Clean beauty industry maven Mary Futher founded kaia naturals® after spending 20 years working for global beauty companies. Mary now shares her weekly column, delivering a quick fix, home remedy, or clean beauty product suggestion for a variety of human discomforts that some may find too embarrassing to discuss.
Let's Look into Apple Cider Vinegar
Who would have thought I would use apple cider vinegar for body odor? For years, I have raved about drinking apple cider vinegar shots every morning. Not only does it help control my sugar cravings and ease digestion, but I find it also helps boosts my immune system. This past winter where 90% of my team came down with the flu and germs were flying everywhere in the air, I did not get sick once. I actually believe it was thanks to my daily immunity boosts from ACV.
Why I love apple cider vinegar even more is because not only is it a powerful detox ingredient for our bodies, but it’s also very effective at neutralizing odor-causing bacteria on the skin.
How Does Apple Cider Vinegar Work for Body Odor
If you’ve ever sniffed apple cider vinegar, you know it’s not the best smelling thing out there. I’ve heard many of my family and friends say that it smells like feet… Ok now, it does NOT smell like feet and although it does smell strange at first, you do get used to the smell and taste fairly quickly.
Side note: If you’re struggling to drink ACV, here’s my tried-and-tested tip on making ACV taste delicious:
Add 1 tablespoon of ACV into ¼ cup of organic lime juice (I bought a bottle at Whole Foods), and ¼ cup of water. The lime juice helps to hide the ACV taste and I also have no time to cut limes and squeeze them in the morning, so store-bought lime juice works even better for me!
That unique smell of ACV comes from acetic acid. Acetic acid and other organic acids found in ACV are responsible for killing bacteria. It works by passing through into the bacteria’s cell membranes and neutralizing it.
It’s like Natural Clorox for Your Body
A study conducted by the Middlesex University London in the UK, tested different bacteria strains in petri dishes with apple cider vinegar and cultured them together at 37 degrees celsius for a 24 hour period.
The results showed that ACV reduced bacterial growth and eliminated bacteria types such as E. coli, C. albicans (which includes Corynebacteria, the type of bacteria that causes body odor) and S. aureus.
This means that apple cider vinegar has the ability to eliminate odor-causing bacteria and create an inhospitable environment for bacteria to grow when applied on the skin. The best part is that unlike Clorox bleach which is highly toxic, apple cider vinegar is 100% natural and safe for humans.
Individuals suffering from excess body odor would be able to reap the antibacterial and deodorizing benefits of apple cider vinegar.
3 Ways to Use Apple Cider Vinegar on Your Armpits
Body Odor Eliminator
ACV’s antibacterial properties will prevent bacteria from growing on your skin and will neutralize any odor-causing bacteria, keeping you smelling clean and fresh. If you’re doing an armpit detox or are naturally a smellier person, try using apple cider vinegar to get rid of body odor in your shower routine.
What to do: Use a natural antibacterial bar soap formulated with apple cider vinegar in the shower like the underarm bar, or apply ACV onto a cotton pad and gently swipe onto armpits.
Lighten Dark Armpits
ACV helps to regulate the skin’s pH balance and gently exfoliates away dead skin cells, which works to gradually lighten dark armpits.
What to do: Mix equal parts water and ACV in a bowl. Soak 2 cotton pads and apply onto each underarm like a sheet mask. Leave on for 15-20 minutes, then rinse with water water.
Armpit Detox
During the transition from antiperspirant to natural deodorant, try an armpit detox mask to help expedite the stages of detox and to pull toxins and aluminum chloride from your pores..
What to do: Mix 1 tablespoon of bentonite clay (I recommend the Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay) with ½ tablespoon ACV until it becomes a paste. Apply onto clean armpits and leave on 15-20 minutes or until dry. Rinse off and pat dry.
SHOP DEODORANTS
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