15 Home remedies for body odour
30th May 2023 Health Conditions
Body odour is nothing to be ashamed of, especially when there are a handful of home remedies to help eliminate it once and for all
To tackle body odour, you have to stop the problem at its source. If antiperspirants (which block sweat glands) and deodorants (which neutralize or mask odours) don’t do the trick or you prefer a natural approach, there are myriad paths to an agreeable essence. BO battles begin in the shower or bath and continue throughout the day.
Credit: photoguns
Choose an effective soap
- Pick a deodorant soap, such as Wright’s Coal Tar, tea tree oil soap (from Holland & Barrett) or anti-bacterial handwashes, such as Boots, Carex or supermarket own brands. These leave ingredients on your skin that continue to kill bacteria even after you’ve finished washing. If the soap doesn’t irritate your skin, use it every day. Some people find these soaps too drying, in which case their use should be restricted to the underarms and groin, where they are needed most.
- If deodorant soap doesn’t do the trick, then bring out the big guns. Antibacterial surgical scrubs, such as Hibiscrub or Betadine, are available over the counter in most pharmacies. These are so effective that they are used to clean patients before surgery. But as these products can dry your skin, you should use them only in the shower, so you can rinse off quickly, and only on high-smell areas such as the armpits and groin. Squeeze out a little of the cleanser, wash the target areas, then rinse off and finish your shower with ordinary soap.
Beyond deodorant
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- Use a cotton wool pad to wipe vinegar onto your armpits during the day to cut down the number of odour-causing bacteria. Don’t use it immediately after shaving, though, or it will sting badly. The same applies to witch hazel (below).
- Dab on witch hazel. You can splash it directly onto your skin or apply it as often as you like with a cotton wool pad. The refreshing, clean-smelling liquid is both drying and deodorising.
- Dust bicarbonate of soda or cornflour on any problem part of your body. Both of these powders absorb moisture, and bicarb also kills odour-causing bacteria.
- Shave regularly under your arms. Armpit hair increases body odour because it traps sweat and bacteria.
- Change your shirt every day – and probably twice a day in hot weather.
Help from the garden
Any of the liquids mentioned below can be used in the underarm area, but not around the genitals.
- Apply tea tree oil to problem areas, as long as it doesn’t irritate your skin. This oil, from an Australian tree, kills bacteria and also has a pleasant scent.
- Essential oils of lavender, pine and peppermint fight bacteria and smell pleasant. Some people have a skin reaction to certain oils, so test a small patch of skin before using.
- The fragrant kitchen herb sage can fight bacteria and reduce perspiration. You can buy sage tincture or diluted sage oil in health-food shops, or brew some sage tea from the fresh or dried leaves and store it in a bottle in the fridge. After using sage, be sure to wash your hands before touching your face.
- Citrus fruits such as lemons change the pH level of your skin, making it more acidic. All bacteria, including the odour-causing kinds, have a hard time surviving in a highly acidic environment. Just rub on some lemon juice and pat dry.
Eat green, smell clean
Credit: DronG
- Eat plenty of spinach, chard and kale. These and other leafy green vegetables are rich in chlorophyll, which has a powerful deodorizing effect on your body.
- Or buy tablets containing chlorophyll. Many brands are available, made from plants like kelp, barley grass, and blue-green algae. Check the label for the dosage recommendation.
- Chew a few sprigs of parsley, credited with anti-odour properties. Or prepare parsley tea by steeping a teaspoon of chopped fresh parsley in a cup of boiling water for 5 minutes. Let it cool a little before you drink it.
- Lime tree tea stimulates the excretion of waste products from the body, which may in turn make sweat sweeter. Also known as linden tea, it is made from lime tree blossom and is delicately fragrant, a little like jasmine tea.
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