Have a look at the antiperspirant you're using
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I'm pretty sure that most of us are using antiperspirant to stop ourselves sweating - or at least to stop the odor! If you're an excessive sweater and suffer from hyperhidrosis then the likelihood is that you're gonna need something a little stronger than the cheap brands. If you're looking to switch up your antiperspirant then one of the things you should be looking for is anything that states the product having "clinical strength." Usually, these are aluminium-based, which means they'll block your sweat glands.
...and apply it right!
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Some people will use antiperspirant until the cows come home, but it will only work if you're using it right. Yep, that means that just lathering yourself in it before your daily activities might not cut it. SweatBlock suggest that you should apply the antiperspirant at night before going to sleep. This way, the product has time to block your sweat glands effectively, due to the chance of sweating being reduced. Also, you should only apply your antiperspirant when your skin is clean and dry, so bear that in mind.
What are you eating?
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I bet you didn't know that your diet has a massive impact on the amount that you actually sweat, there's even certain types of foods that reduce your sweating. Maybe consider making small differences to your diet to see how it can impact the way you're sweating. A few suggestions are; gluten-free diet, reducing sodium, vitamin B rich foods, chamomile tea. Also, it's highly suggested that you drink as much water as possible as this can aid the amount you are perspiring. These things might just work for you!
Try out Schisandra
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If you have never heard of Schisandra, it's a herbal remedy that's often used to tackle night sweats and excessive, spontaneous sweating. As you can see, it's made from a fruit (dried) and has been commended for its abilities to tackle hyperhidrosis. All you need to do is apply it to the affected areas, as you would for most of the treatments on this list. Those who suffer with hyperhidrosis know the struggles that we can face on a day-to-day basis, and will be willing to try anything that can help.
Epsom salt baths have proven to work
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I swear every mother everywhere has banged on about Epsom salt baths once in their lives. But it turns out they have much more benefits than just helping with your skin conditions. If you want to try to treat your excessive sweating issue, then try drawing up a bath and pouring in some of the old Epsom salts. You might find that they act great as a hyperhidrosis treatment, and natural too! They are supposedly particularly good at battling them nasty BO issues you might have going on as well. Don't knock it till you try it.
Have you tried sweat-proof clothes?
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Sweat-proof clothes might be the way forward for you if you're not looking to tackle the sweat, but more just hide away the embarrassing sweat patches that can often appear. As time goes on, there's more and more clothing brands that are offering out specifically made garments that will tackle the sweat, or at the very least hide it from the eye. You can take a look at a site like No Sweat Clothing which deal specifically with this issue to bring their customers high-quality, perspiration-battling clothes.
Salt scrubbing might help
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Forget the Epsom salt bath, just try rubbing a salt scrub directly on instead! If you didn't already know, salt is great at absorbing moisture. Rather than being a preventative measure, salt scrubs are suggested for the onset of a sweating attack. Just rub that salt straight in there and watch the moisture dry up. Alternatively, mix it with the lemon juice to make a scrub and apply and wash it off, preferably before bed, each night to keep your underarms in top shape. It might not work for all, but worth a try.
Coconut oil could be your saving grace
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Coconut oil is another one of them products that everyone seems to bang on about and talk about how amazing it is and all the uses it has. It pretty much cures about everything nowadays! Basically, coconut contains lauric acid, which is notorious for killing bacteria that causes sweating. Take 10 grams of camphor and 1 cup of coconut oil, mix together until it forms a decent paste. Apply that mixture straight to your affected sites and wait between 45 mins and an hour before rinsing off with some water.
Alcohol might not be your best friend
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Up there on the list of food and drinks that affect your sweating is definitely alcohol. We all love a drink every now and then, but if your excessive sweating is really weighing you down, then it might be a small sacrifice to make. Essentially, consuming alcohol in any form will expand your blood vessels in the skin, which increased your heart rate and causes the body to sweat more than it should be. It's probably one of the tougher things to tackle on this list, but you can get there if you put your mind to it.
...caffeine might not be too!
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You thought it just stopped at alcohol? Wrong. Caffeine is like alcohol's bigger, badder sister. Not only does caffeine widen the blood vessels in a similar way to alcohol, it also stimulates the nervous system, which just means more and more sweating. The next time you buy your venti, iced, caramel, soy latte, just remember that it might not be cooling you down as much as you think it is, and could just be making you sweat. If you don't drink caffeine at all, then you can probably skip this one.
Make use of tea tree oil products
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Tea tree oils are great for a number of reasons, but I bet you didn't know that tackling excessive sweating was one of them. It's a natural astringent that can help keep that annoying body odor under wraps for long periods of time. Also, it smells pretty darn good too, so what's not to love? Dab some of the oil onto a cotton ball and apply it to your sweaty areas, either once or twice a day. Beware though that if you are carrying a concentrated oil, then you will need to mix with the carrier oil before application.
Avoid, avoid, avoid synthetics
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One of the first things a doctor will ask when you visit about your sweating issues is what kind of materials you've been wearing. While you might feel like you sweat equally as much in clothes as topless, you could just be wrong. There are certain fabrics that aren't kind to our underarm sweat glands, and one of them is synthetics. Generally, the consensus is that breathable fabrics like cotton and linen are much better for managing those embarrassing sweat patches that like to appear sometimes.
Try using apple cider vinegar
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While it might come as a surprise, there's a number of household products that can be used to try and curb your sweating problems. So forget about all its uses for cleaning and preserving food, and put it to the test now. All you need to do is apply some apple cider vinegar with a cotton ball before bed, as you would your antiperspirant. In the morning, you should wash it off. The vinegar should control bromhidrosis, which is the bacteria that causes that nasty BO when you're sweating a lot. Hopefully it works for you.
Shave your armpits
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It might sound counteractive, but taking the shaver to your underarms might just be the way that you manage to tackle your hyperhidrosis issues. Believe it or not, there's a few reasons that shaving your armpit hair might relieve the symptoms. Firstly, the hair can trap your sweat, meaning it doesn't evaporate naturally like it should. Secondly, not only will it trap the sweat, but the odor-causing bacteria too, which will just make you smell worse. Finally, it will expose more skin surface area for your antiperspirant to reach.
Some over-the-counter all natural antiperspirants might help
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When people hear that something is all-natural, they can be put off. If it doesn't contain harsh chemicals that can burn your skin away, then they don't want it. However, you'll be surprised at how efficient all-natural remedies can be. Take all natural antiperspirant for example, it's been widely used by those who suffer with hyperhidrosis, and is much easier to come by than making up your own remedies at home. If you want to avoid the use of aluminium on your body, then all-natural is the way forward for you.
Exercise as often as you can
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I guess this is probably one of the more surprising on this list, but exercise can be great at relieving those hyperhidrosis symptoms you're suffering with. Exercising deliberately can intentionally get those sweat glands working, which has a couple of benefits. First of all, it makes it easier for your body to deal with stressful situations. Secondly, it can teach your body to sweat more during training than any other time, meaning potentially dry armpits. Are you gonna get your gym membership now?
Baking soda and cornstarch could be your remedy!
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Here's more household products to add to the list; baking soda and cornstarch. Come on, most of us have got these banal ingredients stacked up in our cupboards, doing nothing but gathering dust! All you need to do is combine the two to make some sort of paste (water might help too). Then you should be applying it to your dry and clean armpits, several times a day if possible to maximize the effects it has. The paste is known to help absorb sweat, block those nasty odors and lower your PH levels efficiently.
Lemon juice could be your new best friend
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Next up in the household items list is the trusty old lemon juice. Lemon juice has been commended for its versatility and how useful it can be in a number of applications around the house, particularly cleaning. The method of using lemon juice is similar to that of apple cider vinegar. Just apply some to your underarms before bedtime, and wash away in the morning as you would with the vinegar. You might find that it smelling lemony-fresh! I guess it's a bit better than smelling of body odor, ay?
Assess your stress levels
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Our bodies purely react to our minds. As you would expect, the stress-response-system within us can go into fight or flight mode from time to time, which can trigger some pretty alarming bodily responses. Firstly, your heart rate might elevate, causing an increase in body temperature and allowing for the sweat glands to start over-perspiring. If you think this might be the case for you, then you should probably try and avoid any stressful situations. Relaxation and meditation techniques might also be of benefit to you too.
Have you heard of the white sandalwood powder hack?
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Another homemade paste that can be made at home is the use of white sandalwood powder It might not sound like it would do the trick, but some have explained how the paste has helped them regain their confidence and shake those nasty sweat patches. Mix one tablespoon of the powder with some rose water and lemon juice. After you've washed and dried your sweating site properly, you can apply the concoction straight to your skin. You should wait for the paste to harden completely (around 20-30 minutes) before rinsing with warm water and repeating the process each day.
Have a dabble in wheat grass juice
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Wheat grass juice has been hailed in the science world for being great at battling excessive sweating. The juice is a natural detoxifier, and contains many benefits including vitamins A, C, B12, B6 and folic acid too. You don't need to down a bottle of it of course, a tablespoon each day might just be enough to help you tackle your sweating issue. And if you also suffer from pungent BO? Well, wheat grass has you covered on that front too. Apparently it's great at deodorizing your sweat too. What are you waiting for?
Black tea might just be the help you need
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Black tea has been used widely by people who suffer from hyperhidrosis. Apparently, the tea has abilities to control the sweating and tackle any of that nasty odorous bacteria that likes to stick around. The instructions are relatively simple. Just brew the tea for a few minutes, and obviously allow it to cool to around room temperature (we don't want any burns). Then just apply it to the parts of your body that you suffer from the most, even going as far as soaking your hands and feet if necessary.
Try applying Witch Hazel
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Witch Hazel is a fantastic remedy that you can pick up at pretty much most grocery stores, or pharmacies, if you needed to. You've probably heard that it's good at tackling skin conditions, and hyperhidrosis is one of these conditions it helps battle. Also, for all of you out there that struggle with your face sweating a lot, it's gentle enough for you to apply straight to your face, so you don't have to worry about that. Another fun fact; it's great at tackling the odorous bacteria as well, so a win-win.
Tomato juice has helped some!
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I mean, I don't think any of us are going for a glass of tomato juice to quench our thirst. Believe it or not, tomatoes can actually help reduce your sweat glands/pores and thus reduce that chronic, sweating problem you've got going on. If you don't want to drink it, then try applying it directly to the skin and let it sink in for around 10 minutes before washing off. And best of all, if tomato juice isn't for you, then just try and increase the intake of tomatoes in your diet and hopefully you should see the same results!
Is smoking causing your hyperhidrosis?
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I bet that those that smoke have never considered smoking to be a cause of their perspiration problems. Well, if that's you, you'd be wrong. Apparently, the nicotine element of cigarettes can cause your body temperature to increase. Naturally, you can imagine what happens next. The increase in temperature causes your sweat glands to go into overdrive and produce more sweat to "cool you down". Not only will cutting out the cigs be better for your sweating issue, it'll probably be better for your overall general health too.
Keep yourself hydrated
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Hydration, hydration, hydration is key. While we've already briefly touched upon it in this article, it's worth mentioning again how crucial it is to stay hydrated, especially if you're sweating as much as you are. Keeping a good diet while trying to battle your hyperhidrosis will be a good way of keeping track whether it's your diet that's causing you your chronic sweating issues, or whether it's a glandular problem you just can't seem to get under control. So stock up on that bottled water the next time you're at Walmart.
Have you tried using potatoes?
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Who'd have thought that potatoes can get any better? Let's be honest, they are one of the most versatile foods out there; fries, baked potatoes, chips, you name it. But what if we said that potatoes don't always have to be consumed for them to be great? Potatoes are high in potassium, meaning they're great at absorbing any excess sweat. All you need to do is slice your raw potato and start rubbing the starchy goodness on your armpits each day, and hopefully you should start to see some of the effects.
If all else fails - visit the doctor!
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If all else fails and you've tried pretty much every other option that's out there, then a trip to visit your doctor might be the only option. Hopefully, the doctor can help you or at least refer you to a dermatologist to see if they can tackle the problem at hand. There's no shame in visiting your doctor for an issue like this - after all, they've probably dealt with and seen a lot worse than the issue you are presenting. Basically, if in doubt, get your family doctor on the phone to sort you out.
Prescribed medications could help
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One thing the doctor might do is prescribe you some medication to see if it can help ease the symptoms of hyperhidrosis that you're experiencing. One of these medications they might prescribe is anticholinergics. Basically, the medication blocks the signals from your brain that tells your body to sweat. How it isolates these signals is beyond me! There's a number of medications they might hand over to you, including glycopyrrolate, oxybutynin, propantheline and benztropine. You never know what might work!
Or ultimately some advanced treatments
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If the medications don't do you any favors either, then the dermatologist might help you with some sweat-focused treatments. One of these is botox, which sounds scarier than it is. It could be a decent treatment if your excessive sweating has got that bad. Basically, the botox will block neurotransmitters in your skin that stimulate the sweat glands. Other treatments come with their own risks, including destroying the nerve endings, vacuuming sweat glands out of the affected area, and injections without the needle.