For people with body odor problems, choosing the strongest deodorant can be an ongoing task. Some people find that staying with one brand, once they find a strong deodorant that works to cover the smell of odor-causing underarm bacteria, is a good strategy. Others may discover that the strongest odor protection occurs when they alternate deodorants. Choosing the strongest deodorant for you may take some trial and error in trying different brands, but there are some indicators you can check for on labels, as well as things to do to help increase the effectiveness of many products.
In general, men's underarm deodorants tend to be stronger than women's. If you're a woman who has tried only women's products but are looking for the strongest deodorant, you may want to try a men's brand. Not all men's underarm deodorant products have an obviously manly scent. Rather than masculine, musky scents, you could look for men's deodorants described as "cool" or "fresh."
If you're a man who has tried many different men's underarm deodorants, but still find them not to be strong enough in eliminating odor, you may want to try alternating two or three brands. If you want to make one of the alternates a women's deodorant brand to see if that will work, something labeled "citrus" or "sporty" could be similar to scents found in men's products. In both men's and women's strongest deodorant brands, words such as "24 hour protection," "super-strength odor fighter," "targets bacteria" and "neutralizes odors" are found on the labels.
Vinegar is a natural odor neutralizer; dampening paper towels with it and using these to wipe your underarms before drying them to apply deodorant may help you better control odor-causing bacteria. Showering with anti-bacterial soap in the underarm area before drying and applying the strongest deodorant may also help increase the product's effectiveness. Since bacteria often becomes trapped in underarm hair, regularly shaving your armpits may be a good idea in aiding odor elimination.
You may have to try different types of deodorants to find the strongest one. The most common kinds are solid, roll-on and spray. What works best for one person may not be at all successful for another, but, in general, spray and roll-on types tend to be less effective than solid forms of underarm deodorants. Roll-on and spray underarm odor-fighting products are wetter than solids which are denser; therefore, for some people, this could mean that the solid type offers strongest deodorant protection against bacteria. If you've tried all of these suggestions to no avail, you should see your doctor; he or she can give you advice as well as suggest a prescription-strength deodorant.