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Why We Smell Bad

Under Arm Odor

Apocrine sweat glands under the arms emit the chemicals that feed microorganisms that live on the skin. The average human has a lot (that is if you consider 1,000,000,000,000a lot) on their skin and hair. Usually these microorganisms are not only harmless but help keep away other, potentially more harmful, bacteria. Not everyone’s skin is able to support the same amount or types of bacteria in the same place.

Skin is acidic pH4-4.5 due to lactic acid in sweat and the acid that is produced by bacteria.

One particular bacteria (Staphylococcus epidermidi) lives in acidic conditions under the arm and turns sweat into isovaleric acid. This compound is the characteristic smell of body odor. While poor hygiene can encourage body odor, some people and enthinicties (East Asians) have fewer apocrine sweat glands and therefore, have less issues with body odor.

In alkaline conditions,(like that created by baking soda) it is believed that bacteria ceases to be attached to the skin and is more readily shed.

Baking Soda

Is a component of the mineral natron and is found dissolved in many mineral springs. Egytpians used natron as a cleaner. French chemist Nicolas Lebalnc came up with Soda Ash or Sodium carbonate in 1791 and, in 1846 two American bakers in New York began producing baking soda from sodium carbonate and carbon dioxide.  It was mentioned by Rudyard Kipling as a substance that helped prevent fresh fish from spoiling. It’s primary usefulness comes from it being mildly alkaline allowing it to neutralize or react to acid (an example is the volacano experiment often done in schools)

So, it seems that one element that makes Baking Soda work on body odor is that it raises the pH of the skin surface which makes it inhospitable for the bacteria Staphylococcus epidermidi. So, theoretically, not only will the bacteria not thrive in the mildly alkaline environment and be prevented from producing the smelly substance isovaleric acid. Even if it does manage to live in the alkaline environment, the resulting isovaleric acid would be neutralized (changed into a non-smelly by product).

Although it seems clear that baking soda works at defending off body odor, one reason we don’t just powder our pits with Baking Soda is that many people’s skin will react negatively to straight baking soda.   issue faced with putting baking Soda on skin is that some skin likes to be at its natural pH of 4 to 4.5. Baking Soda is pH of 8.5, Sea Water is at pH 8.0 and Ammonia is at 11.5.

While Baking Soda does a good job of killing some acid loving bacteria on the skin, it also kills the good bacteria as well by disrupting the pH balance and disrubting the protective acid mantle potentially causing dermatitias, eczema and rosacea. That’s why we want to use Baking Soda judiciously and accompanied by other products.

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