Folk remedies for underarm sweating

There is no need to think that our ancestors, in the absence of knowledge in the field of medicine, were so limited in effective means against sweat. As long as the problem of excessive sweating has existed, people have been trying to solve it in various ways. It's just that in the past, preference was given to natural remedies, emphasizing safety. Perhaps recipes for folk remedies for sweating of the armpits, hands and feet, which have virtually no side effects and can be easily used at home, are not considered as effective today as pharmaceutical drugs, but they do not cause any harm to the body.

Baking soda

Many people know the feeling when the use of modern cosmetics leads to the appearance of allergic irritations, rashes, itching and other unpleasant symptoms on the skin. Quite often this happens with effective antiperspirant deodorants and antiperspirants containing a lot of different chemical components. But how can you fight sweat in this case, especially if you do not want to expose your skin to substances dangerous to the body, such as aluminum salts and formaldehyde, which contain various antiperspirant products for armpits, purchased in pharmacies and stores?

Natural non-toxic and hypoallergenic products come to the rescue, one of which is baking soda. Probably, it is not worth dwelling once again on the wonderful antiseptic and antifungal properties of this natural substance, which is contained in small quantities even in our body. But it is these properties that are so important in the fight against unpleasant sweat odor.

If the problem is only in the smell, you can use the simplest recipe for soda paste. To prepare it, mix soda with a small amount of water, stir and apply to the area under the arms. Soda will also help with the smell of sweat that has ingrained in clothes.

If the purpose of soda treatment is to reduce sweating, you will need to tinker and prepare a natural deodorant based on this antiseptic. There are 2 interesting recipes for soda antiperspirants that will not contain harmful additives, but will perfectly cope with hyperhidrosis, unpleasant odor of the armpits, and will also care for the delicate skin under the hands (they will retain the disinfectant and softening effect):

1. Take 30 mg of baking soda and cornstarch, mix well and add 2.5 tbsp of coconut oil. Mix everything again, transfer the soft "deodorant" to the container in which it will be stored, and put it in a cool place.
2. In a small cup, mix 45-50 mg of soda, 2 tablespoons of cocoa butter and cornstarch. Add 3 tablespoons of shea essential oil, often used in cosmetology, to the mixture and mix the mixture again until smooth. Transfer the aromatic mixture to a suitable container and put it in the cold.

Once the baking soda deodorants have hardened, they can be used like store-bought sticks for treating your armpits. There are no restrictions on the use of such products (except for allergic reactions to oils), which means they can be used as much as you like without fear of health consequences.

The downside of such homemade antiperspirants is the high probability of oil stains appearing on clothes. Therefore, such products should be used under clothes with caution, lightly blotting the skin under your hands with a napkin after treatment with soda antiperspirant.

Apple cider vinegar

It would seem that soda is an alkaline product, while vinegar has a pronounced acidic reaction, but both of these remedies are successfully used for excessive underarm sweating. An environment that is too acidic, like an alkaline one, is not suitable for the life and reproduction of pathogenic microflora, so it is worth shifting the pH of the skin in one direction or another, and the antibacterial effect is guaranteed.

Natural apple cider vinegar, despite its sharp smell and distinct sour taste, does not irritate the skin, especially if it is mixed with plain water (as for compresses used to soften the skin of the hands). Baths with added vinegar are useful for generalized hyperhidrosis. It is believed that apple cider vinegar can be taken internally in a certain dosage, but we are not fans of such harsh methods, so we will not offer them to our readers.

For hyperhidrosis of the armpits, vinegar rubs and lotions are widely used. In the first case, mix equal amounts of water and apple cider vinegar, soak a soft cloth in the mixture and wipe the area of increased sweating under the armpits at night. In the morning, carry out hygiene procedures using soap, which will help remove the sour smell of vinegar, but the smell of sweat will not bother you all day.

For lotions, mix vinegar and water in a 2:1 ratio. Soak a cloth napkin in the room temperature mixture, squeeze it out slightly and apply it to the armpits for 15-20 minutes, pressing the arms to the body. After the napkin is removed, the skin should dry naturally. There is no need to wipe it. This recipe is also recommended for use in the evening, and in the morning before going out, thoroughly wash your hands with soap and rinse with clean water, alternating hot and cold water. This procedure will help tone the skin and reduce the activity of the sweat glands somewhat, and the vinegar will prevent an unpleasant odor if moisture does appear.

These recipes not only help fight sweating, they allow you to feel fresh and not limited in movement, and not think about how such antiperspirants can affect your health.

Oak bark

This is truly a unique herbal remedy for underarm sweating, which has an anti-inflammatory and antiseptic effect. The rich composition of oak bark and the content of tannins in it help not only get rid of the unpleasant smell of sweat, but also reduce the activity of sweat glands, due to which the problem of sweating becomes irrelevant.

Treatment with oak bark involves the use of remedies for sweating of the armpits, hands and feet based on a decoction of crushed plant materials for no more than 2 weeks, after which the work of the sweat glands should stabilize. The main thing is to choose the right recipe and not to use a natural medicine if you are allergic to the raw material.

Almost all recipes with oak bark are based on a decoction of this component, which can be easily prepared independently by visiting the nearest forest or plantation where oaks grow. Residents of megacities can find raw materials in the nearest pharmacy and not feel deprived of the gifts of nature.

To prepare a medicinal potion, take 2 and a half spoons of crushed plant material per half liter of water. Keep the composition on the fire for half an hour at a low boil, then leave to infuse for 2 hours. The strained decoction is stored in a glass container, using it to wash the armpits after a bath or shower.

If you add freshly squeezed juice of half a lemon to the finished decoction, you can use it to wipe your armpits. Alternatively, you can soak a napkin in this composition and apply it to your armpits for a quarter of an hour, after which the skin should be thoroughly washed with clean water.

In addition to the oak bark decoction, you can also prepare a paste based on plant material ground in a coffee grinder (100 g) and honey (5 spoons). The mixture is thoroughly mixed and transferred to a glass container.

During the day, it is recommended to wash the armpits several times with clean water and rinse with oak bark decoction, and in the evening, half an hour before going to bed, apply oak-honey paste to the skin of the armpits. Before going to bed, the armpits are washed again and blotted with a napkin soaked in oak decoction. This recipe allows you to cope with even a severe degree of hyperhidrosis in a course of treatment. At least, this is what many of those who have tested this recipe on themselves think.

During treatment, you need to carefully monitor your feelings, and if irritation, itching or burning occurs in the area where folk remedies with oak bark or honey are applied, you should immediately clean the skin with water and lubricate it with a soothing cream. In the future, it is better to refuse to use recipes with such components.

Herbs for underarm sweating

Medicinal plants, of course, cannot solve all the problems associated with excessive sweating, but they can help to improve the situation somewhat. In addition, their use can also help eliminate such a disorder as increased irritability, against which hyperhidrosis intensifies. Herbs will help to combat stressful situations and strong emotions that provoke excessive sweating.

As herbal remedies for underarm sweating that work from the inside, you can use infusions, decoctions and alcohol tinctures of herbs that have a sedative effect. Valerian, motherwort, sage and mint are famous for this. The last two herbs can be used in the form of aromatic tea regularly or when the nervous system is excited. But valerian (tablets, tincture and decoction) and motherwort (decoction and tincture) preparations are recommended to be taken orally in courses, regardless of whether the stressful situation is taking place now or was in the past.

As an external remedy for the treatment of excessive sweating, decoctions or infusions of chamomile flowers and herbs are used. Chamomile, as is known, has excellent antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties, which allows recipes based on it to effectively fight bacteria on the body and relieve irritation of the skin under the arms.

There is no need to be afraid of overdosing, as is the case with medications. You can wipe your armpits with chamomile infusion several times a day, use it for lotions left on the body for 20-25 minutes, and also drink it as a tea that is beneficial for the stomach and other organs.

You can also use a homemade chamomile tincture in alcohol to wipe your armpits. For 220-250 g of vodka, take 4 tablespoons of crushed chamomile and leave it to infuse for several days.

Herbs such as calendula and celandine can also be called active fighters against bacterial infections. Infusions and decoctions of these plants can also be used to treat areas of increased sweating.

True, herbs with antiseptic action help only with the smell caused by the proliferation of bacteria. If the cause of the unpleasant smell of sweat is toxins, you will also have to drink cleansing herbal teas, which can always be found in any drugstore.

However, herbal decoctions with anti-inflammatory herbs, taken internally, will greatly help reduce sweating caused by acute infections (for example, flu, tonsillitis, otitis, etc.).

Soaps for underarm sweating

No matter what means a person uses to combat underarm sweating, he or she will hardly be able to do without soap. It is not for nothing that the use of various medications for local use, powders, antiperspirants, creams, etc. imply the application of the product to clean skin. But it is soap that is most often used to clean the skin under the hands.

True, not many people know that some types of soap are capable of not only cleansing the skin, but also, due to their capabilities, combating hyperhidrosis. For example, tar soap has long been used by our ancestors to combat excessive sweating of the armpits and its consequences in the form of odor and irritation of the skin under the hands. This natural product does not contain any foreign synthetic or chemical components.

In addition to the drying and disinfecting effect, tar soap has many useful effects. It heals wounds and irritations, increases blood circulation, shows a regenerating effect, protects the skin from irritation. The disadvantages of this natural antiperspirant are considered to be an unpleasant smell and the possibility of allergic reactions to tar.

However, if you carry out armpit hygiene using tar soap, the problem of sweating will not be as pressing as before.

Another antiperspirant that has come down to us from the Soviet Union is laundry soap. It can be used in two ways: as a means of daily hygiene of the armpits (it is recommended to wash the armpit area with laundry soap in the morning and evening) or like an antiperspirant stick, after slightly moistening the bar of soap.

You can use such a natural "stick" in the morning before leaving the house, rubbing it on the area of skin under your arms. The action of laundry soap as a stick is based on the formation of an antibacterial protective film (and the antimicrobial properties of laundry soap are known to many) and temporary blockage of sweat glands.

An effective and safe replacement for laundry soap with its characteristic “aroma” will be baby soap (possibly with herbal additives).

Today, you can find other types of soap on sale that are an equivalent replacement for antiperspirants. These are antibacterial soaps from various cosmetic companies, antiperspirant soaps with all the properties of sticks and sprays, but used during showering, natural antiperspirant in the form of Tamarind soap, which does not contain aluminum salts, but only useful components with a caring, drying and caring effect, and perfume.

Essential Oils to Combat Underarm Sweating

Among various collections, tinctures, extracts and infusions from medicinal plants, essential oils are especially popular with doctors and cosmetologists. And this is not accidental, because oily liquids, the basis of which is an extract from plants that have a specific effect on the body, are safe medicines for many diseases, from skin pathologies to headaches.

Essential oils of tea tree, cypress, fir, bergamot, lavender and lemon can be used as a remedy for underarm sweating. The advantages of these natural remedies include:

• a pleasant and strong aroma that can mask the smell of sweat,
• antiseptic properties that last for a long time due to the oily structure of the composition,
• the presence of biologically active substances that regulate the functioning of sweat glands and affect their structure, with all changes occurring at the cellular level.

It is clear that different oils can affect sweating differently. For example, cypress oil, which is very quickly absorbed by the skin, has an almost immediate effect on its cells. It is able to regulate sweating, rejuvenate and restore skin damaged by the negative impact of the environment. This product is used locally, applying to clean, dry skin under the hands.

Bergamot oil is known as an effective remedy in the fight against bacterial and fungal infections. Due to its pronounced antiseptic effect, it promotes wound healing, fungal destruction, and treatment of many skin pathologies. This oil does not affect sweating much, but it perfectly fights the smell of sweat that occurs under the influence of a bacterial factor. It is used by adding it to masks and creams that nourish and disinfect the skin. You can use bergamot oil by adding it to the bath during bathing.

Lavender oil, in addition to its beloved aroma, also has many useful properties. It is an excellent antiseptic that soothes the skin, heals wounds on it, relieves pain, cleanses and tones the skin. The aroma of lavender oil also has a calming effect on the nervous system, due to which the intensity of psychogenic hyperhidrosis is reduced. Baths with the addition of lavender oil are recommended for excessive sweating.

Fir oil, like extracts of any coniferous plants, has good disinfectant and tonic properties. Due to its rich vitamin composition, it nourishes the skin and makes it renew itself. At the same time, the work of both the skin cells themselves and the ducts of the sweat glands is normalized. Coniferous tree oils also have a general health effect, which will help reduce the manifestations of hyperhidrosis caused by various diseases.

As for the antibacterial properties of oils, none of them can compare with lemon essential oil, which copes better than others with unpleasant odors, including the smell of sweat. In addition, lemon oil helps to increase blood circulation, renew and cleanse the skin.

But tea tree oil is considered the most powerful remedy in terms of reducing sweating, since it narrows the sweat ducts, reducing their activity, but does not clog the pores. The consumption of oil for underarm sweating is small. It is enough to apply a drop of oil to the area of increased sweat secretion and lightly massage the skin around the perimeter. This oil also has an antibacterial effect. It is not for nothing that it is considered number one in the fight against excessive sweating.

True, experts believe that the best effect can be achieved by combining various essential oils in one effective natural remedy, for example, by mixing all the described oils in equal proportions. In this way, you can achieve normalization of sweating and improvement of the skin condition in the groin area. What can I say, no matter what area of the skin such a mixture is used on, it will have a beneficial effect everywhere.

Burnt alum in the fight against hyperhidrosis

Alum is another natural and safe remedy for sweat, which mankind has known for many centuries. Unfortunately, we often give preference to new developments based on chemical components, without thinking that the problem of hyperhydrosis can be solved by old, but still relevant methods, while spending less money and not losing health.

Alum is a viscous, sour-tasting natural compound containing various minerals. Thus, the aluminum-potassium compound has found its application in the fight against sweating. And yet, more often in the discussion of the problem of sweating, you can hear about burnt alum, which is a hygroscopic white powder that can be purchased at a pharmacy.

The properties of burnt alum that are useful for hyperhidrosis include:

• a pronounced antiseptic effect that prevents pathogenic microflora from multiplying in the area of application (largely due to the acidic environment created by alum),
• stopping bleeding and healing wounds (useful for skin irritation in areas of increased sweating),
• anti-inflammatory effect,
• astringent and drying action, especially useful for reducing sweating.

The effect of alum in hyperhidrosis is not based on the suppression of sweat glands. The powder is highly hygroscopic, which means it absorbs moisture, leaving the skin dry for a long time. At the same time, it destroys pathogenic microflora in the high humidity zone, which prevents the appearance of an unpleasant odor.

According to people's reviews, burnt alum helps remove not only moisture, but also excess fat secreted onto the skin's surface by the sebaceous glands, which is very important for people with excess weight. At the same time, such a medicine is perfect for expectant mothers who are worried about the health of their "tummy", because it does not even cause allergic reactions, not to mention more serious and dangerous symptoms.

If hyperhidrosis is diagnosed, burnt alum can be considered a safe remedy for underarm sweating, which is positively treated even by experienced doctors. It is enough to use alum only once a day to remove unpleasant odor and irritation from the armpits, as well as protect your clothes from stains left by sweat.

Another advantage of alum is the absence of negative interaction with drugs that are commonly used in connection with hyperhidrosis (boric and salicylic acid, talc, etc.). This makes it possible to create even more effective antiperspirants consisting of not one, but several active components.

[ 1 ]