Ok, this one is so embarassing but I am at a loss right now. I get stinky armpits almost everyday. I don't sweat, it is just odor. I have tried literally every women's deodorant there is on the market but none help. Any suggestions? Should I see a dermatologist?
Texasteacher
I have great results with a product called NATURALLY FRESH DEODRANT CRYSTAL. You can find it on this site (I actually bought mine at a Big Lots store and I'm sure you can find it in stores near you, too) http://www.tccd.com/ I use the 3rd one from the right in the picture at the top of this site. All you have to do is wet it to use and there's no perfume to interfer with other fragrances you may use. I really think you'll like this product. If you try this, let me know how it works for you. May God bless you!!! (07/19/2005)
By SL Edens
We live in the desert. In the wintertime, I can use any deodorant and I'm fine, but in the summertime, I have to use Mitchum Clear Gel Deodorant. I think it's a man's deodorant, but I've found it's the only one that keeps my underarms dry & keeps me from smelling bad. I buy the unscented. (07/20/2005)
By badwater
I use the crystal deodorant, too. It works great--no odor, little sweat. It's available from several sources. I bought mine at www.vitaglo.com. Enter "crystal deodorant" in the site's search engine and several deodorants will come up. Vitaglo has some of the lowest prices going for vitamins, brans, oils, personal care, etc. and carries hundreds of products. (07/20/2005)
By Seagrape
I am the same! I use a powder of mainly cornflour with bi-carb soda blended in. After applying a deoderant, wait a few minutes for it to dry, then using a powder puff apply this powder. You can even blend in a few drops of an essential oil or your favourite parfum!! (07/20/2005)
By Bron
I had the same problem. It wasn't the deo it was the cleaning method! Don't change your deo! Do you use those mesh sponges like you get from Bath and Body Works? Try good old bar soap and a washcloth. I was amazed how it worked. I have always used the liquid soaps and mesh sponges but now I am wondering how well the rest of my body is getting clean! Try this, you will be surprised. Let us know what worked for you! (07/21/2005)
By Teacher too!
I too had tried about every deodorant for women out there and none seemed to keep the odor away. I have started using Old Spice High Endurance and that keeps the odor away. (07/21/2005)
By Missy
I sweat a lot in this muggy Louisiana humidity, and the BEST thing there is for me is MITCHUM CLEAR GEL DEODERANT FOR WOMEN, my favorite is the powder-fresh scent. (07/21/2005)
By San
My doctor actually took a biopsy because it is worse in one arm than the other. but the best thing i have found is vinegar. yep vinegar. First, I wash real good then dry it. Then I put simple white vinegar on cotton balls and wipe under my arms. I keep my arms in the air till is pretty dry then pat the rest dry. Then I put on the deoderant which is yes mitchum. I smell like a salad for maybe an hour or less. BUT THE SMELL IS GONE FOR MAYBE 2-3 MONTHS. A Freind actully puts vinegar in her liquid soap. i havnt gone that far. (07/21/2005)
By Sandy
Now is the time to overhaul your diet. Most of the smell comes from red and high-in-fat meats; not to mention all the additives that are in prepared foods.
The clear crystals did not work for me. The alcohol can because the smell is caused by bacteria, but follow with a moisturizer because it is very drying.
Try a visit to your local health food store. Couldn't hurt! (07/21/2005)
By Fran Marie
Unless you are eating lots of food like garlic, what you eat has very little to do with body odor, so don't worry about that. There is a product called Certain Dri (I think that is the spelling). It works miracles. (07/21/2005)
By Katie
I use rubbing alcohol instead of a deodorant. Put rubbing alcohol on a cotton ball and rub your armpits very good and let it dry. This works well for me. Good luck! (07/23/2005)
By pomm594
I can relate to your problem most anitperspirants and deodorants make my underarms itch and don't do a lot for the odor either. Here's what I have tried and found to work. Make sure your underarms are hair free, use deoterant soap like dial wash let it sit for a while then rinse off. Also I've found that ban roll on does work better than mitchum for me and is cheaper.
God bless and good luck !
(07/23/2005)
By Flyingtyger62
I tried the one posts suggestion on the Crystal Deodorant and that didn't last but an hour for me..grr. Hmm. I tried rubbing alcohol too and that worked for a while with deodorant on top. When I feel my body get warm from being inside I just know I am in trouble. I don't think I need to overhaul my diet as one post suggested because I don't eat much red meat anyway. I might try Mitchum out one more time. It is so embarassing! (07/26/2005)
By Kari
I use a mix of cornstarch and baking soda. A lot of times deoderants smell awful on me. (07/31/2005)
By Tigger
After you do the alcohol thing, when it dries, apply pure cornstarch instead of deodorant. I used to have this problem, and I went to a dermatologist. She said what it is, is your sweat glands get infected which causes your lymp nodes under your arms to cause you to smell. The deo does nothing but irritate it more. She said to wash under your arms really well with a good deodorant soap, then use your alcohol, let it dry and then use pure cornstarch. It works just as good as any deodorant I have ever used. (08/02/2005)
By Jenny
I find that womans deodorant is pretty weak and useless. I use men's deodorant. Both gillette and right guard work (not the gel kinds, the solids). Applying rubbing alcohol, rubbing it in well, and letting it dry completely before applying deodorant works well, too (as has been said). You don't need to overhaul your diet, as if it was your diet, your sweat in general will smell funky, not just under your arms. Hmm.. can't think of anything else, switching to mens deodorant, and using rubbing alcohol has worked for me.
Also, removing any under arm hair may work, as it tends to trap bacteria. (08/03/2005)
By
This is what I use. I wash really well in the shower while still wet I put some bakingsoda in my palm and make a paste with a little water, rub this in and rinse. I also use a product from the health food store called "LAVILIN" Cream Body Deodorant $20.00 Canadien. This is a great Deo, the more you use it the longer you can go without reapplaying and I mean days, the fist time useage can last for 3-5 days if used regular, and longer in between. I also rinse my mouth with bakingsoda after brushing my theet to neutralize odor.
Good Luck (08/05/2005)
By Drega
I understand your problem. The same thing happened with me, no sweat (I was in an air-conditioned office) just a bad odour. Turns out it happened everytime I got agitated and stressed where I was working (due to arsehole employer). I quit and no more problems! A bit drastic I know, but maybe if you realise that you smell when stressed (I notice you're a teacher), you could learn meditative techniques. (08/19/2005)
By Cathy
I have had the same problem with my armpits. I found that Ban roll-on Fresh cotton works the best for me and it lasts all day! Good Luck. (08/20/2005)
By Gemini
I used to have a problem with armpit odor too. After reading in a magazine the smell is from bacteria, I started applying an antibacterial gel from bath and body works (warm vanilla sugar scented) and letting it dry for a few minutes. Then I apply the Mitchum clear gel deoderant. I find this works quite well and lasts most of the day. It did burn at first but doesn't bother me anymore and I have really sensitive skin. I think it works well too since you can keep the little bottle of gel in your purse and just freshen up later on in the day if you need to. Hope this helps!!! (08/25/2005)
By Kelly
I just wanted to say thanks very much for all your advice. It worked a treat! The UK equivalent for rubbing alcohol is antiseptic solution (brand I used was Savlon)- I just diluted it with water on a cotton pad, and applied to armpits following by my regular deodorate. I have noticed a remarkable difference, so thanks very much! (09/05/2005)
I am guessing I am going to have to go to the Dermatologist soon. I have tried all kinds of homemade solutions and literally every deodorant out there... nothing works. I don't get sweat spots, just stinky. It's so frustrating, will keep ya posted. (10/09/2005)
By Kari
Have you tried lemon? I also read about Milk of Magnesium. I tried it and it worked last night. Only used it once. I'm going to try again tonight. Only problem is it's a little sticky. (03/22/2006)
I am so glad I found this forum! I have been dealing with this for years... no sweat, just bad odor, my left armpit worse than my right, I would wash my armpits in the morning really well and apply deo and around noon they'd stink! I thought maybe it had to do with what I ate or drank, so I stopped drinking coffee.. .after the 3rd day I have noticed a difference, then I read what you all say about rubbing alchohol, I will try that as well. (06/11/2006)
By Jill
I have tried vinegar - nothing; tried rubbing alcohol - nothing; tried rubbing baking soda into a paste then onto my armpits... this really worked! I also just read this: read this: http://www.newstarget.com/004417.html it talks about what we eat come out in our sweat glands mainly our arm pits! This is what finally works for me! (06/22/2006)
By Jill
I had a friend who never smelled at all. One day, we were talking about foods and stuff, and he told me that he was very careful what he ate. A few things he did eat that I know helped were lots of herbs, like rosemary, parsley, and any stronger 'good' smelling herb.
Rosemary is great because it also kills germs and will help keep you from getting sick as much. I have made a rosemary tea bath and I smelled great until next bathtime!
I took a handful of bulk rosemary and dropped it in a very hot tub. Once it cooled down enough to get into, the water was very green, but smelled wonderful. Nice de-stresser, too. (07/02/2006)
By julie
If you are close to a Filipino Store or any oriental store that sells Filipino groceries, ask the store owner to sell you "tawas", pronounced as "tuhwhuss". It looks like a small piece of raw alabaster rock. This is the same crystal that they mentioned here but you can get it there for a fraction of the price. Also, you need to get the smell out of your clothes.. Take a sniff test on your freshly laundered clothes - more than likely, the smell will still be there. If so, soak the item overnight in white vinegar/plain water mix (1:1 ratio), concentrating on the armpits. (I am not sure if the color will bleed.)
Oh, I have a very sensitive nose and can almost pick up this scent - can anyone tell me how to break it gently to a friend who has it? (07/05/2006)
By daisy
I have found all the responses very interesting and helpful. I am wondering if anyone has noted an increase in armpit odor when discontinuing birth control pills. After my last child was born and my husband had "the procedure", I went off the pill. I don't sweat but I have a stinky odor which I never had before. Anyone else notice the same? I have been off the pill now for over a year. (07/31/2006)
By beeZee
I started having the arm pit problem around the middle of 2004. I still have not found a solution, I just read everyone elses comments. Almost everyone seems to have a different solution. Rubbing alcohol and baking soda seems to be the most common, so I will try that before going to the dermatologist. I have tried Lady Mitchum (solid & gel) many different times, it never seems to work. Other deoderants that do not work are ... Arid spray, Secret "Ocean Breeze" (which seemed to work for about a wk, then stopped), Mens Old Spice, Gillet for men, Arm and Hammer solid, Simply Basic, Soft Dri, Midnight Magic from Avon, and Bath&Body Works deo's. None of them work. I am tired of spending money on deoderants, asking my docter who has no idea. My right arm pit is worse than my left. They do seem to get worse under stress, but at the same time, there has been occassions where they still stink after a shower and scrubbing w/ bar soap on a wash cloth. (have tried every different brand of soap as well) I do get sweat rings on white shirts. My boyfriend says he is starting to get used to it, which is sweet, but it is still so emberassing! It has totally screwed up my self esteem and I am not an ugly girl by no means. I am afraid of getting close to people, for I fear they will smell me and think that I do not bathe, when I do EVERY SINGLE DAY! I have tried eating yogurt, which does not work. I am beginning to believe that this situation is hopeless. I do believe that it is the sweat that comes out of my body, and I guess it is bacteria as others have said, I just want a solution and it is amazing that others have the same problem, atleast I know that I am not alone. (08/09/2006)
By CB
Thank god there are a bunch of others who have the same issue. It has totally begun hurting my self-esteem. I live in Miami so everytime I set foot in the outside world I run from shade to shade cuz its the buring sun that gets me hot the quickest. To people close to me, Im usually like: Hurry up! My armpits! and they laugh but it's not that funny to me... My husband's used to it but I know that its a turn off! Men like their ladies fresh and powdery! I've got to try the rubbing alcohol because I think it might work better than anything else. At work when I have forgetten my deo, I put hand sanitizer on it and for some reason it has worked miracles. I need to get this dilemma resolved because it's a big disappointer and many times kills my confidence when I look strikingly good.
(08/13/2006)
By Minnie Mouse
I have used lavilin deoderant with great success. i found it local at a health food store, but it can be ordered from vermont country store. it works for days and kills the bacteria found in the arm pits. has no aluminum or chemicals. i also like the crystal stones that have been mentioned give the lavilin a try... (08/13/2006)
By Deb
Wear tight clothes. Take a piece of paper towel fold it, and spray it with hydrogen peroxide, 3%. put it on and wear a tight shirt over. Make sure the sprayed side is touching the skin. peroxide will harm your clothes. if you work, go to the washroom and do the same thing, remove the old napkins and replace with new ones. That's the only way i have kept my self dry and odour free. Helps to wear white undershirts. (09/05/2006)
By StinkMaster3000
Drysol (aluminum chloride hexahydrate) works excellent, but don't use strong deodorant in the morning. use a natrual salt crystal spray. I used ban one time, oh man it hurt so much. I stopped using anything, for two weeks. when my underarms were ok, I started using drysol again. Drysol is the only one thing that keeps me from sweating. Use it every night for about 3 days and after that you can reduce the usage to about once every two days. Make sure you don't use harsh soaps before you apply drysol, it will burn. Just wash underams with nice cool-warm water and then use drysol. Bacteria doesn't go inside your skin, so stop scrubbing and hurting your skin. One other thing is that you really have to respect your skin. i have found that too much stress on the mind really makes your skin dull. On your day off, take a relaxing bath, and just sit and enjoy your time off. Don't get stressed. (09/06/2006)
I made a comment a month ago, I'm on down the line. At that time, I was complaining that I have been a stinky bi**h for 2 and a half years and I was ashamed to be around others and that no deoderant works for me. After reading everyones comments I DID try the alcohol suggestion and believe it or not... IT FREAKIN WORKS! (09/27/2006)
By CB
Use on your underarms an antiseptic skin-prep (available in drugstores) containing 0.5% chlorhexadine, and 70% isopropyl alcohol once a day, and I guarantee you will be odor free. The smell is caused not by sweat itself, but by the bacteria that feed on it. Get rid of them, and you will get rid of the odor- Simple as that. (11/16/2006)
By Pelagius
I use a regime of sulphur soap followed by baking soda. Wash with the soap, then apply baking soda onto clean, dry skin. For a toddler with odor, I wash them with dial soap, then make a thin paste of dial soap and water, and rub under their arms. They are too young for reg. deo. so this does work while they are at day care. (12/06/2006)
By wendy
Pour a small amount of baking soda onto hands, then squeeze some lemon juice onto baking soda. Rub mixture on underarms. (01/14/2007)
By Deasy
A very reasonable and effective three (3) step treatment for underarm odor.
1) Cut the armpit hair. The hair in the armpit is a great breeding ground for bacteria. If you have curly hair, cut the hair very low but not to the skin or you will get ingrown hairs, which promote bacterial growth.
2) Wash with an antibacterial soap. This will kill most of the bacteria. Some soaps say "99.9%", this is not true. So take a small amount of rubbing alcohol and thoroughly wipe the armpit AND the part of the arm that rests across from the armpit.
3) Use Tinactin before applying your deodorant. That's right, "Tough Actin'" Tinactin will work with your deodorant to keep sweat, and most importantly, odor away.
Try it for two weeks and you will see. Not harmful to your body and not expensive. There also may be hereditary and other "internal" problems with your Ph levels. Once a week, take two tablespoons of natural vinegar to level out your natural acids in your body. Exercise and eating well help also. Regular activity to promote sweating is also ideal (running and other strenuous activities).
(01/14/2007)
By Dr. Garrison Jester
Hi, I posted back then and have tried something new: I use the Men's Right Guard solid--not gel or clear gel as those made my armpits itch real bad. I still wash in the morning with antibac. soap, then apply a very light layer of this deo, it works all day, just wash it off at nite and don't apply too much. It's the antipers/deo kind. I know it's not good to apply antipers, but it's the only thing I could find that worked for me and I didn't change my diet! (02/02/2007)
By Jill
I've had the same problem since i hit puberty. not to mention i tend to sweat more than the majority of my male friends. at first i tried all the female deodorant there was, then i figured guys are meant to be more stinky so their stuff has got to be stronger. it worked for a while, but then i started to realize that the smell of my armpits along with the smell of the deodorant actually makes me smell even WORSE. so i switched to a hypo-allergenic deodorant that has no fragrance and also keeps my skin from getting irritated after i shave under my arms. mind you, it hasnt made me stop smelling, but it has reduced the smell significantly.
oh, and over the years i've also realized that the type of fabric you wear makes a big difference. natural fibers, like 100% cotton, let your underarms breathe a lot more than polyester.
(03/31/2007)
By gumby
Rubbing alcohol does the trick for me. I haven't used deodorant since mid-December. Just rub the alcohol on my pits when I get out of the shower.
Like someone else posted - it's NOT the sweat that stinks...... it's the bacteria attracted to the sweat. Keep the bacteria in check & you've got it licked.
:) (04/07/2007)
By gale
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
I'm a 35 year old female with excessive sweat and odor under my arms. I have tried most deodorants including the clinical strength. I just don't know what to do, nothing seems to help. Hope you can help me.
By can ya help? from Anaheim, CA
Just before you go to bed, apply the clinical strength antiperspirant, then cover each underarm with plastic wrap (such as Saran Wrap), and then put on a tight t-shirt to hold the plastic in place. In the morning, take the shirt and plastic off and gently wipe and dry your underarms (otherwise, your underarms may get irritated). Repeat this once a week, or as needed.
This worked for me, when nothing else did. If it doesn't work for you, you may want to try getting prescription antiperspirant. I started with the prescription strength (the MD gave me the instructions I just gave you), but found that Drysol from the drugstore also worked fine.
After a couple years I outgrew the sweating problem and am back to normal now. The problem may be hereditary - it turns out my grandmother had exactly the same problem when she was a young woman! Good luck!
Have you tried Drysol? You will need to have your dr. write you a prescription. This stuff works wonders. I used it years ago when I had a perspiration problem.
My son used Drysol; he didn't need a prescription to get it. As at your local drug store, not all of them carry it. You can google this as well, for further information. That is where we found out about Drysol. I think he may have used the saran wrap method that straightace describes.
Being overweight makes one sweat more and if you use the spice curry, it gives you underarm odor.
May not apply to you, just thought I mention it :-)
I told a friend about Certain Dri and she is forever in my debt! She had tried clinical strength deodorants without luck. Available without a prescription in pharmacy stores where regular deodorant is sold.
Go to health food store or supplement store and buy liquid chlorophyll and follow the directions on the bottle.
Drinking this in water or juice will make you smell better from the inside out.
Nearly everyone sweats, it's the body natural air conditioner. What seems excessive to you may be in the normal range. Antii-perspirants attempt to stop sweat, often resulting in odor because the pores can function. Better to use a deodorant and let your pits 'breathe.'
I am 25 years old male and have seriously excessive foul smelling sweating, just from my underarms. I have tried several antiperspirants, however none seem to help. The sweating is not throughout the day, but usually random 10-15 minutes sweat bursts from specifically the underarms. No deodorant or perfume has been able to mask the smell.
I have tried everything from changing several shirts during the daytime, to daily showering using anti bacterial soaps. Nothing seems to work and this can be really terrible if occurs during a meeting or at my workspace. Wondering if someone is facing similar problems. Thanks
By Dimitry
Suggest you discuss your problem with your doctor as soon as possible. You may need prescriptive antiperspirants or other medication.
Try one of the gel hand sanitizers on your underarms. My friend swears by it.
There are over the counter "super strength" antiperspirants that you can get. My son as a teenager had a perspiration problem. Go to your local drugstore and ask the pharmacist what they have. I have forgotten what the name of the product was, but it worked well. You could do a general google search for this topic as well, and that might give you the name of several products. The best (in terms of being strong) regular antiperspirant is Mitchum (I don't believe I've spelled this correctly), but this other product is for people with excessive sweating.
Botox is often used for this. I don't know how expensive it is.
I actually did the Botox treatment which help tremendously with the sweating, I also didn't have the problem with the sweat it was the actual odor. I could just shower or bath and have a musky smell and haven't even dry off yet. I used any deodorant you name it men and women, I did Drionic machines, home remedies, I was also my own test dummy. I would sit and think of house hold products to use and try them that were not for human use and I would try them. I would use cleaning wipes, foot powders for athlete feet, bleach, which was totally a wrong move. I would get very depressed, it stumped me with being me. I would have to suppress my energy because I didn't want to sweat or move to much to have the odor rise. I still have the issues. I'm still on the quest to defeat this thing and I will keep you posted. But other try Drysol solution or Botox. It's really not that expensive with insurance.
I have heard of this problem before, it can actually be too much washing and too much antibacterial. There is good bacteria under your arms that you accidently get rid of and it makes you even more stinky. It will be bad for a while but try showering less, use a deodorant instead of an antiperspirant, and use baking soda to balance the pH. Like I said it will be bad for a while especially switching to deodorant but it'll be better in the long run
Why does it happen every time, no matter what I do, as soon as I enter my school I smell musty? My clothes are clean and I take baths every night and in the morning. When I am at home I smell OK, but when I'm at school I constantly sweat and have to put deodorant on even though it doesn't help and I'm musty anyways. I do everything in my power to try to cover the smell, but people can still smell it.
I just wanna be normal like everybody else, but I can't and I seem to be the only one at my school who has this problem and this problem only occurs at school. I tried to explain this problem to my mom, but she just told me that I'll be alright, but I'm tired of only being musty and sweaty at school. People always talk about me and they think I don't take baths.
Now I wear men's deodorant, but while I'm at school it still doesn't help. i have even gotten to a point where I take the deodorant to school and almost every hour I go to the restroom to put on deodorant and it helps for about 5 minutes and I get right back to smelling musty and start sweating. So I put on my jacket and hope nobody smells me, but they do anyways.
Why is this constantly happening and only at school? And everyday? Why? What am I doing wrong?
I've never had smelly armpits. I do sweat, but it was always the salty-like smell; never a bad smell. About a month ago i noticed the change in odor. I thought it was this new perfume my roommate got for me which I stopped using immediately. Nothing changed. No deodorant helps, makes it instead worse.
I increased my number of showers from twice daily to three or four. Nothing changed. Am I sick? I really need help.
By Relinda
No one can make any type of medical recommendation from this site. I do, however, think that more showers will not help your problem and will probably create dry skin and other problems. Pleae visit your doctor to address your problem and find a solution. The longer you wait, the worse the problem may become.
Armpit odor is caused by a bacteria, usually it is transfered from another person if you borrowed their shirts, or if they used your deodorant. I don't think it ever goes away, never let your children wear clothes from someone else, that is how it starts.
Try a gel hand sanitizer under your arms. Works for me. Many things can affect underarm odor. Stress, age, hormones, what you are eating and drinking. Think about what changed in your life before this began. Good luck.
Are you actually serious about this. .. wow
I use deodorants everyday. I started taking antibiotics a week and a half ago and for the past 3 days I been having this sour odor from my armpits. I take a shower twice a day.
By Miranda
Medications - all medications have side effects, and one is that they can change body chemistry, or at least the way the body's bacteria effects sweat. The plus side is that you usually only have to be on it 10 days.
By this time your antibiotic regimen is probably done and the odor will go away on it's own within about a week. Drink water throughout the day (don't overdo) and that will help flush/cleanse your system of the residual effects even more quickly.
Hi. My underarm smells like antibiotic even though i didn't take one. I have noticed it specially when I am sick. What have you done to get rid of it?
I want to stop using a deodorant (roll-on) without my armpits having an odor, is it possible?
By Thabi
Make a paste of coconut oil and baking soda. There are recipes online. I think if baking soda bothers you, you may find alternatives.
This page contains the following solutions.
After many months of this embarrassing problem, I got the idea to try hand sanitizer. Not only did the sanitizer stop the odor immediately, after a week's use the odor has not returned.
After reading all the tips and trying them out, none worked for me. However after I thought about the cause of the odor, which is bacteria, I realized I was going about it the wrong way.
I come from a tropical country when I was a kid. I remember at school the teacher would make us rub lime with baking soda, that used to work very well!
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