Ozonated Olive Oil
★★★★★
(Vancouver, BC, Canada)
03/01/2009
(Minneapolis, Minnesota)
02/23/2010
(Medford, Or, Usa)
08/16/2010
Potassium Crystal Deodorant
★★★★★
Jenny
Potassium Crystal Deodorant
★★★★☆
Potassium Crystal Deodorant
★★★★★
Powder With Cornstarch
★★★★★
Rubbing Alcohol
★★★★★
Rubbing alcohol, shower with soap, rubbing alcohol
(I just poured it on a paper towel and rubbed it on)
I think that cured me. Now it is just back to soap and deodorant.
—
But let me give a long rant as to why I got this way as hopefully it'll help prevent you from getting in my situation.
In Arizona, my sister's boyfriend would always have a lingering smell after he used our bathroom. We would make fun of him for it (in a loving way as we were close, though I'm sure he was self-conscious of it as we all would be). I never really thought of why he had that problem until I got older as I found out he lived in a really old house...
About 10 years ago I joined the no soap, no deodorant group. It worked. Click the "Stop using soap" in the body odor page to see testimonials back from the 2000s. When I did sweat it smelled sweet, it smelled good. I'm not joking. And being vegan at the time, my bowel movements were very clean. Actually, that area had zero smell when I didn't use soap, verses when I used soap and ate meat there was a little bit of funk on my hands after cleaning that area that I couldn't get rid of no matter how much soap I used (which makes sense since soap only strips the oils off your skin, not the actual bacteria and bacterial waste that causes those smells, and by not using soap your skin builds a protective layer against all that literal crap). I just had to wait for that smell to go away on its own (but now I know rubbing alcohol was probably the answer). No longer using soap, I no longer had that problem.
It was very zen like to go into the shower and only use water to clean with (I had stopped using shampoo and shaving cream too). Trust me, I lived with people who would complain if I smelled in the slightest and they never complained.
There wasn't such a thing as soap in the caveman times, yet we all lived together somehow...
To do this no soap method, you just use friction and water. You have to allow the good bacteria colons to build up on your skin. This isn't always a guarantee so sometimes you have to use soap and start all over again. But after having to use soap once or twice, I never had to use it again once the good bacteria had taken over. While I never wore synthetic fabrics back then, I would risk it if you decide to use this method.
All this changed about 3 years ago when I went to live with my grandpa in his old house.
It was all falling apart. Being his grandson I felt compelled to help. Mold and mildew everywhere in the house. Rat shit in the garage and barn. I used a lot of bleach (unfortunately). Still, I couldn't really get it clean as it got to a point that you really needed a professional. His attic (which I couldn't walk in for my own safety as I might have fallen through) with a ton of black mold had an A/C unit with holes in it sucking in that filthy air, and he refused to pay any money to get it fixed. Whenever I found something new to clean like window curtains, all this yellow stuff would start to come out of it as I washed it. I hate to say this, I should have just left. His boys (my uncles and my dad) should have put him in a home a long time ago (he doesn't have the mental capacity to take care of himself). It wasn't fair to me to put up with these living conditions. Besides, all he bought was white bread, sugary foods, and meat to eat. So, yeah, a very unhealthy environment.
Going outside to get away from it wasn't even an option as his concrete backyard was full of all his greasy motor vehicle junk and dying tress covered in mold, algae, and slimy mushrooms. His immediate neighbors were just as bad with rotting fences full of fungus...
Anyway, I spent 3 years cleaning up his place and trying to fix his health. Pressure washing, painting, pulling up dying bushes, throwing out old food, etc. I was fine at first. The first six months wasn't an issue in regards to my health. After getting into an argument with one of his neighbor friends and my grandpa refusing to talk about it or even acknowledge what his neighbor did to me, I left. I should have stayed gone. But I originally went to my grandpa's to get away from harassment in my parent's neighborhood (I swear I'm not a troublemaker, I think it's just the issue of a bad community not wanting a good person to be in their neighborhood... the world is strange like that). After getting harassed again at my parent's neighborhood, I went back to my grandpa's as it was just one neighbor I wasn't getting along with and his sons, the only people he'll listen to, took my side in the situation as they wanted me to care of him for free...
But at about the 1.5 year mark is when weird things started to happen to my body: chapped lips (even the summer), heel cracks, a lot of body hair loss, bowel movement problems, and BO.
And my grandpa would make fun of me for all of this, but NOT in a loving way. He had some real metal/self-hatred problems. He beat his wife in the past and tried to commit suicide twice (his sons wouldn't get him any mental health help unless it was free from the government). Later, I found out my grandpa suffered from all of this health problems but he learned how to thoroughly take care of the symptoms but not the cause. And the cause seemed to be bacteria/fungus from his nasty, old house.
(I also got gray nose hairs, a long gray hair on my forearm, a lot of belly fat, and my face started to look old. But I think that had more to do with my grandfather's abusive behavior. And, yes, he made fun of me for those features as well.)
Even when describing my bowel movement problems to him, he got an evil look on his face and was able to describe the rest of my symptoms exactly cause he had/has them and was enjoyed seeing someone else suffer with it. I'm talking about being constipation for days, having to strain really hard to go (and I'm the guy who would only eat colorful fruits and vegetables and easily go in one minute), wiping to no end, and the bathroom just smelling for half an hour to an hour afterward (sorry if this is really gross for you all to read).
Now it made sense why he used the small bathroom in the house (the only one with a vent) and hosed it down with freeze, used baby wipes, and stayed in there for half an hour cleaning himself; why he always had ChapStick around; why he wore socks and used a ton of moisturizer (to prevent heel cracks); and shaved his ENTIRE body (he walked around naked in the house more than once...). But I never really figured out what he did for his armpits besides shave his pits.
But I thought I fixed my BO problem by just starting to use soap and deodorant (I use the stuff you'll find at a health food store as the typical deodorant has a chemical smell I can't stand).
(I think I screwed up when going no soap, no deodorant at his house cause I would use his head and shoulder on the essential areas as "insurance" but apparently soap removes your acid mantle and your protect oils. Still, I never had such a horrible smell problem with no soap, no deodorant until I started living at his house. One day, it had a VERY slight sour milk smell to it. I knew something wasn't right with my body. Later, on a holiday of all day, I wore a shirt, that I thought was all cotton, with some synthetic fibers outside while bringing food in from the neighbors. It wasn't a good situation.)
My grandfather passed recently. After moving back with my parents a few months before that, everything fixed itself for the most part up. My heel cracks went away on their own (even though I still wear sandals all the time), my chapped lips went away, my bowel movements went to back normal after three months (more on this later), and, like I said, I had fixed my BO problem back at my grandpa's (so I thought...)
While my bowel movements got better at my parent's apartment, it didn't completely go back to normal (a horrible smells that lingered for about 30 minutes even with the vents on) until I started working at a warehouse. I had to walk for about 10 hours a day (cardio stimulates your immune system which 80% is in your gut), got sick the first week and got put on an antibiotic, and I took Saccharomyces boulardii (a yeast probiotic that fights candida, SIBO, and FIBO).
Personally, I think I had an overgrow (either fungal or bacterial) into my small intestine which blocked my bile from being reabsorbed. Bile kills off bacteria (not all or else it would naturally take care of your SIBO problem for you) and makes your poop slimy and greasy, so that's probably why my poop was hard to pass and smelled so bad: your poop it supposed to have live bacteria in it not dead bacteria. It's hard to say what worked the best, but I would guess it was the antibiotic first, then the special probiotic, and then the cardio.
Basically, my system needed a kick start to get my system back to normal (as I definitely didn't want to wait another 1.5 years for digestive health/bacteria to change again).
So that finally brings me back to my body odor problem.
Like my digestive problems, I needed a kick start to help get rid of all the bacterial colonies that was there from that nasty house.
This battle against bad bacteria is something I learned about in my no soap days, and apparently normal soap alone wasn't strong enough to kill whatever I got.
While soap and deodorant seemed to work, if I really dug my finger into my armpit, I would definitely get a smell. Not straight up BO, but it was a funk. On Christmas day of all days, my mom is yelling at me (needlessly) to hurry up as I'm getting out of my shower and I yell back forgetting to put on deodorant in the rush. Then I decided to wear that polyester shirt my dad gave me cause it looked really nice with my new jacket that is very tight on me (but it was pretty much a warm day for being Christmas cause we live in Texas) and I haven't had a BO problem in a long time and my sister keeps her house cold. But I ended up being outside for a long time and I was later stuck at my sister's house all day while smelling. :(
I knew I had to fix this. Like my bowel movement problem, I needed a little bit of help. Rubbing alcohol was the first thing I tried. The smell got really intense, both the alcohol and the BO, so I knew something was happening. Then I took shower. Did the alcohol again but this time no smell at all. The next day after returning back to my normal routine (same soap and same shampoo), I really rubbed my finger into my armpit and smelled it. This time, no smell whatsoever. I also noticed that the slight tannish stains in my armpit were gone (got them after using a coconut oil based deodorant, pretty sure it had absolutely nothing to do with the smell problem though).
So that's basically it.
But this is the real reason I got in this situation:
I feel like a lot of my major problems in life (health, relationships, finances, etc.) came from not respecting myself and not sticking to my principles. Because if I had I wouldn't be in those bad situations to begin with. Lord knows that I would have never of stayed in such a nasty house if it wasn't for my grandpa. While it might have been noble of me to stay with and help him, I should have drawn the line when he showed his true colors. I see this same pattern in my life over and over again.
Not only did my grandpa become abusive to me when I came back, the rest of the family when from having an excellent opinion of me cause I was taking care of him and wanting to be my friend to hating and making fun of me (even though I hadn't changed as a person at all).
Just about every major problem I had could have been prevented if I didn't ignore people's bad behavior. Instead, I would justify it by saying he's my grandpa or parents and I have to do this or that despite the bad feeling it gave me and intuitively knowing the situation is wrong.
You don't need to know if the person is a narcissist or whatever, you just need to know that this behavior shouldn't be tolerated and do what you gotta do. And if you can't leave the situation, then start making on plans to leave the situation. Don't try to change or reason with the person, that's not your job.
I did turn to the rest of my family for help, but they encouraged me to put up with his bad behavior cause "he's going to die pretty soon and he'll probably leave you a lot of money for everything you've done for him." When he passed, he didn't leave me a cent. Yeah, he did pay me while living with him, but just the bare minimum so I could cover my bills so I couldn't save up money to leave. Even if he did leave me a lot of money, it still wouldn't have been worth it. There isn't a price you can put on your dignity.
Unfortunately, I'm starting to realize that the people who encouraged me to stay with my abusive grandpa don't really have my best interest at heart and are abusive to me in their own ways.
By the way, since leaving my grandpa's abusive house (I did it a few months before he passed away) I lost my belly, my nose hairs are no longer gray, and my face looks a lot younger. I could even watch that one hair on my forearm have color grow back in from the root since the day I left (I think my mom's blackberries did the trick).
I never wished my grandpa ill will, and I still don't. But you gotta know when to let people go.
Rubbing Alcohol
★★★★★
Salt
★★★★★
Salt
★★★★★
I am battling several illnesses right now, and ever since I got sick I have the worst armpit odor! Soap doesn't remove it. I've tried baking soda, apple cider vinegar, and hydrogen peroxide (separately) and they all work fairly well, but they all feel harsh on my skin and I don't like it.
The other day, I discovered a better solution: iodized salt. I had bought one of those himalayan salt stones for the shower—big mistake. Little crevices in the smooth-looking salt crystal actually SCRATCHED me and literally put salt in the wound! Will never do that again.
However, it gave me the idea of simply mixing some salt into water and applying that right in the bath after washing with soap. Works like a charm! The effect was immediate—no smell whatsoever until the next morning (and then only faint). And I didn't even use deodorant!
I chose iodized salt because iodine is a powerful antimicrobial in its own right. I mix the salt with about two parts warm water (some will not dissolve) and keep it in a little jar in the shower. At the end of the shower (soap and rinse first), I just pour some of the saltwater into my hand and splash it under each arm, being careful to get the whole underarm. When the liquid gets low, I just add some water from the shower for next time
Plastic is best for use in the bath because of the risk of glass breaking. Might be convenient to get one of those dispenser bottles with the pointy top!
(Chicago, Illinois, Us)
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]
Severe Body Odor
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.
I know dang well that this will send 99% of you to school on sweat.
========ORH=========
Severe Body Odor
Best wishes!
Severe Body Odor
people thing I'm stupid , because I smell like Shht. they comment all the time ever since I was a child. Yet I am not able to smell my self but am 100% sure I smell. child hood experience , a kid suggested to the class it smell bad, middle school.. High School year , people suggested , it smell like Shht .. I was fat as a kid , I did take showers. I ate alot of process food as a kid, in middle school I became aware of this stench but it was a real toll on my mental strength , grew up anti social because of this , miss most of my school activities , did not do things most kids /teens get to do in life .. had real true friends who stick to me even when people commented how it smell / how someone needs to take a shower / how it smells funky ect .. now I need some help . I want to eliminate this for good .. I want to get my life together but can't seem to ..
questions I need answers to ...
why does a hobo who doesn't shower not smell as bad as me . I pass through homeless people with no sign of a hard core stench that my body seems to emit . also I have realize that it reaches a very long distance like 30 - 40 ft . I have verified it as one time as I was crossing the stop lights. I took no more than two steps and the people in the opposite direction where already coughing ..
question two , I know what we can't smell our self , the same way we can't smell our bad breath . so why is it that I can't smell myself >? not even a little hint as to what people had to suffer through .
question three , I take showers, very long ones , scrubbing the rear end of my tush and my hole body . at the end of my shower I am able to smell the fragrance of the shampoo. I leave the shower smelling like head and shoulders to my nose but the moment I go outside to see if the smells is gone , but not ever one minute goes by that a person walking by goes with out coughing. ill go to stores having people cough , every where I go its all you'll see , people reacting to my body odor .
This has literally ruined all my chances in life , my desire to go to college which I am trying to be toughen up mentally , after high school took 2 years off to get myself mentally ready and hoped that it worred off as I thought it might be some sort of puberty body hormonal change . Yet nothing..
I have change my diet, stop any intake of process food for as much as I can remember , started implementing some good eating habbits, like now I am not as chubby as I was once before , I use to weight 180 now at 143lbs. my diet consist mostly of whole grain rice , beans , some vegetable here and there, 95% consume nothing but water. I have taken probiotic , as I thought it might have to do something with my body flora as I never did take care of myself as a child eating nothing but sugary sweet which lead to me being over weight.
I have taken: chloryphill tablets, charcoal tablets, garden of life probiotics, zinc
yet nothing.
I feel fine, have never gone to the doctor do to financial reasons and due to the fact I have no health care.
I have checked for many reason as to why this can help it , I did some of my homework ,
1st Theory (TmAu) : http://www.meboresearch.org/bodyodor.html
2nd theory (Leaky Gut) : http://www.ibsgroup.org/forums/topic/92645-fecal-body-odor-causes-and-possible-cure/
3rd Theory (Candida / Fungus):http://voices.yahoo.com/bacteria-inside-body-causes-body-odor-6392506.html?cat=70
Please, I have tried many things and I need some advice from the geniuses on these forums, I want to change my life, I don't know what being normal is. I have good friends who I owe my life to . never slightly once made a bad remark about my odor , and my family who beleives that I am clue less about it. I try no to worry them, I make it seem as if I don't know , I have mental scars that have help me handle some bad remarks from people so it doesn't hurt as much when I hear some harsh comments. I am very gratefull to have a job , but people are always people , and will always be curious as to why is there an odd person who don't say much , but always stinks up the place, now I will leave it in the hands of faith, and hopefully someone in these forums can help me understand why???? if not than ill do as I have always done and put on my mask, my fake smile and live my life as best as I can knowingly know I smell offensive yet to the eyes not give a single hint that I am aware as I don't react to the smell as others .. my the blessing of your god thank you .......
I JUST HOPE ONE DAY WILL COME WHEN I CAN FINALLY FEEL NORMAL..
(Tennessee, Usa)
03/08/2014
Dear xxxunknownxx,
You have certainly dealt with a lot with this issue, and I am sorry that people have been so unkind. You have done well in improving your diet, losing weight, and trying different things, enduring suffering and working. I am hopeful that your persevering spirit on healing will bring the desired results to you.
If you haven't already, do read the posts on Earth Clinic on this issue:
https://www.earthclinic.com/cures/body_odor.html
Then just try different things, as you have been. I will mention a few things that I will start with.
I would try Raw Apple Cider Vinegar added to the water you drink. 1-2 Tablespoons in a tall glass of water once or twice a day. It is fine to have a splash of vinegar in all your water if you acquire a taste for it. (I like my water with vinegar better than plain now.)
I would try different types of baths--Epsom Salt, Baking Soda, Bentonite Clay, etc. These are all detoxifying. Having a couple of these a week (or more often if you like.) 1-2 cups of the Espom Salt or Baking Soda. On the clay, you will need to research this. The clay bath is a little more trouble, but people find them helpful.
You mention the possible issues of leaky gut and candida. Do you have other health issues? Also, do you have trouble with constipation? If you are not eliminating toxins out of the bowel regularly (at least daily) this can cause odor. I would look into colon cleanses.
If you do not have trouble with constipation, you can take the Bentonite Clay internally. I had a son who had a body odor problem when he was about 8, long before puberty. Showering did not help at all. It seemed to just come out his pores! I gave him Bentonite Clay daily for a while and it did seem to resolve. You Can mix 1 teaspoon in 8 ounces of water and let that sit overnight. Then take 1 Tablespoon daily on an empty stomach with a glass of water.
Are you getting daily exercise? It is good for the body to sweat...it gets out toxins that way.
I would also look into the turpentine section on this website and also look into parasite cleanses.
Whatever you try, try it for several months or more. It is possibly going to take a while to completely heal a long standing issue.
Keep us posted on how you are doing! I will be praying you find a solution sooner than later.
~Mama to Many~
(Denver)
03/08/2014
(Sojouring America)
03/08/2014
★★★★★
Take baking soda right after you shower and and take it and put in in your arm pits and sprinkling it all over your body. Keep some with you at all times. It will work. Put in your shoes too.
(Sojouring America)
03/08/2014
Oh, I forgot the most important thing. Use baking soda on your wash rag and stop using any soap or any shampoo. Use baking soda only. The odor problem will stop and it may stop overnight. How? for thewashing with a wash cloth fill your sink with hot water and saturate your wash cloth with water. then take a spoon full of baking soda and rub it into the rag. Use that to scrub your body and face and every thing. NO more store bought soap. Your self confidence will sky rocket.
To wash your hair take a quart bottle and and put in 5 tablespoons of bakeing soda and shake it up every time and then pour some on your hair and work it with your hands gently. and then rinse out . No more shampoo from the store.
(Somewhere, Europe)
03/08/2014
(Ottawa, Ontario)
03/08/2014
Try to eat one clove of garlic a day -do it at dinner (it has to be fresh and you have to properly chew it -it goes well in a salad or you can smash it and mix it with a tsp of honey, avoid chinese garlic). Do not try to over do it -too much garlic can lower your BP and also increase blood coagulation time.
Drink Stinging Nettle tea each day -about 0.5l.
Drink a tea from the dandelion root each day-about 1 cup
Include dandelion leaves in salads.
Make an ointment from Extra Virgin Olive oil (100 ml), Extra Virgin Coconut oil (100 ml) and a smashed garlic clove -after mixing the components let the mix stay for a day and after that filter out the large pieces of garlic. The ointment has to be stored in a glass container (keep it in a dark place).
Use the ointment on all your skin after showering (spread small amounts of it before you dry out).
For the showers use warm water followed by cold water -repeat three times.
Stop using commercial soap and shampoo. Go for natural solutions (Allepo soap).
Use the info from the video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IG4M71vMbTs) to get lacto bacillus culture. Mix some of it with water and apply it to all your skin each morning.
In the summer go to the seaside -expose full body to the sun and also wash in the sea multiple times a day -let the salt dry on your skin.
(Sth Aus, Australia)
03/10/2014
All of the above are great suggestions except the stinky garlic. Anyway, the simplest solution is stop eating sugar or at least reduce it to a minimum because even veggies have a sugar content. So does rice of any colour. Prefer a diet of veggies that can be eaten raw, fruits that are bitter, moderate meat, natural dairy, eggs and moderate natural fats and oils and you'll be normal in no time. Cheers.
(Illinois, US)
03/19/2015
Hey I know exactly where you are coming from. I too suffered from bad body odor. You mentioned that you take Garden Of Life probiotics. I seriously recommend that you stop. Those pills contain a lot of dairy. I used to take them too. They made me smell like a sewer! Also beans made me smell horrible. Maybe you should try eliminating both? Good luck!
Stainless Steel Bar
★★★★★
Stop Using Soap
★★★★★
(Greenwich, CT)
08/14/2008
★★★★★
To Joyce from Joelton, Tn -- thank you for this simple cure. It is the best!
I had been using the baking soda cure for body odor for a few weeks, but stopped because it was causing small cysts where I nicked myself shaving. I have now been "off" soap for 5 days (ha ha, that sounds funny) and after the second day, no armpit odor. I shampooed my hair yesterday and later in the day, smelled some b/o. I deduced that it must have started when I rinsed my hair, some of the shampoo residue got under my arms (duh, obviously)... So as long as nothing but water touches your underarms, no body odor. Our family started using the natural laundry detergent that doesn't contain phospates and fragrances, just essential oils, so that must be helping too.
(NY, NY)
08/16/2008
★☆☆☆☆
Hello Sharon A. from Greenwich, I recently posted about what I used regarding underarm odor. However, after reading Joyce's post regarding "Stop using soap" earlier this year I totally stopped. I take a longer shower and use baking soda as a body scrub (also saw this here on Earth clinic). I guess everyone is different because I found that even after eliminating soap (and with a diet of no processed food etc. etc.) after a few hours I needed help. I cannot run home to shower so I am using baking soda which is excellent and for me more long lasting than Thai crystals. When I shave I apply VCO which helps to expedite healing of any hidden cuts. After a day or so I return to baking soda because VCO is great but not as effective as baking soda.
I recently tried another natural remedy which I have not seen here on Earth Clinic - lemon juice. It sounds crazy but a friend announce that like Julia Roberts she has never used roll-ons - antiperspirant/deodorants. She does not know Julia and does not know what she uses but my friend uses a bit of lemon juice. I tried it it and was amazed that it was equally as good as baking soda. Has anyone else tried lemon juice? It is wonderful that nature has so many solutions for our needs.
To Samantha from NY: Sorry that no soap didn't pan out for you. May I suggest that if you try it again, unless you have 3 days to bathe without soap, before returning to work, start off the first day or two of bathing without soap but use a cup or two of ACV in your bath water to remove soap left over from your last bath. Because as someone else found out, any soap, shampoo, etc. will negate not using soap.
(NY, NY)
08/18/2008
(Mineral Bluff, Georgia)
05/08/2009
Hi Joyce from Joelton,
I did an experiment this week. I have been using a salt stone as deodorant for at least 5 years, and have been using borax as a shampoo, and body wash for at least a year. I thought since it's not exactly soap, maybe I can get by without using anything under my arms after my shower. Sure enough, I have no odor, and most of the temps in my area have been around the 80's this week, and I work a physical job. Thanks for the tip, who would have thunk that soap is what stunk (sorry bad rime). Peace, Rena.
Stop Using Soap
★★★★★
(Rocky Ridge, Ohio)
01/24/2009
Actually, soap has a higher alkalinity than our skin prefers. Our skin prefers a rather acid ph. This is why after a shower with soap we itch, it's because the ph of our skin has been altered and the natural oils neutralized/removed by the soap. A remedy for itchy skin is a moisturizer of lotion, cream or oil. Oil is actually an acid and that's why the itching stops, because the ph has been altered back to acidic with the application of the oil substance.
When the skin gets alkaline, it creates a breeding ground for the bacteria that causes odor. The bacteria feed off of the sweat in the alkaline environment.
I've been using the no soap and AC vinegar method. I put 50/50 ACV and water in a spray bottle and spritz it on before I shower. After scrubbing with a plain wet washcloth, I get out of the shower and spritz the ACV/Water mixture again instead of deodorant.
What stumps me is the baking soda working on body odor because it is an alkaline substance. The only thing I can think of that causes it to work is that it may become too alkaline for the bacteria to thrive and/or absorbing the sweat. But given all the redness, rashes, itching and reactions to the BS, I would say its probably too alkaline for the skin of most people and the reason for these reactions.
For those of you using regular baking soda from the stores, name brand or otherwise, they also contain aluminum. The only baking soda I know of that is aluminum free is a brand available at the health food stores that specifically states on the label, Aluminum Free. If memory serves me correctly, most of the baking soda found in stores is a by product of aluminum manufacturing. They just don't list it on the label. I buy the aluminum free BS to use internally to keep my body alkalized.
I'm also intrigued by Ted's explanation of magnesium and zinc deficiencies being a cause for an increase in body odor. Earlier today I actually started taking zinc and this evening I took some magnesium citrate because I've been getting the heart palpitations back again and the mag cured it before. hmmmm...I think he's on to something...
Blessings,
Robin
(Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
02/21/2009
(Calgary, Canada)
02/22/2009
I have successfully been using zinc creme for body odor. the cheap store name brand from my local pharmacy. i use a very small amount on the tip of my finger and rub it in well. it's not greasy if you do this. i remain BO free all day long.
sara
(Rocky Ridge, Ohio)
10/06/2009
Kj, sorry it took so long for me to get back to this, I've not been on the site for awhile.
To answer your question, yes it worked right away. I'm still on the no soap and ACV/Water regime. I use it everywhere and because of the alpha hydroxy acids in the ACV, it is an exfolliant, removing the dead skin from your body. I pay special attention to elbows, knees, and feet to keep them soft and at times you can see the dead skin it's removing. (just be careful to shave after using it, not before) The 50/50 water/ACV may be too strong for some. it can be diluted down to 66/33 or 75/25 water to ACV and still work as well. I've been using a deodorant crystal as deodorant but have recently been researching the use of himilayan sea salt, the kind used for salt lamps as a deodorant instead. It's used the same as the crystal deodorant, rubbed on wet and comes in a bar form like soap. It's another alternative to traditional chemical based deodorants. It works because it doesn't allow bacteria to grow...think of foods preserved with salt...same concept. Blessings and good luck!
(New Orleans, La Usa)
05/04/2012
If you use all natural soap you will not have this problem(most people). Natural soap hasn't had the glycerin(acid) removed. Commercial soaps have the glycerin removed and this is why skin dries out. Bacteria actually flourish in an acidic environment, so it's possible that if your skin is too acidic, you will stink. If you find natural soap too expensive to buy, try making your own. It's actually really easy and there is plenty of information available on how to do it.
