Sweat Proof Your Clothes!

With summer here, so is sweat! So here's some tips for saving your self, clothes and shoes! Found on Askmen.com

First things first, Deodorant

Begin with a good, heavy-duty antiperspirant during the sweaty months. If you don’t like commercial antiperspirant, use a rock crystal, this natural deodorant protects against bacteria and neutralizes odor from sweat. It is effective for up to 24 hours and the sticks last forever. You can also apply rock crystal sticks to any part of your body that tends to sweat a lot.

Consider specially formulated products

These products include sweat block pads, which are cloths that have been presoaked in industrial-strength antiperspirant. Once every seven days, apply these pads to your underarms to help prevent sweating. Also available are underarm sweat pads. These have a sticky side that adheres to your skin, forming a physical barrier between your sweat and clothing.

Choose the right shoes

Don’t wear canvas shoes as these will make your feet sweat like crazy and your shoes smell like you live in a swamp. Instead, wear leather shoes or sandals if you can, as they breathe more and decrease foot sweat and body odor. You’ll also need to treat them properly. Consider slipping a moisture-absorbing insole into your shoes to further reduce bacteria and odor.

Try to rotate your shoes. Doing so gives your shoes a chance to air out. Also change your socks daily to avoid contracting a fungal infection that thrives in moist, sweaty and bacteria-ridden conditions. Lastly, every now and again, give the inside of your shoes a quick spray with a shoe deodorizer or use an OTC foot powder to help absorb sweat.

Soak your clothes

Soak your sweaty clothes in extremely cold water as soon as you get home, and apply a stain remover to the armpits on the inside of your shirt. Leave the product on for a few minutes and launder your shirt as soon as possible, or at least rinse it in ice cold water again. If your shirt is white, bleach it every now and again or, alternately, throw in a teaspoon of cream of tartar (available in the baking aisle at your grocery store) with your regular laundry detergent to help keep your whites white.

Wear moisture-wicking undershirts

Smart layering can actually help sweatproof your clothes and reduce the not-so-fun effects of sweating. Your best bet is to layer a sports undershirt underneath a T-shirt. When you have no option but to wear a dress shirt, choose a sports undershirt in a solid color that won’t be too noticeable. Sports clothes are specifically designed to wick moisture away from your body and they also dry off quickly so you’ll never feel like you’re soaking in sweat. As well, many sports shirts incorporate mesh, meaning that your skin will breathe better, and they’re often treated to be antimicrobial, so it’s harder for odor-forming bacteria to build up on your body.

Remove excess body hair

Your antiperspirant needs to come in contact with your skin in order to effectively protect against body odor and control sweating. This is a problem when your armpit hair becomes exceedingly long and, as a consequence, acts as an obstacle between the product and your skin. Take control by maintaining your body hair. A little trimming goes a long way.

Choose natural-fiber clothing and wear light colors

Go for fabrics like cotton, silk or linen instead of polyester or other synthetics and blended fabrics. Natural fibers allow your skin to breathe more, meaning you’ll sweat less. Pick featherlight pieces and choose shirts that are slightly larger than the size you usually wear to encourage air circulation and sweat evaporation. When it comes to colors, white or pale pastels will deflect more of the sun’s rays, so you’ll feel the heat less in these softer shades.