All of us emit some body odor. The natural smell that the body emits does not have any odor, but the bacterial activity leads to foul odor. Body odour can cause due to over sweating, especially through our underarms. Certain causes for body odour are – fungal infections, liver problems, kidney diseases, lack of hygiene, zinc deficiency, strong medications, etc.

Unpleasant body odor is an embarrassing problem that can lead to all sorts of social, cultural, and professional issues. It can really affect your self-esteem and confidence in your social life. Although there are many perfumes and deodorants on the market, they only control your body odour temporarily and many of these deodorants contain harmful chemicals whose long-term use is not recommended.

How to face it?

Here are some simple and effective techniques to kill bacteria that cause body odour. Natural remedies have proven to be more effective in treating undesirable body odor and provide a fresher and cleaner scent.

1. Bath or Shower Regularly

Since bacteria reacting with sweat causes body odor, the first step is to bathe or shower regularly. You need to bath at least once in a day as this will help to keep you away from the bacteria that causes odour. Focus more on washing traditionally troublesome areas like the armpits.  Also, make sure to dry the area well after cleaning it since bacteria may re-grow on damp skin.

2. Wear Fresh Clothes made of Natural Fibers

Wearing natural-fiber clothing like cotton, silk or wool, will give greater breathability to your body. These clothes allow the skin to breathe, reducing the amount of sweat. Therefore, wearing cotton clothes keeps the skin healthy, dry and odor-free.

If you exercise and sweat, using synthetic materials that wick away moisture may be useful, but change back into the natural fibers after you shower away the sweat.

3. Eat enough Green Vegetables

Include some green supplements in your diet such as the wheat grass, sage herb or chlorophyll supplements. Green vegetables contain chlorophyllin, a natural odor-absorbing substance. When you add these supplements to your diet they act as natural deodorizers and can help to smell good.

4. Modify your Diet

There are certain foods that actually exude bad odors through the pores. Fatty foods (fatty meats, fried foods, poultry with skin), some spices (garlic, onions), coffee and caffeinated drinks can change your body odor.

So if you are a person suffering from too much body odor then you should definitely eliminate these bad odor-causing foods from your diet. Omit these foods at least for 2-4 weeks and see if that makes a difference.

Smoking and chewing tobacco also lead to the formation of bacteria on the skin, which emit the bad odor. Other foods and beverages that can cause body odor are – alcohol, asparagus, cumin, and red meats.

5. Drink lots of Water

Water is an excellent solvent that flushes all the toxins from the body and also helps to reduce the formation of bacteria in the intestines. Drinking around 8 to 10 glasses of water daily will help keep the skin healthy, hydrated and odor-free.

6. Apply Natural, Aluminium free Deodorants

There are several natural deodorants that are available in the market which promises to effectively control the underarm odor. But before buying the deodorants, make sure to check if they have aluminum alum present in it.

7. Wipe with a Natural Sterilizer

Your body has to get rid of various toxins through a variety of metabolic processes like urination, passing fecal matter etc. In this process, you will be eliminating a lot of toxins out from your body. This will actually increase the chances of having an optimum physical health. And when you use the antiperspirant deodorants, they tend to block the pores and will not allow the toxins to come out. Hence, it is advisable to use the natural remedies to treat the underarm bad odors.

You can wipe the underarms with the tea tree oil – a natural antiseptic. This will be helpful to control the underarm odor in a natural way. Mix some natural rose water and few drops of tea tree oil, spray under the arms and get rid of odor immediately.

8. Vinegar can be effectively used to control the body odor

Vinegar is a wonderful natural antiseptic that can kill bacteria and fungi present on the skin’s surfaces. Spritz some white vinegar or the apple cider vinegar to the areas with excess body odor. Then, wipe off the dry area which can help to eliminate some offensive smells.

Store vinegar in a sprayer and spray it under your arms to reduce body smell after having a bath. Don’t use deodorant after using vinegar.

Apple cider vinegar is very strong and people with sensitive skin may experience adverse side effects like burning or itching. Therefore, a small patch test is recommended before using this product and make certain you have not just shaven your armpits.

9. Follow a Detox Program

Even after following all possible methods to get rid of body odors, if the problem still persists, you can follow a body detox program. This is because the body odor is also an indicative of the problem in your body system. There are numerous cleansing routines that may be appropriate and when you regularly incorporate the detox foods, it will help you a lot. Some regular sessions in the infrared sauna will also encourage removing the toxic impurities through your skin.