What is your most embarrassing experience? Was it going outdoors with smelly and sweaty underarms? If you’re a student, a worker, or just someone regular in the gym, armpit odor might be an everyday dilemma to you. I compiled all the preparations and lifehacks that you should do first before going outdoors to avoid armpit body odor. Make sure to take down notes!
Body odor has been a dilemma for many people including students, workers, and those who go for outdoor activities. Lifehacks videos, on the other hand, are popular on social media. If you’re dealing with armpit odor, you might want to consider the 10 hygiene hacks that might help you avoid, if not stop, the unwanted armpit odor. Applying the right deodorant on your armpits, creating your DIY deodorant, watching your food intake, applying antiperspirant at night, taking a bath every day, using antibacterial soap, drying your armpit well, washing your clothes, wearing comfortable and breathable clothing, and shaving your armpit hair are the hygiene hacks effective to reduce and solve unwanted armpit odor problems.
10 Hygiene Hacks to Avoid Unwanted Armpit Odor
If you’re a student, a worker, or simply a person who likes outdoor activities but have armpit odor problems, these life hacks are for you to read!
What should I do first?
1. Apply the right deodorant for you!
If your armpit stinks, deodorant is the lifehack that will surely save you from this dilemma. You only have to choose the right deodorant for you. Always look for the deodorant’s active ingredients. If your armpit skin reacted toward a specific active ingredient, stop using the product immediately. Do not use any products yet that contain the same active ingredient to avoid further complications. Consult your doctor immediately, as well, if possible. Find a deodorant that is safe for you to use. Be reminded, as well, that deodorant only masks the stink underarms. It does not stop perspiration! (if that’s your problem) So, before going outside, always make sure you applied the right amount of deodorant on your armpits. Let your armpit dry first before wearing a shirt!
2. Create a homemade deodorant as an alternative!
Were you unable to find deodorants suitable for your armpits? Homemade deodorant might be the perfect pick for you! Who would’ve thought that it’s possible to formulate our very own deodorant at home? Home remedies are our life savior! When doing a homemade deodorant, you have to know first what you’re allergic to. If you’re a big fan of home remedies, you know that baking soda is one of the most popular ingredients for remedies. Yet, some people are allergic to this. That’s why it’s essential to consult a doctor first to avoid serious armpit skin complications.
Here are the do-it-yourself deodorants that you can try at home. If you’re not allergic to baking soda, you can try this:
1. Jasmine and Tea Tree Deodorant Bar
Ingredients:
2 tbsp. of beeswax
1/4 cup of shea butter
1/4 cup of coconut oil
2 tbsp. baking soda
2 tbsp. cornstarch
15 drops tea tree essential oil
15 drops jasmine essential oil
Procedures:
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Combine 2 tbsp. beeswax, 1/4 cup of shea butter, and 1/4 cup of coconut oil in a heated bowl. Heat a couple of inches of water over low heat in a saucepan. Place the bowl on top to melt the wax and oils.
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Remove the bowl from the saucepan. Stir it next in baking soda and cornstarch, then add the essential oils.
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Pour into a mold and let it stay for several hours.
2. Lavender Coconut Deodorant
Ingredients:
1/4 cup of baking soda
1/2 cup of cornstarch
3 tbsp. of coconut oil
2 tbsp. of shea butter
Essential Oils: (2) drops of lavender, (2) drops of jasmine, and (2) drops of eucalyptus.
Procedures:
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Melt the coconut oil and shea butter together over low heat.
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Stir in baking soda, cornstarch, and essential oils.
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Pour it into a jar.
If you’re allergic to baking soda, you can try this instead:
Ingredients:
15 drops of lavender essential oil
15 drops of lemon essential oil
1/2 glass of witch hazel water
1 spoon of aloe vera juice
Procedure:
Put all the ingredients inside a container and shake it well.
3. Eat Healthy Food!
We sweat what we eat. Monitor your food intake. Eat fruits and vegetables because those will make you smell nice. Eating is great! Who does not want to eat, anyway? But if you’d like to smell fresh, you have to eat less unhealthy.
If a butterfly has ever landed on you, it’s not because a deceased relative misses you already nor because they like you. It’s all because they are into your sweat! So, if a butterfly has ever landed on you, take that as your daily reminder to only eat healthy food to avoid armpit odor.
Here are the food that you should eat to avoid unwanted odor:
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Celery- It removes toxins from the body.
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Citrus Fruits- It limits the unwanted smell.
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Green Tea- It supports detoxification.
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Tomatoes- It reduces sweating and body temperature.
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Aromatic Herbs- Essential oils responsible for the scent.
4. Apply antiperspirant at night!
Sweat does not produce body odor. If you’re excessively sweating and it mixes with your armpit bacteria, then that’s when you will produce an unwanted armpit smell. If sweating or perspiration is your problem, you might want to consider applying prescription-strength antiperspirants. Antiperspirant will temporarily block the sweat glands underarms. So, if you’re about to go to school, work, or just somewhere else, apply antiperspirant the night before that to control your sweating underarms and, hopefully, control the armpit odor, as well.
5. Take a bath every day!
In spite of the fact that we should never judge a person for opting not to take a bath every day, either because of their eagerness to conserve water or because of water scarcity, we should not neglect the important role of taking a bath, as well, toward good hygiene and odorless armpits. Going outdoors means meeting new bacterias and producing more sweat that would lead to unwanted armpit odor. So, take a bath daily if you have the chance!
6. Use antibacterial soap
Beauty soaps are popular in the market, but if you’re dealing with armpit odor or body odor in general, opt to use antibacterial soap instead. Antibacterial soap, from the name itself, removes the bacteria from the body. If you’re about to go outside for a walk, there’s a big chance for you not to smell despite the perspiration if you use antibacterial soap.
7. Dry your armpit well
What do you often use to dry your armpit? Do not let the air dry it alone! Grab a soft towel, and use it to pat your armpits dry completely. Bacterias are everyone, and raising our armpits to dry might not be a good idea at all.
8. Wash your clothes!
Taking a bath alone is not enough. You have to wash your clothes, as well. Do not wear the same clothes repeatedly without washing them first. You might’ve taken a bath already, but the dirt absorbed by your clothes is still there. It will stink when you sweat!
9. Wear breathable clothing
If there’s no specific dress code to follow, choose to wear breathable clothes. Do not wear thick clothes if it’s summer. This will only cause you to sweat uncontrollably. If you have sweating problems, avoid clothes made of nylon, polyester, and rayon because they trap sweat against the skin that might only cause you unwanted armpit odor.
10. Do not grow armpit hair
Shave or wax your armpit hair if needed. Hair is a breeding area for bacteria. It traps sweat, as well, causing your armpits to produce unwanted body odor later on. If you’d like to go outdoors, but have sweating underarms, ditching your armpit hair would be a great approach to reduce it. Yet, of course, the choice is still yours to decide!
Final Thoughts
Body odor could be unhygienic, but if you have the chance to meet a person dealing with his/her armpit odor condition, I hope you’ll deal with them nicely. None of us know what they’re going through in life, on what hygiene hacks they’ve done already to solve their body odor problems. So, always remember the 10-second rule! If 10 seconds is not enough to fix the problem, do not point it out and expect them to resolve it as soon as possible! If you’re concerned enough to help, raise your words nicely. Suggest a hygiene hack if you can!