Sweat Stains

This post is actually a response to some of the private messages that I got via FB and comments from one of my blog posts. They raised an issue I have often come across - some people sweat a lot regardless of the temperature and deodorant use. So how do we avoid this?
In this post, I'm going to share with you girls how can we combat this normal, but ugly scene!


I've been asked many times, how do I prevent myself from having sweat stains on my tops in this hot & humid weather here in Malaysia. Well believe me, just like everyone else, I sweat too..and sometimes I do get the sweat stains on my pretty tops that I love as well! (That is such a bummer!) But oh well...no one's perfect right? And just like you, I'm a human being too! So yes, sweating is perfectly normal. hehe. But too much sweat stains spilling out from both your armpits can be such an eyesore right?! So how do we avoid this?

Sure, some of you might say that sweating is normal and there's nothing wrong with it. But the sweat stains are frustrating and the sweat yellow marks on shirts can be so embarrassing!  I think, sweat stains are a quick way to turn off a date or a potential client or whatever. And sweat stains make you appear like you're a moist and disgusting human being! LOL. It is the most embarrassing feature that a shirt can possess! >___<

Anyway, to be completely honest with you, I used to have this too much sweating problem last time. It happened about 4 to 5 years ago, I think? Can't exactly remember. Well I was not the type that sweat a lot and have a body odor. Even if I do sweat a lot, it won't have a really strong odor. But that was not the case 4-5 years ago. Although my friends have never say anything about it, but I really feel that I used to smell really bad! - Bcuz I used to be very dryyyyy before that year. And very wangi like all the time! I even got a nickname in high school, Wani Wangi. haha. But what I noticed is that, I had those two ugly problems after I had a minor "surgery" on both my armpits. - I wanted to be all clean and pretty...so I removed all my unwanted hair over there so I don't have to pluck anymore. Yes it worked..the hair all gone now. But it also made my armpit sweating like nobody's business right after the treatment! I guess it's true, what God made for us, has it's purpose? So yeah, I tried a lot of things to combat the problem I had. But nothing seems to really work!  So what I did is that I would take a bath every few hours...just to make sure I won't be that smelly. But that is really not practical especially if you're out! haha. So what I really did was to bring my perfume, my deodorant, and I would put some tissue or a little piece of cloth under my arm for it to absorb any sweat that spilling out from my armpits, if I'm going to be out for quite some time! haha. And then I changed them every few hours! And it worked! Heee (But it was too much work for me and I hated it! =___=')

So anyways, I don't really know what I did or didn't do, but thank God that problem now has stopped. It only happened for like a year or so, just right after the hair removal treatment. I guess..it's the after effect kot? Oh well..I don't know. But now, I don't really sweat a lot like I used to and I don't really have a really bad body odor. Thanks to my deodorants and fragrances, I guess! ;p

And also thanks to my roommate who moved out from the room after our first year. - She used to smell worse than a skunk! We all couldn't handle her body odor... Every time she's not around, the girls would talk behind her back, how bad she smell! It was so kesian...but really, the smell was so bad that you have to close your eyes and hold your breath for a few minutes if she's around! Yes, it was thatttttttttt bad! I wonder what she ate.. O___o
(That year, I always find reasons to sleep over at Shida's room at that time! haha.. ;p)

Anyway, I read from this article, that bad body odour are infectious. - Hmm..so no wonder that year I smelled reaaalllly bad! Because I was in a room with a skunk! LOL. JK ;p But it says there: If you stay in an environment with people with a bad body odour for some time, your body odour will be affected. The bacteria that causes the odour on those smelly people airborne to your shirts, and infects your armpit causing your armpit to smell as theirs. So it is not your fault, but it is other's fault. 

Pffft. No wonder la I smell really bad, that year... Sighhh

So anyways back to my topic today....the trick to sweat stain management is to avoid it, in the first place! In order to stop sweat stains before they ever happen, there are a few things you can try. Read on to find out how you can stop sweat stains and if you care enough and respect yourself! :)

Well the first thing you need to realize is that it's not really the sweat that causes the yellow stain/mark! Sweat is clear on a clean shirt! The real culprit here is the combination of that moisture with the deodorant that you're using! Even a clear gel deodorant can leave stains if you don't take the proper steps. tskk

The reason why you get the sweat stain is because of the misapplication of your underarm product - I noticed the difference I made to my shirts ever since I tried this step! ^__^

What you need to do is to let your deodorant dry completely before you wear your attire. I mean REALLY COMPLETELY DRY - I would normally wear my deodorant right after I take my bath, and then let it dry for awhile, while I do my make up...and parading around my room with my clothes off until my armpit is dry. And then putting on my clothes would be my last step.. (I really want to make sure that my underarm is dry completely, before wearing my pretty shirt! hehe ;p) 
So ladies, just build this into your morning routine if you love your clothes like I do! hehe. Otherwise, your poor shirt is in for the yellow marks at the end of the day! :(

Because most of the yellow stain comes from putting on too much deodorant, and throwing on your shirt before it has a chance to dry! And then the next thing you know, you have ruined your shirt! Because basically you're coating the underarm of your shirt with a layer of wet deodorant that will dry into a thin crust before becoming moist again from your sweat! Eeeek. - The trick is to only use a single thin application of the product and just let it dry completely, before wearing anything. As long as you have appropriate coverage, you're good to go!

There are a lot of products for anti-perspirants/deodorants/body sprays/etc that would suit your needs in the market.. But there are no specific type of which anti-perspirant product that can really work well on everyone. You have to try them on, one by one, as not everyone and every body is the same. For me, I personally like to use the spray and the stick type during the day, the roll-on during night time. Yes, I use deodorant to bed as well! I love waking up to a nice smelling armpit! haha ;p

Here, let me give you an example of the variety of deodorants in the market that you can try!

1. The Roll-On type!

I loveeee Garnier's the most! It smells great! But the Rexona and Nivea's scents, last longer on me

2. The Spray type!

I loveeeeeeeeeeeeee the Soap & Glory ones! (in the middle) Cuz they smell so gooood!!! And the United Colors of Benetton's deodorant is as great too!

3. The sticky Stick type!

I would use this whenever I'm late! Because it's dry..so I can get ready fast! No need to wait for it to dry! hehe

4. The natural Mineral Salt Crystal Rock type, The Cream type, and the Mist type!

Gosh I loveee the cream type! It's sooo great..I don't have body odor AT ALL if I wear this! And best of all, it can last up to 7 days! Imagine...just have to wear this only once in a week! How great and convenient! But too bad this thing is so hard to find in the market! T___T

There are a couple of other things that you can try in addition to this step if you want to prevent sweat rings from happening. Because sometimes, although you have taken a lot of steps and precautions to avoid having sweat marks on your shirt, it could still happen because of your wrong choice of fabric for the clothes! Yes I agree that sometimes the quality of the fabric of your clothes can also affect the smell of your sweat, and can make you sweat a lot more than usual. That's why they invented the dress shields (just like my idea of putting the tissue under my armpits! haha) 

So anyway..you can try using a dress shield which makes a great job at preserving the underarm area of your shirt! These soft cotton, disposable pads can be sticked into the underarms of your shirt to soak up your excess sweat...so it won't appear on that lovely Zara shirt of yours! hehe


There are two types that I have. One is disposable..and another one is washable!

5. Disposable Sweat Pads!

Stick this to your favourite silk outfits or whatever, and you won't have the sweat mark leaving under your arms! ^__^

6. Washable Sweat Pads!

Or if you're a cheapskate like me who doesn't like to spend so much for my armpit, you can try buying this, instead of the disposable ones (it's too costly in the long run, don't you think? heh). Price around RM 60. You just stick it at your bra strap, and you're good to go! ^__^

If you don't like the idea of either of these extra steps, you should just go easy on the deodorant and antiperspirant and allow it to fully dry before you dress in the morning.. And don't forget to add a little extra step..... to spray your favourite scent! hehe

7. The Fragrances! ^__^

I'm a real perfume collector! I just loveee these little luxuries in life! They make my life a lot more sweeter! hehee ;)

P/s: My contest ends on this 16th September 2012, Sunday. If you would like to be all wangi and wanna win the contest, do enter now! It's just a week left before I choose the winner! You never know, maybe this time it could be your luck to win it! Ok, good luck! ^__^



XOXO,
Shazzy.