This Simple Trick Can Help You Eliminate Armpit B.O. For Good

Sweating is your body's way of cooling itself off. When it's hot outside, and your body overheats, it starts producing sweat, which can help cool you down when it evaporates. While sweating is often mistaken as the cause of body odor, sweat is actually odorless. Believe it or not, your armpits only start to smell when sweat mixes with the bacteria on your skin. According to Cleveland Clinic, this interaction produces an odor that can either smell sweet, sour, tangy, or similar to that of onions.

That's why it's possible to have a fairly pungent body odor without really being all that sweaty. On the flip side, it also means that you can be very sweaty and not smell much at all. While anyone can produce foul body odor, men and people assigned male at birth tend to have more problems with body odor because they typically have more underarm hair, which can help trap sweat and bacteria.

Regardless of gender or sex, a buildup of bacteria on the skin under your arms can still produce a noticeable odor. Fortunately, you can help reduce body odor by getting rid of the bacteria under your armpits.

According to experts at Well+Good, you can do this by thoroughly washing your armpits in the shower. The most effective way to wash your armpits is to use antibacterial soap. However, you can also use other DIY methods, like wiping under your arms with tea tree oil or apple cider vinegar after taking a shower. Some soaps even contain a combination of these ingredients.

Whichever method you choose, however, Mary Futher, TikTok's @MadameSweat and the founder of Kaia Naturals, told Well+Good she recommends applying soap or oil under your arms and leaving it there for at least 30 seconds before washing it off. This will help eliminate most odor-causing bacteria trapped under your arms. Applying deodorant after you dry off can also provide extra protection against foul body odor.