Having an unpleasant body door can ruin your and someone else’s day. Since no one wants to be in a smelly situation, most people rely on deodorant to combat sweat and pungent body odor. However, some experts believe that the cumulative effect of the daily use of deodorant can be damaging to your health and increase your risk for breast cancer.
Good thing, there are several natural ways to get rid of this problem. Here are 10 simple and natural home remedies to combat excessive sweating and get rid of body odor, according to top10homeremedies.com.
1. Baking Soda
Baking soda can serve as a natural deodorant since it absorbs sweat and reduces body odor. You can mix one tablespoon of baking soda and tablespoon of lemon juice and apply the mixture on your underarms as well as other body parts where you sweat excessively. After leaving for a couple of minutes, rinse it with water. You can do this once daily for a few weeks.
2. Apple Cider Vinegar
Considered as a powerful bacteria-fighting ingredient, apple cider vinegar balances the pH level of your skin and helps eliminate body odor. Simply soak a cotton ball in apple cider vinegar and rub it on your underarms. Leave it for three minutes before taking a shower. Do this twice daily.
3. Lemon Juice
Lemon juice has the acidic property that helps lower the skin’s pH level making it difficult for odor-producing bacteria to thrive. Rub one half of a cut lemon on your underarms and allow it to dry on its own before taking a shower. Do this once daily until the odor is completely gone.
4. Rosemary
Containing menthol and chlorophyll, rosemary neutralizes strong body odor and leaves a nice fragrance to the body. Just add one-half cup of dried rosemary leaves to four cups of hot water. Allow the mixture to steep for 10 minutes and put it to your bath water. Soak in this bath water for about 15 to minutes before patting dry your skin. Do this remedy once daily.
5. Sage
Sage is a great fragrant herb that can be used to fight body odor since it is an antibacterial agent preventing bacteria from living on your skin. Add two tablespoons of dried sage to four cups of water. Allow this to steep for 10 minutes. Use it to rinse your underarms twice daily until you get positive results. Keep in mind that sage must not be used by pregnant or nursing mothers.
6. Witch hazel
Odor-causing bacteria will find it hard to survive on your skin if you apply witch hazel, which lowers the skin’s pH level. It also helps reduce the production of sweat. To use it as an antiperspirant, dab a cotton ball of witch hazel on your underarms. Do this every time you have an unpleasant body odor.
7. Tea Tree Oil
Possessing antibacterial and antiseptic properties, tea tree oil eliminates body odor and controls sweating. Turn tee tree oil into a deodorant by adding two drops of tea tree oil to two tablespoons of water. Put the solution into a spray bottle.
8. Turnips
Turnips help kill odor-causing bacteria using its antibacterial properties. Put two or three sliced turnips inside a blender to make a paste. Extract the juice from the paste by sieving and pressing it with a spoon. Apply the extracted juice on your underarms and allow it to dry on its own. Rinse this using lukewarm water. You may do this remedy every morning.
9. Tomatoes
Tomatoes can help shrink pores to reduce sweating and possess antiseptic properties that can kill bacteria causing body odor. Use a tomato juice extract to control body odor. To make a juice extract, crush 7 to 8 tomatoes and place on a sieve to extract the juice. Add the extracted juice to a bucket full of water which you can use for your bath. Do this once daily.
10. Wheatgrass
Since wheatgrass contains a lot of chlorophyll, it has a deodorizing effect. In one cup of water, add one or two tablespoons of wheatgrass juice. Drink this first thing in the morning and do this once daily until your body odor is gone.