Stopping the Smell of Sweat Naturally
Today, I have chosen to discuss a very summery yet slightly embarrassing subject: sweat. Bear with me! Did you know that sweat itself is largely odorless until it is fermented by bacteria? Bacteria thrive in hot, humid, acidic environments and the human underarm or armpit is one of the warmest areas on the surface of the human body.
Sweat glands provide the moisture, which cools us down in the heat. But when we wash our armpits are washed with pH basic soaps, the skin loses its acidity (pH 4.5 - 6), and the pH becomes basic, which is the pH in which bacteria thrive. This makes armpits the perfect environment for bacterial colonization, which is, well, the pits. Bacteria feed on the sweat from the apocrine glands (and on dead skin and hair cells, yum), releasing 3-methyl-2-hexenoic acid in their waste, which what causes our body odor.
Now normally, underarm hair keeps the moisture away from the skin and aids in keeping the skin dry enough to prevent or reduce bacterial colonization (hair is less susceptible to bacterial growth and therefore is ideal for preventing the bacterial odor) but most ladies like to keep that area free of hair. So what to do about all of this bacteria business? Well deodorant or anti-perspirant would be the natural solution, but for those of us leaning towards the natural, here are some tips for you. Eating turnips and red radish juice daily can lessen body odor and herbs and plants have a long track record of use as internal deodorizers.
The phyto-nutrients in aromatic plants such as parsley, celery, thyme, oregano, sage and rosemary help cleanse your internal organs of toxins and eating them ensures a clean smell. A tablespoon of aniseed in your daily diet will give you the same cleansing function. Try making a strong infusion of lovage or sage to use as deodorant; apply the lovage or sage infusion to your armpits or you can add it to your bath water. Apple cider vinegar can be a good natural deodorant–add the apple cider vinegar to some water and place it on your armpit, don’t worry–the vinegar smell will disappear in a few minutes. And you’ll smell sweet as a baby.
Sweat glands provide the moisture, which cools us down in the heat. But when we wash our armpits are washed with pH basic soaps, the skin loses its acidity (pH 4.5 - 6), and the pH becomes basic, which is the pH in which bacteria thrive. This makes armpits the perfect environment for bacterial colonization, which is, well, the pits. Bacteria feed on the sweat from the apocrine glands (and on dead skin and hair cells, yum), releasing 3-methyl-2-hexenoic acid in their waste, which what causes our body odor.
Now normally, underarm hair keeps the moisture away from the skin and aids in keeping the skin dry enough to prevent or reduce bacterial colonization (hair is less susceptible to bacterial growth and therefore is ideal for preventing the bacterial odor) but most ladies like to keep that area free of hair. So what to do about all of this bacteria business? Well deodorant or anti-perspirant would be the natural solution, but for those of us leaning towards the natural, here are some tips for you. Eating turnips and red radish juice daily can lessen body odor and herbs and plants have a long track record of use as internal deodorizers.
The phyto-nutrients in aromatic plants such as parsley, celery, thyme, oregano, sage and rosemary help cleanse your internal organs of toxins and eating them ensures a clean smell. A tablespoon of aniseed in your daily diet will give you the same cleansing function. Try making a strong infusion of lovage or sage to use as deodorant; apply the lovage or sage infusion to your armpits or you can add it to your bath water. Apple cider vinegar can be a good natural deodorant–add the apple cider vinegar to some water and place it on your armpit, don’t worry–the vinegar smell will disappear in a few minutes. And you’ll smell sweet as a baby.
