SWEAT ...taboo subject

Hi there

Sweat and sweating  can be a  huge problem as well as a taboo subject, no of us likes to get over ripe!!! During the years of living and working in Spain it has been an important issue. I have had important moments when I have needed to keep dry and fresh, I have spent nearly all my working life in sunny Spain. 

There are a couple of things that can help... lots of fabrics these days are synthetic of some type or another, I have found over the years,  some do not wash well under the arms! A change in soap powder/liquid can help this even adding a special stain spray in under arm area of garments, I have found fabric softener doesn't help matters either.  I use Marsella soap an  old fashioned Spanish product for washing clothes which I have found very effective, when in Rome and all that.....  Another way of dealing with sweat is to wear a pure cotton vest under everything they stop those big wet patches as well as smells. I wear a little cotton string strap top as my soak up under garment of choice I wear them underblouses for mopping up, more girly than a vest!!! One last thing look out for what it says on the spray or roll-on, many of the products in Spain are 'desoderante' , I personally find ineffective, a few are 'anti-persperante' antiperspirant which I have found a great deal more effective. 

Good luck Amanda 

This is a fair point and well made, thank you for broaching the subject. What you describe is not Hyperhydrosis, it is a natural response to the hot environment you are in.

I sweat a lot on certain types of work I do and I must say I rarely actually think I smell, although that is not always true! I think we need to add in that we are our own worst critic!

I avoid antiperspirants, they block up your pores or suppress the sweat glands!... not a good thing when this is your body's natural cooling mechanism. I find most deodorants to be ineffective after a short while too.

I come back to a healthy diet, keep your alcohol intake low and also think about having more than just water. Water is great and should not be underestimated, especially if you are doing tasks which increase sweating. You should also consider something like Aquarius (or an equivalent) as these put other things back in your body, which the excess water can actually flush out.

If you feel sick with the sweating and exhaustion then I also suggest you take some salt. I always have a small sachet with me(like from BK or McDs - what was that about healthy diet?!!!) it is a tip I got from a friend who runs marathons etc. The lack of salt can have negative effects. Sorry, not my field so I cant offer you the science behind it!

Minging Alert - if you taste the sweat then you will be able to see how salty it is... consider that expulsion across all of your body, for however long you have been sweating... you will soon see why some occurrences of a dose of salt will put your balance back in line.

Final note - its good to be self-aware of course but you need to accept that even sometimes just sitting in these warm climates can make you sweat, thats before you begin anything physical. There are plenty of examples of people WAY worse than what you describe and what I appreciate you are referring to, but keep on top of your diet, watch your alcohol intake and keep balanced and hydrated and ultimately... It is what it is!

Hope it helps

Hi , thanks for reply , On the subject of salt, I have ,all my life, liked my salt ,and have been often been critiqued , or advised that I take to much . Since coming to Spain 4 years , I have cut down on salt ,but not intentionally ,and when on occasions I am eating with Spanish friends , they freak out at the amount of salt I take ,,,bearing in mind I have cut back dramatically ,it makes me wonder what they would say if they saw me before ...But I thought about the lack of ( or taking less salt ) If that has affected my “sweating” situation .

Alcohol.. I m not a big drinker ,but my Spanish friends ,are partial to a few cervezas ,and I have got into a situation where I am drinking about 2 to 3 bottles of beer a day bearing  mind ,  the fact we live in Spain , and that most of us are partial to a wine or beer ...after all this is España , and it’s accepted as being normal here 

Water , ..I don’t drink a lot of , even when on a three hour hike in the mountains , so possibly a reason / solution ...I ll try to drink more 

Thanks for taking the time to reply on a taboo subject 

From a wee Minger ” 😉

Hi Amanda , thanks for reply .

I have always used talc then deodorant on top . And have used two different deodorants since coming to Spain , one worked ( doesn’t now ) and one didn’t .

It could be the deodorant , or maybe not , but I wear sports vests most of the time here .so unfortunately wearing an under. vest would nt work My armpits are well ventilated . So I m thinking it’s an internal rather than external problem 

I ll keep on here and maybe someone can give me a solution ...or go to my doc and ask , but I find this problem very embarrassing ,as mentioned I am not a dirty person , and hate the thought of people thinking otherwise 

Thanks again ...have a good one 😀

Amanda ...I ll try that soap ...can’t make things worse ...hopefully make me less “Ripe” 😀

Not you ripe but your clothes you're squeaky clean!!!! LOL 

Clean clothes every day , but doesn’t stop the sweaty smell ... 

funnily enough , today of all days , I am not “ripe “,,hope that continues , I hate people thinking I m dirty , as I would them , if the position reversed 

🤭

I've had a thought ...... I changed a few years ago to a bar of soap, I no longer use any form of liquid soap just a nice tablet of soap!!!! I have not had one sore area plus my skin is better. That's my last shot at the problem . As a last resort, as some has already suggested the Dr mighty  be an idea!!

All the best 😉

Hi Allan,

While its natural to sweat i know excessive sweating can be a pain. For the excessive sweating there is a deodrant called DRICLOR which is amazing. Make sure you dry the skin thoroughly before you apply and read the instructions. If its just an odour you keep getting then try a deodrant that has no perfume etc in it, i use 'Mum sensitive' and its great. Good luck 🤞