How to Wash Armpit Hair

Co-authored by Danielle Blinka, MA, MPA

Last Updated: February 16, 2022 References

It happened. You caught a whiff of your armpit, and the smell has you running to the shower. You might be worried that your underarms are extra stinky because of your armpit hair, but that’s likely not true. In fact, armpit hair might help you fight the stink by keeping sweat off your skin, as body odor occurs when bacteria on your skin breaks down sweat.^{[1]
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Mayo Clinic
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Go to source} Fortunately, it’s really easy to keep armpit hair clean.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Cleansing with Soap and Water

1
Wet your underarms with warm water. It’s important to wet your skin and armpit hair first so your soap will easily work into a lather. Stand under a stream of running water if you’re taking a shower. If you’re bathing, splash the water under your armpits.^{[2]
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Cleveland Clinic
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- Use warm water because hot water can dry out your skin.
2
Apply a mild soap or cleanser to your underarm area. You can use your normal soap or body cleanser to wash your armpit hair. If you’re using a bar of soap, simply rub it into your armpit hair. If you’re using a liquid cleanser or body wash, squeeze a dollop of the product onto your hand, washcloth, or loofah. Then, swipe it over your armpits.^{[3]
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Mayo Clinic
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- If you experience excessive body odor, you might try an antibacterial soap instead. Only use the soap on your underarms, though, as it can dry out your skin.^{[4]
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  Mayo Clinic
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- If you're out of soap, you can use shampoo to wash your armpit hair in a pinch, as it can also clean skin. However, keep in mind that soap formulated for your body does a better job of cleaning your skin than shampoo does.^{[5]
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3
Massage the soap into your armpit hair with your fingers or applicator. Rubbing the soap into your armpit hair helps remove built-up sweat and deodorant so you smell fresh and clean. Use your fingers, a washcloth, or a loofah to gently massage your armpit hair for a few seconds.^{[6]
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Cleveland Clinic
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- You may notice suds if your product lathers, but this isn’t always the case. Don’t worry if your cleanser doesn’t form bubbles.
4
Rinse away the soap with warm water. Raise your arm and place your armpit under the stream of water if you’re in the shower. If you’re bathing, splash the water under your arm until the soap washes away. You may want to use your fingers to massage the soap out of your hair while you’re rinsing.^{[7]
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Cleveland Clinic
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- If you’re worried your armpits aren’t clean, give them a sniff to see if the smell is still there. You can always wash them a second time if you have stubborn body odor.
5
Pat your underarms dry after you bathe or shower. Make sure you totally dry your armpits after a shower because water might get trapped in your armpit hair. Sometimes this can lead to skin irritation. Use a clean towel to blot away excess water from your bath or shower. Pay special attention to the area around your underarms to make sure it’s dry.^{[8]
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Mayo Clinic
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- If your armpit hair still feels wet after you towel off, you might want to let your underarms air out for a few minutes so the hair has time to dry. How long it takes for your hair to dry depends on the thickness and texture, but it shouldn’t take longer than a few minutes.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Keeping Your Armpits Clean

1
Shower once a day. It doesn’t matter what time of day you shower, so it’s okay to do it when it’s convenient for you. For instance, you might shower before bed if it relaxes you or in the morning if it helps you wake up. Be sure to soap up your armpits, groin, and feet, as these areas tend to get smelly.^{[9]
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Cleveland Clinic
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- You don’t actually need to use soap on your entire body unless you prefer it. You only need to soap areas that get sweaty and moist, which are your armpits, groin, and feet. However, it's okay to soap up your entire body if you only do it once a day. Using soap too often on these areas will dry out your skin.
2
Wash your armpits twice a day if you have body odor or sweat a lot. You probably don’t need to wash your armpits more than once daily, but it’s totally safe to do so if you’re very concerned about body odor. Additionally, you might prefer an extra wash after a tough workout or manual labor. You can use underarm cleansing wipes for an easy option, but you might prefer to take a quick shower instead.^{[10]
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National Health Service (UK)
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- Keep in mind that showering too often can cause dry skin. If you’re showering more than once a day, only soap up areas like your armpits, groin, and feet in your extra shower.^{[11]
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  Cleveland Clinic
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3
Put on clean clothes after you bathe or shower. It's totally normal for your clothes to get a little stinky after you wear them, especially under the arms. Always change into a fresh pair of clothes after you bathe so you don’t have to worry about old odors. Be sure to wash your clothes in a mild detergent before you wear them again.^{[12]
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Cleveland Clinic
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- Even if you don’t have time to shower, changing your shirt will help keep your underarms as clean as possible, since your shirt absorbs your sweat.
4
Wear natural fabrics that absorb sweat so it doesn’t stay on your skin. Fabrics like cotton, wool, and silk soak up sweat better than synthetic fabrics, like polyester or rayon. Since the sweat isn’t sitting on your skin as long, this helps control body odor and sweat build-up on your armpit hair. Check the labels on the clothes you buy to make sure they’re made from natural fabrics.^{[13]
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National Health Service (UK)
Public healthcare system of the UK
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5
Switch to a liquid, gel, or spray antiperspirant-deodorant. While it’s a common problem, you might be annoyed and embarrassed if your antiperspirant-deodorant is leaving a white residue in your armpit hair. Unfortunately, solid stick antiperspirant-deodorant can leave visible clumps behind. To avoid this problem, try a roll-on liquid, gel stick, or spray antiperspirant-deodorant to control sweat and odor.^{[14]
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Research source}
- Liquids, gels, and sprays typically provide better odor protection than solid antiperspirant-deodorants when you have armpit hair because the product can reach your skin under the hair more easily.
- You may need to try several different kinds of antiperspirant-deodorant to see which works best for you. Everyone reacts to each product differently.