Smelly armpits- I have tried EVERYTHING and am this close to coughing up botox money
Hello all, I have been struggling with underarm odor for YEARS. I feel like I've scoured the internet and tried everything to no avail. I CANNOT USE ALUMINUM ANTIPERSPIRANT. I have crazy sensitive skin and think I am allergic to the aluminum- I get horrible chemical burn-type rashes. I'm not worried about the toxicity of aluminum or whatever, I physically cannot use it so please don't tell me to go buy antiperspirant. Most gel-based deodorants also piss off my skin- I've had the most luck with spray-on aerosol deodorant, but my sweat seems to overpower it within 2-3 hours.
Factors: -I shower 1-2x a day. -I work outdoors/in the heat, in a physical job. -I exercise/workout 2-3x a week on top of that -I also am an anxious person and get "nervous sweat" that smells way worse -I am on an anti-anxiety/ADHD med (Strattera/atomoxetine) but I've only been on that for 6 months and I have had smelly pits for a decade -I'm underweight and probably a little malnourished at the moment, but I have had this issue for, again, at least a decade. -some of my clothes have burnt in sweat smell, but my armpits also smell in tank tops/by themselves
Things I've tried: -"Natural" deodorants- lol no, doesn't work
- Regular deodorants- some of them kind of work... the smell is slightly decreased. But I quickly sweat them off and then it smells like a mix of deodorant-smell and sweat. -rubbing alcohol spot treatment (works for 30 seconds, then I smell again) -glycolic acid daily or every other day: seemed to help a bit, then seemed like it no longer was working. Idk if I'm just doing it wrong? -antiperspirant of every brand available in stores: does work, but I get insane itching/burning after 1-2 uses, and chemical burns with raised, thickened, infected skin after 3-5 days of use. I save this for special occasions (weddings etc) and suffer through. I'm also allergic to all non-zinc sunscreens, most hand lotions, a lot of makeup brands, and face washes. -Scrubbing/exfoliating my armpits in the shower. Doesn't make a difference -Deodorant immediately after shower/at night. -deodoeant in the morning -Probiotics/gut health stuff -Eating "clean"/only whole foods for months (can't do this now anyway as I'm frantically trying to regain like 10lbs after dropping weight from stress last year).
If I were less poor, I'd have gone for laser removal of sweat glands/botox already, but that's going to be a "sell my plasma" kind of expense so I'm hoping someone has an idea I haven't tried yet...
Posted May 5, 2026, 5:15 PM UTC