Body Odor
Natural Remedies

Natural Remedies for Body Odor

The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Milk of Magnesia
Posted by Jennywren (Perth, Western Australia) on 06/17/2013
★★★★★

Body/underarm odour. Yeah.

Milk of magnesia has long been used to get rid of body odour. Alas it is no longer available for sale in Australia, but there are aluminum-free deodorants online made with milk of magnesia. It worked a treat for my smelly pits - finally, something that worked!


Coriander Oil
Posted by Cendriyon (Springs, Gauteng, South-africa) on 09/20/2012
★★★★★

I would like to post this my daughter had a very strong body odour that I tried everything and land on essential oil.

I add few drop of coriander essential oil on her roll-on (men roll-on) and you can't imagine how the smell disapeared like magic its been 3 days now and no more smell.

I can tell you, I know what I am talking about your child jumping on you and that body odour but you have to live with it, it's your child you can not reject her.

Coriander essential oil, give it a try!


Detox
Posted by Lyndsey (St. Louis, Missouri) on 08/30/2012

When it comes to detoxing, I think a lot of people get it wrong. They end up doing things that are similar to fasting, like the honey and cayenne pepper drink and such. I did my first detox at 21, through my chiropracter that was also trained in naturopathic medicine. He explained to me that what was most important was to give your body's natural detoxification system, comprised of a team of organs, all the nutrients necessary to do the job well, while also making sure that you aren't adding any new toxins to the body.

There are so many toxins in our food, air, and water that the body hardly gets a break from filtering out the new stuff constantly coming in. There's no time to clean out all of the old stuff that has built up. The best detox system, and the one that I do, is making sure that you are eating foods that are fresh, organic, and raw (if possible). Also, make sure that everything you are eating is NOT a potential food allergen. Get ahold of a list of all the foods that people have been found to be allergic to and don't eat any of these foods for 28 days. This means there are very few grains and nuts that you will be able to consume, and absolutely no dairy. Soy shouldn't be in your diet either, which can be tricky. There are breads out there made only from non-allergen grains. I found mine at Whole Foods. Night shade vegetables like eggplant are not good to eat, I think tomatoes are on that list too. It goes without saying that sweets, alcohol, caffeine, and nicoteine are not on the menu either.

After 28 days of eating pure, natural, fresh foods, drinky plenty of purified water, and getting enough exercise (like long walks! ), you are ready to start adding food groups back to your diet. This is how you discover if you have any food allergies you didn't know about.

Contrary to popular belief, allergic reactions do not only come in the form of rashes, sneezing, coughing, swelling, phlegm or other similar visible physical reactions. Allergic reactions to foods can come in the form of fatigue, anxiety, depression, and an overall mental and/or physical imbalance that you aren't even aware of.

After your 28 day detox, pay attention to how you feel and start keeping a food journal. Each week, add back a new food group, and each day try a different food from that group. I discovered that I am allergic to cow milk, but not really to cheese, yogurt, or icecream.

This was a really positive experience for me. The detox was hard, finding ok foods was a bit difficult, but it was really helpful to find out which foods were making me feel bad (and making me smelly! ) It was difficult to change the way I eat, but rewarding in the end. Now I can't imagine eating some of the stuff I used to, and if I do eat something unhealthy, I really feel it!

I hope this was helpful. Good luck!


Grapefruit Seed Extract
Posted by Mary Lee (Coaldale, Colorado) on 08/31/2017

I know you probably are ok with GSE but has anyone ever mentioned charcoal to you? You can get the powder or tablets almost anywhere. It will adsorb the toxins in your body. That is what is causing your problem. God Bless You too!!!!!!!


Colon Cleanse, Probiotics
Posted by Ms Robert (Usa, Virginia) on 03/17/2011
★★★★★

Mary from Minneaplois really got me to thinking... It only makes sense that the really horrible underarm odor is internal. I took her advice, got me a good colon cleanser, I already use crystal deoderants, and added probiotics to my regimen. It makes sense that keeping the colon free of fecal matter reduces or rids the body of embarrassing odor, from breath to underarms. So, while I agree that using ACV, & other remedies can be successful, don't forget to keep your digestive system healthy, it all starts there. Be aware of the unhealthy foods we eat that can contribute to unhealthy digestion, and lets load ourselves with the one thing we've heard forever, WATER! I began this a week ago, and already I've seen remarkable results. The underarm odor is all but gone, and I just feel better.


Hand Sanitizer
Posted by Linda (Atlanta, Ga) on 10/06/2010
★★★★★

Drinking ACV made my body odor go away.

P.S. A quick fix for Body odor is a drop of handsanitizer on the armpit

Milk of Magnesia
Posted by Michelle (Chattanooga, Tenn) on 06/15/2009
★★★★★

Milk of Magnesia is the absolute BEST remedy I have used so far for underarm body odor!!! I am becoming an expert in this area having already tried many of the remedies on Earth Clinic the past 6 months: baking soda (caused angry rash), apple cider vinegar (good, but not great), zinc oxide (great but didn't like the petroleum ingredients) and hydrogen peroxide (okay in cool weather, not great in hot weather).

I bought a large bottle of Milk Magnesia at the grocery store and a makeup sponge so I could rinse and reuse it every day. After I shower, I promptly go and shake up the bottle (make sure the lid is on tight otherwise heh heh a white surprise) and then I apply a very generous portion of MM to my cosmetic sponge and apply it to my pits. You can use it right after shaving, no problem... doesn't stain clothes. This one application lasts all day!

Okay, here are the secrets to this remedy. Make sure you use a generous application of the MM, it's far more effective. Make sure to apply it high and low on your armpit, not just in the middle. Better to buy a big bottle because a small one goes quickly. The cosmetic sponge will last longer if you rinse it out with water after use. Otherwise it hardens from the milk of magnesia. Am sure a sea sponge will work just as well.

Try it, you will like it!!

Iodine
Posted by Tom (Regina, Sk) on 08/18/2010

Could you provide a URL link and/or a short snip segment where you got that?

It's very deficient in basic chemistry and nutrition science, to say the least. It could be that the rare person with kidney disease will have electrolyte balancing problems, but the amount of K in LUGOLS or SSKI in mere drops is puny compared to any amount of food. Directly injecting ANY substance or element into the blood without it passing FIRST through the digestive system for proper surveillance and possible sequestration WILL have deadly consequences. In a large amount, it's called a lethal injection for exactly that reason and purpose! Case in point: squalene, found naturally in shark liver oil and olive oil, where it's just one of many substances the body uses. It's a major component of the nerves' myelin sheath insulation in mammals. Yet it's been found in vaccines, and we have major autoimmune diseases like ALS, MG, MS where the body's nerve sheaths are under attack.

Plus nascent Iodine is outrageously expensive per mg of Iodine compared to LUGOLS! http://purebulk.com/atomic-iodine-2-nascent
How pure is your Atomic Iodine 2% (nascent)?
You will receive one or more dropper bottles (see above quantity) of 2% Atomic Iodine, approximately 400mcg per drop (also about 200% RDA per drop). LUGOLS has 6. 25 mg TOTAL iodines per drop, in a 2:1 ratio of KI:Iodine. So the Iodine portion is about 2. 1 mg= 2100 micrograms per drop. This is about 5 times per drop what nascent iodine products have, not even counting the blatant fact that THE PRICE is about 10 times per ml vs LUGOLS! (120 ml nascent iodine is $114, vs about $12 for a 100 ml LUGOLS)

Of course Lugols (and SSKI) has potassium in it! That's the 'K' in SSKI, and Mr. Lugol early 1800's discovered that the only way to dissolve both forms of iodine (Iodine and iodide) in water was to first dissolve the KI, then the iodine will dissolve in the water:
http://library.med.utah.edu/WebPath/HISTHTML/MANUALS/LUGOLS.PDF

That's not even considering the fact that LUGOLS, since it has BOTH forms of iodine, can supply any and every organ, gland and tissue by itself:

http://www.anticancerinfo.co.uk/Iodine.htm
The thyroid gland primarily uses iodide as does the skin; the breast and prostate glands use iodine; and other tissues including the kidneys, spleen, liver, blood, salivary glands and intestines can use either form.


Castor Oil
Posted by L.t. (Birmingham ) on 03/09/2024
★★★★★

Castor oil rubbed under arm pits works great for body odor.


Severe Body Odor
Posted by Robert Henry (Ten Mile, Tn) on 04/13/2017

HI U OLE PATOOTS DOIN,,,,,,,,,, this is not original with me, but I read a Sports Illustrated article on the subject many years ago and decided to resurrect it based on a recent EC post. You have two kinds of sweat....one is thermal and the other is emotional. The thermal kind comes from all your body, but the emotional comes from a different set of glands that are located on your feet, palms and armpits. If you are afraid of dogs then your scent glands tell the dog that and it causes it grief and it will bite you. Whereas, you nearby friend is not afraid of dogs and does not put out this scent so the dog is not alarmed by them. He wags his tail at them.

I have been in many a meeting where the room was cool, but some were sweating profusely under their arms. Dear hearts, they were in nervous city. Thermal sweat has no odor unless you don't bath and it turns putrid. Emotional sweat always has a foul odor, and if you let your armpit hair go, only makes it worse. Our dad always made us trim our under arm hair. He was ahead of his time. I had several friends who were clean, but stunk to high heaven. My regret is that I never told them. Guess I was not a good friend after all. Here is the article from yesteryear.

https://www.si.com/vault/1981/10/26/826069/the-story-of-sweat-a-warm-intimate-tale-told-in-an-inoffensive-manner

I know dang well that this will send 99% of you to school on sweat.

========ORH=========


Salt
Posted by Tom (Bristol, Uk) on 12/04/2012
★★★★★

Have detox baths 3 times per week with a cup of himalayan salts. Everyday when you shower soak a washcloth in hot water with himalayan salt dissolved in it and hold the warm washcloth under each armpit for a number of minutes. The salt will draw out any impurities and kill and bacteria. Dont use soap underarms just scrub lightly with this cloth after holding it there for a while. Thats it. No more smell.


Baking Soda
Posted by Naturalgirl (Lansing, Mi) on 10/31/2012
★★★★★

A simple, but effective answer for armpit odor is a dusting of baking soda every morning... A miracle solution! And some people choose one other answer... Rubbing virgin coconut oil on their armpits. I believe the baking soda is best.

Baking Soda
Posted by Miranda (Campbellsville, Ky) on 11/05/2012

Try this: I buy a real lemon, cut off one end, rub that under my arms once a day. After a day or two, no more oder at all. Makes me feel lemony fresh too : ) Keep it in my frig, when the end gets funky, just take a knife and cut off a slice and start over. Works much better and lots cheeper than storebought.


Detox
Posted by Caleb (Calgary, Ab, Canada) on 06/21/2012
★★★★★

This is first hand experience. I used to have very strong under arm odor. I was working in the office as an IT personnel so no sweating and during the day I had to visit the washroom sometimes more than once and use the commercial hand soap to work up a lather on my underarm then use some wet paper towels to wipe so it wouldn't be so smelly and embarassing. I used to smell myself so I know that others could smell me too. I tried so many things including ACV which worked great - for days on end but it'll come back. One day I decided to do a liver cleanse using epsom salts, grapefruit juice etc as I read that it's a great way to detox the liver. I did about 6 of these. I was pleasantly surprised to say the least that my smelly under arm odor vanished. Not only that but my stool used to smell (very bad) and that too disappeared. What happened was my colon needed a cleanse and the liver cleanse with the salts did that. The odor has not returned and that was about 4 years ago. I have gone for 3 days without taking a shower just to test it and there's none. I work all day doing whatever and exercise and even if I sweat there's no odor. It's wonderful! The body has to find a way to get rid of what is decomposing in the colon otherwise it'll poison the entire body so the odor comes out thru the sweat glands, breath and stool. Now I'm odor-free! Hallelujah!! If I'm contipated for a couple days then there would be a slight smell in the stool but other than that everything is fresh. So do colon cleanses! It'll take the smell away

Detox
Posted by Caleb (Calgary) on 07/30/2013

Sorry all, I didn't visit this particular page for a while as you can see. Here's my response to your questions. I'm still happy to say that I don't have underarm odors anymore and I don't use any deodorant. Sometimes I put 2-3 drops of oil (lavender etc just for the accented good smelling oil). I go to work without any deodorant, gone 3 or4 days without taking a shower just to prove that it's not there, shower every 2 or 3 days when I want and I don't smell. Of course there'll be a little body smell but I have to dig my nose in. I did the liver cleanse and it was with grapefruits I bought at the supermarket and squeezed the juice. Do a search for "grapefruit Epsom salts olive oil liver cleanse" and you'll get the formula. However I haven't done that since I did that first post so this is what I do now if I want a colon cleanse. You can google for "sea salt flush". It has to be sea salt – totally unrefined and no additives. Use 2 level teaspoons of sea salt to 1 litre of water (I use filtered water) and drink it on an empty stomach, preferably in the morning before breakfast. Weekends work best for me as I don't have to go to work. It's not the most pleasant but it works and all of the water comes right back out in about an hour taking all of the smelly remains with it so make sure you stay at home and have unrestricted access to the washroom. You'll be going there several times in quick succession.

Mary, in response to your question of how many times I do it – I do it now maybe every couple of months if I notice that there's odor when I go to the washroom. When I did the liver cleanse the odor elimination was a wonderful side effect. I wasn't expecting that. So you don't have to do the liver cleanse if you don't want to, you can just do the colon flush. You do it till you notice no more odor and that might 1, 2 or 3 times, it all depends. I also take psyllium husks in between to add more fibre and does a good job of cleaning the colon so I don't do the flush often, only when my body tells me and it has its way. Be odor free like free and I wish you all the best.


Detox
Posted by Timh (Louisville, Ky, Usa) on 06/04/2012 2042 posts
★★★★★

Anytime my B.O. increases I know, by experience, my Kidney functions have decreased. So if chronic B.O. is a problem, a good detox program would certainly be advised.

Salt
Posted by Jennifer (Chicago, Illinois, Us) on 06/10/2012

UPDATE: OK, there's bad news and good news. The bad news is, the iodized salt I was using on my underarms stopped working after three days. Don't know why, maybe it killed off one sort of underarm-dwelling bacteria only to be replaced by another one that doesn't mind salt?

The good news is, I combined two other remedies from here on Earth Clinic and for the last two weeks they've been working great!

The remedies are "stop using soap" and fresh lemon juice in place of soap and deodorant. This combo eliminates ALL odor for me and lasts almost two days... Without using deodorant! Today it was 90 degrees in Chicago and my underarm smells exactly the same as my forearm, no joke. I still can't believe it!

Here's what I do. Once every 5 days or so, I take three small lemons and run them through my juice extractor whole. The remedy page suggested just squeezing them, but it's easier to run them through the juicer for me and anyway, the skin contains essential lemon oil which is a powerful germicide in its own right.

I put the juice in a small plastic spray bottle with two tablespoons of salt just for the heck of it. I think the salt keeps the lemon fresh longer, too, since I just leave it in the shower rather than refrigerate it. When I get in the shower, I spray under my arms, dampen a clean washcloth with warm water and rub back and forth a bit before rinsing. Then, when the shower is over, I spray the lemon again as a deodorant (no rinse).

It doesn't burn, except maybe the tiniest bit if I push too hard while shaving (no soap or gel), and it lasts me beyond the next morning! My health is kind of a mess at the moment (the reason I started smelling so bad), so sometimes I skip a day showering when I don't have to go anywhere. Ever since the no-soap-lemon-juice trick, I can skip a day and go out, even in hot weather! I wouldn't have believed it if someone told me, but it's true.

I've noticed a couple of things about this. The washcloth is key to making it last longer, and it should be a CLEAN washcloth, or at least a clean side of one. My washcloths are the giant spa kind and take forever to dry, so I fold them in half and keep track of what side is clean (I wasn't a washcloth person before this, only use them for this).

Also, I really do think the combo is what does it. I tried using soap followed by lemon juice and it didn't work quite as well. I think it's because the soap is very alkaline, so it cancels out the acidity of the lemon. Also, as people note on the no-soap page, it leaves a film that bacteria can feed off of.

Even though I didn't have real problems with this until I got sick, I've never smelled this fresh in my life! And without deodorant!!

So grateful for this site. :O]


Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Joyce (Cambridge, Canada) on 06/09/2012
★★★★★

Hello, Also try rubbing or use a spray bottle to apply Apple cider vinegar to your armpits about 5 minutes before showering. Shower and dry well. No need for deodorant. Make sure the oral form of ACV you are using contains "Mother. " (organic).


Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Heather (San Diego) on 06/23/2012

You are misinformed. Most baking soda does not have aluminum in it. It is an advertising thing Bob's Redmill started putting on its products because it was being bombarded with phone calls inquiring about aluminum content.

That said, BAKING POWDER often does, and you should look into that separately.

The main brand of baking soda in the US (orange box with hammer) has been contacted by multiple people to verify this. They state there is no aluminum in their products. You can google it.

Here is a link to an article on the subject. http://www.gapalicious.com/2011/05/09/does-arm-and-hammer-baking-soda-contain-aluminum/


Grapefruit Seed Extract
Posted by Healthnut (Los Angeles, Ca, Usa) on 10/09/2011
★★★★★

This Yay is not for anti-candida diet because I don't follow that, but I've always had a very strong/unpleasant body odor, it started with puberty and I think it's because I got parasites (pinworms) as a kid and never told any adults because I didn't want to suffer the humiliation of having them pulled out of me like other kids did. I think the pinworms would go away and come back and I just dealt with them and this has caused my very strong unpleasant BO, because parasites release toxins in your body and the horrible smell is the evidence. I've used natural deodorants from healthfood stores for the past 15 years, they are not that effective but I use them anyway. I can't use anti-perspirants, they cause huge sweat balls under my armpits that hurt and they make me smell worst.

Last night I had a breakthrough, I bought GSE (grapefruit seed extract) and put it in fresh pressed coconut milk/water and drank that. I put about 30 drops. today, I woke up wiht no BO whatsover and that is almost impossible for me, I have a super strong odor, usually an hour or two after washing/shower. I am besides myself, happy and decided to look up GSE and BO and sure enough people have used it. I also rubbed GSE under my armpits. I'm doing my own parasite (pinworm) cleanse by eating 11 cloves 3x a day, cranberry juice, I'll incorporate the other ingredients prescribed by curezone.com I hope this helps a lot of people out there. God bless you all!!!

Lemon and Water
Posted by Ssk (Toronto, Ontario/canada) on 08/13/2010
★★★★★

Lemon and water cured my body odor
I have been suffering from very bad body odor all my life. I have to wash twice a day and use antiperspirants (which I am not so comfortable with). Then a friend told me about lemon water and it works wonders. First thing in the morning mix 2 tablespoons of lemon juice with a cup of water and drink. Make sure you don't have anything before it. Basically what it does is detoxes your liver so it has to be the first thing through your system. After a couple of days the odor was gone! No more antiperspirant! I do this everyday. If I miss a day, the odor returns. I have been doing this for about 8 months now and it is still just as effective.


Milk of Magnesia
Posted by Ts (Orlando, Florida) on 04/28/2011
★★★★★

I have tried several different formulas over the years, suffering from underarm odor since a teen. Clinical deodorants, natural deodorants, salt crystal, tea-tree oil, witch hazel, and NOTHING has worked as well as MOM has. I have only been using it for a week now, but I hope it lasts for me as long as some users have reported. Before, I did not have profuse sweating, but immediately after showering I could notice an odor. Alternatives to aluminum-based deodorants would work for a couple of days, but this is actually going over a week now on MOM and I'm super happy about it.

I find using a small spray bottle works best for application, I purchased mine in the travel/trial-size product area of the local pharmacy. I spray one spray under each arm before bed and after showering, and allow to dry before dressing, and have no trouble with odor now AT ALL. I still sweat mildly, but it's natural for our bodies to eliminate sweat, so I'm not worried about that. It was just the BO and now it's GONE! I highly recommend this to anyone, it's a cheap and effective solution.


Chlorophyll
Posted by Shelli (Charlotte, NC) on 05/04/2009
★★★★★

Liquid Chlorophyll for Controlling Body Odor: When I overload on foods that are not good for my body, I can always tell by the smell of my underarms. No amount of washing, soap, or various deodorants would help either. Very embarrassing! A friend recommended chlorophyll because it worked for her. Initially I tried the gel caps and tablets but neither of those seemed to make a difference.

I tried the mint flavored liquid and it seemed to work within hours. So I kept using it. That was about 7 or 8 years ago. I don't take an exact dosage as it's kind of messy to pour out. I just take a swig after I brush my teeth first thing in the morning and again before I head out for the day. I don't even need deodorant any more!

Zinc Oxide Ointment
Posted by Gean (Salina, KS) on 06/17/2009

I have to add that body odor can be caused, not just by bacteria, but if you are detoxing in some way your sweat itself will smell very badly. Keep up the detox, drink lots of water, exercise, and do castor oil packs over the liver, and it will eventually go away. Zinc ointment works for me somewhat, though there is limit to what it can do when doing heavy detox. When I am not detoxing, the sweat is absolutely odorless.


Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Anne Cutty (New York, New York) on 12/11/2008
★★★★★

I put apple cider vinegar to the test for underarm deodorant. I am pleased to report that it works! Here's the skinny: I dunk a cotton ball in apple cider vinegar and apply it to my underarms. The trick to making this remedy work for at least 24 hours (no odor whatsoever) is to wait before you jump in the shower. I try to wait a minimum of 2 minutes. I have tested the time frame for the past week and washing it off under 2 minutes from the time you apply it shortens its effectiveness. So go and brush your teeth or hop around the apartment to some music before you wash it off. The longer you leave it on, the better. Also like someone else reported here, I don't use soap to wash the vinegar off. I just hold my arms up one at a time to the shower and then do a sniff test.

The real test will be next summer on a hot and humid Manhattan day, but so far so good this season!


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