I recently found myself on the tube surrounded by people with dry foreheads; men in suits looking cool and calm, and women with perfect hair and balanced complexions. I, on the other hand, had sweat running down my back, all over my hairline, and forming beads around my nose.
By the time I had reached my destination – which was a temping job with a new company – my makeup had left my face, my hair was wet and my shirt was stuck to me. I don’t have to tell you that this was not a good look for a first impression at a new job.
Sweating in public is a problem I've put up with for a few years and it irks me on so many levels. Why am I swimming in a river of sweat while others around me remain heat resistant? Why is regular deodorant just not cutting it for me? And what is the secret to a dry forehead in a heatwave?
According to dermatologist Dr Anjali Mahto, there isn’t a clear explanation as to why some of us sweat more than others: “We don’t actually know what the reason is. The thinking is probably that the nerves that control your sweat glands are more sensitive to temperature and that's why it happens.” Your weight can also play a role, though; fat is a natural insulator, so heats the body, making you more likely to sweat.
We have between two and four million sweat glands in our bodies (the number depends on our gender and size), which are activated by our sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves. Sympathetic nerves increase sweating and parasympathetic nerves reduce sweating. Some treatments for excess sweating target the activity of these nerves, while others simply deal with the consequences.
Nutritionist Elspeth Waters, from Nourishing Solutions, was keen to emphasise that “sweating is a natural, normal thing and we need to do it otherwise it can cause big problems in terms of temperature regulation.” However, she agreed that excessive sweating could cause discomfort and embarrassment, adding that it could even indicate a hormone imbalance, while odorous armpit sweat can be caused by a magnesium deficiency; “it is the bacteria under the arms that causes the bad smell rather than the sweat itself.”
Keen to find out how I could get through the summer months without looking like I had fallen down a well, I tested out some of the treatments recommended for excessive sweating. Click on for tips for anyone who finds their perspiration a problem.
Sweat pads
Wondering how you can feel sexy with what is basically a sanitary towel stuck to your armpit? The answer is, you probably can’t. However, the chances of someone wanting to see you naked are greatly improved if you don’t have embarrassing sweat patches under your arms. So suck it up and try out a sweat patch.
How do they work? Well, they soak up the sweat at the point of release so that your clothes don’t have to. At the moment, no one produces these for the back, which is a sweating problem area for me. However, the ones I tried worked well on the armpits. I preferred the Dandi patches that stick directly to your skin over Sweat Guard’s pads that stick to your clothes, simply because they stayed in place and I didn’t have to worry about them falling off. That said, I was left with little red marks when I removed them and I don’t think I’d like to wear them every day for comfort.
Dandi patches, from £6.99
Illustrated by Assa Ariyoshi
Homeopathic remedies
Vinegar is your new friend. It might look and smell suspicious, it might taste tart, it might not be the thing you want to drink first thing in the morning, but that is exactly what you must do – according to homeopathy. And again before every meal: two teaspoons of natural vinegar (I used a cheap malt) and one teaspoon of cider vinegar.
Alternatively, one shot of wheatgrass every morning before breakfast supposedly not only reduces sweating but also has a whole host of other health benefits. It tastes even worse than the vinegar, in my opinion. I got mine from a brand called Squeeze Wheatgrass, who also do wheatgrass juice – which is much easier to stomach.
And a final homeopathic option: if you like your tea a little, well, horrible, then sage tea three times a day is also recommended to help reduce sweating. Nutritionist Elspeth Waters says, “Sage is especially good for night sweats and has been used for menopausal sweating because of its drying properties. It contracts the tissues, including skin, to prevent sweating.”
The only explanation I could find for why wheatgrass and vinegar might work is that they balance your PH levels and, by controlling the activity of acids and toxins in your blood, they help to neutralise and dilute the toxins, which our bodies flush out through sweating. But dermatologist Dr Anjali was skeptical, “I would try it just out of interest but I can’t see medically or logically how that would work because it’s not going to do anything to your nerves.”
I however, noticed a marked improvement to the amount I sweated when I tried each of these for a week. For a cheap option I’d choose the vinegar but the once-a-day convenience and other health benefits make it hard to beat the wheatgrass.
Squeeze Wheatgrass juice, from £16.10
Illustrated by Assa Ariyoshi
Makeup tips
I am really lazy when it comes to makeup so I went straight to a professional for help. “Primer, primer and more primer” advised makeup artist Jodie Hyams, founder of Background Beauty. She also suggested using translucent powder and waterproof mascara to stop my makeup running when I sweat.
I was nervous about the powder, as I like a dewy, barely-there look and every single powder I tried left me feeling like I had gone back to my gothic '90s period. Yes my makeup stayed on, yes the '90s are back in fashion, but I still looked a bit like I'd seen a ghost.
This is where a good primer and a good foundation came in. I tried a lot of primers and all of them worked really well but the key is finding the combination of primer and foundation that works for you. If, like me, you like a dewy look, then Smashbox’s Primer Water is fantastic.
For a good stay-all-day foundation on a budget, I found Revlon’s Colour Stay really long-lasting. But the revelation for me was Bare Minerals Original Foundation, mainly because it is a powdered foundation, yes powdered, and I love it! For the lazy makeup girl it’s two in one and it will still let you have a dewy look (with a good primer base) that stays on through sweat.
Finally Eyeko mascara is incredible, the packaging looks all sporty so I imagined it would be clumpy and functional but it is lovely and light going on, gives good lash coverage and will not budge even if you go in a steam room, jacuzzi or sauna. Suqqu Extra Volume Mascara is also well worth a try.
Summer, my perfectly made up face and me are coming for you!
Illustrated by Assa Ariyoshi
Dermatology treatments
For those who have tried anti-perspirant with aluminium chloride (Sweat Guard do a great one), or those who find that sweating is not just brought on by a change in temperature or a physical activity, then you might have a condition called Hyperhidrosis, which is the medical term to describe undue sweating. This can be treated by a dermatologist.
Treatments include Iontophoresis, which basically involves putting your hands or feet into a bowl of water while an electronic pulse is put through it. This has to be administered three times a week but you can buy machines for your home. Doctors don’t know why it works and it can be tricky treating areas other than the hands and feet.
Alternatively, a dermatologist might prescribe an oral treatment but side effects can include dry mouth and some patients find the side effects too much to bear. In the past a surgery to cut the nerves used to be regular practice but this often caused compensatory sweating in other areas so has mostly been abandoned, which leaves us with Botox! This works really well, is not commonly available on the NHS and involves regular treatments with lots of needles. So it’s certainly not for everyone.
Illustrated by Assa Ariyoshi
Diet
As sweating is a nerve issue, nutritionist Elspeth Waters says we should be looking at foods that promote good nerve health. “We’d be looking at getting enough of the B-complex vitamins, as well as Magnesium and Omega-3 fats” – so she recommends leafy greens, that wheatgrass shot you’re already now taking once a day and avocados.
You should avoid processed food, sugar, alcohol and caffeine but let’s face it, it’s summer, you’re going to be drinking more alcohol than ever and therefore more caffeine than ever as well as grabbing a quick takeaway on the way home from the pub because it’s Thursday and you’ve not had a single night at home all week. So, let’s be realistic here (especially because anxiety actually causes sweat) – just do what's realistic for you. Maybe that's the wheatgrass shot or vinegar, and maybe throw in a Bloody Mary at the end of the night because tomato juice is supposed to be another great drink to reduce sweating!
You can pick up vitamin B, Magnesium and Omega-3 oils at Holland & Barrett.
Illustrated by Assa Ariyoshi
Other tips
This first one made me want to hurl my laptop at the wall when I read it but I have to bow to its wisdom: don’t be late. Yes I know, I hate me too, but anxiety exacerbates sweat, so if you’re rushing and worried then you’re going to sweat more, you just are.
Get into the habit of putting anti-perspirant on before you go to bed. Apparently it takes about eight hours for the process to start working so when you wake up it will be just kicking into gear. You still put it on after your shower as well but I was surprised at how much this helped on the nights I remembered to do it.
If you’re going to a particularly important meeting, then put dry shampoo on your clean hair to help soak up the sweat as it happens. It does leave hair looking and feeling a bit dry so you don’t want to use it every day. It’s also worth treating your hair with some oil like Bumble and Bumble’s Hairdresser's Invisible Oil afterwards. I loved Moroccan Oil’s dry shampoo (available in two tones: dark and light) because it didn’t leave my hair looking too dull and it smells delicious.
And that’s your lot, but look, try not to worry about your sweating too much because, from personal experience, that makes it worse. Hold that sweaty head up high and be grateful that summer in this country only tends to last for about a week.
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