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Never let them see you sweat. And definitely never let them see you eat deodorant.
But Nicole, a 19-year-old from New York City who declined to reveal her last name, can’t help it: She’s addicted to eating antiperspirant. She eats about half a stick a day of her favorites (the “rich-tasting” brands), and says she loves the way it melts in her mouth.
“My mouth is watering because I am craving it,” she said on an episode of TLC’s “My Strange Addiction.” “I take deodorant everywhere I go.”
When she gives in to her cravings, she’ll scoop capfuls of the soft, aluminum-filled wax directly into her mouth. Though she had her first urge to try it when she was 4 years old, it grew into a distracting addiction two years ago. Somewhat predictably, her habit tends to leave her mouth “really dry.”
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“My brain is telling me, ‘You have to eat it.’ I tried giving it up for a week, but I got really sick and had bad headaches,” Nicole said on the show. “When I realize I’m out of deodorant I start to panic. My anxiety goes crazy and my heart will beat really fast.”
Like kids in the ’90s pined for spray candy, Nicole also loves deodorant spray. Even though her tongue went numb the first time she tried it, it has that same great deodorant taste she can’t get enough of.
Aluminum deodorants have been linked to cancer when applied to underarms, and doctors have warned her of the health risks of consuming it in her daily antiperspirant fix. Nicole didn’t mention trying natural deodorant brands on the show, but we have a feeling that, like diet soda, they just won’t be as tasty.
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