Need Advice on Good Deodorant/antiperspirant or Alternative

C.,
The only thing I know is a good antibacterial soap, like Dial gold, can help. Also odor will linger in hair, so shaving every day may also help....

I have tried all the Clinical deoderants and none of those really worked for me and I couldn't see spending so much on them. I tried Mitchum and love it. It is a gel deoderant and it works. I like to put it on and let it dry before I put my shirt on. I have always had a sweat problem, my sisters, aunt and grandmother (passed) all deal with this. The Mitchum is only $2-3, too. Good luck!

I use Certain Dri. It's an anti-perspirant that has no scent and protects for a couple of days. Good luck with whatever you try.

I hear you sister. I have always been very warm natured and perspire like crazy. I also do special events and carry lots of "secrets" to help keep wedding parties stay as fresh as possible during Texas summer weddings..

First of all you will need to use deodorant bath soap. I use dial gold bar so it is not scented.. Do not use this on your face. It will dry it out..Wash with a washcloth, really good.. Wash under your breasts, scrub under your arms all the way down to your waist really well. Scrub the lower part of your back arms really well.. You have sweat glands that reach not just under your arm..

Our bathroom is not very well ventilated, so in the summer, I keep the hair dryer available to help totally dry off my body in the areas I cannot reach...You may want to purchase a small fan and stand in front of it to totally dry off. I also use "Secret Clinical strength" deodorant at night right after the shower. This does not work after a morning shower. Read the directions, it has to be put on at night.

Here is the part that freaks people out, but it works.. Spray on Deodorant. I use "Right Guard" Sport unscented" spray on deodorant. And spray it over all of the sweat areas.. Under the breast, belly, and lower back put on your panties and then spray between your thighs. You can even spray your feet.

On Brides about to wear a wedding dress I spray them ALL over their bodies... It works great every time.

I know some people will freak out about all of the aluminum in deodorants but I work with the public and have to be dry and cool. I cannot tolerate body odor and do not want people to smell my BO.. Also I have to be dressed up at these events and so not want sweat to be visible through my clothing. I end up in photos and do not want to look like a sweaty pig.

Too other moms...I have tried so many "healthy" products and wasted so much money, please do not send me any information about what you sell.. I promise, I really have tried EVERYTHING else.. even powders.. I have migraines and cannot use scented products either, so this is what works that does not have any scents..

Use the Aresol spray. It works better and you stay dry.

I read almost every post and there were two things I did not see anyone talk about.
First. I discovered years ago, that If i wash my underarms with soap, and don't rinse it very thoroughly, I would stink in no time at all! It's important to get all that soap residue off, or your body reacts to it.
Second.If you apply your (roll on, or solid) deoderant to (less than clean) underarms, you put the bacteria from your underarms into your deoderant and later re-apply it! I also learned this the hard way! Once you begin to smell, you can apply all the deoderant you want to, but it's not going to take that smell away. always wash thoroughly before applying your deoderant to clean underarms. I have thrown away deoderants that were half full, as they were making me stink, because I had contaminated them with the bacteria from my own underarms. always wash first...then apply! Good luck!

Have you had any other changes, like with hair loss or changes in weight or even how your clothes fit, without weight gain? You may want your doctor to check your hormone levels. Too much testosterone can cause you to have body odor, but you may not be aware that your hormones are the problem. There might be other symptoms, like hair loss, or maybe you would have MORE hair than before, such as facial hair, but your cycle can still be regular.
Aside from hormones, you may want to try Secret. This is the one that works for myself and my friends that have a problem with excess perspiration and odor.
Good luck!

Funny you should ask...I just read an article about this the other day. I had the same problem during pregnancy. It said the most important part of odor elimination is to make sure to shave the armpit every day. Apparantly, the odor clings to even the shortest hairs. I ended up using Sure original solid deodorant/antiperspirant. The original solid works great. I wanted to use something that didn't get on my clothes and so I tried the invisible solid but it didn't work. I am careful when I pull on my clothes and if I do get deodorant on them, I use a wet washcloth to clean it off. I like the fresh scent but all of them are good. HTH

Had this problem after my son, I need to use a good strong antibacterial soap (I use dial), and it took care of the problem.

Hi C..

I have recently had the same problem. After my baby girl, my usual deoderant wasn't working..and after trying several kinds, I kept finding that I never felt like my underarms would be 'clean'. I always had a residue from the deoderant, and it was terrible. I finall tried Dri-Idea roll on deoderant. It is GREAT! It dries immediately, leaves no white residue, and after you shower, your underarms are clean! No residue. It works so well for me, I will never switch. I hope that helps. I know it is crazy trying to figure your body out after each baby! :)

I ride horses, which in this heat can leave me pretty stinky...and sometimes I need to stop at the store on the way from the barn to the house..so this is a problem I have dealt with! The antibacterial soap is a must. My husband has always been a Dove soap user- that doesn't cut it for me in the summer. Shave every day. And recently another rider friend recommended Secret Clinical- and that stuff WORKS! Maybe it is a little different than the Degree- maybe if you try it with the antibacterial soap and shaving then the combo of things will work together. If not- check with your doctor because there are prescription strength antiperspirants that should help. Good luck...

Me too. After my first my armpits are horrible. I also have a discharge that is not a bacterial infection, nor yeast infection. I got three different opnions about this topic and found out my ph levels were off. I was told to use probiotic with L.asomething another? and it helped out alot. I am pregnant again and have to ask the doctor if I can still use this to fix my ph levels. Test your levels and see what you can do to get them level again! If your not back to normal after a baby then something is off. First doctor did not agree with me and only told me my problem would get worse. I did not like her answer and went to other doctors the second did not offer a soultion but the third did. I switched doctors.

Did you have antibiotics when you had your baby? Have you heard of candida? I know that sometimes when people have a build up of yeast in their bodies they tend to smell. Read about candida and see if you have the symptoms.

You can eliminate yeast breads and sugar and see if you get better!

i don't trust deodorant or anti-persipirants. i would say don't do the clinical strength ones - and if you must do one or the other, do the deodorant, not the anti-persipirant. it probably exacerbates the problem - you sweat needs to leave your body and cleanse your lymph system. you can google natural alternatives like baking soda - and if you can power through the stinky couple weeks, it will get better after it has cleansed your system and won't smell as badly. plus, it's the post-pregnancy hormones making it smelly too. it will get better. AND it's pretty freakin' hot! everyone's stinky these days. good luck!

Is the problem and increase in sweating? I lived in Mexico for several years and there is typically no a/c in homes and we didn't have one in our church either. I was always up in front singing etc and I had major sweaty pits all the time and this cause odor probs as well. I found this product called drysol and it totally stopped my sweating. I still sweat in the pit area much less today than I used to and it has been like 5 years or so since I last used it. I will tell you when you start using it, it burns, but the more you use it the less it burns and eventually not at all. You put it on at night and just let it dry. If you are ever in Mexico you can get it over the counter at any pharmacy but you can order it online as well or maybe even ask your dr. and get an RX for it. If sweatiness is not the prob, it could be hormonal. Having babies can get you a bit out of whack. You might want to get your dr. to give you a referral to an endocrinologist to check your hormone levels and see if there is something going on there. The last little bit of advice I have is that most deodorant has only like 16-17% of the aluminum stuff in it. I don't know the composition of the clinical strength but I found that if I didn't use something with 19-20% of that main ingredient on the back I would have problems. Most Secret has 19%, but you have to check bc some scents will be at 16% occasionally. Usually Suave has 19-20% and it is nice and cheap. Hope this has been helpful and that you find a solution to the problem, I know it is the worst!!

While all of the advice you have received sounds great to try, I just learned somethign myself the other day. The person who suggested it is a PH level thing and the one who suggested to try baking soda should be tried in combo.

I just found out that ph levels can aid in the growth of yeasts and what not. Baking powder and vinegar CHANGES the PH level of your skin. The Vinegar (because of it's high acidity) is used if your are to alkaline, and the Baking powder (being as it is an alkaline substance) is used if you are too acidic. This should bring your skin back to a more neutral ph (7 is water).

After reading the responses and your request, I would suggest trying the Arm and Hammer with Baking powder, and if that doesn't work you can try using vinegar to wash your armpits in the shower to get the odor out of them and then using your clinical version deodorant.

Also, read the labels. I personally use Secret because it is meant to bring your PH balance back to normal. I guess somewhere deep inside I must have always suspected this was an issue.

Good Luck... ;-)

Shaklee's deodorant/antipersperant cream is MARVELOUS!!!

I had the same problem after I had my daughter 5 years ago. I tried all sorts of products but what finally worked was plan old baking soda and water. I just dump some b. soda in a bottle and add a little water. I apply it with a cotton ball. Recently I've tried mixing b. soda with some coconut oil and applying that just at night and then using b. soda and water mix in the morning and it has worked awesomely. Good luck.

I have the same issue! As I have posted to some other moms you absolutely must go to the doctor and demand some Phisohex. It is the only thing that has worked. For some reason some of out bodies just hang on to bacteria. The stench is the bacteria. So this is a powerful antibacterial soap. It's the ingredient that used to be in dial before dial changed. The doc will give you instructions on how to use it. Best of luck I know being stinky is no fun at all.

Well, this is a method that can be used for stinky feet or under the breast also. It hardly costs a thing and you only have to do it 1-2 times a week. Take a wet, warm tea bag and hold it under your arm pit for about 5-10 minutes. then warm and dri as normal. For feet, you can just soak feet in tea. i forget what it is in the tea, but it does something to the sweat glands. Anyway, my son as a newborn had stinky feet and this was something that I could use on him and it worked. i only had to do it about 5-6 times and now his feet are normal. I also hear that it is supposed to help with excess sweating as well. Haven't tried it though. Hope this helps you and it certainly can't hurt to try.

I had the same problem after my third child too! hydrogen peroxide mixed with water, about half and half, gets rid of most of the odor, just wipe it on with a cotton ball. and stop using the degree and get secret clinical stength, it works so much better! i think the degree made me smell even worse, but after about a week or two of using a different deodorant and the peroxide i was odor free! i also shaved often, the odor seemed to be stronger if i didn't. hope this helps!

I had that problem also. A friend mentioned that the soap or soap/deodrant combo might be the problem. I changed my soap. I now use Safeguard soap and wash the pits at least twice sometimes three times just to be sure. I switched to Sure antiperspirant. The problem is now better. I am even wearing tank tops again!

I read that body washes tend to leave a film that can buildup on the skin --like in the armpits --making it harder for antiperspirants to penetrate the skin. I love my body wash but I use dial soap or level 1000 under my arms and I think it has made a difference. I also really like Degree clinical, esp classic romance.

The advice the other ladies have given so far sounds good. When I was at the store the other day, I saw a deodorant/anti-perspirant by Arm and Hammer, so it has baking soda in it. You might give it a try since baking soda has anti-odor properties.
Good Luck!

I really like Dove. The one with the blue top. It's more of a fresh smell. I'm not a big sweater but some deodorants still make me smell weird. If you can't find one my Grandfather is allergic to deodorants so he uses foot powder and it works really good. Even when he's working in the garden he doesn't have the underarm smell. Good Luck

Hey C., I noticed your post and felt that I may be able to offer some support. I, too, have had this challenge from time to time. I noticed that the odor got stronger if I ate certain foods. I try to minimize my consumption of pork, as when I eat pig, I tend to smell like pig. I have learned to eat lots of greens (parsley, celery, spinach )those foods that contain chlorophyll. It acts as a natural deodorizer. I also shun deodorants that contain aluminum, for personal reasons, but choose natural ones like Tom's of Maine Aluminum Free Deodorant Stick. Pay attention to what you eat and drink. The body needs an ample supply of water, both inside and out. During my bath, I love to pour in a little body oil. It makes me feel and smell special and my bathroom smells nice too. In case you just need more help, try to eat more fruit and veggies as close to natural as you can. They really help cleanse the body. Hope this helps.

DEar C. L
I just read the responses that you have received. I want to ad my two cents worth. Any commercial deodorant is perfumed, has Propylene Glycol, Mineral Oil or Parafine Wax and most likely has Aluminum Chlorohydrates which is very bad. I have used a natural Mineral Salt deodorant for a number of years. It kills 99.9% of odor causing bacteria and is all natural. It comes in a solid rock and also in a liquid. You can purchase it from a mail order catalog such as Puritan's Pride or from Back to Basics Nutrition Shop, 10926 Leopard St. Suite E in Coprus Christi. The rock costs about $6.00 and will last a year or more. I highly recommend this type of deodorant.

A little about me:
I am 70 years old and have two grown children, and two grand daughters.

I'm enjoying all these responses, and read about what another thougth of my original response so I'm changing that too. Go with cleaning the pits off good with a good soap! I don't know much about how the lymph responds to the clinical, and all the other deodarants, but I do know they are right about needing to sweat it out. Very interesting posts, so I'm gonna read more instead of post on this one! Thanks for the intersting question!

~C. B.
Future Business name
C.'s Massage in College Station, TX.

see a nutritionist such as Whole Health Associates###-###-####. In the meantime, add parsley/cilantro to your salads.
Hey, is this a diaper pail smell; I developed that when I was overdosing on vitamins. I think it was called Ketosis.

Hi C.

Try baking soda by arm and hammer. It removes almost every odor known to man. It works great for me even in your private areas. Just moisten your finger with water, dip it into the box with a light coating and apply it to the area of concern. You should notice a difference within a few hours. Not to mention it is much cheaper than any of the pricey deodorants on the market.

I hope this helps.

C.