Aisling on Beauty: Great deodorants for Sweaty Bettys

Horses sweat, men perspire and women merely glow?

Forget all about the women who “merely glow”, because today we are going to discuss the women who sweat like horses.There are many out there, and the arrival of hot, sticky summer weather is enough to strike fear into the heart of any woman who has learned that a tight grey T-shirt is her mortal enemy.

Such a garment – and, indeed, any top that is tight in the underarm area – will instantly show up damp patches if you are prone to perspiration.

The worst-case scenario is this damp patch drying out and becoming ringed with a white line of salty shame, which may as well have an arrow pointing at it screaming: “Look at me. I sweated all over my new top.”

The more you worry about this, the worse it will get. Celebrities will not even dream of walking the red carpet without a hefty dose of Botox in the armpit area, and while this option is open to anyone who suffers badly from sweating, it is best to try topical products before going down this route.

A few years ago I was on medication that had a lot of side effects, but the one that kicked my self-confidence to the kerb was excessive sweating. I could cope with the nausea, the headaches and the palpitations, but the fact that I sweated through my bridesmaid’s dress at my friend’s wedding is a horror that will stay with me forever.

I tried Driclor. That lasted about 20 minutes as I writhed around screaming: “It burns!” I scrubbed it off and threw it in the bin.

I tried every deodorant marked "maximum strength" and found that, by and large, own-brand deodorants didn't do the business; men's brands, especially Right Guard, were often stronger than women's; and no-nonsense Sanex and Vaseline were the best unisex offerings.

Salvation finally came in the form of stick deodorants. Mitchum Advanced Women didn't leave any white marks and kept everything dry. Sure Maximum Protection 48 Hour is applied at night after your shower; there is no need to apply deodorant the next day and you will stay dry. Garnier Mineral 48hr Ultra Dry Ultimate Protection was the first super-strength aerosol I found that actually worked as well as the sticks.

• amcdermott@irishtimes.com 
• Twitter @aismcdermott