Are you aware that there is a difference between antiperspirant and deodorant?
They are two completely different products often incorrectly classed as the same.
An antiperspirant performs an action on the skin by temporarily blocking sweat glands and preventing sweat from reaching the surface of the skin.
This will prevent the embarrassing wet marks on underarms. It will also prevent sweat reaching the surface of the skin creating odours. The sweat our bodies produce is in fact odourless until is reacts with air and the proteins begin to break down.
So. Antiperspirants stop sweat and deodorant cover body odours. A deodorant will not stop sweat alone, you must use an antiperspirant.
Our bodies contain two types of sweat glands – Apocrine and Eccrine. Eccrine glands are found all over the body and produce a very light liquid that evaporates quickly and cools the body down. Apocrine glands do not appear on the body until puberty and are most common under the arms in the armpit area, in the groin and on feet. These glands produce a much thicker substance that lasts for longer on the skin, creates wet underarms and feet and then body odour.
All sweat produced by the body contains bacteria that reacts with air on the surface of the skin. These bacteria break down lipids and by doing so produces malodourous by-products such as butyric acid and it is butyric acid that creates the common ‘BO’ smell.
Majority of Eccrine sweat dissipates and evaporates so much less bacteria is present on the skin and so causes less issues with odour in comparison to Apocrine sweat glands.
Most deodorants basically do nothing more than mask the odours produced by the sweat breaking down.
Some deodorants however may have antibacterial properties that will further limit the production of enzyme and bacteria that causes body odour. It is always best, particularly if you suffer with sweating to use an antibacterial body wash that will lift this bacteria from the skin and give you a clean base to apply either a deodorant or antiperspirant.
Antiperspirants
Antiperspirants are found in various different formats.
The most common would be an aerosol spray or a liquid roll on but they are also made in creams, gels, powders and stick forms. There are also pump spray versions that do not contain propellants that can harm the environment.
They are even found in antiperspirant wipe formats which are convenient for travel or festivals. In fact, Perspi Shield produce a 25 pack of deodorising antiperspirant wipes that are great for travel, on the plane, at work or anywhere you feel the need to freshen up without taking a shower.
High strength antiperspirants are intended for problem perspiration. They are significantly stronger than regular antiperspirants. Regular antiperspirants, such as Sure, Nivea, Right Guard and Dove are great for ‘normal’ sweat levels and daily applications. They also generally fragranced so act as deodorants in addition to their antiperspirant properties. If however you find, as many people do, that you sweat through these products or find them not as effective as you would like then you most likely need a stronger product.
Perspi-Guard High Strength Antiperspirant 50ml Spray
Deodorants
Deodorants basically do nothing more than mask the odours produced by the sweat breaking down. They will not actually stop the sweat. This is of course fine if you do not sweat heavily or for one reason or another, prefer to not use antiperspirant. But if underarm wetness and sweating is a problem then you will need an antiperspirant to help keep you dry. This is fine! Antiperspirants are proven to be safe and have been applied daily by millions of people worldwide for generations.
A good deodorant will have some form of anti-bacterial ingredient that will help reduce body odour. This can work well at keeping body odours at bay throughout the day.
Perspi-Shield Aluminium & Alcohol Free Deodorant 50ml
Perspi-Rock 100% natural deodorant
Others will simply cover body odour smells with strong fragrance. Importantly, deodorants do not stop sweating. If you sweat heavily, a deodorant will not keep you dry. You must use antiperspirant!
There are several Natural Deodorants. Potassium Alum (Crystal deodorants like that pictured above) deodorants offer effective natural protection but of course these can not be assessed in the same classification and dedicated deodorant and antiperspirants.
When to apply antiperspirant
Applying antiperspirant at night works better as the sweat glands are least active and this allows the formula to position itself on the skin before it is secreted away. This is true for all antiperspirants but standard antiperspirants cannot withstand morning washing. If you apply this type of antiperspirant at night, its not going to give you the best protection from sweating. This type of antiperspirant can also be powdery and this can create further issues, mainly white marks on clothing and laundry stains.
High strength products such as Perspi-Guard antiperspirant are designed to last through washing. Perspi-Guard is clinically proven to last 5 days from one application. This means you only need to apply once or twice per week. This product contain an enhanced formula which is designed to provide complete protection from sweat.