Does your body odor repel others? The ultimate social disaster, a bad body odor may take your confidence to its lowest level. “Do I smell bad?” could be the most embarrassing question you may have to ask. But is preventing unpleasant body odor difficult? Sometimes yes, a shower or a body spray may not do the trick. Facts:Basically, body odor is due to sweat. Everybody perspires, so everybody has a particular smell of his own. Perspiration in itself contains very little smell. It is only when bacteria from the skin get to work on it that it grows offensive. And this happens mostly when it becomes stale. Hence, the obvious solution is not to allow it grow stale and cultivate a hygienic personal habit like a daily bath and some additional care during menstruation in women. Keeping the feet wrapped up in socks and shoes for most part of the day, makes it emit a characteristically different smell than any other part of the body. So feet too need special attention.
Of course, as in all other things, the degree of perspiration differs from individual to individual, with some lucky folks hardly perspiring and others stuck with heavy droplets of water. Certain foods like garlic, onion, fish, and peanuts are also responsible for offensive body odor in people. These remain in the secretion process for a longer time compared to other foods. Work conditions also play a major role in how people smell. People working in air-conditioned offices would naturally sweat less than those involved in physical labour outdoors. Weather also contributes to how one smells in a particular season. The kind of fabric one wears also determines body odor. Natural fabrics like cotton absorb sweat faster and better than synthetic materials. There are certain occasions when one sweats more, in daily life. For example, if one is under stress, or is facing nervous tension or frightened, one tends to perspire a lot.
Complications:
In some cases, body odor can grow extremely offensive and pungent despite all possible precautions and total hygiene. This could be due to a type of skin infection, or medical problems like diabetes, stomach ulcers, liver dysfunction; digestive difficulties like lack of metabolism and excretion are also the culprits in some cases. While some people suffer from excessive perspiration, others have an affliction whereby they sweat too little. These extreme cases need medical attention and professional help.
Eliminating odor:
Certain basic rules, if followed religiously, can rid one of the banes of body odor if it is normal perspiration that is causing it:
1. A daily bath is a must in order to prevent sweat from collecting and getting stale. Anti-bacterial soaps if necessary may also be used. This is even more important after exercise or physical exertion of any sort.
2. All clothes should be washed regularly and of course, those worn close to the skin must be washed regularly.
3. It is advisable to change one’s clothes more often in the summer months, so that the smell doesn’t get a chance to build up due to excessive sweating.
4. Summers also demand light, cotton clothes and loose outfits.
5. 80 percent of the sweat glands are concentrated in the armpits. So pay special attention to this area while bathing. From a hygienic point of view, it is better if you remove underarm hair regularly so that perspiration does not get trapped in it and linger on.
6. Wear shoes that let feet breathe.
7. If one bathes regularly and wears clean clothes, there is no need to use heavy perfumes. In fact, if these mingle with body odor, it smells worse.
8. If one perspires heavily then no harm in using deodorants, talc powder and bacteria masking agents. It is fallacious to imagine that deodorants and perspirants can stop all body odors. At best they can keep it within controllable limits.
9. Avoid spicy food if possible, eat more greens.
Keep the bad smell away, so that you are not kept away!
See also: More home remedies for body odor
I suffer very badly from the same complaint have not been abel to stop it but there is away to Control it & its so simple that very few to no people will stick to it Think of poor old Louie & a victim of Chemicals, Now try Pure Cotton "T" shirts & under pants Bonds in Aus. In China its even better no rubber bands just spun cotton elastic & pants legs 3 inches long PERFECT. Its taken 35 years of everything for me to settle on cotton (pure only) When you perspire the cotton absorb es & dryes in the hardest times with little to no aroma.
ReplyDeleteTry an antiperspirant deodorant. Sometimes some deodorants don't work as well on some people as they do on others. Try a few different brands till you find one that works for you.
ReplyDeleteMake sure after your showers that you dry your underarms properly before putting the deodorant one. Some people are just really stinky there and have to wash their underarms and reapply during the day.
Consumption of zinc-rich foods helps reducing body odor. The list of zinc–rich foods includes turkey, nuts, legumes, and whole grains, and in this reference you should avid frequent consumption of garlic and fish.
ReplyDeleteThose who suffer from excessive sweating should go for 100% cotton garments and should wear fresh washed clothes at a regular basis. Undergarments need to be changed and cleaned everyday with a thorough soap wash and need to be dried preferably under direct sunlight.
ReplyDeleteThere is a direct relation between what a person eats and his body odor. Avoid refined sugar, white flour, hydrogenated oils and other processed foods. Avoid red meat because it releases many toxins into the blood stream. Avoid foods that lack fiber. Avoid alcohol, caffeine, cumin and garlic.Eat a healthy diet which contains whole grains, lots of leafy vegetables, sprouts, fresh fruits, soy products, raw nuts and so on.
ReplyDeleteNever repeat unwashed clothes, especially undergarments during summer, it will aggravate the odor. Wax your armpits regularly. People who wear shoes for long time complain of foot odor. It is caused by rapid bacteria growth due to excess sweating of feet. To avoid foot odor wear cotton socks, never use socks repeatedly. Wash your feet properly. If possible wear open foot wear like leather sandals.
ReplyDeleteAdding mint to your diet is inexpensive and it works wonders. In cooking it could be used as an herb and added to your favorite pasta dish. Mint neutralizes odor because of its sweet smelling essential oil and is often used in gum to freshen breath.
ReplyDeleteUse antibacterial soap or deodorant soap to combat body odor due to sweating. Wear cotton clothes during summer so that the sweat is soaked up. Instead of using deodorant, wipe your sweat producing areas like armpit using white vinegar or alcohol. Avoid using antiperspirant because they clog sweat glands, use alum instead. Apply some baking soda on arm pit, it will absorb sweat and kill bacteria
ReplyDeleteA brown deodorant stone call Body Crystal can easily prevent body odor.Even the severe cases can be eliminated. Besides economical it is also effective for 36 hours freshness. Very much better than white alum type deodorant stone.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, there are two ways to attack the problem: from the inside and from the outside. People who eat a lot of chiles, garlic, and onions or who drink a lot of alcohol will have bad body odor. So eliminating these foods/beverages helps from the inside. From the outside, the body odor comes from bacteria so you have to keep the areas where they thrive very clean and inhospitable to the little critters. Feet: scrub with soap, and dry. Use foot powder. Wear oder eaters liners in shoes. Groin: wash with soap every day, use a spray developed for that (yes there is such a thing); change underwear every day. Pits: Soap every single day, and deo.
ReplyDeletebaking soda added to lemon juice or vinegar can
ReplyDeleteprevents body odour
have you ever herd of the expression "you are what you eat"
ReplyDeleteits true ! its all in your diet..... so fix it !
Try Liquid Powder
ReplyDeleteUse Secret spray deodorant. It is very good. Use baby powder on your feet. Drink lots of water, and urinate often. Keep a panty pad on and powder it. Keep your clothes clean. Keep your house clean. don't eat Garlic or Onions. See a dentist regularly. don't wear perfume. It gets a stale smell. Use mild soap, like Basis soap. during the school day, wash yourself again and reapply the deodorant
ReplyDeletebody odor has a lot to do with how you eat. If you eat things like salads, fruit, grains, veggies, white meat (chicken and stuff) and drink LOTS of water, then you probably wont have bad odor. Things like eggs, red meat, some grains like beans and some veggies like cabbage and asparagus, hamburger helper, canned spaghettis, hot sauces, pretty much everything messy and tasty, will give you bad body odor. Exercise a lot to sweat off waste product and to be healthy. Drink a lot of water and fruits are the best
ReplyDeletezinc is really good for sweating and body oder
ReplyDeleteReduce sweat instantly with baking soda. Baking soda evaporates any moisture and allows the sweat to dry up very quickly. Mix baking soda and warm water together. . Apply the paste to your underarms and let it sit for 25 to 30 minutes. Rinse well with warm water and apply deodorant once your underarms are dry. It's best to do this every morning before applying deodorant for the first time.
ReplyDeleteTake a bath in Nautica Voyage cologne. It makes the women rip your pants off.
ReplyDeleteLiquid chlorophyll. It won't stop the sweating but it will remove the odors from the inside out, before they start.
ReplyDelete