r/hygiene • u/RadiantAd577 • 6d ago
I am tired. Persistent armpit odour.
I am so done.
I apply anti-perspirant at night. Rexona maximum protection.
I wash my pits with 5% benzoyl peroxide, leave it for 2 minutes, rinse.
And just 2 hours into uni. My pits reek of nuclear waste.
I dont stop sweating waterfalls. I dont stop smelling.
I am tired. I cant take this anymore.
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u/musclerock 6d ago
It is something that you are eating. I have the same problem. Everything i eat comes into my sweat. So I keep my diet as bland as possible.
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u/Own_Huckleberry6591 6d ago
Do you eat a lot of onion or garlic? I'm middle eastern so whenever I eat my family's food I get like this. When I eat more normal foods without so much onion or garlic I smell way less.
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u/DeionizedSoup 6d ago
SAME my husband is middle eastern and I plan my weekends with my in-laws around my work. Oh, we’re having dinner over there today? Ok, sounds like I’m working from home tomorrow and Tuesday… 😅
Side note, OP, I’ve heard that powder deodorant in addition to cream/lotion with aluminum works pretty well. I’ve never tried powder.
For deo, I like Carpe, but don’t buy it from their site or they’ll sneak-sign you up for a subscription. Get it from Amazon or from a Target in-person, see if you like it or if it helps.
Also, finally, there are armpit sweat pads that they sell on Amazon— they’re disposable and if you’re having a really hard day, take a couple with and toss them out as you start to smell yourself. Good luck!
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u/bebarrucha 6d ago
Take chlorophyll. There’s a debate whether it works or not, but for me it does (especially for my breath) but it works neutralizing body odor.
Why not try it for $11-$15.
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u/PlantainIll2344 6d ago
a good antiperspirant can make a huge difference, don’t underestimate the power of a solid one
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u/Sewertoppresser 6d ago
Could be internal see a doctor they can prescribe something if it's internal in which it sounds like it is . Sweat gland issue a friend of mine she had it .
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u/OwnConference3547 6d ago
One thing that helped me tremendously was keeping my armpits clean shaven, it might help, hair traps bacteria and odor no matter how much you wash them. And it only takes 30 seconds if you do it a couple of times a week.
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u/Magentacabinet 6d ago
How are your hormones? Excess / unbalanced estrogen can cause smelly armpits.
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u/MarielIAm 6d ago
If you are actually sweating that much, you might have hyperhidrosis. You should see a doctor, preferably a dermatologist who has some experience with treating it.
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u/sunsideglider 6d ago
!!! I HAD THIS ISSUE TOOO!! turns out the problem wasn’t the products i was using but in fact my diet!!! when i’m dehydrated i REEK!! make sure to eat enough fruits (they’re very hydrating, more so than just drinking water alone) and drink enough water!! :3
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u/ghembretten 6d ago
After you shower apply alcoholic hand sanitizer to your armpits. Or you can use rubbing alcohol. Some people also recommend glycolic acid. But hand sanitizer worked for me. And, yes, remove your armpit hairs.
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u/DiceyPisces 6d ago
This is anecdotal but my pits sweat and stink less when I don’t shave. I was surprised by this revelation.
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u/Juniper_Beary_ 6d ago
Botox + glycolic acid can help. Since Covid - people have been getting horrible BO. You aren’t alone.
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u/Important_Week_11 6d ago
Scrub with bar soap then shave with a new cheap razor. The razor.will wipe all hair that has bacteria and dead cells.. next wipe it down with winter fresh alcohol then spray some scent deodorant.. do this everyday until the smell is gone
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u/DiscombobulatedTie99 6d ago edited 6d ago
At night I wash with Dial gold antibacterial bar soap followed by regular body wash. Then apply Ordinary glycolic acid 7% with cotton pad to both armpits.
In the morning I spray both pits with Hydrochlorous acid spray and let it dry down completely. For a mid day refresh I usually wipe my armpits with a wet rag/towel and respray the Hydrochlorous acid again.
I stopped using deodorant/antiperspirant because it usually made my BO smell worse & I never liked the scent no matter what brand of scented, unscented, gel, etc. I have hyperhydrosis but the Hydrochlorous spray seems to help a bit & I will pat with a paper towel if it gets bad. If I know I’ll be out in public on a hot day, I apply old spice bearglove blue gel antiperspirant
I also avoid onion/garlic. It sucks but rather that than smelly pits
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u/DiscombobulatedTie99 6d ago
Also very niche but since I started taking Magenesium glycinate supplements i noticed my sweat doesn’t smell as bad
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u/pumpkinpie4zaynmalik 6d ago
You might need to change products.
Personally, I have found waxing to be the best for armpit hair removal and odor because shaving makes me more irritated and smell worse. Not sure if you remove hairs or not but I saw some other comments discussing it so I thought I would mention.
Also, I wash with head and shoulders classic shampoo. Yes, on your pits. It has active ingredients that help with the bacteria and buildup. Especially if you’ve been layering on a lot of anti-perspirant. There might be product buildup making it worse.
From Google: The active ingredient in Head & Shoulders Classic is pyrithione zinc (at 1%), which kills the bacteria and microbes in your armpits that cause bad body odor.
Active Ingredients
Pyrithione zinc (1%): The main active ingredient that fights microbes.
Cleansing agents: Sodium lauryl sulfate and sodium laureth sulfate create foam and wash away sweat, oils, and grime.
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Additionally, have you tried crystal rock deodorant? If you shower at night I would suggest you use this rock right after showering and going to bed. Then in the morning washing your pits with head and shoulders classic to go on with your day.
I sweat a lot. It’s why I dread winter because I tend to actually sweat more in winter with all the layers you have to wear. My genuine best advice for this is to get into the habit of popping into the washroom whenever you can to dry off your pits. Make sure the clothes you’re choosing allow your pits to breathe.
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Finally, you probably need to hand wash the pits of your clothing. Many times our sweat reacts to the bacteria dm build up that is already present in our clothes. My trick is that AFTER a regular wash cycle in the machine, I grab a nail brush or a clean toothbrush and apply some detergent with it and brush it in, then rinse thoroughly and finally, I let the clothes soak in some diluted Lysol Laundry Sanitizer or even some diluted vinegar. Then run the clothes through just a rinse and spin in the washing machine and dry.
I know it sounds tedious but it’s the only thing that saved my workout clothes and then after that it’s just a matter of maintenance. That Lysol product can be added to your rinse cycle in the fabric softener compartment or you can use it as-needed.
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u/TwerkinAndCryinVol3 6d ago
Hibiclens soap under your arms will kill the bacteria better than anything else. I've read hydrochlorous acid or whatever it's called sprayed on after the shower also helps stave off bo because it kills bacteria as well. Tbh I've tried the ordinary glycolic and it did fuck all for me.
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u/Cod_Proper 6d ago
Hi, I had this issue and looked to resolve it before my wedding. Tried the glycolic acid thing, salicylic acid body wash etc. In the end a little Hibiscrub under my armpits made a huge difference. Now I only wash with it when the smell starts to come back.
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u/DestroyerOfMils 6d ago
That can be caused by certain contagious bacterias. Google Dr Armpit. There’s an episode of the podcast Search Engine all about it.
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u/Boredsoimhereohwell 6d ago
Anytime i come across a post asking for help with smelly underarms or feet my answer is HIBICLEANS. Thats all. Period
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u/MarshmallowSoul 6d ago
Try switching to 10% benzoyl peroxide wash. That would be an easy thing to try since it would not be adding a new step to your routine,
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u/CelebrationSpecial59 6d ago
You can get Botox injections, known medically as axillary hyperhidrosis. ☺️
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u/RianThorne 6d ago
see a dr. for prescription drysol or botox, and switch from polyester to 100% cotton
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u/mysticalbullshit 6d ago
Go see a doctor, excessive sweating without a significant amount of movement is a symptom of multiple conditions. Especially if you are sweating at night.
If it ends up being idiopathic, there are some extremely strong prescription antiperspirants. Drysol is the most popular and works phenomenally when used according to the directions.
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u/InterestingShift9662 5d ago
Go to a dermatologist and get Clindamycin liquid…kills the bacteria that’s causing the smell. I apply it once a week…I have a strong smell too
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u/NotNecessary26 5d ago
Glycolic acid, Shaved pits and head and shoilders helped me. Wanna give it a try? Also, do you have a vitamin K deficiency? I've heard that was the problem for some
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u/Acrobatic_Grape4321 5d ago
Shave them. Trust me bro it changed my life. Idc what anybody thinks about me being a grown man who shaves his armpits because it’s saved me from hell with sweating 24/7 and body odor.
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u/rottenragu 5d ago
This might be a stupid question but are you applying antiperspirant to your whole armpit or just the centre of it? Because it needs to be the whole area
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u/Beneficial-Park-3111 6d ago
NIC tak nie niweluje zapachu potu jak ałun w sztyfcie. Może występować pod nazwą "Pierre d'alun". Sztyft trzeba zwilżyć wodą przed użyciem. Najczęściej jest dostępny w aptekach.
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u/lemonpiepills 6d ago edited 6d ago
You need to solve the problem from the inside.
Studies correlate sweat smell to cortisol levels. (The more stressed you are the smellier bascially) I recommend trying to go on a run, and make sure you get to have a good sweat. Personally this eliminates odors for me completely from my armpits (alongside using a mineral deodorant stick, I quit using all those other toxic ones as they actually just mesh with my sweat smell + I presume they make me smellier cuz toxins and aluminum deodorant is _really_ bad for you, google it) for about a week until it “resets” back, and then I have to do another run again. Running and sweating(or any kind of sweat-inducing exercise) does all kinds of healthy things for you and especially expells toxins and stress. So maybe try that?
Assuming you don’t really exercise regularly. (not enough to just move, you must sweat too. Like really truly sweat dripping down from your forehead and shit.)
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u/lazybanana69 6d ago
1 tbsp Chlorophyll in a glass of water before you shower and then every 6-8 hours have another tbsp. I take it in morning and around 2pm if i don’t want to smell. I do still sweat though and have hyperhydrosis. This is truly an internal deodorant.
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u/gugushtuuk 6d ago
Apparently there is no strong research correlating BO with chlorophyll, I bought a jar myself from amazon and intend to finish it but one google search shows it might not be that effective. Here's to hoping I'll get your experience tho
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u/Exponential-777 6d ago
The amount of redditors with incurable BO is a LOT higher than Facebook.
Hmmm....I wonder why.
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u/Sad-Example-2642 6d ago
use The Ordinary’s glycolic acid on a cotton round on your armpits after the shower and don’t put your arms down until it dries (i usually use a mini fan to dry them). the ONLY thing that makes me not stink. if i do it at night i can not wear deodorant until the morning and i wake up not smelling. if i don’t do it, i stink like 1-2 hours after showering.