How to remove the bad smell of armpits

For many people, constant underarm odor is an annoying and frustrating problem that is hard to get rid of. Whether it is a stressful lifestyle, an inadequate diet, an illness or hormonal problems, the smell of very strong sweat can even be traumatic in some cases.

If you want to completely eliminate underarm odor and get rid of this problem definitely, the following article is ideal for you. Next, from, we reveal everything you need to know about the reasons why this smell occurs and teach you how to remove.

Causes of underarm odor

The bad smell of armpits is explained, generally, due to the sweating produced by the sweat glands that we have in the skin. There are two types of sweat glands: eccrine and apocrine glands.

• The eccrine glands: they are the most common and those found in most areas of our body. The sweat produced by these glands is normally odorless.
• The apocrine glands: they are those found in areas such as the armpits, the groin or around the genitals, produce a thicker sweat that, consequently, does not evaporate easily. To this we must add the fact that the areas in which the apocrine glands are located are parts of the body with bacteria that, when joined with the sweat that these glands give off in the dermis, unleash a strong and annoying smell.

Although the smell that each person gives off will depend on their diet, their lifestyle and their medical history, it is often a problem that cannot be controlled. There are people who, despite taking care of their personal hygiene optimally, have more apocrine glands than other people, something that can produce a stronger smell.

Other Causes of Underarm Odor

If you ask yourself this question, you should know that there are different reasons that come into play and that you should consider:

• Personal hygiene: while it is true that many people can do nothing to avoid the bad smell, poor personal hygiene is still one of the first causes for which you can suffer axillary bromhidrosis. It is essential to shower daily, lather well, use neutral soaps that do not alter the pH of the skin and use deodorant.
• Different types of bacteria: sweat gives off one smell or another on the skin of each person depending on the bacteria found in the dermis of the person in question.
• Excess of apocrine glands: as we have mentioned, those people with more apocrine glands or with larger than usual apocrine glands will be conducive to giving off a more unpleasant smell.
• Excess alcohol, cigarettes and certain medications – there are drinks, medication and products that, due to the substances they contain, increase the smell of sweat on the body. If you consume alcohol excessively, smoke cigarettes, and take medications such as antibiotics often, you may give off a stronger smell.
• Improper diet: As with alcohol or cigarettes, there are strong foods such as onions or curries that produce more odor.
• Diseases: Certain diseases such as obesity, diabetes or others that carry hormonal imbalances can produce a stronger body odor. This is because in some of these cases the apocrine glands cannot function properly or certain organs cannot get rid of toxins from the body effectively.

Bad underarm odor from axillary bromhidrosis

Armpit malt odor has a well-known scientific name – axillary bromhidrosis. This disease is characterized by giving off bad body odor even at times when there is no clear reason. Although bromhidrosis usually manifests itself in the armpit area, it can also occur in other moist and warm areas such as the feet or genitals.

When we do sports, when we are very nervous or when we spend excessive heat, our body produces sweat to stabilize our body temperature. If you want a more detailed explanation of Why armpits smell, we tell you in this other article from.

How to completely eliminate underarm odor

Before informing you of the possible homemade solutions to completely eliminate the bad smell of armpits, we discover some useful tricks and some recommendations to keep in mind:

• Hair removal: Hair is a big contributor to the appearance of sweat, as it retains bacteria and fungi on the skin. This is even more noticeable when it comes to warm and humid areas such as the armpits or groin.
• Maintain proper body hygiene: It is essential to insist on proper body hygiene, as it is the basis of a pleasant body odor. Part of this recommendation includes using deodorant, as it will help you keep the area clean and prevent the appearance of a bad underarm odor suddenly.
• Choose appropriate clothing: if you sweat a lot, especially in the armpit area, the most normal thing is that the fabric of the clothes ends up moistening. This, in addition to making your sweating visible, will make the smell stronger. To prevent this from happening, choose clothes as tight as possible and leave aside dark colors, as they are the ones that most trap heat.
• Choose an antibacterial soap for the armpits: soaps, as with moisturizers, do not have the same effect on all skin. In fact, many times, a soap that is not suitable for your dermis can produce an unwanted and unpleasant smell. For this reason, it is best to use neutral soaps with a pH similar to that of human skin or an antibacterial soap for the armpits, since they are the most effective to kill bacteria on the skin. In this case, you can also serve a homemade germicidal soap for armpits and without harmful chemicals.
• Visit the doctor: if the sweat that your body gives off tends to smell bad and it is difficult for you to get rid of the problem, it is important that you put yourself in the hands of specialists to rule out possible metabolic problems or hormonal imbalance.

Home Remedies for Underarm Odor

Now that you know some basic recommendations on how to remove armpit odor definitively, it's time to put into practice some great home remedies to completely eliminate armpit odor. Notes!

Baking soda for underarm odor

Baking soda, in addition to being a star product for many household chores, is a fabulous ingredient to combat bad odors. If you want to use baking soda for underarm odor, follow these steps:

1. Wash the area thoroughly with a neutral soap.
2. Be sure to dry the skin very well and do not leave wet areas.
3. Using a handkerchief or cotton, add touches of baking soda to your armpits. You don't need to remove it, so you just have to let the product do its job.

If you prefer, you can also mix three tablespoons of baking soda with two teaspoons of lemon. When you have washed the area well, apply the mixture in your armpits with a gentle massage and let it take effect. This product is also perfect for skin lightening, so if you're wondering how to use baking soda to whiten your armpits, check out this other article.

Lemon for the bad smell of armpits

Lemon is also ideal for combating bad odors and for concealing unwanted stains, as it is a natural armpit lightener. We show you, below, how lemon can be a germicidal soap for armpits 100% natural.

1. Cut a lemon in half and squeeze one of them. You can save the other half for the next occasion.
2. Wash the area thoroughly and, once again, be sure to dry all the moisture.
3. With the help of a cotton ball, apply a few drops of lemon juice to the skin of your armpits. The strong smell of sweat will not only disappear but will not manifest itself again.

Aloe vera for underarm odor

If you're wondering how to remove underarm odor quickly, you should know that aloe vera is another perfect ingredient to use as a natural deodorant. You'll need to apply it a couple of times a day for a week to start seeing results, so get a natural aloe vera gel and apply a little to your armpits when you wake up and before bed. Let it act throughout the day and all night.

Aloe vera is also perfect to avoid irritations, so if you decide to shave your armpits so that the hair does not retain bacteria, do not forget to apply it after hair removal. Do not miss other beauty tips with aloe vera!

Vinegar for the bad smell of armpits

Apple cider vinegar is the most effective in removing underarm odor due to its astringent, antiseptic and antibacterial properties. Here's how you should prepare one of the best home remedies to remove underarm odor:

1. Before going to bed, prepare half a glass of this vinegar. You can add, if you want, a small tablespoon of baking soda.
2. Using a handkerchief or cotton, spread the mixture well through the armpits.
3. When you wake up in the morning, clean the area with water only.

If you want to know in more detail how to use this product to completely eliminate the bad smell of armpits and end the smell of strong sweat, we advise you this article on How to remove the bad smell of the armpits with vinegar.

Milk of magnesia for underarm odor

Bloggers and YouTubers are falling for the properties of milk of magnesia, a perfect ingredient for those wondering how to remove the bad smell in the armpits once and for all.

Milk of magnesia for the armpits is ideal because it helps to remove excess fat and moisture quickly. Therefore, many have made this ingredient their new natural deodorant.

1. Empty the milk of magnesia into a spray bottle.
2. Add a few drops of your favorite essential oil to give it a pleasant aroma.
3. Mix well before use.
4. Use this home remedy for underarm odor twice a day; one when you get up and one before bedtime.

How to make antibacterial soap for armpits

Antibacterial armpit soap is a product that you should always have on hand if you are prone to strong body odor. With this germicidal soap for armpits, you will be able to eliminate germs and bacteria from all over the body, as it is not only useful for the areas of the body with more tendency to strong odor.

To prepare homemade antibacterial soap for armpits you will need:

• Half a glass of water
• One tablespoon of glycerin
• An all-natural bar of soap (or liquid soap free of chemicals)
• Lavender or eucalyptus essential oil

Learn how to remove underarm odor with natural antibacterial soap with this step-by-step:

1. Add the water in a small-medium pot and bring to a simmer.
2. Chop a bar of soap (or grate it) and add it to the pot. If you prefer to do it with liquid soap, make sure it does not contain chemicals and is as natural as possible.
3. Mix well until the soap melts.
4. Then add the glycerin; a viscous liquid present in virtually all soaps. (You can learn how to make glycerin soap in this other article.)
5. After mixing the ingredients for a while longer, add the essential oil of lavender or eucalyptus. This last step will not only give a pleasant smell to the soap, but due to its antibacterial properties you will get this component to help.

How to remove the bad smell of armpits on clothes

We have previously talked about the importance of choosing the right clothes to prevent the bad smell of the armpits from permeating the fabric. However, there are times when it is impossible to prevent clothes from staining and catching a strong and unpleasant smell. We tell you, below, how to eliminate the smell of sweat on clothes and how to whiten them.

Baking soda for clothing

Once again, baking soda is the protagonist of this home remedy to whiten clothes and completely eliminate the bad underarm smell of our favorite garments.

1. Mix three teaspoons of baking soda in half a glass of natural lemon juice.
2. When the mixture has become pasty, rub it through the stained area of the garment.
3. Once you have finished, you can put the garment to wash in the washing machine with total normality.

Salt and vinegar to remove stains

These two ingredients are usually present in a large number of homemade solutions to avoid bad odors:

1. Fill a glass of white vinegar and add two teaspoons of salt.
2. Mix the ingredients well and spread the liquid through the sweat-stained area.
3. Leave it for ten minutes before putting the garment to wash regularly.

If you want greater effectiveness, you can also replace the detergent with a glass of salt and the softener with a quarter cup of white vinegar. Then, put your garment to wash and, when you take it out, you will see that there are no traces of sweat or bad smells.

Aspirin to whiten your clothes

The acid in aspirin is ideal for removing stains and sweat odors on your favorite garments. This option is fabulous if some of your t-shirts, dresses or shirts are starting to take on a yellowish hue due to the sweat that occurs in the armpits. We tell you how to wash clothes with aspirin:

1. Prepare a bucket with 2 liters of warm water.
2. Next, spray 4 or 5 aspirins (depending on the size of the garment) and add them in the bucket.
3. Leave the garment you want to whiten or clean submerged in water with aspirin for at least 7 hours. A good option is to leave the garment soaking overnight.
4. When you take out the garment, you can rinse it in the washing machine as you normally do.

Hydrogen peroxide and ammonia

Finally, we discover a very powerful homemade solution to eliminate strong sweat odors and sweat stains from your garments. Do not wonder how to remove the bad smell of armpits from your clothes, because the mixture of hydrogen peroxide and ammonia will result in an impeccable white.

Of course, due to the ingredients of the mixture, we recommend that you avoid doing it with delicate garments, as they could spoil.

1. In a bucket, pour 1 liter of warm water.
2. Add half a cup of hydrogen peroxide and then 3-4 drops of ammonia.
3. Leave the garment to soak for about 15 minutes.
4. Rinse clothes as you usually do.