It’s almost March and there’s no sign of temperatures dropping any time soon. A few minutes in the sweltering heat can leave you hot and sweaty even if you’ve just stepped out of a cold shower.
Sweating is perfectly normal. Extreme heat, vigorous exercise or nervousness triggers your body to sweat. By excreting water and cooling down your body, it’s the body’s way to protect you from overheating. Unfortunately, sweat is associated with body odour. Even though sweating is unavoidable, it doesn’t mean that body odour has to be. Here are a few tips on how you to manage BO.
It's normal to sweat. (Pic INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPERS, SUPPLIED, INLSA)
Keep clean: Just because there are current water restrictions in place it doesn’t mean you can’t wash. Pay special attention to the areas prone to excessive sweating.
Go hairless: Bad odour is caused by bacteria. And warm damp areas cause bacteria to multiply. By removing hair in areas like your armpits, it reduces the space for bacteria to grow. Hairs prevent your antiperspirant and spray from absorbing into the skin and being effective.
Removing hair reduces the space for bacteria to grow. (Pic supplied)
Soap up against bacteria: Using antibacterial soaps is your first weapon against odour-producing bacteria. Be sure to select a soap that won’t irritate you, especially if you have a sensitive skin.
Dry up: As mentioned, before odour-causing bacteria love damp areas. So be sure to dry yourself thoroughly with a clean towel before applying any products or getting dressed.
Antiperspirant with deodorant: You can spray as much deodorant as you like, but if it’s not used in conjunction with an antiperspirant, it will simply mask the smell for a while. The antiperspirant is what reduces excessive sweat. Allow your antiperspirant to absorb and dry before spraying your deo.
Using deo and antiperspirants is more effective. (Pic: Mujahid Safodien)
Reach for a lemon: Smelly feet? Washing your feet with lemon juice will help reduce foul smells.
Watch what you eat: How do you know that someone has eaten garlic for supper the night before or had a boozy night out? You can smell it on their skin.
Try to avoid smelly foods to prevent that morning-after stink.
Avoid pungent smelling food. (Pic: Washington Post/Deb Lindsey)
Go natural: Synthetic fibres such as nylon retain sweat. Especially when worn tightly against your skin. Opt for loose fitting, natural fabrics like cotton instead.