25 Effective Home Remedies For Reducing Body Odor

Sweating, in general, is actually the body’s natural way to regulate its temperature. However, the body odor that comes with it can be a major turn off.

Deodorants are one of the best-known ways to combat body odor. But of late, there has been a lot of debate surrounding the chemicals used in deodorants and their cumulative effect on the human body. Therefore, many people are looking for safer and natural alternatives to deal with the issue. Read on to know about the natural remedies that can help you get rid of body odor.

But first, let’s look at the causes.

What Causes Body Odor?

Body odor is produced when the bacteria that live on our skin break down the proteins in our sweat into different acids. Some people tend to think that it is the growth of bacteria on the skin that produces body odor, but in reality, it is this process that produces the unpleasant odor (1).

Every individual has a unique odor, which is influenced by parameters like age, diet, health, and gender (2).

The bacterial breakdown of the proteins in our sweat results in two acids – propionic acid and isovaleric acid.

Propionic acid is produced when propionibacteria break down amino acids. It has a pungent smell and is often associated with vinegar (3).

Isovaleric acid is also found in many kinds of cheese. It is produced by Staphylococcus epidermidis bacteria (4).

The human body also has two types of sweat glands that are present all over our body. They are:

Eccrine Glands: These glands are found throughout the body. The sweat produced by the eccrine glands reaches the surface of the skin via certain ducts. They are usually responsible for maintaining our body temperature (5).

Apocrine Glands: These glands are usually responsible for the foul odor produced by our body. The apocrine glands are usually found in our armpits, eyelids, genital area, and breasts. They are responsible for the secretion of fat droplets in breast milk and the production of earwax in the ears. In the armpits and groin, these glands usually give off an odor and are therefore known as scent glands (6).

Though body odor is a natural phenomenon, it can affect our confidence and personality. Given below are 18 home remedies to get rid of this pesky problem.