A skin expert has revealed most people are using deodorant incorrectly, meaning it’s less effective and you may be using too much. Dermatologist Dr Lindsey Zubritsky from Mississippi explained her “hack” for the best way to use deodorant.
Issuing the advice on her TikTok channel, Dr Zubritsky said: “Skincare hacks I will absolutely not be gatekeeping anymore. If you’re not applying your deodorant at night time, you’re doing it wrong.”
In the video, which has now amassed more than 600,000 views, she explained: “At night time, our sweat glands are less active. Therefore, it absorbs the antiperspirant more effectively.”
Deodorants are designed to neutralise odour without affecting sweating, whereas antiperspirants often use aluminium-based compounds to block sweat glands and reduce perspiration.
Dr Zubritsky suggested antiperspirants are more effective when applied at night due to the body’s natural cooling as it prepares for sleep – a process driven by the increased production of melatonin.
Melatonin is a natural hormone mainly produced by the pineal gland in the brain and regulated by our sleep-wake cycle, which means it’s influenced by light exposure.
Your pineal gland releases the highest levels of melatonin when there’s darkness and decreases melatonin production when you’re exposed to light.
Applying deodorant or antiperspirant at night, in sync with the rise in melatonin, may enhance their effectiveness in controlling sweat and odour from sweat glands.
Reacting to the dermatologist’s tip, one TikTok user wrote: “I was told I was weird for putting deodorant on at night so thank you for this.”
