To be exact, you cannot stop sweating with deodorant. Deodorant is designed to manage body odor, not to block sweat production. To actively reduce or stop sweating, you need to use a different type of product: antiperspirant.
Understanding the Difference: Deodorant vs. Antiperspirant
The key to controlling sweat lies in understanding the function of the product you choose for underarm care.
- Deodorant: Deodorants primarily work by killing odor-causing bacteria on the skin and masking unpleasant smells with fragrance. Deodorant might kill the odor under your arms, but it's not designed to stop you from sweating completely. It addresses the smell associated with sweat but does not stop the sweat glands from producing moisture.
- Antiperspirant: Antiperspirants perform two functions. They contain antimicrobial agents to kill odor-causing bacteria, similar to deodorant. Crucially, they also contain aluminum-based compounds that work by temporarily blocking the sweat ducts, thus reducing the amount of sweat that reaches the skin's surface. Antiperspirants both kill odor-causing bacteria and actively block your sweat glands from producing underarm sweat.
Based on the provided reference, the effective way to reduce or stop underarm sweating is to use topical antiperspirants.
How Antiperspirants Work
Antiperspirants typically contain aluminum salts, such as aluminum chloride or aluminum zirconium tetrachlorohydrex gly. When applied to the skin, these salts are drawn into the sweat ducts. They then react with the water in sweat, forming a temporary plug or gel that blocks the duct and prevents sweat from being released.
Choosing the Right Product
If your goal is to reduce sweating, make sure you are purchasing a product labeled as an antiperspirant, or often, an antiperspirant-deodorant combination product. Check the active ingredients list for aluminum compounds.
Many products are marketed simply as "deodorant," and these will only help with odor, not sweat reduction.
In summary:
- For Odor Control Only: Use Deodorant
- For Sweat & Odor Control: Use Antiperspirant
By switching from a standard deodorant to an antiperspirant, you can effectively address underarm sweat production.
