Effective Soaps for Underarm Odor

The key to coming out of the shower nice and odor free is by using a good strong soap. You want to kill off the bacteria growing under the armpit. A nicely scented soap that doesn't kill off the bacteria is just temporarily covering up your odor. I like Safeguard Antibacterial soap, but I'm sure there are many good brands. Some experts don't like antibacterial soaps because they claim kill off good bacteria. I don't know enough about this claim to comment. Also, some soaps can cause dryness on sensitive skin so be prepared to try several soaps till you find the one that works best for you.

Botox injections for armpit odor

Believe it or not they have started using Botox injections as a cure for excess sweating and armpit odor. Without getting into the science of it, the injection basically causes the sweat glands in the armpit to go numb for several months, in a similar manner it does with the muscles in the face. This numbness causes the sweat glands to stay shut and lets you go sweat and odor free for several months at a time. I've you've got several hundred dollars to spend every few months then this might be the way to go. I'm a little nervous about this method, but it seems to be pretty effective.

Lavalin cream

I thought I had found something that might do the trick when I came across this deodorant online. Lavalin is an old school cream that you apply with your fingers. By looking at this box design I would say it hasn't changed since the 70's. This cream is a annoying because you have to rub it on with your fingers. You have to be careful that your hands don't brush against your shirt while trying to apply. It's messy to put on and doesn't wash off your fingers easily.

It worked alright in fighting odor, but I couldn't be bothered going through the process every day. It also does not say it's a non-staining formula. I didn't wear it much past a week, but I'm sure if I had it would have stained up my shirts.

Drysol prescription antiperspirant

Drysol is a prescription type solution to stop sweating and body odor. On the internet it can be purchased without a prescription. This works by basically swelling or closing your pores in your armpit. It's effective and works, you can feel your armpit sucking up like a lemon. After a weeks application I almost completely stopped sweating and smelling. The downside was that on week 2 I started getting soreness and a rash under my arms. By the 3rd week it was so painful and irritated I had to stop taking the solution.

I suppose if you moderate how often you took the medication you could prevent rashes while still maintaining odor protection. You apply the lotion at bedtime and are supposed to wear tight shirts or plastic wrap around your armpits. I found the rash side effects and tight shirts annoying so I stopped using the solution. However, I still have it in my medicine closet in case I'm in need of a full proof yet temporary odor solving solution.

Antiperspirants with Aluminum Zirconium Tetrachlorohydrex GLY (20%)

In general Antiperspirants work better at fighting odor longer than deodorants. In the Antiperspirant category I find that brands that carry one ingredient excel above the rest. That ingredient is "Aluminum Zirconium Tetrachlorohydrex GLY (20%)" Many Antiperspirant brands use this ingredient, but only a handful use it at the strength of 20%.

My favorite category with my favorite active ingredient "Aluminum Zirconium Tetrachlorohydrex GLY (20%)". This is the active incredient that Mitchum has been using in their Antiperspirants for years. They recently came out with this "Smart Solid" which is supposed to eliminate white residue on clothing. While it does not completely reduce residue on clothing, it has improved dramatically from their previous versions. This is my new favorite deodorant from a company that has been doing it right for many, many years.

Recently many of the deodorant brands have been coming out with "Clinical Strength" deodorants. These have the active ingredient "Aluminum Zirconium Tetrachlorohydrex GLY (20%)", same as Mitchum. I have tried a few of them and find them to be equally effective in stopping armpit odor. I can get through a 10-12 hour day with these Antiperspirant/Deodorants before odor starts creeping up.


Degree Clinical Protection has worked well for me.
Gillette Clinical Strength has also performed well.




I have not tried Secret Antiperspirant, because while it's strong enough for a man.... However I would assume that since it has the same active ingredient Aluminum Zirconium Tetrachlorohydrex GLY (20%) it is a good odor fighter.

Deodorants

When I talk about deodorants, I am speaking of the Deodorant only variety. I am not talking about the Antiperspirant/Deodorant. Deodorants solve odor problems only and do not solve any sweating problems. I have tried almost every brand out there and have not found any to be effective for long term odor protection. Some claim that they do more than just mask the odor, but I've never been able to get more than 4-5 hours out of a standard deodorant before odor starts creeping up. An antiperspirant is certainly needed in helping curb odor even if you are do not sweat profusely.

The only positive side to using a deodorant only is that they generally do not cause staining on shirts. It's nice when your favorite t-shirt lasts years and years without stains.

Alcohol and Hydrogen Peroxide

Rubbing or Isopropyl Alcohol is the big secret that all the sites on the internet want you to pay to discover. I paid to discover and that's how I know. It is an effective method for eliminating odor from the armpits. You get a cotton square dipped in Alcohol and vigorously rub your armpit. After the Alcohol scent disapates you have nice and clean smelling armpits. The only downside to this is that there isn't any lasting protection. Alcohol evaporates quickly and bacteria starts forming again almost immediately. I find this as a great solution when I need a quick clean for my armpits and don't have time for a shower. Of course I apply antiperspirant after the alcohol has evaporated.



Hydrogen Peroxide is similar in effect to that of Alcohol. It does an effective job of killing off armpit bacteria and leaving you with clean armpits. It's only drawback is that Hydrogen Peroxide has a strong medical odor. You won't smell like stinky armpit, but you will smell like a hospital. It's effects quickly wear off just like Alcohol.

Odor free clothing

Believe it or not the type of clothing you wear can drastically effect how you smell throughout the day. First off I find that looser clothing around the armpit is better. It allows airflow and keeps things cooler. Secondly is the type of fabric you wear. Certain fabrics are excellent at not absorbing odor while others stink up very easily. Here are the fabrics:

Polyester and Nylon:
Synthetic fabrics are the worst. They start stinking up in about 2-3 hours. It's funny, most of our active wear tends to absorb odor the worst. It just so happens that it's breathable and wicks away sweat so it's good for sports, but not good for staying odor free.

Cotton:
Natural fibers are the way to go. Cotton will last you all day long. However after 12 hours it's ready to put in the hamper.

Wool:
Man, no wonder sheep love this stuff so much. You can wear wool for days and days on end and it will not stink one bit. Wool just doesn't absorb odor, it's great. Wool is getting much less itchy these days especially with clothing brands like Icebreaker.

Now let me clarify, I'm not suggesting that proper clothing will keep you from smelling. Proper clothing will just keep itself from smelling. Also, I'm not suggesting that you go out and buy an entire wool wardrobe. But if you're going out on a special date, you may want to swap that cool retro Polyester shirt for a lightweight Merino wool sweater.

Online Magic Odor Cure

So there are sites out there that promise to show you the miracle cure. Spend $14.99 and they will give you the cure to eliminate body odor forever. They even have pictures of nurses holding clipboards on their site to make it look official. I spent the money and was surely disappointed.

Here's their cure:

Rubbing Alcohol

It's a temporary fix at best, it will solve your body odor problems for the moment you clean them with alcohol. Odor starts working it's way back very quickly. More on this later.



There are also websites out there telling you to drink certain teas, use vinegar, baking soda, or rub crystal rocks under your armpits. I don't know about you, but rubbing some rocks under my arms is in no way going to cure what ails me. I believe those are methods for people with mild body odor who prefer a more natural solution to deodorants.

Methods of fighting underarm odor

I have listed on this blog all the varieties of methods I have used to attempt to solve my underarm odor. Some methods are very simple while others take a bit more time or have different side effects. This is my daily solution for effectively fighting Underarm Odor.

• Shower with a strong soap, even an antibacterial soap and scrub the armpits in the morning before starting your day.
• Apply an Antiperspirant with Aluminum Zirconium Tetrachlorohydrex GLY (20%) such as Mitchum Smart Solid, or other.
  
• Avoid wearing Polyester or Nylon fabrics, then put on Merino Wool clothing when I need a guarantee of odor free clothing.
  
• If I need to freshen up but don't have time for a shower, I'll clean the armpits with cotton squares and rubbing or Isopropyl Alcohol.
  

This has been my daily routine for quite some time now and it works well for me. This routine hasn't been 100% effective every day, but covers most days just fine.

What causes body odor

Sweat itself does not smell. When sweat is emmited however it begins to attract bacteria which in turn will cause odor. We sweat over our whole body, however our armpit region is a major cooling area for our body cavity, therefore the most sweat. The fight over underarm odor is a fight against bacteria.

Underarm Odor

Since I was a teenager at the age of 14 or 15 I have been battling against underarm odor. I have tried virtually all the methods out there and thought I would share what has and has not worked for me. These days I have found methods and measures that work well enough to get me through the day. I thought I would share these with you.