How to Eliminate Body Odor

 Everyone worries about their body odor at some point or another. Who hasn't done the subtle armpit check? Fortunately, there are steps you can take to become more hygienic and eliminate body odor for good.

1. Wash your body. If you find that you are a bit smelly, hop in the shower if you have the time. Body odor is created by bacteria that cause you to smell, so rinsing your body (and the part that smells worst in particular) can help to get rid of the smell quickly. However, it’s important to use soap or an antibacterial detergent when you wash yourself, rather than just rinsing with water.

• When you shower, focus on your underarms and your feet, as those are two of the biggest body odor areas.

2. Apply an over-the-counter antiperspirant. Antiperspirants form a block using certain chemicals (like aluminum) against sweating and perspiration, which helps to eliminate body odor. Many of these antiperspirants last all day, but you may need to reapply, especially if you've been doing something like exercising.

• Unlike a deodorant, antiperspirants actually eliminate the perspiration, while deodorant simply masks the smell.
• There has been a lot of talk about whether antiperspirants that contain aluminum cause breast cancer, or Alzheimer's, but medical research has never adequately proven a link between the two (or between breast cancer and parabens), so it should be safe to use

3. Use a deodorant to cover up body odor quickly. Sweating isn't bad for you (unless it's in excess and indicative of a larger problem) so you don't want to eliminate it entirely. Sweating serves the very utilitarian purpose of cooling your body down, but you can manage your sweating so that it doesn't happen at inappropriate times. Deodorant covers up the smell, or eliminates it entirely, while not getting rid of the moisture itself.

• Some deodorants last longer than others. If you are looking for a quick fix to your body odor problems, apply any deodorant that you can find. If you are looking to stay smelling fresh for longer periods of time, consider investing in a quality deodorant.

4. Use a hydrogen peroxide mixture. If you are at home and don’t have any deodorant or antiperspirant on hand, try mixing one teaspoon of 3% hydrogen peroxide with one cup of water.

• Stir the mixture together and then dip a washcloth in the solution. Rub the wet washcloth under your armpits to relieve any body odor you may have.

5. Rub hand sanitizer on your armpits. If you are in a really tight spot and need to eliminate body odor as quickly as possible, you can use hand sanitizer to get rid of the smell. To use hand sanitizer as a relief from body odor:

• Squirt a small amount of hand sanitizer into your hand. Use your hand to rub the sanitizer onto your armpits. The sanitizer will help to fight the bacteria that are causing you to smell.

6. Use oil blotting paper. If you are sweating heavily and are afraid you might begin to smell, use an oil blotter to wipe up the sweat. These papers are very effective at absorbing moisture, so rub one of the papers under your armpit (or anywhere else you are sweating) in order to prevent yourself from beginning to smell.

7. Rub an alum stone on the area emitting the odor. Alum is a mineral that contains properties that can help to fight the bacteria that create body odor. To use an alum stone, you rub it on your armpit much in the same way that you would apply deodorant.

• If you are sweating, consider washing the stone after you have applied it to your skin.

8. Rub mud on the stinkiest areas of your body. If you are out in nature and don’t have any deodorant or antiperspirant on hand, try rubbing some mud on your armpits or feet and letting the mud dry. Once it has dried, wash it off. The purpose of doing this is to dry out and remove any dead skin and old sweat that might be causing your body odor, much in the same way that a mud mask works.

9. Spritz the problem areas with vinegar. If you’d rather not use store-bought products, try using some natural remedies to solve your body odor problem quickly. Vinegar is a natural antiseptic that can help kill bacteria or fungi in your problems areas (like your feet or your underarms). Spritz some white or apple cider on those areas and then wipe your skin dry.

• You can also dilute vodka with water and spritz it on your underarms. This was famously described by Joan Rivers as an "old Broadway trick" that she herself uses.
• If vinegar isn’t really your thing, you can try other natural sterilizers like tea tree oil or witch hazel, both of which have a similar effect to that of vinegar.

10. Use diluted lemon juice. Lemon juice is thought to be a natural antibacterial and antifungal agent. Because of this, it can be used as fast relief from body odor. To apply lemon juice to your armpits or feet, you can either pour lemon juice onto a clean washcloth or rub a sliced lemon onto the problem area.

• However, you may need to experiment with how much lemon juice you put on your skin. Lemon juice is very acidic, which means that it can cause your skin to become irritated. If you find that this is the case, wash the lemon juice off and wait a couple of hours before applying a smaller amount of lemon juice to the area.
• You can also try diluting the lemon juice with water.