coconut oil... No dice. Baking-Soda worked nicely if I was already sweating in the moment... Takes care of the wetness and odour. Used alone, it's a salt so it would irritate skin, gritty feeling . Besides, Who goes off into the powder room with baking soda? Some DIY recipes call for carb and coconut oil. Coco oil is expensive, $20 for a large format jar. No thanks. Mom used alone, I still had a smell... But mixed together with baking soda in a reused roll on deodorant, that's clinical strength -- right there. It can leave a white chalky residue at times but whatever. Some of it absorbs sweat, and may get on the underside of the garment. So much more economical, washes easy. If I need to, l just switch it out with the conventional stuff. These days l can use MOM virgin. I'm sure you can make it scented with your essential oil(s) of choice.... Possibly with your favourite conventional perfumes? I also wonder if there is an added benefit of absorbing magnesium through the skin? I don't know but I'm hopeful. Quicker and easier than an Epsom salt bath.
Where to Buy
Posted by Jellybean (Chicago, Il) on 05/25/2013
Many years ago my mom used to have blocks of milk of magnesia in blue paper that she purchased from the drug store. Whatever happened to that form of MoM? Is it still around?
Canker Sores
Posted by Old Dud (Corona, California) on 06/08/2013
★★★★★
I have used milk of magnesia for canker sores. It take 3 applications and it will start to go away. Try it till it gone.
Deodorant
Posted by Pj (Japan) on 04/29/2016
★★★★★
I use Milk of Magnesia as deodorant as well. I tried pharmaceutical grade baking soda which is a very fine powered form with coconut oil in the past and even that caused painful red rashes under my arms and even cuts because the baking soda is crystals and crystals have sharp tips that cut and irritate the skin. MOM is smooth and gentle. It has never caused any harm to my skin and I have been using MOM for several years. The only thing it does not do is stop the sweat, but it does stop odor. I just shake it up and put it on before dressing. It dries quickly so if you put on your underwear, pants, and socks before your shirt, it should be dry and you should not get white smears on your clothes, at least I do not.
Magnesium Water Recipe
Posted by Zark (Emerald City) on 06/20/2017
The problem with adding an acid (citric or carbonic acid) to Magnesium Hydroxide [Mg(OH)2] is you change the chemistry and can no longer be sure that it will have all the same beneficial effects. The two OH groups will disappear, losing their alkalising potential - and it is alkaline groups like this which disable the extremely toxic poisons produced by fungi, and thus providing healing from a wide range of diseases.
When you add magnesium hydroxide and citric acid you get the following reaction:
Mg(OH)2 + C6H8O6 => 2H20 + C6H6MgO6 (water and magnesium citrate)
(thankyou answers dot com for the reaction equation)
Reader Feedback
Posted by Mona (Fl) on 05/12/2015
★★★★★
I was able to find out that some brands do not use sodium hypochlorite (bleach). CVS brand has magnesium hydroxide 1200mg as an active ingredient and purified water as inactive ingredient. No other stuff added.
Reader Feedback
Posted by Bob (Wichita Falls, Tx) on 06/30/2018
★★★★★
I have been using MOM (milk of magnesia) as a deodorant for over a year. I used to use my hands until I bought a small 2oz spray bottle. Works so much better. Just 4 spritz is all I need. And my hands stay dry to finish dressing for work.
Insect Bites
Posted by Art (California ) on 08/26/2017 2325 posts
★★★★★
About two weeks ago I got bit multiple times by what I think were gnats that I am probably allergic to. It was sunset and I was outside talking to a neighbor. That night the bites turned into red welts and bumps that were hot to the touch, extremely itchy and swollen. I thought I would tough it out and they would go away in a day or two, but now two weeks later it is as though I just got the bites yesterday. I have tried several remedies including baking soda paste, several essential oils, hydrogen peroxide, rubbing alcohol, witch hazel, colloidal silver and mag oil. The colloidal silver offered some relief, but not complete relief.
I decided to try milk of magnesia and it is definitely helping to alleviate the swelling, inflammation and itchiness. I'm thinking the MOM would probably have worked even better had I applied it right after being bitten.
Art
Deodorant
Posted by Alan (Mexico City) on 09/12/2017
Plain lime is the best for underarm odors .....
Deodorant
Posted by Kathi (New Brunswick, Nj) on 11/01/2013
★★★★★
I agree that MOM (milk of magnesia) as a deodorant is great! I have been using it now for about two months. Keeps me odor-free even after sweat-drenching exercise classes, as long as I remember to change out of my exercise clothes. Sometimes the MOM seems a little too drying so I rub in coconut oil as well.
Reader Feedback
Posted by Timh (KY) on 07/13/2014 2048 posts
In some circles, Magnesium Hydroxide is coveted as the best form of Mag for colon cleansing due to the active oxygen factor. Why would a small amount of Chlorine hurt as there are always pathogens in the gut that need killing??
Reader Feedback
Posted by Shannon (Titusville, FL) on 11/12/2007
★★★★★
Thrush in newborns: Take a q-tip or cotton swab dip it in Milk of Magnesia and rub it around the babies mouth twice a day sure enough it will cure it just as fast as it came on. I have a one month old who got thrush and sure enough instantly it started working. Helped ease the discomfort and cleared it up with not problems!!!
Ted's Feedback
Posted by Kimber (Pittsburgh, Pa) on 10/28/2012
★★★★★
After going through 6 months of a rash I thought was yeast, doing a yeast cleanse diet with beaucoup supplements, I htought maybe me and my baby had a staph infection and looked here for answers. I stumbled upon the pages where Ted had noted milk of Magnesia's effectiveness against staph. I can't find the original page now but I put the Milk of Magnesia on my skin rash that I suspected was staph. I did this 2-3 times a day and by the 3rd day, it was scabbing and healing, barely itchy. Before, I would wake up at night with my stomach bleeding from itching so much. By the end of the week with the milk of Magnesia, you could barely see where the infection even was. My son who is just 1 year old would get the bumps on his cheeks. I tried many other things before- ACV (in the bath too), absorbine jr (because we tried treating for ringworm), and nothing worked- except for the milk of magnesia. Within 2 day his cheeks started clearing up. I will say that the absobine Jr. Helped to relieve some of the itchy for me, but I'm not sure if it is advisable to use for that- I was just desperate. Thank you for your valuable information here, it is changing lives.
Reader Feedback
Posted by Bessie (Calgary, Alberta, Canada) on 03/08/2009
★★★★★
For underarm odour, I've had good luck with Milk of Magnesia as posted by someone else at Earth Clinic. I just pour a wee bit into my hand and rub it into my armpits. Wait until it dries before putting on your clothes. It worked remarkably well and I've been under a great deal of stress lately. I used the name brand Milk of Magnesia (from the pharmacy) but you could probably use a generic or store brand one. Good luck!
Reader Feedback
Posted by Jodi (Bowmansville, NY, USA) on 01/21/2009
★★★★★
My friend told me about Milk of Magnesia for burns. When her daughter was little she has rashes so bad on her bottom that she had to leave off the diaper quite often because of her acidity level in her urine. One day her mother was watching her and she told her mother to be very careful because of the rash. She left for a few hours and when she came home the rash was gone. She had applied Milk of Magnesia directly on her granddaughter and not long after the skin rash was gone.
My friend also told me about using it on burns, so I have tried it. My daughter and I have both burned our hands so I tried it and it worked. You need to soak it near an hour but it leaves no red marks and it feels better.
Acidity
Posted by Chaku (New York) on 05/18/2015
I have really bad acidity problem and have blister in my mouth. No medicine is helping me. I tried to take Milk of Magnesia couple of nights and feeling better in my acidity. Can I take it everyday? or any other guidance how to take safely every day. Should I take potassium pills or banana with it daily? Please help to take it properly
Acidity
Posted by Talulah (Uk) on 01/16/2016
You can also rinse it round your mouth for 15 mins and then spit. Try to find it without added bleach or saccharine.
Makeup Primer
Posted by Karen S (Canada) on 01/31/2014
★★★★★
Another way that I use MoM is as a primer for makeup! I put on a thin layer and let it dry prior to putting on foundation and it keeps my oil in control all day! It's so nice to put foundation on in the morning and not have it slide off my face by noon! Awesome stuff, that MoM.
Ted's Feedback
Posted by Jeannett (Scotland) on 09/15/2018
Reader Feedback
Posted by Deirdre (Earth Clinic) on 08/03/2009
Here is the response we just got from Bayer re: Sodium Hypochlorite in the Phillips' Milk of Magnesia brand:
"Thank you for taking the time to contact Bayer HealthCare. We appreciate your interest in PHILLIPS'® Milk of Magnesia.
In response to your inquiry, Sodium Hypochlorite is derived from Chlorine and Sodium Hydroxide and is used as a antimicrobial agent.
If we may be of further assistance, please feel free to contact our Consumer Relations Department.
Reader Feedback
Posted by Arley (Florida) on 02/08/2016
★☆☆☆☆
Maybe YEA, seems the dose and use are paramount.
According to Wikipedia it is the sodium hypochlorite itself that has been used to treat eczema. So, one should research if you want this substance in the MOM you would use to treat eczema or body odor. It seems like you might want it. Maybe you want the CVS brand if you take it internally. I would guess that it could damage gut flora since it is commonly used as a disinfectant.
From wikipedia: Dilute bleach baths have been used for decades to treat moderate to severe eczema in humans, [12][13] but it has not been clear why they work. According to work published by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine in November 2013, a very dilute (0.005%) solution of sodium hypochlorite in water was successful in treating skin damage with an inflammatory component caused by radiation therapy, excess sun exposure or aging in laboratory mice. Mice with radiation dermatitis given daily 30-minute baths in bleach solution experienced less severe skin damage and better healing and hair regrowth than animals bathed in water. A molecule called nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-kB) is known to play a critical role in inflammation, ageing and response to radiation. The researchers found that if NF-kB activity was blocked in elderly mice by bathing them in bleach solution, the animals' skin began to look younger, going from old and fragile to thicker, with increased cell proliferation. The effect diminished after the baths were stopped, indicating that regular exposure was necessary to maintain skin thickness.[12][14]
Also noted in wikipedia:
Chlorination of drinking water can oxidize organic contaminants, producing chloroform and other trihalomethanes, which are carcinogenic, and many hundreds of possible disinfection by-products, the vast majority of which are not monitored. So I would definitely not want it in anything I consumed internally.
So although, it may be beneficial for some things in very small amounts, I.e. a .005% solution is a very small amount in a bath to treat eczema, but not great for ingesting. I am not sure of the % in the MOM solution. That information would be helpful to determine an appropriate amount in a bath to treat eczema.
Reader Feedback
Posted by Raquel (West Palm Beach, FL) on 07/23/2009
★★★★★
I also use MOM as a deodorant, can't be without it! I had the idea of adding a few drops of essential oils (lavender and tea tree) for added protection plus I like the "clean" scent.
EC: MOM = Milk of Magnesia
Reader Feedback
Posted by Genevieve Marcus (Los Angeles) on 04/17/2015
I use mag citrate as a deoderant. It's a clear liquid.
Reader Feedback
Posted by Pamela (Houston, Texas) on 12/18/2008
★★★★★
I didn't believe it but a friend of mind share with me an article he had read in the newspaper about a man who used milk of magnesium to clear up a long standing bad case of acne. We both have been putting the milk of magnesium on acne break outs at night before we go to bed. We are both happy at the results as both of the problem spots on our faces are clearing up. Who would of thought it would work. I have tried everything on my face and there were always some spots that nothing seem to work. It works slowly but everyday you notice the acne getting smaller and smaller. Plus I am noticing that I am not getting the usual breakout of new blemishes.
Reader Feedback
Posted by Rick (New Bloomfield, PA) on 07/03/2007
★★★★★
No particular ailment, but I have been interested in Magnesium supplementation ever since I had a couple of "racing heart" episodes several years back, and discovered that I could calm things down by taking Epsom Salts (Magnesium Sulfate) in water... awful taste and also a powerful laxative. I began to wonder how I could get the same effect in a more palatable way, without the laxative effect. Eventually I found the"Magnesium" webpage and learned the following:
How to make your own Magnesium water [like the 'Noah' water being sold by a certain company, which bottles water from a spring that is naturally rich in bicarbonates of Magnesium].
The assumption is that we could all use more magnesium in our diet, which may help reduce blood pressure, reduce the likelihood of kidney stones, etc.
Here's how to make your own Mg-rich drinking water:
Buy a bottle of Carbonated Seltzer water - NO SODIUM, just carbonated "fizz" water, unflavored. Refrigerate for a couple of hours.
Get another, larger bottle, and pour 2/3 of a capful of PLAIN (no-flavor) Philips Milk of Magnesia (which is Magnesium Oxide, an alkaline laxative) into the large bottle. (The bottle comes with a plastic measuring cup which is what I mean when I say 2/3 capful.)
Now quickly open the bottle of carbonated water (water + carbonic acid) and empty it into the large bottle containing the 2/3 capful of Magnesia.
Shake well.
You will have a bottle of milky/cloudy liquid which is in the process of neutralization between the carbonic acid and the magnesium oxide-- leaving a neutral salt, Magnesium Bicarbonate.
Let the cloudy mixture sit for a while at room temperature, until the liquid clears; there will be some white precipitate at the bottom. Shake again and let sit again. When clear, refrigerate. THIS IS YOUR MAGNESIUM BICARBONATE CONCENTRATE. Unlike the chalky taste of straight Milk of Magnesia, or the biting-fizzy taste of seltzer water, your concentrate will have a strong, sweet, slightly "soapy" taste. You will be DILUTING it in water for drinking purposes.
When it has chilled, pour a small amount into an empty 1 liter bottle (approx. 1/2" of concentrate at the bottom) and fill the rest of the bottle with pure drinking water.
You have now created a sweet-tasting, Magnesium-enriched drinking water, and you're also getting your Bi-carbs without all the Sodium you'd be getting from Baking Soda.
I have been making and drinking this Mg water since Nov. 2006 (I write this in July of 2007) and have not had any bad effects from it. I take a bottle to work and sip it during the day. My resting heart rate seems to have gone down and I feel more relaxed in general. I can't say it has greatly improved my high blood pressure, but it has helped some, and I know I am getting enough Magnesium. Probably would be beneficial to supplement with Calcium for balance.
Try it and see what it does for you.
Ascites
Posted by beverly (elkhart, in) on 10/18/2024
★★★★★
Milk of magnesia has helped my husband with ascites/ swollen body from water in all the cells of his body, his stomach protruded with water and his inside legs swollen with water, he takes one whole capful that comes with the bottle every night and the next morning he is pooping like diarrhea is happening when it is not. It is taking all the water from his swollen body cells and putting all this through his intestines and getting it out. Of course, it has taken every day to continue cleaning him out. Some days are twice of the removing of the water and poop/he is continuing on once a night one full cap and it has been a month now. Little by little, the water is coming out, and he feels a lot better from all that pressure relieving the water in all his cells. He has lost 20 lbs in a month and two weeks now. He feels so much better with his overall health and walking and breathing better, too. Ever since I saw he has ascites as I figured out, I started thinking of ways to help him and milk of magnesia has the right amounts of magnesium and calcium in the right ratios, I noticed his inside legs were leaking out water one day that`s when I started to think that he has water buildup then I read about ascites .from there I figured out that milk of magnesium pulls water into the intestines safely and he gets rid of the excess buildup in his water cells and pooping it out once a day or even twice a day, looks like diarrhea but it is not it stops coming out after you relieve it out, but we continue on with the once a night full cap dosage every night and it continues to clean out his water cells and poop. Fantastic milk of magnesia miracle worker and is safe and gentle on the body. He just eats a banana once a day to keep natural potassium in his body when getting rid of the water in his cells, he is feeling great.
Where to Buy: Canada
Posted by Art (California) on 07/27/2024 2325 posts
Ted's Feedback
Posted by Gavin (Manganui, Northland, New Zealand) on 10/30/2012
Thats intesting because I put magnesium sulphate cream on a couple of detox boils and it cleared them up, when they seemed to be going on to long.
