How do you deal with pit stains?

[msimon]

ive tried pretty much everything google has to offer. pre-treat with oxiclean or baking soda and a long soak with detergent worked best for me. but it wasnt really a solution. it got to a point where my shirts eventually get built up with a thick caked on layer of sweat and deodorant.

what stopped this was going to a much stronger 20% aluminium based anti perspirant (note that this is different to a deodorant) to address the issue at its core. i know aluminium based anti perspirant gets a bad wrap, but this stronger stuff actually stopped my sweating. knowing the health concerns, i used it sparingly. i started off applying once every week, then a couple of weeks, then a month. now i can go on several months without it.

You mean potassium aluminium?. The mineral, on the molecular scale is said to be to large to be absorbed into the skin, and its in mineral form not metallic or even close to aluminium oxide.

But to be on the safe side I also use it very sparingly.

 

[mark e]

I've been at the point of holding the razor up to my pits several times over the past couple years, but each time I decide to ask the wife and she is against it. It may just be time to give it a shot. Especially if it keeps my shirts decent longer.

you dont have to shave your pits...just use a trimmer to cut the hair very short...any of the widely advertised/available trimmers will do...wahl, braun, whatever...use the normal blade, and put the shortest guard on it so you dont bite or cut the skin, this will cut it about 1-2mm long---works as well as shaving would, without the razor irritation

 

[swooc]

You mean potassium aluminium?

ah im not sure to be honest. but the active ingredient is aluminium chloride hexahydrate. which i think is the usual active ingredient in everyday antiperspirant. just that 20% is a little stronger than usual.

 

[JFWR]

Manscaping has several benefits. You won’t sweat as much. You won’t need as much deodorant because there is less bacterial build up and the deodorant applies better.

Yeah, but the downside is -10 to your masculinity score.

I am sorry, but manscaping is a weird look on a dude. And if his wife isn't a fan, that isn't good advice - why turn off the woman you're sleeping with? I mean, unless the girlfriend likes it, in which case you're left with Schrodinger's Pits.

 

[ter1413]

Do you wear undershirts? No? Try it.

 

[msimon]

ah im not sure to be honest. but the active ingredient is aluminium chloride hexahydrate. which i think is the usual active ingredient in everyday antiperspirant. just that 20% is a little stronger than usual.

I don't know if your interested but there is what is called potassium alum crystal block that I use because it has nothing in it but the active ingredient. I use after the shower and find it works all day until the next day.

It's not a antiperspirant however.

 

[EZB]

Yeah, but the downside is -10 to your masculinity score.

I am sorry, but manscaping is a weird look on a dude. And if his wife isn't a fan, that isn't good advice - why turn off the woman you're sleeping with? I mean, unless the girlfriend likes it, in which case you're left with Schrodinger's Pits.

Definitely not. if that affects your masculinity, you have serious insecurity. Women like manscaping

 

[JFWR]

Definitely not. if that affects your masculinity, you have serious insecurity. Women like manscaping

I was being somewhat tongue in cheek, but it doesn't strike me as particularly manly to preen over oneself with tweezers, trimmers, and razor blades in order to affect a look of pre-pubesence.

Then again, the main consideration here should be a focus on who cares the most. In this case, the op has articulated his wife finds the idea unsuitable. Unless his mistress is more progressive, he should prioritize the opinion of the woman in his life he cares most about and receives the most attention.

I'm also kidding about the mistress, unless he has one then take everything seriously and hope you're not stuck between the razor and the strop.

 

[dogjaeja]

Have you tried out shirts with a bit more breathing room in the armholes?

I've used a few deodorants in the past that would leave a bit of staining on fabrics if left untreated in the laundry bin for a few days. This summer I started using an antiperspirant (certain dri) to cut down on the sweat in the area, and it doesn't seem to react with clothing fabrics negatively (YMMV). I also wear a beige v-neck undershirt (uniqlo airism micro mesh v-neck, currently OOS). For washing, I just throw in a bit of tide and oxyclean on cold delicate. Pretreat or soak the neck and stained areas if needed.

 

[EZB]

I was being somewhat tongue in cheek, but it doesn't strike me as particularly manly to preen over oneself with tweezers, trimmers, and razor blades in order to affect a look of pre-pubesence.

Then again, the main consideration here should be a focus on who cares the most. In this case, the op has articulated his wife finds the idea unsuitable. Unless his mistress is more progressive, he should prioritize the opinion of the woman in his life he cares most about and receives the most attention.

I'm also kidding about the mistress, unless he has one then take everything seriously and hope you're not stuck between the razor and the strop.

manscaped.com. It's very easy.

 

[An Acute Style]

New suggestion. I teach high school and sweat like a pig.

1) No one has suggested this, but this is what I usually do. Take a 12-16 oz plastic cup, fill with hot water, add in some oxiclean fill to the 1st or 2nd line. Mix. Apply mixture to armpits of shirts. I sometimes leave the shirts in a bag over night (because I don't have time to wash them) or just wash immediately. Either way, works like a charm. I don't have any before and after pictures, but I just took my shirts out of the washing machine an hour ago and they look great.

For really bad stains, I soak the armpits of the shirts in a bucket filled with hot water and oxiclean overnight.

Adding on.
2) Wear looser shirts.

3) Wear an undershirt.

 

[beanmachine314]

Just wanted to come back to this and say that everyone's help was much appreciated, I now have bright white shirts again. To those asking, I do wear undershirts (Uniqlo Airism but I've started slowly switching over to wool undershirts), and I don't have my shirts made nearly as tight as many people (I'm a fan of the looser, but not baggy look), my custom measurements are quite a bit larger than Spier and Mackay's OTR measurements, but I really like my arm measurements as I've found the perfect balance between range of motion and not being too baggy and I can roll up my sleeves without them being too tight or so loose they fall down. Unfortunately COVID has made most of my shirts a bit tighter than they once were (damn that beer delivery), and I probably will loosen up things on my next batch of shirts (or maybe try to lose some weight faster).

Anyway, I did almost everything people recommended here. Soaking in Oxi-Clean overnight was one of the biggest helps. Shirts came out of the laundry looking like new. I also tried trimming back the hair and I'm very much enjoying it. Wife doesn't really care anymore and it doesn't feel like a Louisiana swamp all the time anymore. Also, it's not hard to maintain, which I am a big fan of. Just wanted to give a big thanks to everyone who helped.