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Q. I have suffered from foul-smelling armpits as far back as I can remember. I have tried every deodorant on the market to no avail--Dove, Lady Speed Stick, Soft & Dri, Degree, Suave, Mitchum, Ban, Crystal, vinegar, baking soda, milk of magnesia, alcohol, Arrid Extra Dry and Certain Dri. Certain Dri was the best of these, but there still seemed to be an underlying aroma to my pits.
I decided to try Listerine, as I'd seen it in some comments on your Web site. I was worried that I would smell before the day's end, but I was actually fresh when I got home. That just doesn't happen, trust me. Listerine is the way to go!
A. We are as surprised as you that Listerine worked to control odor so well. This old-fashioned mouthwash has no antiperspirant activity, but perhaps the alcohol and herbal oils (thymol, eucalyptol, menthol, methyl salicylate) kill germs and fungi well enough to prevent an unpleasant smell for hours.
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I have used just plain alcohol for close to 50 years (I didn't like the idea of using deodorant under my arms). It kills the bacteria. I rarely smell but when I do I just spray on alcohol. I converted my wife 30 years ago and she still uses that method. Listerine's additional ingredients might help even more but just plain alcohol does it for me.
I have wanted to try rubbing alcohol, also, and do use it occasionally. But says on the bottle not to use it for more than two weeks. Does anyone know why that would be? Or are they assuming you are using it for something you should see a doctor for and are encouraging that?
I have been using zinc oxide (weleda or burt's bees baby rash cream) for years. Perimenopause resulted, among other things, in terrible body odor that I couldn't get rid of no matter what I tried. The zinc oxide does the trick -- just a tiny dab rubbed under each arm -- and I only need to use it once or twice a week. It doesn't stain clothing, either. It is also the perfect remedy for stinky feet and shoes -- just rubbing the feet with it and putting on the offending shoes eliminates both problems for weeks.
I too had that concern, so I looked it up and found some sites that said rubbing alcohol was bad for your skin. I also found info that said ethyl alcohol (instead of isopropyl alcohol which is rubbing alcohol) is better for you. However apparently you can't buy plain ethyl alcohol - but you can find it in hand sanitizers. I've been using that under my arms for several months and it has worked well so far.