Help me enjoy summer sweatstain free

May 30, 2007 2:35 PM

How can I stop my underarms from sweating? I use Mitchum antiperspirant / deodorant and if the sweat really starts getting out of control I apply some Drysol which seems to keep things at bay. The main frustration is that I can't wear a single layer t-shirt. I start getting that sweat drip right away. As soon as I throw on another t-shirt on top, my underarms are moist throughout the day but the bottom layer isn't wet under the arms. What gives?
posted by GleepGlop to Health & Fitness (30 answers total)

CertainDri has been a life saver. It's concentrated antiperspirant liquid that you apply every couple of days, overnight.
posted by lhall at 2:48 PM on May 30, 2007 [1 favorite]

This sounds totally backwards, but I stopped sweating when I switched from antiperspirant\deodorant to plain deodorant.
posted by sanko at 3:00 PM on May 30, 2007

There's already a thread about this - search and ye shall find.
posted by Carnage Asada at 3:01 PM on May 30, 2007

I sweat way less using just deodorant as well. Might be worth a try.
posted by joannemerriam at 3:03 PM on May 30, 2007

Try Secret Clinical strength. I love it - never ever before have I stayed dry all day until I tried this product. Also, be sure your underarms are dry before you apply, but do not powder them. Antiperspirant works by (I learned from the Secret insert) plugging up the pores to prevent sweat, so you don't want anything else in there first! Also, apply as soon after waking as you can, while your body heat is still naturally low from sleeping.
posted by odi.et.amo at 3:09 PM on May 30, 2007

A friend of mine Botox'd his pits (and wrote about it in a magazine):

The Pits of Hell (May 2005)
This is a humorous, informative health feature about my personal experience with sweat. Hyperhidrosis, excessive sweating, is a condition that affects 3 percent of the population. One of the latest treatments is Botox. (Yes, that Botox.) I went to see one of Canada's leading sweat doctors to see if I am one of the lucky 3 percent.
posted by docgonzo at 3:13 PM on May 30, 2007

Thirding what sanko and joannemerriam said.
posted by mustcatchmooseandsquirrel at 3:16 PM on May 30, 2007

Sweat Gland Removal.
posted by alms at 3:36 PM on May 30, 2007

Yeah +1 for CertainDri.
posted by Rock Steady at 3:37 PM on May 30, 2007

I use Maxim Antiperspirant and absolutely swear by it. I've turned on several of my friends to it and they all do, too.
posted by bdk3clash at 3:47 PM on May 30, 2007

I had this issue about 5 years ago (I think it was brought on by stress) and I tried all sorts of things - What made the difference was switching to a lower-carb diet and cutting out most alcohol. I swear by it still today. I barley need to even use deoderant now - I still do, don't get me wrong, but for me it was a body chemistry issue.
posted by inquisitrix at 4:03 PM on May 30, 2007

Mark me down as another person who quit getting sweaty arm pits when I switched from antiperspirant to a regular deoderant. I dont know why it works that way! It just does. I know a few people who had the exact same problem and I recommended they switch to old spice high endurance deoderant NOT antiperspirant and their arm pit sweat disapeared completely. I went from someone who wore 2 shirts no matter what and could still swear through them to being able to wear a single shirt and never getting sweat stains.

I would recommend you try this first, worse thing that happens is you are out about 5 bucks.
posted by Tinen at 4:41 PM on May 30, 2007

Seconding Certain Dri. As long as I can remember, I would sweat through a shirt within the first fifteen minutes of putting it on. Now I don't, and can even wear blouses and colored shirts (previously it was only black or white) without sweat marks.
posted by betty botter at 4:47 PM on May 30, 2007

Check your tag.
posted by mkultra at 4:57 PM on May 30, 2007

Thirding Certain Dri. It changed my life. I used to only be able to wear black or dark colored shirts, and now I can wear whatever I want. Just follow the directions (apply at night, etc.), and you'll be a changed (wo)man. Interestingly, after using it for awhile (maybe 6 months or so?), I stopped needing it. In fact, I don't really have to wear deodorant at all anymore if I don't want to.

It's available over the counter at Walgreen's (though not at my local Target for some reason). Best $6 I ever spent.
posted by elquien at 4:57 PM on May 30, 2007

Interestingly, after using it for awhile (maybe 6 months or so?), I stopped needing it. In fact, I don't really have to wear deodorant at all anymore if I don't want to.

I actually had the same experience. I sort of assumed that it was more due to not being a teen anymore (I was in High School when I used it), but maybe the Certain Dri had something to do with it -- it uses aluminum to shrink your pores, IIRC, and maybe it has permanent affects.
posted by Rock Steady at 5:15 PM on May 30, 2007

I too sweat less when I use plain-ol' deo instead of antiperspirant--or at least sweat less noticeably. I think antiperspirant may just make some people sweat in less natural areas around the armpit, which are less effective at cooling and thus have to produce even more sweat to keep your body temperature down. I used to get terrible "back sweat" in my car (which has leather seats that don't "breath" at all) during the summer until I switched to regular deodorant.
posted by Benjy at 5:18 PM on May 30, 2007

nthing certain dri. It's unscented, you apply it at night before bed, and it works wonderfully.
posted by nerdcore at 5:35 PM on May 30, 2007

CertainDri is the bizz-omb. Works like a charm -- though it takes a couple days. As others have said after a while you won't need it anymore... only occasionally.
posted by Ike_Arumba at 6:06 PM on May 30, 2007

People, the Drysol the poster has said he/she is already using is more than twice the strength of CertainDri, so those recommendations are not helpful.
posted by loiseau at 6:10 PM on May 30, 2007

Response by poster: CertainDri appears to be the same thing as the Drysol that I mentioned using. It only prevents obscene sweat for me. It doesn't make the sweat go away enough for me to wear a single t-shirt without wet underarm spots. I'm pretty sure I've tried deodorant only. No help there. I just don't understand why doubling the layer which you would think would make me sweat worse actually keeps my shirts dry. The worst sweat situation for me is a tight t-shirt single layer. The environment my pits are in seems to have a big impact on the amount that I sweat...
posted by GleepGlop at 6:12 PM on May 30, 2007

I was surprised to find out how well Secret Clinical strength worked. Use it at night before bedtime. It took me about 2 weeks for it to work consistently. And I can tell when I forget to do it at night. For habit/security, I do a layer of dove solid in the AM on top of what I do at night. Dry pits for me!
posted by santojulieta at 6:18 PM on May 30, 2007

Have to try that certaindri!
One thign I've heard for chronic sweating is botox injections! Seriously! I guess they do it for hands, pits and feet for those with excessive problems that are life altering.
posted by Dome-O-Rama at 6:49 PM on May 30, 2007

I use a `sports' type anti perspirant, rexona I think, and I use a LOT of it. It's the pump pack style, not the aerosol can, so I can get a good thick coating of it.

This lasts for days. If I don't use it I start sweating and stinking in no time.
posted by tomble at 7:04 PM on May 30, 2007

I can relate to you on the two shirts thing, but at least for myself, i consider wearing two shirts to be the solution and not the problem.

Honestly, i'm convinced that part of this is physical and at least some of it is in one's head.

Nobody wants to visibly sweat through the pits of their shirt.

For me at least, if i wear two shirts (with the slightly tighter of the two being the one in contact with my skin), i know that i can sweat through the inner shirt and it will probably have time to dry out before it goes through the outer shirt.
Thus, at least on some subconscious level, i'm not as stressed about sweating through the outer shirt - and i assume that less stress = less sweat.
posted by itheearl at 8:55 PM on May 30, 2007

Odaban works nicely for me. Spray on at night every few days or week, before going to sleep. Never after shaving or plucking - I said Pfft! and promptly got a burning sensation in my pits for half a week.
posted by Xere at 9:05 PM on May 30, 2007

manscape.. in fact,shave your whole body. you'll like it.
posted by Davaal at 10:57 PM on May 30, 2007

I didn't realize Drysol is the same as Certain Dri. I will say that it took a while (several weeks) for the Certain Dri to really kick in. I applied it before bed every other night, and one I noticed it working dropped off to every third or fourth night. I probably used it for a year or two, and years later, I still do not have underarm sweat problems.
posted by Rock Steady at 4:41 AM on May 31, 2007

Botox for works very well for axillary hyperhidrosis. You'll likely have to pay out-of-pocket for it, but it should last for about 3 months. Yeah, I know it's a Botox link, but numbers don't lie.
posted by battlecj at 10:54 AM on May 31, 2007

Your shirts could be part of the problem, too. High polyester content means that sweat gets trapped and won't evaporate--and it gets extra stinky too.

Go with 100% cotton for maximum comfort.
posted by asfi at 1:55 PM on June 1, 2007