Armpit Odor
OdorIf you have ever suffered from that most annoying and embarrassing problem of armpit odor you have my sympathy, but fear not there is plenty of things you can do about it!
Here I will discuss the causes and some of the ways to overcome armpit odor.
Armpit odor is an age old problem that has been around since Biblical times. Ancient civilisations attempted to mask the odor by the application of perfumes and fragrances. This masking strategy is not particularly effective. Of course it helps but the smell is still there under the perfume and is often still noticeable.
This masking strategy was carried on for millennia and it wasn't until around 100 years ago that proprietary deodorant and antiperspirant products became available. I will discuss these and what they do a little later on.
Armpit odor is actually caused by the presence of naturally occurring bacteria on your skin. The bacteria are not solely responsible however. It is the combination of bacteria and sweat that cause the odor. The sweat produced under your arms is assimilated by the bacteria. The by-product of this (actually the bacteria's waste product) is aromatic fats. This is where the body odor actually arises from.
So to summarise: Sweat + Skin Bacteria = armpit odor
And this equation leads us nicely in to the next topic. How to deal with arm pit odor. To eliminate the odor you must eliminate one of the three items in the equation. That is either:
1. The Sweat
2. The Bacteria
3. Or the odor itself
1) Eliminating the Sweat
This can be best achieved by regular washing / showering with soap and water especially after any activities which cause you to sweat more or in hot weather. Also you can apply an antiperspirant which blocks skin pores and prevents sweat getting out.
2) Eliminating Bacteria
Again this can be achieved with good hygiene - lots of washing. You can also get rid of the bacteria by the use of a deodorant. Deodorants often contain ingredients which kill bacteria such as alcohol, salts or bactericides like triclosan.
3) Eliminating the odor
Here our favorite method comes out on top again - frequent washing. Apart from that all you can do is go back to where we started with that age old strategy - covering up the smell with strong fragrances or perfumes.
One last tip - if you find it difficult to wash as often as needed to eliminate armpit odor try carrying around a pack of wet wipes - you know the sort of wet tissues used for cleaning up babies -they are convenient and very effective. Also consider shaving your armpits - otherwise the hair is a breeding ground for larger numbers of those pesky bacteria.
Good luck!
The author is the operator of the Armpit Odor Relief [http://www.armpitodorrelief.com] website. The site gives information to help with the problem of armpit odor and offers a little known 'secret' method to get rid of the problem safely and effectively.