Why Do We Sweat?
Stress, hormones, emotions, and physical activity/exercise activate sweat glands. When this happens, the brain sends a message to the body telling it to cool you off with your body’s natural coolant—sweat. It’s your body’s way of maintaining your core temperature.
I Sweat A Lot. Is That Normal?
In some people, the sweat glands overreact to stimuli and produce more sweat than your body needs.
How Does Antiperspirant Work?
Antiperspirants act by plugging the sweat duct, thus reducing wetness. Because perspiration stimulates odour-causing bacteria, antiperspirant also helps reduce body odour.
What Causes Underarm Odour?
Perspiration itself is essentially odourless and evaporates readily. However, in areas like underarms, where perspiration can’t readily evaporate, it causes the feeling of wetness. Bacteria, which thrive in warm and moist surroundings, break down the perspiration and create underarm odour.
How Do Deodorants Work?
Unlike antiperspirants, deodorants don’t reduce wetness; they help reduce the bacteria that thrive in perspiration and cause the odour. By doing this, deodorants cover up underarm odour. Additionally, most deodorants are scented to fight odour.
What’s The Difference Between Antiperspirants And Deodorant?
Deodorants help control odour primarily by masking the underarm odour caused by the bacteria interacting with perspiration and also by reducing odour-causing bacteria. It’s actually these bacteria, not the wetness, which causes the odour. Antiperspirants help control wetness, and thereby odour, by slowing the flow of perspiration to the surface of the skin.