Smelly armpits are nobody’s idea of fun. Unfortunately this problem afflicts most people at one point of their life or another. This article will highlight some of the common causes of smelly armpits and share several ways to get rid of smell armpits. And if you are a handy person who fancy DIY stuff, then you will delight in our home remedies for smelly armpits.
What Causes Smelly Armpits – Causes of Smelly Armpits
There are various causes of smelly armpits as follows:
- Sweating and the bacterial breakdown of fatty acids and proteins associated with it
- Eating a little too much spicy foods, strongly scented foods such as onions, and foods that are known to contain high levels of sulfides and sulfur compounds e.g. cabbages
- Hormonal changes associated with puberty, menopause. Hypogonadism is also an important factor in this category
- Stress, excitement and anger
- Side-effect to various medications such as antidepressants and venlafaxine (Effexor)
- Medical conditions such as liver and kidney diseases, diabetes, trimethylaminuria and hyperthyroidism
How to Get Rid of Smelly Armpits – What To Do about Smelly Armpits
Wondering what to do about those smelly armpits? Then here are various tips to help you get rid of smelly armpits:
Bathe and change clothes daily
The best way to get rid smelly armpits is to observe proper hygiene. When sweat accumulates on your skin the bacteria found on the skin breaks down the compounds in the sweat such as fatty acids and proteins to give offensive smelling acids (principally isovaleric acid and propionic acid) that are responsible for smelly armpits.
Bathing and changing clothes every day however helps to reduce the number of bacteria on your skin as well as eliminate excessive sweat. This is paramount to getting rid of smelly armpits and if you have a tendency to sweat a lot and get smelly armpits, you should consider taking a shower at least 2 times daily.
It is also important to wash your clothes thoroughly to get rid of bacteria and sweat accumulated in them. You will want to pay close attention to clothes that come into contact with the armpits e.g. Vests and shirts (or blouses for that matterJ).
Use an antibacterial soap
The bacteria found on the skin are majorly to blame for smelly armpits. Reducing the number of bacteria present on the skin can help to get rid of the problem of smelly armpit. A great way to do that is to use an antibacterial soap.
Reduce your intake of suspect foods: Spicy and strong smelling ingredients such as garlic and onions in addition to foods known to have high amount of sulfurous compounds such as cabbages, Brussels sprouts, asparagus are all potential culprits for smelly armpits. You should consider cutting down on your consumption of this foods if you have a case of smelly armpits at hand. Other foods you may want to reduce in your diet are red meat, egg yolk, sea food, coriander, and yoghurt.
Manage Stress: Stress and anxiety is also a common cause of smelly armpits. When under emotional or physical stress, the apocrine glands get activated leading to an increased activity. This means more of the milky sweat typically secreted from these glands and the increased bacterial activity that ensue often leads to smelly armpits.
Learning to manage stress using relaxation techniques like yoga is a fantastic long term way to get rid of the problem of smelly armpit.
Use deodorants and antiperspirants: applying a good deodorant or antiperspirant is yet another great and popular way to get rid of smelly armpits. The former works by masking the smell emanating from your armpits using perfumes and creating unsuitable conditions for bacterial activity while the latter works by reducing the rate of sweating.
How to Stop Smelly Armpits naturally with Chlorophyllin
Reading around in a comments section of an unrelated article, I came across the question, “Can you explain how to stop smelly armpits naturally?”
Well, taking Chlorophyllin supplements is a great way to do that. Chlorophyllin is derived from – you guessed perhaps- chlorophyll, the green coloring matter in plants that your teacher told you about.
When taken orally, Chlorophyllin helps to bind the compounds that typically cause smelly armpits when released through the sweat. 100 to 200mg of Chlorophyllin is generally recommended for body odor.
How to Prevent Smelly Armpits
The best way to prevent smelly armpits is to avoid the common causative factors. For example, you may want to avoid a diet loaded full of garlic and onions. Of course garlic and onions have lots of health benefits but taking a little too much of these is something you can and should do away with.
Bathing and changing clothes every day is also something that you should be already doing. But if not then starting a strict personal hygiene regime can help you prevent the occurrence or recurrence of smelly armpits.
Stress management is also a great way to prevent smelly armpits.
Best Deodorant for Smelly Armpits
Take a walk to the beauty section of your local grocery store and you will come across dozens if not hundreds of deodorants, all claiming to be go-to product for all your freshness needs so to speak. The question what is the best deodorant for smelly armpits then sounds like a natural one.
Different deodorants have different ingredients and none is guaranteed to work for your specific case of smelly armpit. You may actually have to try a couple deodorants before you strike the right one for you. Nevertheless, here are some high rated deodorants that you may want to try for your smelly armpits.
- Secret’s Clinical Strength Antiperspirant and Deodorant
- Gillette Clinical Strength Antiperspirant Deodorant
- Suave Everlasting Sunshine Clinical Protection PROsolid – fantastic option for women
- Ban’s Shower Fresh – Popular option for men
Home Remedies for Smelly Armpits
So that smelly armpits makes you sick? Well, here are some home remedies for smelly armpits that you may want to use to get rid of the problem:
- Sprinkle some cornstarch or baking soda to your armpits to keep them dry
- Apply some vinegar or hydrogen peroxide with a clean wash cloth.
- Dab some tea tree oil to your armpits
- Apply some alcohol e.g. isopropyl to keep your armpits dry
- Squeeze the juice of a freshly cut lemon juice onto your armpits
- Splash some witch hazel onto your armpits.
If neither these home remedies for smelly armpits nor the interventions highlighted in this article, over the counter Anhydrol forte (aluminum chloride solution) or Chlorhexidine 0.05 percent antiseptic solution can help. Ask at your local drugstore.
If that also doesn’t help, seek the attention of your doctor.
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
- Home Remedies, Best Soaps, Treatment & Cure of Odor in the Body
- 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
If you are interested in trying all-natural brands, top of my list is Lavilin. They have gotten amazing reviews and I truly love the product. I use their underarm and foot creams. My husband uses the roll-on. Big fans.