1: Wear an Antiperspirant
Make it a daily habit to use an antiperspirant. Many people apply an antiperspirant or deodorant before leaving the house to help control underarm sweating and the potential for embarrassing odour. What’s the difference between deodorants and antiperspirants, anyway? Deodorants help to cover up odours, while antiperspirants contain ingredients designed to stop excessive perspiration.
2: Adjust Your Routine
The skin under the arms is delicate, even if it is a powerhouse of sweat production. It is not advisable to apply antiperspirants in the heat of the day when they are likely to be washed away by sweat and cause irritation. Instead, massage the antiperspirant onto dry, cool underarm skin right before you go to bed. People typically sweat less at night, when they are resting, so it won’t get washed away before it has time to be absorbed into your glands. Make sure to leave the antiperspirant on your skin for at least eight hours; it works more effectively that way.
3: Wear Light Materials
You can help combat sweat by taking stock of your wardrobe. Your choice of clothing can either make you more comfortable or more prone to sweat. Clothing made of natural fabrics, such as cotton, wool, hemp, silk or linen, often have a looser weave than synthetics; this results in a more breathable fabric that allows air to pass through to your skin. Plus, the fibres these fabrics are made from absorb moisture well, which prevents bacteria from feeding on your sweat and causing a stink.
In contrast, synthetic fabrics, such as nylon, rayon and polyester, are made with much tighter weaves that tend to trap heat and cause your body to sweat more. To make matters worse, the accumulated moisture doesn’t evaporate as easily when you wear synthetic fabrics. They create a greenhouse effect for your armpits, trapping heat and moisture against your skin. So choose comfortable light clothing to control sweat .
4: Understand Your Anxiety
Speaking in public, going on a date, interviewing for a new job; these are only a few of the situations that cause anxiety — and cause the sweat glands in your armpits to go into overdrive. When you become anxious, your heart pounds, your mouth becomes dry and you begin to perspire. It’s a fear response, one your body has triggered so that you’ll be physically ready to respond to an uncertain or potentially dangerous situation.
See if you can discover what triggers your anxiety, and try to mentally accept that some circumstances are out of your control. Fortify your body and mind by getting at least eight hours of sleep a night, and practice the power of positive thinking. Just believe that everything will go well.
5: Reduce Stress
A healthy lifestyle that includes exercise will help your body handle long-term stress, perform at its optimum level and keep underarm sweating under control. Sometimes our emotions can get the best of us, especially when operating under career-, economic- or relationship-related stressors. And all this stress can lead to excessive sweating. You need to find your own method for combating stress as this can be a long term solution to excessive sweating.
6: Change Your Diet
Some people find that certain foods and beverages make them perspire more profusely than usual or cause an unpleasant body odour. Caffeinated drinks, alcoholic beverages, garlic and onions are among the most common culprits. If you like to start your day with a cup (or two) of coffee or tea, the beverage’s heat will raise your internal temperature and signal your body to start producing sweat, and the caffeine will send your central nervous system — as well as your sweat glands — into overdrive
Avoiding certain foods can help control underarm sweat, too. When you eat spicy foods, like peppers, it sends signals to your sweat glands. And, because the glands think your body needs to cool off, they’ll begin to produce sweat. Drinking cool water often and staying hydrated will keep the body’s internal temperature lower, reducing the call for sweat production. You should drink as much water throughout the day as it takes to prevent thirst.
7: Go Natural
You can also turn to a common fruit to help control underarm sweat. Limes have many uses and they may reduce sweating, too. Before going to bed, cut a lime in half and rub it under your arms until the skin is coated in juice, then let it dry. The citrus will work as a natural deodorant, and the acidic juice may help stop sweat from being produced. If you know you’ll be in a sweat-prone environment, you can also boost your antiperspirant by applying talcum powder or baking soda to your underarms to soak up moisture and prevent odour.
