Editorials

How to Reduce Body Odour

If there is one embarrassment that can make you wish that the ground opens and swallows you, it is body odour. It gets worse if you do not naturally have body odour and find yourself smelling awful.  How does this happen? When sweat combines with bacteria on the skin’s surface, it produces an unpleasant odour. This is why it is essential to be aware of how to reduce body odour.

While sweating is a means of taking care of the body’s temperature, it can attract bacteria. Sweat has no odour until bacteria breeds on it.  Body odour can be referred to medically as bromhidrosis.

What Cause Body Odour?

Body odour often starts at puberty due to the increase of the androgens hormones. For young kids, they do not have body odour because this hormone is not active. However, when they get active during teenagehood, you begin to notice.

Some of the things that can cause body odour include:

  • Changes in hormones
  • Warm or hot weather
  • Heavy exercise
  • Being overweight
  • Certain health conditions, like diabetes, liver disease, or kidney disease
  • Some medications, like antidepressants
  • Diet

Body odour can be caused by taking fatty foods, strong-smelling foods, or oil such as onions, curry, and garlic.

How to Prevent Body Odour

You can prevent body odour with some tips that we have highlighted in this article.

Keep Yourself Clean

For those with body odour, and everyone who might experience this condition, they should take their bath at least twice a day. That helps them wash off sweat and bacteria on the skin.  When you take your bath, it becomes easier for odour to stop or be reduced.

Use Antibacterial Soap

You can start making use of antibacterial soap bars to help you eliminate this odour causing bacteria. When you use this type of soap, you feel refreshed. It helpings in masking the smell for those who have the odour condition. For those who found out their body has odour, they should take the soap for bathing.

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Towel Off Well

After your bath, you should pay attention to those areas where sweat lodges more in your body. Bacteria have difficulty surviving in dry areas. You should towel off well to stop bacteria from growing in your body.

 Use ‘Industrial Strength’ Antiperspirants

When your body is dry, you can make use of a strong antiperspirant on those parts of the body that sweat more.

Keep Your Clothes Clean

You should ensure that your clothes are clean. You should change your outfit when you sweat more. With fresh clothes , you eliminate the body odour easily.

However, do not forget to remove your socks because they can cause the feet to smell. You should make use of deodorant powders in your shoes.

Cut Back On Certain Foods or Drinks

You should find the right foods for your body. Some foods like spicy foods, hot peppers, and others trigger more sweating.  The aroma of ingredients like garlic or onions can stick to your sweat and cause odour. Do not forget that alcohol or caffeine can make you sweat too.