You shower, dry off, apply your moisturizers and other skin care products, and then grab your anti-perspirant or deodorant from the shelf and give your underarms a quick swipe (or spray if it is an aerosol). You know that it is meant to stop sweat and odor, but do you know how? And did you know that those things may not be all your anti-perspirant/deodorant can do for you?

The typical thought process for underarms goes a bit like this; “I get hot, so I sweat. Sweat is stinky. I need an anti-perspirant/deodorant to keep me from sweating and getting stinky.” Close, but not quite. When you grow hot, you will sweat. Sweating is a natural way for your body to cool you down.

Why would you run through a sprinkler on a hot day? To get wet and cool down. Similar concept, your body is just trying to do the work for you. Underarms are no exception. Here is where things change a bit. Sweat is not what smells; it is just a natural liquid to keep you cool, so thinking it makes you dirty or gross is not entirely correct.

Our bodies are always going to have some sort of bacteria in or on them. You are never going to be 100% bacteria free. Your sweat can become fermented by the bacteria on your skin. These bacteria live quite contentedly in hot, damp areas. This includes your underarms. When you have underarm hair, it is simply more surface area for the bacteria to grow. More bacteria mean more odor. So you and your sweat do not smell; it is the bacteria that are throwing off your groove.

Anti-perspirant/deodorants are meant to help stop the moisture under your arms, limiting the humidity for the bacteria or killing them off entirely while the deodorant part can help mask any smell that appears. Alcohol is a prime ingredient in underarm products because they help kill bacteria. The ingredients in products are also meant to plug sweat glands in order to keep your underarms from becoming overly moist, which would encourage bacteria growth.

So what does this have to do with skin care? Do not forget; your underarms have skin that needs love too, so do not dismiss it just because society has largely deemed the underarm area is slightly gross due to sweat and odor. In fact, this is all the more reason to pay closer attention to your underarms. Anti-perspirant/deodorant products offer much more than they used to, especially for women.

Various strengths in products help to tailor to the different needs of people’s underarms. For women who are prone to shaving underarms (and now everyone knows why women are often stuck with less odor; less space for bacteria), sometimes razor burn or irritation can be a constant issue. Anti-perspirant/deodorants can burn or irritate skin further. You may say it works, but it would probably be better for your skin to try something that is a bit less painful and problematic.

Anti-perspirant/deodorant products are now made with more skin care in mind. You can find them with added moisturizer and ingredients that are a little more sensitive on your skin, leaving to softer, much happier skin. This can help reduce irritation issues as well as lesson any burning pain when applying the product. The good news is that it could easily work just as well as your old product. You might also want to consider new shaving products if the underarm product does not help reduce razor irritation.

Now you know the real story behind (or under?) your underarms and can make the necessary adjustments in order to improve the control on wetness, odor, and irritation on your skin. You may be able to obtain samples from various websites of anti-perspirant/deodorant brands, which can be a good way to road test a product before buying a full item.