Science of Sweat I - Smell and Origin
Science of Sweat III - How To Stop The Sweat
Can You Smell Ammonia in Your Sweat?
Testing Sweat 
Night Sweats

By Elena Voropay

If you care about keeping your friends, you probably shower daily and use some kind of scented product to cover up the stinky sweat. It's OK, everybody sweats. The important part is how you deal with it. Most people put on either deodorant or antiperspirant before leaving the house. Deodorants may cover up underarm smells, but if you sweat a lot, you probably need an antiperspirant to slow down the production of this disturbing dripping sweat.

Solid antiperspirants are made with several ingredients, including wax, a liquid emollient and an active-ingredient compound. It's the active ingredient that gives antiperspirants their sweat-blocking power. Most antiperspirants have an aluminum-based compound as their main ingredient. If you look at the back of an antiperspirant container, the aluminum-based compound is always the first ingredient listed. Here are a few of the common active ingredients: Aluminum chloride, Aluminum zirconium tricholorohydrex, Aluminum chlorohydrate, Aluminum hydroxybromide. Talk or baby powder is often used to stop perspiration.

Mechanism of Anti-Perspirants

The ions of the active ingredient, such as aluminum, are taken into the cells that line the top layer of the skin and the water passes in with them, says dermatologist Dr. Eric Hanson of the University of North Carolina's Department of Dermatology. As more water flows in, the cells begin to swell, squeezing the ducts closed so that sweat can't get out. Each cell can only draw in a certain amount of water, so eventually, the concentrations of water -- outside and inside the cells -- reach equilibrium. When this happens, the water inside the cell begins to pass back out of the cell through osmosis, and the cell's swelling goes down.

This is why people have to re-apply antiperspirant. For those who suffer from excessive sweating, or hyperhydrosis, aluminum chloride in high concentrations can prolong the swelling and may ultimately shrink the sweat gland, decreasing the amount of sweat it can produce. According to Hanson, an average over-the-counter antiperspirant might have an active-ingredient concentration of about 1 to 2 percent. For those who have excessive underarm sweating, there are prescription products that contain concentrations as high as 40 times those of over-the-counter antiperspirants.

For some people, who are allergic to aluminum or think that it may be harmful, I recommend any other alluminum-free products. Salt crystal is the best all-natural non-invasive option that doesn't cause irritation on the great majority of users. Just look at the list of ingredients before you make a choice.

Preventing Smelly Sweat Naturally

Alcohol/witch hazel can be used instead of deodorant after wiping sweaty areas with water and towel.

Alum is a crystal rock made from the mineral salt potassium alum instead of a deodorant. Some people find that it doesn't have the same drying power as other commercial antiperspirants, but crystal doesn't clog your sweat glands and is free of aluminum chlorohydrate, which may lead to future health problems.

Apple cider vinegar eliminates under arm body odor when used in place of deodorant because it reduces the pH of the skin. Bacteria can't live in areas with low pH.

White vinegar is also helpful. Place some on a cotton ball and apply to the underarms instead of deodorant. The vinegar smell is gone in minutes and you should be smell-free all day.

Baby powder or talc may be applied in areas of heavy perspiration. It is also an active ingredient in some anti-perspirants.

Baking soda can be used instead of deodorant. Just apply the powder to your dry armpits. It will kill bacteria and help absorb perspiration. Cornstarch can also be used instead or mixed with the baking soda.

Bauxite crystal deodorant works very well at controlling underarm odors.

Essential oils extracted from plants and trees provide some measure of antiperspirant or deodorant activity. Many have antiseptic or antibacterial action which accounts for their deodorizing properties. Others are astringents or antiperspirants and actually decrease the amount of sweat produced by occluding or shrinking pores. Usually, only very small amounts of the essential oil need be present in the preparation for a desirable effect.

Hydrogen peroxide Try mixing a teaspoonful or more of a mild solution of hydrogen peroxide (3%) in a glass of water and wash the underarm. You can buy the solution at any pharmacy and it is very inexpensive.

Radishes Juice about two dozen radishes, add 1/4 teaspoon of glycerine, and put in a squirt or spray-top bottle. Use as an underarm deodorant or to reduce foot odor.

Rosemary is an antibacterial herb. Put 8 to 10 drops of the essential oil in 1 ounce of water and appy it where needed.

Sage tea reduces sweat gland activity if consumed daily. This is especially true for those who perspire excessively due to tension. Use 11/2 teaspoonsful of dried sage or two tea bags in one cup of water; steep for ten minutes; drink in small doses throughout the day.

Daily Tips

Shower or bath daily to remove bacteria from your skin, especially the armpits and groin area where the bacteria is most prevalent.

Deodorant soap is preferable as it helps fight bacteria more than regular soaps.

Loosely fitting clothes and natural fabrics allow the body to breathe better than synthetic tight clothes. Today you can buy clothes made with new wicking fabrics that pull moisture away from your skin, moving it to the surface of the fabric where it can evaporate.Wicking fabrics keep your skin dry, which is important for maintaining a cool body temperature in the summer and avoiding hypothermia in the winter. Examples of high-tech wicking fabrics are CoolMax® polyester, Capilene® or Polartec® Power Stretch® and REI's MTS® polyester.Wash your clothes frequently or the bacteria will grow and give the clothes unbearable smell.

Dietary Changes

Chlorophyll is a great deodorizer. One or two chlorophyll tablets or chlorophyll liquid taken with each meal may also help. Great sources of chlorophyll are parsley, alfalfa and other leafy greens will help neutralize body odor. Wheat grass may taken daily on an empty stomach in the amount of 500 mg wash downed with a glass of water.

B vitamin (50 mg or higher), when combined with magnesium, will help reduce certain secretions that can be a cause of odor.

Zinc and Magnesium will help balance your body's metabolism and reduce the cause of bad odor. Studies have shown that taking 30 to 50 mg or zinc and 200-500 mg of magnesium daily will dramatically reduce certain body odors, although you may need less. Zinc may also reduce perspiration and sweaty feet. However, it is wise to go above 15 mg only with a doctor's supervision as zinc may interfere with the absorption of copper, another essential trace mineral.

Sage leaves blended with tomato juice has been found to be very effective.

Tea tree is an antibacterial herb. Make a deodorant by putting 2 drops of the essential oil into 1 ounce of water and apply where needed.

Tomato joice, approximately three cups, may be added to bath water before soaking to help a serious odor problem.

Towelettes (baby wipes) are useful when a tense moment surges the sex hormones which produce fluid under the arms and around the genital areas that, when combined with bacteria, causes odor.

Turnip juice will reduce underarm odor for up to 10 hours. Grate a turnip, squeeze the juice through cheesecloth, so that you have two teaspoonsful. Wash your armpits first, and vigorously rub one teaspoonful on each one.

Silicea Homeopaths recommend dissolving three 6X tablets of the tissue salt Silicea under the tongue each morning and evening to knock out odor.

Find out more on the Australian Fitness:

How To Stop The Sweat
Science of Sweat II - Immunity, Heat and Hormones
Science of Sweat I - Smell and Origin
Testing Sweat