What Causes Yellow Armpit Stains and How To Stop Them

Let’s go ahead and just rip off the band aid and talk about it. Yellow pit stains. Yeah, we’re going there. Don’t worry though, there’s hope! If you’re ready to quit wasting money replacing shirts, give a public high five with enthusiasm, or just throw your hands up in the air like you just don’t care, let’s banish those yellow pit stains for good. So we’re going to enlighten you on what causes yellow armpit stains and what you can do to stop them.

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What Causes Yellow Armpit Stains?

Despite what you may think, it’s not actually your sweat that’s causing those stains. The evil Thanos in this yellow armpit stain scenario is actually very common: aluminum. Sure, aluminum is great for a ton of things: wrapping up leftover steak, as a building material, and generally looking shiny. But, it’s also hell on those precious pits of yours and the root cause of making your shirts look like they peed their pants.

Aluminum is used as the sweat-blocking active ingredient in antiperspirant products, which aim to control or prevent sweat entirely. The aluminum in your antiperspirant is activated when you start to sweat and once some of your sweat mixes with the aluminum in that antiperspirant it creates a sticky mix that stains your precious shirts.

That aluminum, in addition to the other harsh chemicals in generic antiperspirants and deodorants, is also brutal on your skin. It actually plugs your sweat glands and tries to stop both sweat and unwanted chemicals and toxins from escaping through your pores, keeping them inside your body. When combined with the harshness of these chemicals, it can lead to irritation too. Also, since these are products that are applied to your skin on a daily basis and left on for virtually 24 hours a day, the potential for irritation is even higher than from wash-off products.

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How To Prevent Yellow Armpit Stains

Those nasty stains are a pain in the ass, and getting rid of them isn’t just as simple as scrubbing your shirts, as you’ve probably found out. Unfortunately, most standard detergents or stain treatments don’t do much to remove these stains. Even dry-cleaning won’t do the trick, plus it can be expensive. Depending on the severity of the stains, you may have some luck with a long, hot soak using Oxi-Clean (RIP to da infomercial gawd Billy Mays); a few more tips on how to do that right here. But, outside of that hail mary, it’s gonna be a tough go.

So, while it may seem obvious, the most effective way to get rid of those stains is to never set yourself up for them in the first place. Switching to a natural deodorant that’s free of aluminum altogether is not only going to save your precious shirts from the highlighter treatment, but it’s also going to keep you fresh and have you smelling better, all without harsh chemicals and aluminum. Natural deodorants fight odor and keep you fresh with ingredients like charcoal, arrowroot, and probiotics without relying on harsh or irritating ingredients to do their work for them. The naturally-derived fragrances are also much gentler on skin and won’t exacerbate potential irritation like generic fragrances can. Plus, they smell like a man should, not like a middle school locker room.

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It’s time to say a loud and proud “NO WAY JOSE!” to those tragic yellow stains and irritated pits and make your life safe for white shirts again. Now that you’re armed with the knowledge you need, the path to pit stain-free shirts and fresher pits is an easy one.