5 Pro Tips For Your Armpits from Schmidt’s Deodorant Founder Jaime Schmidt
Let’s face it. Our underarms are not the most glamorous part of our anatomy. We’ve all been there—sweaty, stinky, and uncomfortable, wishing our deodorant would just do its job! Well, there’s good reason for all that frustration. It turns out that our body’s process of sweating is actually not a good thing to interrupt, and the conventional deodorants readily available on the market are formulated with toxic ingredients that don’t have your body’s best interests in mind.
The good news is, natural alternatives like Schmidt’s Deodorant can not only match the effectiveness of chemical deodorants, but actually outperform them. This is why we’ve made it our mission to “change the way people think about deodorant.” Follow my pro tips and you’ll be on your way to smooth sailing from here on out.
Our underarms need some extra TLC!
This might come as a surprise, but the underarms are actually one of the very most sensitive areas of the body. While they’re often put in a corner for being a “stinky” area of our bodies, the truth is our armpits need more care than we tend to assume! They’re packed with a high concentration of nerves and lymph nodes that absorb substances directly into our capillaries. Not only that, but the underarm skin is actually thinner than the rest of our skin, and it rarely takes in sunlight, leaving it extra prone to sensitivity.
Pro tip: Keep the skin hydrated and exfoliated, just like any other part of your body. Since our underarms are so vulnerable, stick to using facial products since they are less aggressively formulated. If you really want to go the extra mile, give your underarms a gentle massage to stimulate the lymphatic tissue, boosting your immune response and allowing the body to process up to ten times the amount of fluid!
Let your body sweat!
Second only to “Will it keep me odor-free?” one of the most common questions we get at Schmidt’s is, “Will it keep me dry?” Our bodies are intended to sweat—the sweat actually transports toxins out of the body, leaving us internally refreshed and clean. Not only that, it helps cool the body and maintain its core temperature. Conventional antiperspirants use aluminum to block our sweat ducts, preventing its exit. These should be avoided if at all possible.
Pro tip: Go natural and stay dry at the same time. While Schmidt’s isn’t an antiperspirant, our formula contains natural plant-based powders to absorb the sweat. This allows the sweat to exit the body, but helps stop it before it can spread across your skin, leaving you uncomfortable and your clothing moist.
Avoid underarm stains!
Ever notice a stain on your clothing in the underarm area and wonder how it got there? Many people attribute these as “sweat stains,” but they’re actually the result of an interaction between your sweat and the active ingredients in your deodorant. The biggest culprit here is antiperspirants, which contain aluminum-based compounds that are especially likely to stain once bonding with your sweat.
Pro tip: On top of avoiding antiperspirants, you can avoid tight-fitting and synthetic clothing fabrics that might irritate the underarms and exacerbate the sweating process. Also make sure that your underarms are dry before applying deodorant—mixing your deo with water makes staining more likely.
Eliminate sensitivity!
Although we don’t think of our armpits as a “dry” area, the thin skin of our underarms is actually prone to dryness, particularly because the antibacterial properties of many deodorants can lead to dried out skin. Keep them moisturized!
Pro tip: Only apply deodorant to dry skin, waiting until after your moisturizer has dried post-shave. Make sure you’re using a fresh, clean razor, and a moisturizing shaving cream. As stated in the tip above, avoid tight-fitting and synthetic clothing fabrics that can irritate the underarms.
Give your underarms a break!
By now you know that the underarms are a very sensitive area of the body. Recognizing this, it’s important that your delicate skin is given opportunities to “recover” in its natural state.
Pro tip: Applying deodorant or some clothing fabrics directly after shaving can be irritating. Try waiting 10 minutes before putting on deodorant, or shave before bed and let the skin recover overnight. As a general rule of thumb, it’s wise to avoid wearing deodorant while you sleep so that the skin has time to breathe.
Jaime Schmidt is the founder of Schmidt’s Deodorant. Starting humbly in a Portland, Oregon, kitchen, Jaime was inspired to found Schmidt’s when she was pregnant with her son. Dissatisfied with traditional chemical deodorants and the lack of effectiveness of natural alternatives, Jaime was inspired by a singular goal: to change the way people think about deodorant.