1. Wash twice a day
Pretty much common sense this one, but washing twice a day is absolutely essential for reducing the risk of body odor. This is crucial for removing irritants and pollutants from the skin, which can impact you in any environment, even in your bed. Leave your skin looking and feeling fresh, clean, and smooth.
2. Use antibacterial soap
When you are looking for the best odor eliminating products, antibacterial soap is one of the best choices. These special soaps contain properties that are not found in regular soaps, and are essential for hygiene. Body odor is caused by bacteria and sweat mixing, so reducing bacteria on your skin reduces the risk of odor.
3. Dry yourself thoroughly
After washing you need to make sure you dry yourself thoroughly, as wet or damp skin is a breeding ground for bacteria. Dryness makes it much more difficult for the bacteria that causes body odor to grow on the skin, and this is why it is important to dry the areas of your body that typically sweat a lot.
4. Shave your armpits
if you are dedicated to reducing body odor, one of the most effective ways could be to shave your armpits. These are perhaps the main culprit for BO, and studies have actually shown that hairless armpits had considerably less body odor than armpits with hair. This is a great hack for improving your hygiene and helping you to smell better.
5. Use deodorant
The great thing about deodorants is that they have nice smelling fragrances that are pleasing for the senses, and they can go a long way toward covering up body odor. As a short-term solution, deodorants are a good choice but, long-term, they may not be as effective as you’d hope.
6. Apply antiperspirant
Whilst deodorant is fine, antiperspirants are what you really need when looking to combat body odor. They work by blocking the body’s sweat pores temporarily, which significantly reduces the risk of body odor. You will need to make sure you regularly reapply it for maximum effect.
7. Change your clothes
Again, this one seems obvious but it is worth mentioning – changing your clothes can considerably reduce the risk of body odor. BO can be transferred between clothing, and, what’s more, bacteria from clothes can be transferred to the body, increasing the risk of odor even further.
8. Wash your clothes
As well as changing your clothes, you also need to be washing your clothes on a regular basis as well. The bacteria that causes body odor can cling to clothes for a long time after, so you need to do laundry to eradicate this bacteria. If you find the smell is still there, use a vinegar and baking soda solution instead!
9. Wear antimicrobial socks
Your feet are one of the main offenders for body odor, and this makes clean socks an absolutely essential item of clothing. Socks can smell absolutely horrendous, which is why you should be going for specifically designed antimicrobial socks. These are important as they prevent the growth of bacteria, and reduce the risk of your feet smelling too bad.
10. Cut back on certain foods
It might come as a surprise to hear this, but what you eat actually has a massive impact on your body and the way it smells. Foods like broccoli and cabbage contain sulfur, which naturally produces a foul smell. So you need to reassess your diet, and make sure you are not eating too many foods that might cause body odor.
11. Onions and garlic can make it worse
Again, this is fairly obvious, but the problem is that garlic and onion is both delicious, and goes with lots of different foods. Both are very high in sulphuric acid, and, though they are positive for your health, both can cause unpleasant body odor. Cutting these out of your diet can help reduce BO significantly.
12. Think twice about spicy foods
Spicy foods might be delicious, but they can also make you sweat profusely. The problem with this is that more sweat typically means a lot more body odor. What’s more, the spices that are generally found in spicy food can also be present in your body odor, so this is something to consider if you’re self conscious of your scent.
13. Reduce alcohol consumption
Alcohol can also play a massive role in causing body odor. This is because the body’s detoxification process causes you to swear more, and thus can result in more body odor. The best solution is, obviously, to cut down on your alcohol intake, whether that’s through limiting your consumption or cutting it out completely.
14. Cut down the caffeine
We all know corporate America was built on cups of coffee and many of us love a mug of java a few times a day, after all, why not? Unfortunately, the fact that coffee contains caffeine, which is a stimulant. This causes your apocrine sweat glands to work faster, which might cause you to sweat and, therefore, smell more.
15. Shower after exercising
Exercise is a great way of getting fit and healthy but it also causes you to sweat a lot. As such, it is essential to make sure you take a shower after doing any kind of exercise. Fresh sweat alone doesn’t have an odor, but this is the best way of being able to get rid of the bacteria that breeds and contributes to body odor.
16. Try to keep yourself cool
Heat causes us to sweat, as it is the body’s way of cooling us down in response to the heat. This means that a great way of being able to fight body odor is to reduce the amount you sweat by reducing exposure to heat and taking any additional steps to stay cool. Take a cold shower, keep the windows open, or turn on the air conditioning to keep as cool as possible.
17. Find a way to reduce your stress levels
Emotions and body odor are directly linked – many people don’t know that your armpits can produce up to 30 times more sweat when you feel stressed. This sweat is thicker than ordinary sweat, activated by temperature change, and contains more proteins. As a result, it can often smell worse. Try to reduce the amount of stress in your life and help cut down on your BO.
18. Wear loose-fitting clothing made of cotton
The great thing about cotton is that it is very breathable and breezy, making it comfortable, and reducing the risk of body odor. It also means that they don’t hold onto BO in the same way that synthetic fibers do, and this makes them a great choice for cutting down on foul odors.
19. Baking soda
Baking soda is one of those magic ingredients that can be used for so many things and one of those is that it can help with body odor! Apparently, applying a paste made of water and 1/4 a teaspoon baking soda to your armpits can help hold off sweat, and leave you smelling better for longer. It’s also great for getting the set in marks and smell out of clothes after wearing.
20. Green tea
Green tea is great because it’s a natural antioxidant, making it a go to option for improving your body in so many ways. It helps with the production of glutathione, which works to remove toxins from your body. This is such a key part of the process of helping to reduce body odor, so you should try to incorporate more green tea into your routines!
21. Lemon juice
Not only are lemons a great way of adding zesty flavor to food and drinks, but they are also great for helping eradicate body odor too. One accepted theory states that rubbing a half lemon on your underarms makes it impossible for bacteria to grow. This because the acid in the lemon reduces the pH content in your skin, helping to reduce the risk of body odor.
22. Apple cider vinegar
Rumored to work wonders for the aging process, apple cider vinegar’s acidic properties work similar to lemons, reducing the skin’s pH levels, and thus helping to cut down on the risk of BO. Drinking it is also said to come with a range of health benefits as well, but these are disputed.
23. Witch hazel
Witch hazel is a pretty remarkable product, used for a broad variety of health and hygiene-related processes. Applying some witch hazel to parts of the body that tend to produce BO can be highly effective. It works in the same way as lemons and apple cider vinegar in aiding the balance of the skin’s pH.
24. Get checked out by the doctor
In some cases, body odor can be the sign of an underlying health problem, and this is why it is important to take action if needed. You need to visit the doctors and get checked out if you find odour significantly impacting your life. It could be a sign of a condition like trimethylaminuria, where the body stops breaking down the compound trimethylamine, which causes foul smells.
25. Botox injections can help
If you suffer from excessive sweating, this can lead to pretty bad body odor. In this instance, you might find that a healthcare professional recommends that get Botox. These injections will block the sweat glands and prevent them secreting sweat, thus reducing the risk of body odor.
26. Sometimes medication is prescribed
Conditions such as hyperhidrosis can be known to cause excessive sweating. If you experience this, you may be able to speak to a professional and prescribed medication to help combat symptoms. There are different medication options that can help you here and your doctor can help you find the correct solution to suit your needs.
27. For severe cases, surgery is an option
If you are experiencing severe hyperhidrosis, you might consider having surgery to deal with it. Endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy is a procedure that involves cutting the nerves that cause sweat production, thus reducing the instances, and intensity, of potential body odor.
28. Combat the body with electromagnetic waves
There is a non-invasive procedure you might also like to consider, which involves using a device that emits electromagnetic waves to remove sweat glands. The device is placed under your armpits and works to stop sweat from being produced in that area, which is key for battling body odor.
29. Antibiotics sometimes work
There will be occasions on which certain medications can make your sweat smell worse and contribute to body odor in a negative way. However, it will largely be the case that antibiotics actually have the ability to reduce the amount of bacteria on the skins surface and within the glands, thus minimising the risk of nasty body odor.
30. Understand how your body works
Understanding your body is a crucial part of the process when it comes to reducing body odor. Stay attuned to your body and how it works, think about what food you are eating, and how you are treating your body on a daily basis. Every one is different, but making better decisions for your body health is essential for helping fight body odor.
31. Check you’re not being paranoid
Getting paranoid about your problem is actually more common than you might think. This is something you need to be careful of, as you can either make the issue worse by overestimating its severity, and it is always worth asking a trusted friend if you are genuinely concerned. Being able to combat body odor is important, and paranoia can make this more tricky.
32. Don’t forget to wash your grain twice a day, too
Your groin area is one of the most important areas you need to keep fresh and clean on a daily basis when you’re trying to fight against body odor. The groin is a hotbed for bacteria, and can trap sweat and odor very easily. If you aren’t keeping it clean twice a day, this can contribute to foul smells.
33. Try wearing silk
Natural cotton is one of the best materials that you can wear when it comes to trying to reduce body odor. This is a great option for clothing in hot weather and is light enough that it remains comfortable, as well as greatly reducing the risk of body odor in the process.
34. Ventilate your body as much as possible
One of the best ways of being able to reduce the risk of body odor is to make sure you keep your body as ventilated as possible. You can achieve this by wearing baggier clothing, such as loose t-shirts, and in warmer weather you can have a lot more skin exposed or use a fan in the house to keep you as comfy as possible.
35. Make sure to dress for the weather
It is also important to make sure you dress for the weather, as this works to reduce sweating and, you guessed it, body odor. If you’re overdressed in hot weather, your body temperature will naturally increase, not only leading to you sweating more but also trapping that sweat in the clothes fibres. Cold sweat is also a thing as well, especially if ill, and can also contribute to foul-smelling body odor.
36. Don’t wear underwear if you don’t have to
Underwear, particularly bras, can be uncomfortable in warm weather and might contribute to you getting all hot and sweaty, which can obviously result in body odor. One of the hacks you can use to combat this is to make sure you opt for breathable underwear or, if possible, even avoid it and wear loose fitting clothes.
37. Double check your fabrics are actually what they say they are!
Something else you can do to try to reduce the risk of body odor is to make sure you check your clothing labels, and ensure you have the fabrics you think you have. Each label will tell you whether your garment is actually cotton or silk, so it is worth checking this out. Natural fabrics are best known for being breathable and, therefore, less likely to trap poor smells.
38. Switch to silk bedsheets
It’s not just clothing decisions that can contribute to you reducing the risk of body odor. In fact, your bedsheets can also play a role in this, which is why silk bedsheets are a great choice. This can enhance your comfort and reduce sweating through the night.
39. And get rid of any heavy blankets you don’t need
Yes, in the winter heavy blankets can sometimes be a godsend; they are warm, cozy, and comfortable. However, if you don’t need them, they’re just adding extra layers to your bedding, making you too hot and increasing the risk of you sweating whilst you sleep at night
40. You can also get prescription antiperspirant
If you find that the regular store-bought antiperspirants and deodorants are not doing the trick for you, you might need something a little stronger. Your doctor can provide you with prescription antiperspirant, which will do a much more effective job of protecting against BO.