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.
Multiple Remedies
Posted by Karen (Hongkong, China) on 01/01/2010
★★★★★
I've been embarassed about my BO for 18 years. I tried so many remedies such as diff. brand of deodorants but it doesnt work for me. I tried lemon juice and took a bath three a times a day but still the bad smell doesnt eliminate. I did it everything including washing the clothes thoroughly.. but then there's no improvement! Last month i tried to find a solution for my BO and guess what?! lucky me!i found it already! i've read all the comments and suggestions posted on EC site and have a try. I tried using ACV and baking soda for bathing it was really great for me! NO SOAP! i feel fresh everyday.I drink green tea instead of coffee. i also used green tea to rinse my face! it's all natural beauty tips.I also eliminate taking dairy product..(goodbye cheese lol).On summer i try to use milk of magnesia, zinc oxide ointment and essential oil or coconut oil. Today im very happy to share with you that great things happen to me!goodbye BO! Thanks a lot EARTH CLINIC!!be bless..:)
Milk of Magnesia
Posted by Liv (Boston, Ma) on 09/30/2011
Hi, I am sorry to hear about your experience, I have had the same problem and I wonder if it is related to taking vitamins/supplements and the detoxing process, anyway, what has worked for me is to apply zinc oxide paste (very inexpensive and found at most pharmacies) after I shower at night. Then I shower again in the morning and don't apply anything (no zinc oxide, no deodorant, etc. ). I also always make sure that my shirts are worn only once before I wash them since bacteria can stay in them and then, well things get ugly. I don't apply zinc oxide in the morning since I am afraid it may stain my shirt, I hope this helps, good luck!
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Jenny (Perth, Western Australia) on 11/16/2011
★★★☆☆WORKED TEMPORARILY
Yes, the same for me. It worked really well for around a week and I was stoked! Then it lasted shorter and shorter amounts of time. Back to the deodorant.
Milk of Magnesia
Posted by Marixpress (Bronx, Ny, USA) on 08/28/2009
★★★★★
I have struggled with underarm odor since puberty and all of my adult life. My problem was so bad that nothing over the counter or prescribed helped me. At the end of the day, I still smelled like an onion processing plant.
I read on a site that milk of magnesia helps so I went out and bought the generic store brand. After a shower, I applied some to a cotton ball and coated my armpit with a thin layer then held my arms over my head until it dried. It did not stop the sweating but the odor was completely gone.
My daily routine now is: shower, douse armpit in alcohol to kill bacteria, after alcohol has dried, shake bottle of liquid milk of magnesia and apply thin coating to armpit simply with my fingers. Instead of blowing on them to dry or waiting around, I use the cool temperature setting on my hair dryer. The whole process takes a couple of minutes. It lasts all day and sometimes even into the next day. Apply daily.
One thing I notice from time to time is the occasional swollen gland under the skin surface. When that happens, I just skip the next day and it goes away on its own. MOM is a miracle.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Barbara (Morton, IL) on 08/19/2009
Hello-I also use ACV as deordorant except on the days I shave underarms. I do not add anything to my underarms after applying the ACV. After air drying, I get dressed for the day. Your perspiration odor may be due to toxins in your body. You may want to take ACV, baking soda & water as posted by Ted. I have noticed a big change in my body odor since taking it consistently for several months. I usually have to launder my blouses after 1 wearing due to underarm stink. Not so anymore. Now I can wear a blouse 2 or 3 times before laundering. ACV is a great de-toxifier. I also use it as a mouthwash,astrigent on my face, itchy skin, and apply it to remove a mole. Good luck. I hope this helps.
Apple Cider Vinegar and Baking Soda
Posted by Bce (Bce, Jamwest) on 08/07/2009
★★★☆☆BETTER BUT WITH SIDE EFFECTS
TED; I HAVE BEEN TAKING BAKING SODA AND ACV FOR BODY ODOR AND IT WORKS BUT WHEN I WALK IN THE SUN AND START TO SWEAT, MY SWEAT SMELLS LIKE THE VINEGAR OR THE BAKING SODA AND THAT SMELL IS ALSO VERY OFFENSIVE. AS YOU KNOW HOW AWFUL ACV SMELLS AND THE BS SMELLS LIKE ASH. PLEASE HELP ME. IS THERE SOMETHING WRONG WITH MY ORGANS?
Milk of Magnesia
Posted by Raquel (West Palm Beach, FL) on 07/23/2009
★★★★★
I also use MOM as a deodorant, can't be without it! I had the idea of adding a few drops of essential oils (lavender and tea tree) for added protection plus I like the "clean" scent.
Avoid Black Tea
Posted by Smithie (London, UK) on 06/25/2009
Comment about body odor. I have no body odor from my pits until I start drinking black tea, any flavor. I'd say within 10 minutes of drinking tea my perspiration starts smelling badly. Green tea does not have this effect, which I find odd. So for those who find the remedies aren't working, try eliminating tea if that's what you're drinking. I hardly drink coffee, but the smell is even worse when I do. Cheers.
Zinc Oxide Ointment
Posted by Sara (The Beach, Canada) on 06/21/2009
not all zinc creams have talc and parabens, i dont know if they will show this but a baby zinc ointment called butt paste, if they block the name look in the baby isle you will find one without that stuff, has no fillers or anything that may harm you. sara
EC: Butt Paste Ingredients:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boudreaux's_Butt_Paste
"Boudreaux's Butt Paste is a skin cream used to treat skin ailments such as diaper rash, minor burns, and insect bites. The product has gained notoriety mainly due to its unusual and humorous name.
Ingredients
The combination of ingredients is:
* 16 percent zinc oxide
* a proprietary blend of Peruvian balsam
* citric acid
* castor oil
* mineral oil
Zinc Oxide Ointment
Posted by Driftergal (Arnaudville, La, Usa) on 10/13/2012
I am going through menopause which has caused hot flashes and night sweats. Not just a few but at least hourly. Besides being aggravating it also caused extreme body odor which I have never experienced before. I remembered the "think zinc and don't stink" saying I heard years ago and started taking zinc. I guess I'm inpatient but after 2 weeks or so of taking more than the bottle said I saw no difference. I found this web site and saw where someone had used the zinc mixed with water and put it under their arms and it worked so I tried it. Sure enough it worked immediately. I went to drug emporium and found deodorant cream which has zinc as the third ingredient in it. It's fantastic. Even after having a flash or night sweat I have not smelled the BO.
I'm also experimenting with the ACV with Mother for the hot flashes. So far I have seen a decline in the number and intensity of the flashes. I've been using it for just 2 days so I'm pretty excited about that too. The ACV took my breath away the first time I tried it because I tried taking it plain. I forgot that I read to mix it with water so I now use the 2 TBS with 6 oz water and 4 drops of stevia. It's still not real pleasant but it's worth it to get some relief from the hot flashes.
Rubbing Alcohol
Posted by Dorett (Lima, Ohio) on 06/01/2009
★★★★★
I read in a book that regular rubbing alchohol is good for boby odor. I was fasting and was having problem with odor from all the toxin that was coming out. i tried bathing two to three times a day to help eliminate the odor which only help for a short time. So I decided to try this remedy. This really help, I have been using it ever since. That is the 70% volume. I splash it under my arms after showering.
Brown Deodorant Stone
Posted by Joe (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) on 05/18/2009
★★★★★
Brown deodorant stone cured my body odor. Readers from Malaysia can buy it from some pharmacies in Kuala Lumpur. I have been using it for many years, very effective and made from volcanic deposits - no chemicals.I get my supply from a pharmacy in Sogo complex. Really economical and long lasting effect. On the packing it says 36 hours freshness.Totally different from other white deodorant crystal. Should be able to help many readers rid their bo problem.
Milk of Magnesia
Posted by Karen (Rochester, NY) on 05/03/2009
★★★★★
I use undiluted milk of magnesia with essential oils in place of regular deodorant. I use a few drops of pure lavender oil in a full bottle of MoM, but you can choose whatever scent you like. It is a little messy to apply (I tried using cotton balls) so I put it in a spritz bottle, which gets clogged up quickly, so I went back to using the cotton balls.
I haven't experienced any side effects, and being in a very active job, I have found that one application in the morning is enough for the day and works great. I've been doing this for almost two years.
Tips:
1. Check the labels before you buy - some have other ingredients you wouldn't want like stabilizers, and artificial sweeteners. There is almost always a generic equivalent that is just pure MoM on the shelf next to the other brands.
2. When selecting essential oils - these must also be pure, otherwise you could cause irritations. Since you are using this on a daily basis, stick with the gentle oils like pure lavender. Research your oil choice carefully. For example, citrus based oils, while very uplifting, can cause a person to be hyper sun-sensitive. You could possibly use tea tree essential oil if there is an active infection/overgrowth in the body that would benefit from daily application. In any case, the essential oil should be a high grade oil.
3. Since it is wet when applied, give yourself time before you put a shirt on, especially a dark colored one! It dries quickly, but if you get it on your clothes, you'll see a whitish powdery stain (which washes right out).
Zinc Oxide Ointment
Posted by Kj (Washington, DC) on 05/31/2009
★☆☆☆☆
I used the 20% Zinc oxide under my arms, and it didn't work at all. I followed your directions and applied 2 pea sized amounts under each arm and rubbed it in really well. As soon as I started to sweat, I had under arm odor. Am I doing something wrong? To me, the ACV worked better, but after constant use, it starts to lose its efficacy.
Zinc Oxide Ointment
Posted by Sid Davis (Springfield, Mo) on 06/16/2009
I don't know what to say. It works for my wife and me, and several others on this site have reported it worked for them. As an experiment, try using it every day after your shower for a week and see if it becomes more effective; plus use clean shirts. It has been so long since I started using it that I can't remember how effective it was at first, but I think it worked from day one. One thought that crossed my mind is that there may be some bacterial residue in your shirts, even if they have been laundered, that then start to grow when the moisture from your sweat provides a more favorable environment. Can you tell if the smell is coming from your shirt or your armpit? If the smell is coming from the shirt, try using a little lysol in your washing machine when laundering your shirts to kill the bacteria.
Zinc kills bacteria which would otherwise cause the odor. Killing bacteria is why different commercial deodorants have things like aluminum or alcohol in them. Even baking soda has an anti-bacterial property because of the sodium in it (ever pour salt on a garden slug?).
I don't think there is anything inherently smelly about sweat, but it just allows bacteria to reproduce more effectively. Knock out the bacteria and there should be no odor.
Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Jorge (Albuquerque, NM) on 03/29/2009
★★★★★
Hydrogen peroxide diluted in a spray bottle. Spray on body after shower, this will kill the bacteria that is causing you body odor.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Noelle (Tampa, FL) on 03/22/2009
★★★★★
ACV cured my acid reflux (and made me smell like roses!) ok, maybe not roses, but it definitely stopped any sort of bacterial growth that caused my body odor.
i take acv orally, 2 tablespoons per glass of water, every morning and two hours before bed. i was diagnosed with acid reflux at 12 and took pills off and on but i feel so free. Apple Cider Vinegar freed me naturally!
I also keep the acv in the shower and before i turn on the water i put some music on, pour the acv all over my body (i pour a little in my hand and then rub on my body), dance around for 2 minutes and then spend my shower rinsing, NO SOAP!. after the vinegar smell goes away i towel off and go about my business. every deodorant ive ever tried has let me down, time and time again, but this stuff-i love it! i ride my bicycle 10 miles a day commuting and i sniff and sniff and check and check and nothing-no smell at all, its a beautiful thing. i want to shout from the rooftops! These pharmaceutical companys tell us that we have to use their products, their chemicals- and we dont! we just need to go back to nature.
Milk of Magnesia
Posted by Deirdre (Atlanta, GA) on 03/10/2009
★★★★★
Two warm days in Atlanta, an excellent time to test these body odor remedies! I applied milk of magnesia as mentioned by Bessie for the past few days. Today it reached about 80F and I am sweating up a storm in my office, drinking hot tea all the while. No body odor. I have also applied it before working out last night when it was in the 70s and again, no b.o.
Great remedy, thanks Bessie!
P.S. It does not last through multiple showers. You must reapply each time.
Milk of Magnesia
Posted by Bessie (Calgary, Alberta, Canada) on 03/08/2009
★★★★★
For underarm odour, I've had good luck with Milk of Magnesia as posted by someone else at Earth Clinic. I just pour a wee bit into my hand and rub it into my armpits. Wait until it dries before putting on your clothes. It worked remarkably well and I've been under a great deal of stress lately. I used the name brand Milk of Magnesia (from the pharmacy) but you could probably use a generic or store brand one. Good luck!
Vitamin C
Posted by Tess (Palm Beach, Fl) on 03/04/2009
Thanks for this remedy. I started it this morning by grinding up an orange flavored vit c in my mortar and pestle. I also might try applying colloidal zinc at some point to see if that won't work too. I bought it ages ago and haven't touched it more than once. Any kind of zinc brings on serious acid reflux. But under the arms might work!
Vitamin C
Posted by Haycee (Gauteng, SA) on 03/05/2009
@ Tess from Palm Beach: Is your orange flavoured Vit C the fizzy type? Might be a ticklish affair ;) However, I will be interested to hear if it works as well for you as it does for me.
I also meant to mention that Vit C is excellent as a topical application for cuts and grazes. Whenever I suffer an injury I increase my Vit C intake and dissolve a tablet in a bit of water and apply to the wound several times a day. It heals twice as fast. Regards.
Vitamin C
Posted by Nancy (New Hope, PA) on 07/09/2009
★★★★★
I USED ONE YOUR CONTRIBUTOR'S ADVICE TO TAKE 1 TABLET(250MG)VITAMIN C, CRUSH IT AND TAKE SOME OF THE POWDER AND TOUCH IT WITH A BIT OF WATER TO MAKE A PASTE AND APPLY IT TO UNDER ARMS. THE ODOR WAS GONE FOR DAYS. THANK YOU. ALSO IT MAY BE A WAY OF GETTING MORE C INTO YOUR SYSTEM
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Kj (Philadelphia, PA) on 03/02/2009
★★★★★
I've been using ACV instead of deodorant for the past week and it works! I can go over 24 hours without having any odor. I sweat in my sleep and thought the ACV would surely fail me-- it didn't! I may never use deodorant again! I can't wait to see if this works in the summer.
Zinc Oxide Ointment
Posted by Tess (Palm Beach, FL) on 02/22/2009
★☆☆☆☆WARNING!
Warning about the zinc oxide ointment for body odor. I agree, it works great. I've been using it for the past 2 weeks, every other day like one of the posts suggests. But... it's not just zinc oxide you're applying -- there's also light mineral, white beeswax and white petrolatum listed as ingredients. Not great things to have absorbed near your armpit lymph nodes! After reading the contents on my tube this morning, I may go back to ACV even though the zinc oxide has been great.
Baking Soda
Posted by Crzybeau (Las Vegas, Nevada, United States) on 10/15/2010
Try drinking liquid mint flavored chlorophyll 3x a day (2 tablespoons in 8oz water) and take a good quality probiotic. Also try adding more vegetables and fruits in your diet. Minimize/eliminate processed foods, coffee, soda, sugar in general. Get tested for any food allergies as well. Hope this helps ;)
Zinc
Posted by Suzanne (Abbotsford, BC, Canada) on 01/04/2009
★★★★★
I know someone who had bothersome body odour until he started taking zinc (15 mg per day). Now there is NO problem! What an easy solution to a nasty problem.
