Where Does Body Odor Come From?
It’s common knowledge that body odor comes from sweat and bacteria. The reason why parts of your body are more stinky than others, is because the body is like a food court to bacteria. Some areas (Eccrine glands) serve a healthy mix of water and salt from your arms, hands, and feet. Other areas (apocrine glands) prefer to dish out fatty oils and toxins released from your head, underarms, and groin area. Junk food loving bacteria prefer fat, and thus tend to loiter in these areas more than anywhere else. These bacteria indulge themselves on your sweat, and then leave their waste behind on your skin without even the courtesy to clean up after themselves. The result is bad body odor.
How to Refresh Yourself After Perspiring?
While it is better to clean yourself up from the inside-out, we’re going to start with a few ways to refresh the body from the outside. Some antiperspirant deodorants are dangerous, because they block the body’s natural ability to excrete toxins, thus holding them in. The best thing to do is rely on natural ways to keep bacteria down, while allowing your body to sweat. Here are a couple of tips:
- Use a natural antibacterial deodorant, such as green tea or tea tree oil
- Bathe in a combination of Epsom salts, tomato juice, oranges, lemons, limes, lemon grass, honey, mint leaves, olive, and coconut oil.
- Baking soda is great for reducing underarm odor
- Rubbing alcohol splashed on your skin can minimize bacteria
- White vinegar and apple cider vinegar has a similar anti-bacterial effect as rubbing alcohol
- Wear cotton to soak up excess perspiration
- Change your clothes frequently (especially after working out)
Garbage In = Stink Out
The quick solution to body odor is to smear something over top, and worry about it later. However, when you are dealing with excessive odor, there are a couple of reasons why you don’t want to do this. One, odor often signifies a problem in the body. By ignoring it, you could be ignoring a life-threatening condition. Two, cleaning up the body from the inside out will guarantee fresher results, and you won’t have to work quite as hard to maintain them. Here are a few suggestions to keep bad body odor under control.
- Reduce your intake of red meat and processed foods (packaged, canned, etc.)
- Minimize dairy (cheese, milk, butter, etc.)
- Supplement acidophilus to maintain a healthy bacteria balance in your gut
- Avoid refined sugar, white flour, and hydrogenated oils
- Choose healthy, organic oils when cooking
- Drink plenty of fresh water to rid toxins through your urine, rather than skin
- Increase your intake of raw vegetables and fresh fruit
- Add parsley, celery, cilantro, sage, rosemary, oregano, thyme, and mint to your favorite recipes
- Avoid spicy foods, alcohol, and caffeine, which cause excess sweating
- Exercise daily to help rid the body of smelly toxins
- Supplement charcoal capsules to absorb waste products in the intestine
About Dr. Eric J. Leech
Eric has written for over a decade. Then one day he created Urbasm.com, a site for every guy.
About Dr. Eric J. Leech