Keeping your skin fresh
Smelling fresh in muggy weather can be a challenge. Here are a few ways to do it.
What to wear
Healthy people usually sweat more when they’re exercising or they get hot, so the first thing you can do is dress wisely. Wear cotton underwear and clothes and avoid synthetic clothing as natural fibres provide better ventilation. This means skin can breathe better under clothes, minimising the production and optimising the evaporation of sweat.
The body works best when its temperature is about 37 degrees Celsius. If it gets hotter than that, the brain sends a message to sweat glands to increase production. When the sweat hits the air it evaporates and cools the skin, lowering the body’s temperature. This means natural fibres like cotton, keep you cool when you most need it.
Medical experts say sweat does not smell at all, even if it contains tiny amounts of other chemicals, like ammonia and urea. They insist it’s the bacteria that live on the skin and feed off sweat which produce the odor.
“Inevitably there will always be innocuous bacteria on [the] skin that will be able to break down sweat so that the potentially smelly... compounds within it will release their distinctive smells ,” said Dr. Thomas Stuttaford, medical expert for British newspaper The Times.
These bacteria multiply quickly when they mix with the sweat so it could help to wash with an antibacterial soap. After bath, use a light fragrance to make you feel even fresher before going out to the warm outdoors.
What to eat and drink
When it comes to what you eat or drink, cut down on your caffeine intake as it stimulates the sweat glands. Instead drink lots of water, keeping the body cool from the inside out.
What to use
If you sweat heavily, use a deodorant or antiperspirant with aluminium chlorohydrate or zirconium to avoid unsightly wet patches. The heavy metals form a shield that blocks the pores from excreting sweat.
However, naturalists and some medical experts have criticised conventional deodorants and antiperspirants, saying the heavy metals suppress a wholly natural and necessary cleansing process – sweating. If you’re with the naturalists, sage is a useful herb to combat the smell of sweat.
And lastly, try rubbing tea tree oil under your arms. It is a potent antibacterial and odour neutraliser.
Adapted from © Cover Media
