We might be fussy about lots of things but changing how we sweat isn’t one of them. When it comes to asking what’s the difference between antiperspirant and deodorant or exactly where you should and shouldn’t use the stuff, we’ve got the answers.
Welcome to your sweatucation, a chance to answer those big, hairy questions you’ve always wanted to ask.
So, what is the difference between antiperspirant and deodorant?
Antiperspirant is out to stop sweat entirely vs a deodorant which lets you sweat naturally whilst keeping you smelling fresh.
And did you know sweat doesn’t smell? It mixes with bacteria on your skin, that’s when the pong hits. This bacteria like to hang out in warm places like armpits. Your natural deodorant’s job is to prevent that bacteria building up, keeping away the stinkiness by using a range of active ingredients like baking soda, that neutralise the odor causing bacteria. Other ingredients then work to reduce sweat by absorption and fragrance can help to mask body odour. It sounds complicated but it’s not, you can read more about the ingredients we use in fussy by clicking here.
As for antiperspirants, one of the main ingredients are aluminium salts. It’s these aluminum compounds that are dissolved by your body heat, then soaked up to block pores and prevent sweating.
To be honest, we’re not that keen on aluminium in antiperspirants. It stops your body doing its natural thing and scientists have even linked it to some nasty physical conditions.
Which leads us nicely on to the next question....
What’s the best natural deodorant that is free from aluminium?
Every armpit is different and you have to find what works for you. But for us and thousands of other armpits it’s fussy deodorant. Backed by science, we worked with leading Microbiologist and Dr.Sweat herself Annie Pryor to make sure fussy keeps you fresh for longer than other leading natural deodorants. You can learn more about this here.
Our deodorant is also free from aluminium, synthetic fragrances and it won’t stain your clothes. It also comes without parabens (you know, those chemical compounds used as preservatives that ain’t at all natural).
Can I use antiperspirant and deodorant together?
Well, you could. A bit like you could put tomato ketchup and mayo on your chips.
But ask yourself what you really need. If you’re really struggling with the sweat then using an antiperspirant could be the way forward at night, adding deodorant when your skin is fresh and clean after a morning shower.
Is it bad to apply deodorant on your feet?
We’ll be honest. When we looked up the most-asked questions about deodorant for our sweatucation, we weren’t expecting this one. But nothing’s off the table so let’s talk.
Feet have hundreds of thousands of sweat glands and are especially prone to sweating when you’re under stress. Your feet don’t react well to being constantly cooped up in shoes that don’t let them breathe - that’s when the bacteria starts to thrive.
The best thing you can do and reduce the amount of sweating is keep those tootsies clean and change your socks. Some medical sources say a roll of deodorant from the ball to heel on the bottom of your foot can help. Others say not.
One thing’s for sure - it’s not going to hurt. We’ll try anything once.
What is sweat anxiety and can it happen at night?
When your body sweats it’s usually in response to rising temperature, like when you exercise or you get too hot. Your brain sends a message to kick sweat glands into action all over your body and you start to cool down.
When you’re feeling anxious things happen differently and you might find yourself with some excessive sweat. This is just your body releasing stress hormones that alert glands in your pits and your crotch, releasing sweat that’s mostly made up of water.
Even if you’re asleep it doesn’t mean that you can’t still be anxious. In fact people suffering with anxiety will experience night sweats as a very common symptom. The best thing to do is tackle the cause of the anxiety itself and try to make a cool, calm environment to sleep in.
If you’re waking up in a sweaty mess then don’t try and force yourself back to sleep. Try getting up and doing something quiet and calm in the dark or write down all the thoughts that are bothering you to get them off your mind.
So what’s your sweaty question?
If you’ve got questions about our sweat, our product or anything else, we’d love to hear from you.
Follow us on Instagram or get in touch with us via email hi@getfussy.com to join the refill revolution and invest in a natural deodorant that eats sweat for breakfast, lunch and dinner.