How to Use Deodorants and Antiperspirants Properly

The main difference between a deodorant and an antiperspirant lies in what they do to the sweat pores. A deodorant masks the bad smell of coming out of the sweat pores but it doesn’t block the sweat. An antiperspirant clogs the sweat pores, thus blocking excessive sweat.

A deodorant is a substance used to remove or camouflage an unpleasant smell, and more so bodily odor. This includes the bad smell from sweat and other secretions. Deodorants are alcohol-based and they turn your skin acidic, making it repulsive to bacteria. They are made of elements such as fragrances and essential oils which make you smell good all day.

Antiperspirants are made of active ingredients that temporarily block your sweat pores, thus reducing the amount of perspiration coming out of your skin. These ingredients include aluminum-based compounds and parabens.

How to Stop Sweating Under Your Arms

Besides the level of your perspiration and the strength of ingredients, how you use a deodorant or antiperspirant will determine how well it will work. Dr. David M. Pariser M.D., a world-renown professor of dermatology, advises that when applying the best deodorant for heavy sweaters, your underarms should be as dry as possible so that the active ingredients can have enough time to seep into skin pores and plug sweat ducts.

Don’t apply the antiperspirant on damp armpits, such as after slight perspiration or even after toweling off upon taking a shower. The cosmetic will just soak in the wetness and slough off your skin instead of seeping into your skin pores where you need it most.

It’s thus preferable to apply antiperspirant before you go to bed because at this time your armpits are dry and are likely to remain relatively dry for the time you will be in bed. This will allow the active ingredients the time to do their work.

And as you will see in the video below featuring Dr. Dee Anna Glaser, President and Founding Member of the International Hyperhidrosis Society, shaving or showering in the morning won’t change the antiperspirant’s efficacy.

If the product is just deodorant and not an antiperspirant, you can apply it after taking a shower and drying your armpits with a towel.

How to Apply Deodorant

(i) Ensure your armpits are thoroughly clean and dry

(ii) If it’s a spray deodorant;

Shake the container, hold it 15 cm away from your underarms, and spray each armpit for about 2 seconds until it they are entirely covered with the cosmetic.

If it’s a roll-on;

Roll the product until it evenly covers your underarms.

(iii) Allow the deodorant to dry completely before you put on your clothes.