WHY YOUR ARMPITS STILL SMELL AFTER A SHOWER
It's safe to say many of us do what is necessary to avoid odor breakthrough throughout the day, which is maintaining a personal hygiene routine that includes showering in the mornings. However, what should you do if you notice a faint odor emitting from your armpits, even after you shower?
It's a much more common problem than you may think, so if this sounds familiar, what should you do? In this blog I will break down why this could be happening and what you can do about it.
Quick answer: If your armpits smell again shortly after a shower, it's not because you didn't wash — it's because of these two reasons 1. you did not wash long enough and 2. you used a regular body wash rinses over odor-causing bacteria without neutralizing it. In a warm, damp environment, that bacteria rebuilds fast, sometimes within hours. The fix isn’t changing deodorant — it's an in-shower treatment with antibacterial ingredients (apple cider vinegar, activated charcoal, sea salt) applied before deodorant ever goes on.
Key takeaways:
- Post-shower odor is caused by bacteria a regular body wash rinses over, not neutralizes
- Apocrine sweat glands (found in the underarm) are odorless until bacteria interacts with them
- Apple cider vinegar is proven to reduce bacterial growth by neutralizing skin pH
- An in-shower treatment combining ACV, activated charcoal, and sea salt — applied for 30 seconds before deodorant — addresses the bacteria at the source
HOW BODY ODOR OCCURS
To understand how body odor occurs, we begin with our sweat glands. There are two types of sweat glands on the body:
ECCRINE GLANDS
They open directly onto your skin and can be found all over your body. When your body temperature rises, they release fluids that evaporate and help your body cool down. These fluids are often odorless.
APOCRINE GLANDS
They are found in areas where you have hair, such as your armpit and groin area. These glands release a milky fluid when you are stressed and are odorless until they come into contact with bacteria.
Hair is particularly prone to trapping bacteria, which is why men are more likely to smell even after showering. In other words, lingering underarm odor is caused by enduring bacteria.
ODOR AFTER A SHOWER IS DUE TO LINGERING BACTERIA
Most people do not pay enough attention to their armpits in the shower, resulting in bacteria lingering in the armpits. In addition to bacteria, oftentimes there is deodorant residue and other impurities that are trapped in the underarm pores and within the hair if you have armpit hair. So the key to eliminating body odor is to tackle the bacteria growth that exists in our armpits with a proper armpit washing routine, using a plant-based antibacterial soap.
THE IN-SHOWER STEP THAT ACTUALLY WORKS
A heavily fragranced body wash that you just swipe on your underarms rinses your underarms. It doesn't treat them. That's the gap between "I showered" and actually starting the day bacteria-free.
This isn't a deodorant question — it's a before-deodorant question. The Underarm Bar was built to answer it: apple cider vinegar, activated charcoal, and sea salt, massaged into each underarm for 30 seconds in the shower, before anything else touches your skin.
Each ingredient does a different job. ACV neutralizes the bacteria's pH so it can't keep multiplying — more on the science behind that below. Charcoal binds to what's already sitting in your pores and hair and lifts it away instead of just rinsing over it. Sea salt leaves a light antibacterial barrier behind, so bacteria has a harder time re-establishing itself before you even reach for deodorant.
Deodorant still matters. It just works a lot better on a clean surface than on bacteria that never actually left.
HOW APPLE CIDER VINEGAR CAN ELIMINATE ODORS
A study conducted by Middlesex University tested different bacteria strains in petri dishes with apple cider vinegar and cultured them together at 37 degrees celsius for a 24-hour period. They proved that apple cider vinegar reduced bacterial growth and eliminated bacteria such as E. coli, C. albicans (which includes corynebacteria), and S. aureus. This means that apple cider vinegar creates an inhospitable environment for bacteria to grow and eliminates odors as a result.
You may also notice that apple cider vinegar has a unique scent, which comes from acetic acid. Acetic acid and other organic acids are found to be responsible for killing bacteria by passing through the bacteria's cell membranes and neutralizing it.
HOW TO INCORPORATE APPLE CIDER VINEGAR INTO YOUR ROUTINE
Eliminate that lingering underarm odor using these two methods:
1. Directly onto a cotton ball
Dilute apple cider vinegar with water and apply the solution directly onto a cotton ball and rub it for 30 seconds into each underarm area after you shower. Warning: this really smells bad!
2. An antibacterial soap
If you prefer to use it in a more convenient form, try using an antibacterial soap — the takesumi detox® underarm bar that I created actually has this ingredient along with other odor reducing ingredients. The key is to massage this into your underarm for 30 seconds as you must ensure that your underarms are "squeaky" clean as this really ensures it leaves a barrier so bacteria cannot survive. Regardless of which method you prefer, you must apply the solution to each of your armpits for 30 seconds to truly eliminate odor causing bacteria. If you keep underarm hair, ensure you get to the root of the hair follicle as this is where bacteria like to live.
For other great tips on this topic, check out the reviews on our underarm bar.
If you have a great tip on this subject please leave a comment on our blog as we love to learn from our readers or if you have a question please feel free to ask as I am happy to answer.
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Why do my armpits smell again right after I shower? A regular body wash rinses over odor-causing bacteria without neutralizing it. In a warm, damp environment like the underarm, that bacteria multiplies quickly — often within hours.
Is this an deodorant problem or a hygiene problem? Neither really — it's a bacteria problem. Deodorants and antiperspirants work after the fact. The bacteria causing the smell needs to be addressed before you get dressed, not covered up afterward.
Can I just use apple cider vinegar directly instead of buying a product? Yes — diluted apple cider vinegar on a cotton ball, massaged into each underarm for 30 seconds, works on its own. A bar that combines ACV with charcoal and sea salt does a better job with less work and less odor from the vinegar.
How long should I massage the treatment into my underarms? Thirty seconds per underarm. That's the amount of time it actually takes to neutralize the bacteria — a quick rinse doesn't do it.