tips & a lil pep talk for people w/ (underarm) hyperhidrosis!
I realized I sweat a lot from my underarms in 5th grade (I’m entering 9th this fall). On this journey of trying to hide my condition, I’ve learned a lot of things and I want to share them with you. Although I haven’t found a cure for it, I have tips to make more bearable.
1. If you can’t stop sweating, at least smell amazing while doing it. In 5th grade I had some serious body odor… I smelled peppery all the time and I’m amazed my friends never pointed it out to me or teased me about it. I’ve found that Secret Gel Antiperspirants totally block this scent if you struggle with it (They don’t do anything to stop the sweating for me). For me, I apply this every morning and people even compliment me on how I smell. It might seem like a no-brainer, but it honestly helps so much.
2. Wear the right colors and patterns of clothes to mask your sweat. This is what I recommend: - graphic t-shirts (white or black) that have a distracting design either covering the shirt or smack dab in the center of it. - clothing with holes in it- i have two long-sleeved crop tops that look like they’re made of netting (the material is strong, there’s just a lot of small holes in the shirt) in black and white. put this over any color cami and pair it with high waisted jeans- you’ll look great! -sheer, patterned tops- since sheer tops barely show sweat, i think they’re amazing. put a black spaghetti strap tank top underneath and your sweat is practically nonexistent to the eyes of your peers. -get a thompson tee!!- thompson tees are shirts that come with built in absorbent sweat pads (made of bamboo fiber, which is often used in reusable pads). they absorb sweat amazingly and you can just stick em under a nice outfit!
basically, when you’re out shopping for clothes, look at a piece of clothing and imagine water being poured on it. does the color change once the liquids has absorbed? if it does but you still really want to wear it, check to see if the sleeves are baggy enough for it to be hidden.
STAY AWAY FROM HEATHER GREY.
3. tell your close friends about your condition (if you trust them enough). telling your friends is super important because you might be able to avoid embarrassing situations if you do. trust me, they won’t make fun of you (they most likely won’t care).
4. be as confident as you can. I’m not saying you should shove your sweaty parts in everyone’s faces, but don’t let it get the best of you. if you don’t make it obvious that you’re hiding something, no one will look. normal people don’t check random others for sweat. if you want to wear a cute top, wear it. maybe keep your arms to your sides more often, but realize that people don’t really care about how you look.
5. embrace it & don’t pity yourself about it. the more you think about it, the more you sweat. hyperhidrosis isn’t life-threatening. although it can be embarrassing, it’s nothing that you can’t handle. just live your life and accept that your sweat glands are made of magic that makes you glittery all the time. embrace this magic inside you, people! you’re like a living waterfall.
there is no reason for this stupid little thing to make you miserable or ashamed of yourself.
here’s a little quote i like to remind myself of whenever i think about living with hyperhidrosis:
“good things come to those who sweat.”
guess that’s just automatic for us, huh? ;)
(Submit here)
