There’s a lot that goes into smelling nice, as we explained in this post on secrets of men who always smell good. Clean laundry, deodorant, oral hygiene and even your diet. Another important factor when it comes to body odor is the clothes you wear.   

Even if you are careful to always wear clean, fresh smelling clothes, some types of clothing can cause or worsen BO. So if you want to stay fresh all day long, here are the best clothes to wear to reduce and prevent body odor. 

Choose Natural Materials  

In a post on why some clothes smell sweatier than others, we broke down the science of why your gym and sportswear stinks to high heavens. It’s not just because you sweat a lot. If you have a shirt made from polyester or nylon, you’ll also notice it gets a funky odor easily, even when you don't sweat much. 

It’s because synthetic fabrics hold onto the fatty compounds in sweat that causes it to smell. Sometimes, these compounds can remain even after a wash, which is why your gym clothes can still smell sweaty after laundering them.

Synthetic fabrics like nylon and polyester also tend to attract the kind of bacteria that cause a worse odor. 

That’s why we recommend wearing natural fabrics whenever you can. These include cotton, linen, wool, bamboo, silk and hemp. 

Wear Moisture-wicking Clothes

Sweat staying on your skin too long can worsen your body odor. You want clothes that keep your skin dry, no matter how hot it gets. Moisture-wicking clothes are the best at this. They collect sweat from your skin and transport it to the outside of the fabric, where it quickly evaporates. 

Most natural fabrics are moisture wicking with the exception of cotton. Cotton is moisture-absorbing. It will absorb sweat from your skin but then hold onto it because it dries slowly. So it stays damp with sweat for a long time. 

While cotton does not stink as much as polyester, it can cause a bit of an odor if it stays sweaty. You’ll also feel uncomfortable. 

By the way, synthetic fabrics like polyester and nylon are excellent at wicking away sweat. It’s why most gym clothes and activewear are synthetic. The problem is that they stink easily. But in situations like the gym, hiking or sports where some body odor is expected, you can wear them.  

On Hot Days, Wear Lightweight Clothing to Maximize Breathability

It doesn't matter if you are wearing the most moisture-wicking fabric on a hot day. If it’s too heavy, it’s going to make you hot, sweaty and smelly. 

So even as you pick natural fabrics, keep them light. Lightweight clothing allows air to easily flow over your skin, cooling and carrying away sweat. This keeps you comfortable, reduces sweat and keeps away unpleasant smells.   

On the same note, avoid overdressing especially in a way that you cannot remove some layers of clothes. If you are not sure what the weather is going to be like, dress in two or three lightweight layers that you can easily take off and put back on. You don't want to end up baking in a long sleeved flannel shirt that you can’t take off.

Get Antibacterial Clothing 

Natural fabrics can help keep body odor at bay. If you want complete assurance that you’ll smell fresh all day, get antibacterial clothing like our Hercleon HercShirt. 

Antibacterial clothes kill off any odor-causing bacteria. So even when you sweat, there’s no body odor (sweat is odorless, it’s bacteria that make it smell).