Have you ever found yourself in those situations where your body smell is, well, not so good? If you have, you know how embarrassing it can be and in worse cases, it can even affect your self-esteem and self-confidence. Luckily, you can make that offensive body odor go away. This article will highlight numerous body odor remedies that have been proven to do a great job at reducing or eliminating body odor. Try them and get on the fast track towards the fresh smelling you.
Body Odor Remedies– Natural & Home Remedies for Body Odor
Nobody fancy the idea of having to walk around with a foul smelling body odor that announces your presence long before you enter the room. If you are struggling with body odor, here are a few body odor remedies that can offer you relief:
Stay clean
Bathing at least once daily is the easiest, yet most important body odor remedy. Bathing washes off the sweat accumulated on your skin as well as reduce the population of bacteria on your skin. You will in particular want to pay close attention to the armpits and groin as these areas have an abundance of apocrine glands.
Sweat from the apocrine glands is mainly responsible for body odor since it is typically rich in fatty acids and proteins among other substances that bacteria feed on to give off foul smelling acids that are responsible for body odor.
Using an antibacterial soap is also recommended as it helps to cut down the population of bacteria on your skin.
Here are some more personal hygiene tips
- Change clothes every day
- Wash clothes and beddings thoroughly
- Shave your armpits
- Dry your skin thoroughly after showering – pay close attention to the groin and the armpits. This limits bacterial activity and growth
Deodorant and antiperspirants
Using deodorants and antiperspirants also ranks among the best home remedies for body odor. Deodorants masks body odor using fragrances and create an unfavorable environment for bacteria growth and activity albeit temporarily.
Antiperspirants on the other hand reduce the rate of sweating. Most of them feature aluminium chloride, aluminium chlorohydrate, aluminium zirconium or other salts as the active ingredient.
When these salts dissolve in the sweat, they form a kind of barrier over the sweat glands which then prevent further release of sweat onto the surface of the skin. Apply your deodorant or antiperspirant of choice twice daily, preferably in the morning and evening.
Reduce your intake of offensive foods
Body odor is often attributed to an excessive intake of spicy foods such as hot peppers which make you sweat more. The strong aroma of garlic and onions can also be carried into your sweat leading to a body odor. Cabbages, Brussels sprouts and asparagus are also known to cause an offensive body odor. Reducing your intake of these foods can help to control the problem and is in fact one of the first natural remedies for body odor that you should consider.
Alcohol rubs
Alcohol has a drying effect which creates an environment that is unsuitable for bacterial growth and metabolism. Splash rubbing alcohol to your armpits is a great home remedy for body odor that you may want to try. Dilute isopropyl alcohol is a great option when it comes to this body odor remedy.
Body Odor Cure – How to Cure Body Odor Naturally
Let’s now look at several natural cures for body odor that are very effective in controlling body odor.
Proper nutrition: we have already discussed this in the above section but it is such important a body odor cure that it deserves another mention. Your diet plays a key role in your body odor.
In addition to getting a balanced diet and avoiding spicy and string smelling foods (e.g. onions and garlic), you will also want cut down on caffeinated beverages such as coffee and tea. This increases the activity of apocrine glands which then leads to more bacterial breakdown of sweat and eventually increased body odor.
Stress and anger management: stress, anger, excitement and anxiety often make the apocrine glands more active. When this happens, bacterial breakdown of fatty acids and proteins in the sweat culminates in offensive body odor. Relaxation techniques such as biofeedback, yoga and meditation can help you to control stress.
Green tea: Green tea is a natural antibacterial. Applying a deodorant that contains green tea as an ingredient is a great “natural” cure for body odor.
Apple cider vinegar: Apple cider vinegar has got to be the number one ingredient when it comes to natural home remedies. Applying some apple cider vinegar to your armpit and groin area can help to relive body odor.
Hydrogen peroxide: hydrogen peroxide has antibacterial properties and is one of the best natural body odor cures. There is often a controversy about the “naturalness” of hydrogen peroxide, but without getting ourselves trapped in the argument here is how to use hydrogen peroxide to get rid of body odor:
Mix 2 teaspoons of 3% hydrogen peroxide with 8 ounces of water. Using a cotton ball, swab the solution in the culprit areas, i.e. groin, armpits.
Witch hazel: This is yet another great body odor cure that not only dries the armpits (or groin for that matter) but also leaves behind a nice fragrance. Simply dab some witch hazel onto your armpits with a cotton pad regularly.
Baking soda or cornstarch: applying these ingredients in their powdery form helps to dry the skin while killing bacteria responsible for body odor.
Chlorophyllin – A Fantastic Natural Cure for Body Odor
Chlorophyllin is a fantastic natural cure for body odor. This is a water soluble derivative of plant chlorophyll that works by binding the odor causing compounds in your body; effectively neutralizing them and the smell due to them.
Chlorophyllin has a long history in controlling not only body odor but also foot odor as well as bad breath. 100 to 200 mg of Chlorophyllin a day is generally recommended.
Best Soap for Body Odor
What is the best soap for body odor? That is a question that is asked every now and then. Well, your best bet would be an antibacterial soap which helps to significantly reduce the number of bacteria on your skin.
There are many brands of antibacterial soap out there today which you can identify by looking for the term “antibacterial” on the packaging material. The brands of antibacterial soaps vary from country to country, but the following brands are very likely available in your country: Dettol, Protex.
Body Odor Treatment
There are various body odor treatment options that can be used to get rid of severe body odor that doesn’t seem to respond to any of the above home remedies.
Chlorhexidine 0.05% solution: This should be your first line of action if al other home remedies doesn’t seem to be working. This is an antiseptic solution that is available over-the-counter in most drugstores.
20% aluminium chloride solution: Aluminum chloride is a common ingredient in most deodorants and applying it directly to your skin can help to control body odor. Ask your pharmacist for Driclor or Anhydrol Forte (they may as well be available under other brand names).
Prescription medication: body odor often requires medical treatment especially where it is associated with excessive sweating or an underlying medical condition. Among the most commonly prescribed medications are Oxybutynin, glycopyrrolate and clonidine.
Botox: Botox is another commonly used severe body odor treatment option that involves injection with small doses of Botulinum toxin to the armpit. This reduces sweat production but the results are usually temporary lasting between 4 and 9 months.
Surgery can also be used to treat body odor. Keyhole surgery is typically performed under general anesthesia to destroy the nerves that regulate sweating in the armpits.
Body odor treatment may also entail treating the underlying medical conditions such as diabetes and Trimethylaminuria
Female Body Odor Remedies – Body Odor Remedies for Women
Can some recommend some female body odor remedies? That is a request made by a user of one online community. Let’s just say that there is quite no such a thing as a female body odor remedies or male home remedies for men. All the above remedies will work for both females and males.
Severe Body Odor Treatment – Extreme Body Odor Treatment
What can be done to control severe treatment option? If you are observing proper nutrition and proper hygiene and avoiding spicy and caffeinated foods and beverages while using deodorants and antiperspirants among the other home remedies highlighted in the above section, then you should seek medical attention. Treatment options range from medication to keyhole surgery and Botox (injection with Botulinum toxin).
Further Suggested on Smelly and Body Odor
- What Causes Strong Odor in Body in Women, Men? Diabetes
- Body Odor Disease, Chronic, Onion & Sour Odor
- Very bad Odor in the Body Causes, How to Get Rid of the Odor in Men and Women
- How to Get Rid of Your Body’s Odor Stop, Prevent, or Eliminate Bad Odor
- Odor in Children Baby Odor Causes, Treatment and Home Remedies
- Underarm Odor Causes, Remedies, How to Get Rid of the Odor & Treatments
- Bad Armpit Odor Causes, How to Get Rid of the Odor Including Home Remedies
- Smelly Armpits Causes, How to Get Rid, Prevent, Stop Remedies & Deodorant to Use