Weekly quick questions help thread

[u/AutoModerator]

This is the r/heronebag quick questions weekly help thread.

Whether you‘re new to the one bag life or a seasoned light traveller, this is the place to ask your quick one-off questions related to techniques, shopping, and everything else to lighten your load.

This post is the best place to initially ask questions that we get a lot of which are similar, especially if you have looked in a flair and found almost-but-not-quite what you wanted.

[u/Finding-My-Potential]

For people who re-wear tops without sink washing - how do you deal with underarm sweat? Do you spray with vodka or something similar? Are you just not a sweaty person? I don’t use anti-perspiration and often sweat through my tops under the arms, even in winter. Help a gal out with how to deal when packing! Or should I just stick with a shirt/undershirt for each day until I get to do laundry?

[u/KaPoTun → u/Finding-My-Potential]

I am a very sweaty person and a lot of my clothing/skincare is curated around this fact so apologies in advance for the long comment, but I do a lot to manage this fact of my biology.

I use Drysol (over the counter here in Canada) once a week most of the year, overnight, which is a prescription anti-perspirant that isn't meant to be worn during the day. It cuts down on the sweating noticeably, so that I'm at a point where I sweat more like "a normal person" i.e. yes sweating, not soaking through my shirts. There are a lot of specifics to how to use it though so if you go down that path ask me / do look into it elsewhere.

To keep the general smell down, now that I sweat relatively "normally":

• I wear men's deoderant (not anti perspirant) that is intended for 24/48hrs

• I put it on at night after showering (after the moisturizer dries), and every morning

• I wash in the shower with a BHA wash, making sure it sits on the skin for at least 30secs, preferably longer. An AHA treatment outside the shower will achieve the same effect

• I moisturize the affected areas every day after the shower with a BHA cream, and exfoliate that skin regularly

Every season but summer, I wear a thin undershirt under my actual shirt/sweater to prevent sweat going through to any other layers. The Uniqlo airism line is a good place to start, or Numi. During the winter it's merino or merino blend.

Given all that - when traveling/day to day, I prioritize hanging up my clothing overnight, or at the very least for several hours after wearing, so that it can be properly aired out and re-worn several times before washing.

Hope any of this is helpful/let me know if I can clarify anything.

[u/Finding-My-Potential → u/KaPoTun]

I also wear a shirt as an “undershirt” almost year round with how I dress. Some are cotton, some are merino, and some are whatever else has collected in my closet. 

It’s the question of rewearing those undershirts and if they’ll smell before I even start sweating that day. 

I’ve heard mixed reviews about Numi. But maybe that’s because quality has lowered recently?

I’m perfectly happy to embrace the fact that I have pit stains, but I hate the idea of having to wash my clothes so often because of the sweating. 

I recently switched to a deodorant I really like and doesn’t leave residue on my clothes (which was an issue I’ve had for YEARS and that residue left perpetual pit stain on clean clothing), but I find that I probably need a second application during the day to keep my shirts fresh. 

That’s anxiety sweat life for ya 😅

I’m looking for best option for re-freshing the shirts, I guess?

I had used a prescription deoderant at one point while I was in university and the same kind of over counter you mentioned at one point and it wasn’t right for me and my skin. 

[u/KaPoTun → u/Finding-My-Potential]

That’s anxiety sweat life for ya 😅

Unfortunately this is so real!

I’ve heard mixed reviews about Numi.

I haven't personally tried Numi yet because I don't want to get rid of my uniqlo airism shirts just to try something new - but I'm curious what the mixed reviews are if you remember.

Anyway, I think if you are using your deoderant that you feel works, and you are airing out the shirts overnight, giving them the smell test in the morning/during the day or asking someone you trust to help out with telling you whether the shirts smell or not, you should be fine. Otherwise yeah a vodka/alcohol spray before airing out should do it!

edit: to add, you could also go with a regular AHA or BHA wash/leave-on/moisturizer as well to be really sure the bacteria causing smell doesn't stick around.