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.
Using an over-the-counter (OTC) antiperspirant or deodorant (or a combination antiperspirant-deodorant) after your daily shower can help remedy armpit odor.
In an article for The Atlantic, Hamblin notes that body odor is a result of bacteria that live off the oils and sweat on our skin, and bathing too much and using excessive soap throws off the balance of this ecosystem. As bacteria repopulate, those that produce more odor are favored.
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.
Use essential oils
To smell naturally good, going natural is the answer. Essential oils have been a part of aromatherapy for centuries. While perfumes also derive their notes from nature, choosing an all-natural essential oil can make you smell fresh, moisturize your skin and treat skin problems as well.
Body odor is caused by bacteria breaking down the sweat from the apocrine glands in your armpits, groin, and pubic area. You may be more prone to body odor if you are overweight, eat certain foods, have certain health conditions, or are under stress. Genetics may also play a role.
Showering a few times a week, especially after you exercise or do other activities that make you sweat, may be enough to rid you of body odor without drying out or irritating your skin. After your shower or bath, apply an antiperspirant and deodorant.
Hibiclens Soap and Skin Cleanser is a heavy-duty solution for excessive odor. In addition, it's an antiseptic, meaning it will eliminate all harmful bacteria on the skin.
The answer has to do with hormones—specifically, pheromones. “Pheromones are chemicals that animals and humans produce, which change and influence the behavior of another animal or human of the same species,” says Erica Spiegelman, wellness specialist, recovery counselor, and author of The Rewired Life.
But vanilla has now been crowned the world's favourite smell by a team of international experts. Scientists from the University of Oxford and the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm presented 10 scents to 235 people from nine different cultures around the world.
Stinking Breath and Body Odor
Similarly, water helps release toxins through sweat. If your body is dehydrated, you are unable to release these toxins (bacteria), which when accumulated leads to an unpleasant body odor, especially in the armpits, feet, and groin area.
The team found the smell ranked the most pleasant was vanillin, the main component in vanilla extract. The following preferred scent was ethyl butyrate, a fruity, pineapple-like odor. , The chemical compound Linalool's floral and spicy scent—found in over 200 plants including lavender—ranked third.
Everyone has their own scent—just think of how differently your grandma and your boyfriend smell when you lean in for a hug. But can we smell ourselves? For the first time, scientists show that yes, we can, ScienceNOW reports. Our basis of self-smell originates in molecules similar to those animals use to chose mates.
The study suggests the human body produces chemical signals, called pheromones. And these scents affect how one person perceives another. Scientists have demonstrated the effects of pheromones in a whole range of animals, including insects, rodents, squid and reptiles.
Antioxidant-rich green tea is a wonder drink that can help prevent bad breath, body odor and stinky feet. Green tea supports detoxification by aiding production of glutathione, a carrier-antioxidant that eliminates harmful toxins from the body. The fewer the toxins in your body, the better your body will smell.
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)