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.
Ernest (Boston, Massachusetts) on 07/22/2008:
Thank you so much for this website!! I have finally found a solution to my BO. I used to have really bad BO and I tried all the deodorants and antiperspirants but nothing worked as quick, as good and as long as pure baking soda.
Antiperspirants worked but they have aluminium and they left a layer of gunk on my underarms which I wasn't comfortable with. I used deodorants which would work OK for a few hours but eventually by the end of the day, even in an air conditioned office with temperature control the stink would get mixed up with the deodorant smell to make up for a really horrible smell.
Baking Soda worked perfectly the first day I tried it!! It does both things the way it's supposed to: 1. It lets me sweat as it's naturally supposed to happen and 2. No bad smell all day!!
I have stopped using "soap" for anything! I use bath gels that are clear, not the white ones. I also apply ACV after showering, with a cotton pad. The ACV prevents bacterial growth that causes the odor. I tried baking soda, but also had red angry rashes. I changed to corn starch baby powder and now have no rash and no odor. The ACV works by itself, but feels a bit sticky from the sugar content. The baby powder with cornstarch prevents the sticky feel and has a pleasant odor.
I, too, have had success with baking soda, but ended up with a red angry rash under my arms. I did use it just after shaving. Could this be the problem?
I am happy that someone else is excited about using Baking Soda as a deodorant. I have posted that I have been using it successfully for the past months. I also mentioned that I use VCO when I have to shave because I do not believe it would be wise to use it after shaving. I am a believer and have been spreading the word slowly - can be a sensitive topic!!!
I am a believer! I have been using Baking Soda as a deodorant for the past couple days and I am tickled pink with the results!
I can't believe I've suffered with boils (from my foliciles being packed with deodorant residue) and stinky pits for the past couple years and this was all I had to do. All the scrubbing and shaving in the world didn't get me these result. I tried numerous deodorants and antiperspirants to no avail, then gave the crystal a whirl. That worked for a while much to my delight. But I think that something in my chemistry changed which then stripped me of the progress I'd made.
Not knowing what else to do, I typed in "perspiration and natural remedy" and found this site! I am eternally gateful! I won't even get into the savings I'll have now from not buying the expensive ineffective stuff.
I read about using Baking Soda as a deodorant and have been using it for the last 3 months. I had tried everything - crystals and a product with lemon juice and its essence - all very good but it did not always protect the entire day. I am very happy to say that Baking Soda has been the best I have ever used - 100% effective - lasting the whole day and longer. When I shave my underarm I use Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) for at least 2 to 3 days in order to allow healing before resuming with Baking Soda. (Please do this to avoid burns). VCO is also very good but has not consistently protected all day long. I have been spreading the word to health conscious friends.
Like others, I think this site is a god-send. Thank you. I have started using Baking soda as a facial and all over body scrub; then I apply ACV and finally VCO to my face. I have been quite consistent for the last 3 months including Ted's advise regarding large facial pores. I cannot believe that my skin looks so beautiful and smooth at the age of 41. I always had beautiful skin now I look even younger - it simply is amazing!!
I have now starting being more consistent with drinking ACV 3 times a day because I need to loose at least 16 llbs. Since the birth of my third child 11 months ago - it has been a very slow process. I am hoping that in a few months I can be write a post like many others - saying that I am loosing weight. I also plan to ingest VCO and also start using it for all cooking as well. I began eating 1 tablespoon of Black Strap Molasses every morning. I try to eat a very healthy diet. So I guess soon I will not only look good but feel great as well.
Just wanted to thank the site and contributors for helping me. i had laser hair removal on my underarms about 3 years ago. the smell from the hair follicles being clogged, was horrible. nothing helped. tried the baking soda and i can't believe it but the odor is gone. you don't know what this has done for me. tried every deodorant on the market, but to no avail. i am also going to tell my daughters who have had laser treatments as well. who would have thought for only 34 cents, i could have peace of mind again. thank you, thank you, thank you, p.s. i bought one of those little puffs used for face powder and sprinkle the soda in my palm and just pat onto my underarms. it worked after the second application and all odor was gone. amazing!!!
I read where someone wanted to know what the smell came from under her arms? My response is what is smells like....cornchips!.....very stinky when you use a washcloth to clean your pits and it leaves a smell so strong it almost knocks you down!!! yuuuuuuuuck! I have begun to use baking soda for the first time today, and so far (it's noon) no smell! I'm going to keep using the baking soda and maybe try a few other remedies suggested on your site....MANY THANKS!
Hi, I'm from Singapore but am currently residing in London. Been here for only two and a half months and about two weeks ago i noticed that my left armpit (and only my left!) would smell nearly all the time, except maybe the first ten mins after showering. Thought maybe it's the climate change but still, it was very distressing becos i don't normally have BO unless i'm sweating profusely (like i did back home on the equator) or after working out, and definitely not coming from just one armpit which is so odd! Also, it was a different BO from the working out BO (anyone know what the cause of this one-armpit smell is??), and my regular deo was not having any positive effects. But i found this site trying to figure out what was wrong with me and next morning i tried patting on a thin layer of bicarb after showering. Strode off to the supermarket and back, worked up a sweat, and ta-daaa no smell!! yayyyy! who knew something so simple would work so well. i'm so totally pleased, thank you EC. Will try ACV and oil pulling next to help with my sinuses..
RE:1/17/2008: Patti from Albany, USA writes: "I wanted to find out from Erin (Fremont, MI) what type/brand of Natural Deodorant she uses (hope it's okay to ask for the brand).
Please tell her that the best thing that I have found is Baking soda. I have gone organic and was trying every organic deordorant on the market and I would still stink!! It was making me crazy, then I came here and read about everyone using BS with great results and IT IS TRUE! After my shower, I pat some in each armpit (I'm pretty liberal). And I have absolutley no underarm odor. Even in my wool sweaters which can really trap the smell...So, I put BS in a pretty bowl in the bathroom and use that. IT WORKS!
For years I have been using baking soda; because In my 20's I use to get cyst or boils under my arms from deodorants So at first I stop using products with aluminum, but even that made my underarms irritated, and eventually I needed surgery under my arm from the boil, and after that I did know what to do so! because I mention it to my grandmothers friend, and she said use baking soda! and I tried and have been using this for many years, maybe twenty; however be forewarned! that if you are gonna shave, you need to wait a hour or two before applying, and I use the best baking soda on the market, that well known brand because the others don't work as well, and added benefit of using baking soda, you might find you don't need to use it everyday.
Hi. I wrote in last month about the wonders of baking soda for underarm body odor. Well I still agree that it's a great remedy, however I had a side effect that I wanted to share. A few days ago I shaved and after getting out of the shower, put baking soda under my arms. I guess I had nicked an area because it hurt like crazy after the baking soda hit it. That night, I started to feel shooting pain in the same area... it lasted all night. The next morning, still in pain, I looked in the mirror at my armpit and discovered a big ole boil forming. I am guessing that a chunk of baking soda got in and irritated the area. Knowing how great turmeric is for cysts and boils, I immediately went and got some warm water and put a teaspoon of turmeric in it and chugged it down. The shooting pain stopped in about 3 hours and the next day the boil was half the size. 2 days later it is gone. My suggestion is not to apply baking soda to your armpits if you have nicked them while shaving! I continue to use the b.s. but haven't had any more inflammation in that area.
OK guys, you have to try the baking soda remedy! It's awesome!! I have been wetting and then patting some baking soda under my arms after a shower and then going to the office. No b.o. all day -- amazing! One thing I suggest -- if you do wet the baking soda down before application, just make sure it dries before you put on a shirt. I didn't wait one day, put on a tee-shirt and hit the town. Later I looked in the mirror and discovered HUGE whitish stain rings around my pits. It looked terrible! I had a good laugh and then got mortified that I'd been out all day with pit rings. Ha ha.
The baking soda remedy for body odor was the lucky charm! I tried the zinc oxide remedy after reading it on your site. I think it worked but my armpits were way too greasy! It was very uncomfortable. After that I tried baking soda on my armpits and let me tell you -- it's a winner. Lasts all day and is much better than any natural or chemical deordorant I have ever tried. I now wet the baking soda down before applying it.. otherwise it is gritty. I think baking soda is probably one of the safest remedies to put near your lymph nodes. No way aluminum! I wonder if some day they will attribute some cases of breast cancer to the aluminum in deodorant and location of the sentinel lymph node. Just a theory of mine
baking soda, wonderful cure for body odor!!! i had been suffering for years with stinky pits. just dust some baking soda under your arms a couple of times a day, and like magic, the smell completly disappears!!! it helps to know that i also have an allergy to the aluminum in reg. deoderants. however, it didn't stop me from trying everything on the market to try to stop the smell! it's a wonderful cure!!! thank you earth clinic for your help!!
For some reason, a persistent rash flared up in one arm pit, and over the course of 12 months or more, it did appeared in the other. It got so bad that the skin broke from excessive itching. Everything and anything I used to wash with caused a flare up, except Pinetarsol. I really wasn't happy with having to use this long-term, but it was all that could keep it to a minimum. Nothing reduced it completely. Not even a cortisol cream. Luckily, I was recommended a honey-based cream which now stops the rash, but the sensitivity to deodorants, whether they be chemically laden or not, still exists. I just resigned to the fact that being a little smelly was an option I could live with when compared to the horrible rash. A friend suggested patting on some bicarb soda - how obvious! Absorbs moisture and eliminates odour's. It's fantastic that something so simple is so effective. I pat on a little in the mornings, and I an odour free for the whole day. I believe it works better than conventional deodorant. And it does not create a rash flare up. So at last, I am rash free and odour free!
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