Summer is the cruelest season of all. Most of us feel uneasy after 3-4 hours of work, even while sitting in an air-conditioned room. Sweating causes this uneasiness. Keeping our bodies fresh and odor-free all day long is a challenging issue in summer. As a result, bad odor in our body builds up and creates embarrassing situations.
Why are we sweating?
We have to fight every day with humidity, which is the main culprit that causes excessive sweating. Though sweating is a natural process for the body to cool. But it is the ideal condition for bacteria growth in the body. The bacteria grows in sweat and makes fatty acids, which cause an unpleasant smell or body odor.
The human body has two types (Eccrine glands and apocrine glands) of sweat glands, about 3-4 million in number. The Eccrine gland is a friend to our body as it spreads all over the body and it regulates our body temperature by cooling with sweat when we feel hot. The Apocrine gland is found in hairy areas of our body and produces pheromones, an aromatic chemical. Thus, the Apocrine glands are responsible for body odor.
Detoxify your Body:
To avoid excessive sweating, regular detoxification of the body is most important. Detoxification means cleaning our bodies internally. Some basic things that help you detoxify your body are:
- Drink 3-4 liters of waterper day. Water has the power to detoxify, as it cleans all the impurities.
- Eat at least one fruit with vitamin C, every day. Vitamin C helps a lot to detox your bowels. Orange, lemon, pineapple, melon, papaya, and strawberry are full of vitamin C.
- Eat green and leafy vegetables like spinach, cabbage, and capsicum; increase the intake of foods with fiber.
- Green Tea works extremely well in detoxification.
- A walk in fresh air is very good to detoxify your body.
- Try to avoid all junk, spicy foods, alcohol, caffeine, saturated fats, sugar, and cigarettes.
How to control sweat and body odor during summer
As the Mayo Clinic explains, sweat is naturally odorless. The smell comes from your sweat combining with the bacteria on your skin.
No matter what type of sweat your body is making, here are some ways to avoid that sweat from smelling.
1. Dry off completely after showering:
If your skin is dry, it’s harder for bacteria that cause body odor to breed on it. So, when you step out of the shower, pay attention to thoroughly dry off any parts of your body where you normally sweat a lot. While you might not think it matters at the moment, it will help in the long term.
2. Apply apple cider vinegar:
Apple cider vinegar is often touted as a magical liquid, but it’s kind of true since one of the many things it can do is reduce body odor. Dr. Oz recommends splashing some of this miracle elixir on your armpits after you shower. It’s supposed to lower the pH level of your skin, which helps reduce bacteria.
3. Use essential oils:
Lavender oil also has properties to fight bacteria. It will also emanate a nice fragrance without using deo. Do a patch test or dilute and use.
4. Invest in deodorant wipes:
If you’re smelly during the day and can’t take a shower, reapplying deodorant will only do so much. Instead, get some underarm deodorant wipes to help wipe away the odor for a longer-lasting solution.
5. Use lemon to kill the bacteria:
Lemon juice is not only effective in killing bacteria with its citric acid but also whitens underarms when used regularly. Citric acid makes the underarms more acidic, making bacteria-thriving a hard task. You can rub some slices of lemon before the bath or use cotton to apply diluted lemon juice on the armpits.
6. Wear breathable fabrics:
Breathable fabrics will help you in your pursuit to sweat — and smell — less. Stich Fix recommends trying to wear clothing made of natural fibers, like cotton (including chambray) and linen.
7. Use rosemary:
Rosemary can be used as an added herb to your bath water. Alternatively, you could use this dried herb powder as a mask for underarms.
8. Keep your body and clothes clean:
This one might seem obvious, but you may find that you need to bathe more in the summer to combat odor. Fox News Health noted that showers are better than baths for eliminating odors since the steady flow of water helps remove more bacteria from your body. And the use of antibacterial soap helps too. When it comes to the fabrics you put on your body, change your towels out frequently. And while in the winter you may be able to wear a sweater a few times without washing it, it’s not worth putting on any previously worn clothing that you already sweat during the summer.
Here are some more tips:
- Avoid oily, spicy foods and alcohol, as it makes you feel warm internally.
- Overexposure to the sun that makes you feel uncomfortable. Make sure that you don’t stay outside in the summer.
- Always use dry clothes and shoes. Never wear footwear and clothes that are already wet because of sweating. So, change these often.
- Use cotton socks as it absorbs extra moisture, which will make you comfortable.
- Avoid processed food and tobacco.
- Take a shower at least twice a day if you sweat more than normal.
- Always keep your feet, neck, and underarms clean, these three areas produce most of your perspiration.
- Remove unwanted hair from underarms regularly, since bacterial attacks are more likely in hairy and moist areas.
- Use sandalwood powder, fuller earth, and rose water pack to your underarms. They have natural cooling agents to keep your body fresh and odor-free for a long time.
- Clean and exfoliate your body regularly with natural scrubbers by using sugar, olive oil, and sea salt.
- Magnesium, zinc, and vitamin D help reduce natural odor and thus prevent bad smells. So, make sure to eat foods with these nutrients.
- Tea tree oil, peroxide, diluted rosemary, and hazel balance the PH levels of our body. You can use any of them diluted with water instead of chemical deodorants.
- Excessive intake of non-veg food items, especially red meats worsens your body odor; as these food items have much more protein than veggies. Protein raises body temperature as well.
In summary, sweating is a natural and essential part of life. Body odor can harm your confidence and social life and People with body odor are always conscious in a group.
So, while we can’t put a stop to that, hopefully, these tips will help make your sweat smell-less this summer.