Using an over-the-counter (OTC) antiperspirant or deodorant (or a combination antiperspirant-deodorant) after your daily shower can help remedy armpit odor. Sometimes, you need to try different kinds to see which one works best for you.
If you still smell a strong body odor after a shower, consider shaving the hair in your armpits, groin, and chest. The hair's surface is a perfect place for bacteria to call home, and it's harder to eliminate them from the hair than your bare skin.
Applying antiperspirant straight after showering
It makes sense to put your antiperspirant on as soon as you're clean to prevent any rogue sweating. But the problem is, your pits might still be damp. "To get the best results you apply antiperspirant to completely dry skin," says Dr Dawn.
Changes to body odor may be due to puberty, excessive sweating, or poor hygiene. Sudden changes are typically caused by the environment, medications, or foods that you eat. However, body odor, especially sudden and persistent changes to your normal odor, can sometimes be a sign of an underlying condition.
Shower More Frequently
Infrequent showering can cause bacteria to build up on your skin. Shower at least once a day (or every morning and night) and scrub your extra-sweaty areas with a scent-free, antibacterial bath soap. Stay away from strongly scented soaps, which can make your armpits smell worse.
Less body odor
When you remove hair under the armpits, it reduces trapped odor. A 2016 study involving men found that removing armpit hair by shaving significantly reduced axillary odor for the following 24 hours. Similar results were first found in a 1953 paper .
When your body temperature rises, these glands release fluids that cool your body as they evaporate. Apocrine glands are found in areas where you have hair, such as your armpits and groin. These glands release a milky fluid when you're stressed. This fluid is odorless until it combines with bacteria on your skin.
Body odor is caused by a mix of bacteria and sweat on your skin. Your body odor can change due to hormones, the food you eat, infection, medications or underlying conditions like diabetes. Prescription-strength antiperspirants or medications may help.
Things like stress, hormonal changes, new medications, and different lifestyle factors (like harder workouts or shifts in the weather) can all impact how you sweat, and your go-to deodorant may not be able to stand up to the new situation.
Deodorize your armpits
Rubbing alcohol can get rid of the bacteria that leads to armpit stink. Wipe or spritz the lower or middle concentration alcohol onto clean pits to stop the odor-causing germs in their tracks (but you probably don't want to do it right after shaving — it can sting).
Expect to Detox
If you've been using conventional deodorant or antiperspirant for years, it can take 2-4 weeks to detox and release all of the aluminum in your pits that's been preventing you from sweating. During this time, you might notice that you're a little more stinky than usual.
"Perspiration levels are not as high compared to daytime and usually the 'deodorizing' is most important during the daytime. While using it occasionally at bedtime is not harmful, use of deodorants around the clock may be an additional source of unnecessary irritation to the skin."
Shower once a day.
Be sure to soap up your armpits, groin, and feet, as these areas tend to get smelly. You don't actually need to use soap on your entire body unless you prefer it. You only need to soap areas that get sweaty and moist, which are your armpits, groin, and feet.
At night, your body temperature drops and you tend to sweat less. Applying antiperspirant at night when your sweat glands are less active means it is easier for it to absorb into the skin than it is in the morning.
While in the shower fill your hand with hydrogen peroxide and splash and rub it into each of your underarms. At the end of the shower you may rinse it off with water only (This will kill some of the bacteria and is effective)
Antibacterial soaps
Dial® is a great example of a common antibacterial soap. It can be a little too harsh to wash the entire body with, but is great for the areas that have a tendency to produce unwanted odor. My male patients particularly love it. Hibiclens® is another alternative and also available over-the-counter.
Deodorant: Mouthwash is effective at killing odor-causing bacteria, both in your mouth and under your arms. If you forget your deodorant on a trip or you want to freshen up during the day, but only have mouthwash on hand, you're in luck.
What causes the unpleasant smell is the bacteria that build up on your sweaty skin and react with sweat and oils to grow and multiply when sweat reacts with bacteria on the skin. These bacteria break down proteins and fatty acids, causing body odor in the process.
Research has found that the salts in antiperspirants can cause an imbalance of bacteria. The aluminum compounds kill off the less smelly bacteria, giving the smellier bacteria more opportunity to thrive, causing more body odour.