What Are The 5 Effective Ways To Prevent Body Odor?

Body odor ¹is one of the problems everybody suffers from, and some people suffer the most. You can’t just take a bath every time you get body odor, and sometimes you have to find other measures to prevent it. First, we need to know what causes body odor and why it wasn’t much of a problem when we were kids. The main cause of body odor is the increasing amount of hormones² called androgens. These hormones are not active until puberty; hence kids don’t have body odor. If you have too much body odor, then it’s better to consult a doctor and get it treated but if it is common, then use some of the known home remedies.

Here are 5 ways to prevent body odor.

1)BATH

Body odor is caused due to bacterial growth on a moist body, so keep your body always dry, especially your underarm region. Even slight moisture can cause the growth of bacteria leading to body odor. So dry your body completely after a bath; for better results, put a few drops of essential oil in your bath water for a beautiful fragrance. After drying yourself, apply an antiperspirant deodorant and talcum powder to keep the sweat out.

2)FOOD

Another cause for body odor is the food you eat. You should keep a close look at what you eat. If you want to prevent body odor, watch out for foods like onion, garlic, curry, etc., because our body can’t digest it easily, they leave the pores with sweat and create a strong horrible smell. Some of the best foods to prevent body odor are spinach, kale, chard, wheatgrass, and other leafy vegetables because they contain chlorophyll which acts as a natural deodorizer³. Parsley is known for its anti-odor properties. You can make parsley tea and drink it every night to internally fight the sweat. All you have to do is brew some parsley leaves in water and allow it to cool down, and drink the tea. You can add a little honey to it for sweetness.

3) HOME REMEDIES

Corn flour can be used to prevent body odor. Just dust some cornflour on your underarms and all the places where you sweat. The cornflour sucks the sweat keeping your body dry and odor-free. Baking powder can also be used for body odor, just like cornflour is used. The best thing about baking powder is that it kills the odor-producing bacteria⁴, thus keeping you clean, dry, and odor-free. You can also apply witch hazel and tea tree oil to your armpits. They are considered natural sterilizers, and when applied to the skin, they lower the PH of the skin⁵, making it impossible for bacteria to survive.

4) SHAVE

One important thing to remember is to shave regularly because unwanted hair can lock the moisture on your body, thus producing a bad odor.

5) CLOTHES

The kind of clothes and shoes you wear is also an important fact in preventing body odor. Always wear breathable clothes to avoid irritation and rashes due to sweat. If you have smelly feet, then give the shoes a break and wear something more comfortable like flip-flops. Let your body breathe so that you don’t sweat much.

Follow these 5 methods to keep off body odor. Smell good, feel good.

1. Havlíček, Jan, Jitka Fialová, and S. Craig Roberts. “Individual variation in body odor.” Springer handbook of odor (2017): 125-126. ↩︎
2. Möstl, Erich, and Rupert Palme. “Hormones as indicators of stress.” Domestic animal endocrinology 23.1-2 (2002): 67-74. ↩︎
3. Sherazi, Syed Tufail Hussain, and Sarfaraz Ahmed Mahesar. “Vegetable oil deodorizer distillate: a rich source of the natural bioactive components.” Journal of oleo science 65.12 (2016): 957-966. ↩︎
4. Watson, Susan B., et al. “Biochemistry and genetics of taste-and odor-producing cyanobacteria.” Harmful Algae 54 (2016): 112-127. ↩︎
5. Schmid-Wendtner, M-H., and Hans Christian Korting. “The pH of the skin surface and its impact on the barrier function.” Skin pharmacology and physiology 19.6 (2006): 296-302. ↩︎

Last Updated on July 17, 2024 by Sathi