Shaving Your Armpits as a Means of Sweat Prevention?

I've had some pretty bad problems with armpit sweat -- every other part of my body is sweat-free in a normal work day, but when I come home, my pit is drenched and my shirt needs to be changed. It's caused discomfort at parties or social gatherings, as my underarms can become "wet" in mere minutes of applying anti-persprant.

So, in an act of desperation, I simply shaved off my underarm hair. And so far... it's worked! Not sure the fundamental science, but now my arms simply aren't wet. It's funny how a simply remedy (albiet a bit immasculine) has completely solved the problem.

The only other solution I've found to work was Certain-Dri, however it wears off randomly and my sweat comes back in full force in the middle of a day. The solution of shaving seems to be cheaper and even more efficient.

Does anyone else shave their pits or any other effective "manscaping"?

I might have to try this, I have big problems with pit sweat too....

Seriously, I can actually feel the dampness halfway through the day.

I started shaving my pits in High school on my dads advice. Seems he had been doing it for years. Not only does it help the sweat but if you get raw red pits from certain deodorants it will solve that problem also.

I never really had a huge wetness problem, but I do this anyway, mostly for cleanliness. The hair creates more surface area for the bacteria, which is why removing it helps with the smell. Not sure if it's the same for sweat, but it may work on the same principle.

I also love the thai deodorant stone:

http://www.amazon.com/Deodorant-Sto...WY/ref=rsl_mainw_dpl?ie=UTF8&m=A2ZMVB6J8Q9ATL

Have you considered the fact that harsh anti-perspirants might be aggravating the problem? Why not try a more natural solution?

About a year ago I went to trimming off my pit hair and started using Alum as my deo. Basically, a lot hair creates a much more welcoming environment for the bacteria. Since then I haven't had any issues.

I don't shave it off completely, but have been "trimming" for a number of years with a beard trimmer. Definitely feels drier in there with less hair.

Getting rid of the hair helps with sweat and stink.It's just a little tricky getting the right pit with a straight in the right hand.

I read about this several years ago in Men's Health magazine. I was skeptical at first, but was desperate to solve the sweaty, smelly armpit problem. My armpits are very hairy, and I was having problems getting my anti-perspirant to adhere to my armpit. The anti-perspirant would adhere to the hair, and slowly crumble off throughout the day, thus preventing it from being effective. Anti-perspirant adheres much better to a smooth shaved armpit. As a result, I have noticed less odor (almost none) and markedly drier armpits as a result.

By the way, the Merkur 12c open comb is an excellent tool for clearing thick armpit hair...no pre-trimming necessary.

I suggested this to my husband and it worked wonders for him. He now keeps his pits shaved and has less irritation and swetting (stink too).

Been doing it for years. I use my clippers and buzz it down when I shave my head every few weeks. Keeps the sweat and stink to a minimum.

Open Combs work great. I do it right before I throw away my blade.

I don't use any time of shaving cream, and I'm not going for a smooth shave. Just enough to get rid of most of the hair.

It never made sense to put deodorant on hair.

I trim my pits . . . sweat continues . . . but less surface area for smell to gather.

Alacrity59 said:

I trim my pits . . . sweat continues . . . but less surface area for smell to gather.

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Try shaving them. Are you using a deoderant or an anti-perspirant? Deoderant will not prevent perspiration, only mask odor.

It's my understanding that armpit hair has nothing to do with how much you sweat. However, the hair can trap the bacteria that causes the terrible smell. Shaving your armpits can make your anti-perspirant or deodorant more effective because it can cover the skin a lot better.

No question, it helps. I use a New open comb just for this. I believe it allows the antiperspirant to directly contact the skin.
Living in Phoenix, nothing is perfect but this makes a big difference.

Very interesting. My anti-persperant/deodorant does a good job (Sure Max), but it still gets a little wet during the hot months. I might have to break out the R41 and give my pits a shave. Not that anyone would really notice - it's rare when I go shirtless.

Wow, I had no idea that I wasn't alone on this! I was using a freebie Mach 3 I found my drawer, but I do have an old ball-end tech laying around (that I got from supposedly my grandmother who shaved her legs with it) that could work. I like the idea of using a blade before you chuck it in the can mentioned previously. Gotta check that out!

Been doing it for more than a decade, with fantastic results.

I am half man half coconut so shaving the pits is a must, I live in scotland though so hot weather is not that much of an issue, in fact its just not an issue