You're Probably Applying Deodorant Wrong

Summertime means smelly time (that's right, I went there). When you're braving the heat, you're gonna wanna know how to apply deodorant properly, and PopSugar has a great set of tips. Avoid some major mishaps so you get it right every time!

Chris Plante over at The Verge claimed that we're all supposed to apply deodorant before bed at night, but that sounded suspicious to MiMiChat writer Kelly Bryant. She consulted several dermatologists to sniff out the truth. Fortunately, she discovered three key tips!

1. Applying Before Bed Is Unnecessary

The idea of applying deodorant before bed is that the product will clog sweat ducts and prevent moisture from escaping the body. But doesn't that sound a little bad? Bryant thought so, and dermatologist Dr. Julia Tzu of Wall Street Dermatology confirmed it: "It's not necessary to use deodorant at nighttime ... While using it occasionally at bedtime is not harmful, use of deodorants around the clock may be an additional source of unnecessary irritation to the skin." Got it.

2. Seek Out Safe Ingredients

Reading labels and trying to find products with natural and safe ingredients should be a top priority, especially for frequent deodorant users. Dr. Alan M. Dattner of Holistic Dermatology explained, "Deodorants usually refer to a combination of antiperspirant and odor reducer [which] oagulate proteins in the sweat ducts [and] should be used as infrequently as possible. There are some health questions about applying aluminum, where it can get absorbed, on a daily basis." One of my personal favorite aluminum-free brands is LAVANILA vanilla lemon deodorant!

(The Healthy Deodorant, $14, LAVANILA)

3. Clean Yo Pits

Running out the door from the gym? Take two seconds to scrub down your pits before applying deodorant. Tzu suggested "one should clean the skin prior to application of deodorant to avoid cross contamination of the deodorant itself." A little soap and water will do the trick.

Image Credit: @degreewomen/Instagram; Diogo A. Figueira/Flickr; LAVANILA