Dear Jellybean,
I have a huge problem. I sweat. I'm not talking normal under the armpit or sport-related sweating... I'm talking sweating when I'm nervous. In the movies the other day, my crush grabbed my hand, and got disgusted when he saw that it was all sweaty. Especially with my new crush, just being near him makes my palms sweat. When exams come along, right before (of course I"m stressed out) my palms start sweating like crazy. What can I do to stop this or change this? It's really embarrassing.
-Sweaty girl
Dear Sweaty girl,
This is not as rare a problem as you might think. Stress is a common cause of perspiration, and tons of people get sweaty-palmed when they're close to someone they're crushing on. So don't think you're unusual - you're not. And the even better news is, you can totally do something about your problem.
First, you might not know this but, you can wear anti-perspriant on your hands! The key is using "anti-perspirant", and not "deoderant". Here's the difference: Deodorants cover up bad smells with good ones, and anti-perspirants reduce the amount you sweat. If your major problem is smelliness, you use a deoderant. If you suffer more from wetness, and that sounds like your problem, then you should use an anti-perspirant.
There are a few other things you can do, too, to keep your sweatiness to a minimum. They are as follows:
Wash daily with an antibacterial soap, like Dial or Lever 2000. These soaps reduce the number of bacteria that live on your skin, which cuts back on the amount you will sweat during the day.
Use anti-perspirant on any area of your body that normally gets sweaty - armpits, palms, soles of feet, etc.
After your morning shower or bath, dust your underarms and anywhere else on your body that you sweat with talcum powder. Talcum powder absorbs sweat to keep you drier and prevent sweat-causing bacteria from growing.
Cut your caffeine intake. Cola, coffee, tea, chocolate and other foods and drinks containing caffeine make the sweat glands more active. If you eliminate all caffeine from your diet, you should notice a difference in the amount that you sweat.
Eat a generally balanced diet and drink lots of water. Drinking lots of water (about eight regular-sized glasses a day) will keep your body temperature better regulated, so you'll need to sweat less.
