Courtesan appearance lesson: Summer, heat, body odour / scent and the courtesan

Photo by Dylan Sauerwein on Unsplash

Summer is finally upon us and I for one am very happy about it. Summer means bright sunshine, warmth and just general joy for me. In addition to this, summer also means that there is an increased likelihood of sweating. 

The science of sweat

Sweating is a natural bodily function that one shouldn’t be ashamed of, however the offensive body odour that can result from sweating is something that every woman should be wary of.

The body has 2 main sweat glands called eccrine glands and apocrine glands. Eccrine glands which cover most of your body and are found in larger numbers on the palms, soles, forehead, and armpits. These glands are responsible for heat or physical activity related sweat.This sweat consists mainly of water, with a small amount of salt and lipids mixed in. The sweat cools your skin and helps bring your temperature down.

Apocrine glands are larger and produce the majority of stress-related sweat. They’re found in parts of your body with higher numbers of hair follicles, such as your genital area and armpits. Your underarms secrete approximately 30 times more sweat when you’re under stress than when at rest. Sweat from your apocrine glands tends to be thicker and richer in proteins and lipids. The fats and nutrients in this type of sweat combine with the bacteria that live on your skin, resulting in body odor.

Of the two glands, it is easier to influence the scent of sweat from eccrine glands. This is due to the composition of the fluid which is mostly water unlike the thicker sweat from apocrine glands. While we can mask odours and fragrances on our bodies, I prefer to tackle the odours from the inside out to ensure that I limit the smell instead of trying to limit the sweating. I am not suggesting that you completely stop using deodorant as I still do. 

I recently learnt that Aluminum has been used in deodorant for only 80 years. This means that we are the test subjects in its long-term effects on human beings. I personally still use deodorant with aluminum because I tend to sweat alot and have not been able to find an effective aluminum free deodorant or antiperspirant product in the Netherlands and Amsterdam specifically.   

Battling body odor:

The tips below should greatly reduce the smell of eccrine gland sweat in 1-7 days. Most of these tips will also help with summer related acne as they will help flush your skin out. I have to warn you that doing some of these might result in an initial acne outbreak. I like to relate this to opening a tap after the water has been shut off or after going away for a long vacation. The initial release of water will be brown as the backed up water pours through. I believe that this happens as well in the summer when we start sweating if we haven’t been sweating sufficiently. 

Drink up

This is something that everyone knows but never does. You need to get enough hydrating fluids in. Do not just drink water. This can be dangerous to the body. You can do this by eating water rich fruits (note that I didn’t say drinking the juice, the fiber is very beneficial), drinking infused waters like (herbal) tea and fruit infused water, and drinking sugar free agua frescas. To get in the habit, start by taking a big glass of warm (lemon) water immediately after you wake up. I do not drink lemon water because of its acidic nature and effects on my teeth and esophagus. Your goal should be to have very pale yellow pee. 

Workout

While working out in general is good for you, in this case we need a strong sweat inducing workout. It can be hot yoga, cardio, hiit, weightlifting or anything else but it must be a workout that causes you to sweat, and sweat alot. Make sure to drink plenty of water an hour or two before your workout so that you are adequately hydrated. Make sure to drink up after the workout as well.

Personal hygiene

Make sure to shower and brush your teeth daily and keep your hair smelling good. Create an acidic environment under your armpits and other places that sweat by using an acidic toner. The bacteria living on the skin will not be compatible with the acidic environment and will cause less of an interaction with the sweat from your body. Make sure that you are also cleaning your bedding weekly.