No More Embarrassing Smells

Eliminate Your Worst Smells

Courtesy of Men's Health

You stink. I stink. We all reek a bit on occasion, and it worries us. Who hasn't sniffed his own pits before picking up a date?

"A repulsion to bad smells is deep in the genome," says Avery Gilbert, Ph.D., author and sensory psychologist specializing in odor perception. "At some primitive level, to be stinky means to us 'microbial decay.'"

So we spend billions of dollars on body-and-breath cover-ups to convince the hot babe across the bar that we're not pathologically defective.

But what do you do when your deodorant deserts you, the Certs is long gone, or you've picked up an errant odor? We've assembled the most common stinkin' scenarios and fumigated each one.

You Smell Like a Monday-Morning Hangover

The Instant Deodorizer: Two Glasses of Pink Grapefruit Juice. "Pink grapefruit juice activates the liver enzymes that cause alcohol to metabolize faster," says Alan Hirsch, M.D., director of the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation, in Chicago. "Increasing your liver metabolism makes the liquor smell leave your body sooner."

Sidestep the Stink

Skip stout. "We're not sure why, but darker beverages tend to be associated with more alcohol odor and bad breath than clearer drinks," says John Brick, Ph.D., executive director of Intoxikon International, an alcohol and drug consulting firm.

You're Giving Off Nervous Premeeting B.O.

The Instant Deodorizer: The Men's Room. Grab two paper towels; put a small shot of hand soap on each, but wet just one. Now head into a stall, scrub your pits with the wet, soapy towel, and then wipe your skin with the drier, soap-only towel. According to John Romano, M.D., a professor of dermatology at Weill Cornell Medical Center, this process will kill the offending bacteria while leaving behind just enough scent to pull you through the meeting.

Sidestep the Stink

Wash with an antibacterial soap and dam the sweat flood with Certain Dri, a powerful anti-perspirant. "It contains aluminum chloride, which forms little plugs in the sweat glands," says Dr. Romano.

You Just Gutted a Fish

The Instant Deodorizer: A Powdered-Bleach Cleanser like Comet. Mix a little Comet and water into a thin paste, scrub your hands, and then rinse them with the hottest water you can handle. "The Comet has an oxidizing effect, meaning it chemically neutralizes the smell; and the hot water may help vaporize the odorous fish-oil molecules," says Maxwell Mozell, Ph.D., a professor of neuroscience and physiology at SUNY Upstate Medical Center.

Sidestep the Stink

Splurge and spend the $3 for a pair of rubber kitchen gloves.

You Have First-Date Foot Odor

The Instant Deodorizer: Cologne or Aftershave. When you get her back to your place, excuse yourself and go rub a dime-size dab of eau de whatever-you-wear into the insoles of your shoes. "Your feet themselves usually aren't the primary culprit; it's your shoes that have gotten bad over time," says Arnold Ravick, D.P.M., a spokesman for the American Podiatric Medical Association.

Sidestep the Stink

Buy shoes lined with Cambrelle, a synthetic fiber that wicks away moisture, says Amol Saxena, D.P.M., a podiatrist at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation. A daily shot of Zeasorb, an antifungal powder, can also help keep things from getting too dank.

You Just Pumped High-Test

The Instant Deodorizer: Windshield-Washer Fluid. "The alcohol and glycol ether in wiper fluid will solubilize the petroleum compounds," says Steve Semoff, vice president of technical applications at International Flavors and Fragrances. Pour a half-dollar-size puddle of the blue stuff into your cupped hand, and rub your hands together. It'll evaporate quickly, so you won't have to wipe it on your pants.