Sweat All You Want--This Shirt Won't Stink

by Michele Cheplic | More from this Blogger

11 Oct 2006 11:59 PM

I have completed four marathons, but I sweated more giving birth to my daughter than in all of the races combined. I don't remember anyone telling me that I smelled bad, but I'm sure I did. It's the same way when you go to the gym... while it may be hard to admit, sometimes deodorant doesn't always work. Enter the newly designed "sweet smelling athletic gear." It promises to emit a pleasant scent... rather than body odor.

Let's face it, sweat smells. Even if you don't hit the gym yourself, if you have boys who play hard, you know they don't return home smelling like fields of lavender. That's where odor fighting athletic clothing fits in. According to fashion experts, the new products are flooding store shelves: "The reason so many companies are selling this now is they've finally perfected the technology and how to apply it into all sorts of garments. Everybody worries about their body odor."

Instead of smelling like an old shoe, the manufacturers of the aroma-infused apparel have come up with a way that allows you to sweat like a farm animal and still smell like peppermint or roses. So, how does this new technology work? According to fragrance specialists, the fabrics contain tiny fragrance capsules and when you "have friction of the textile, the little capsule breaks open and releases the fragrance molecules."

If smelling like a bouquet of freshly picked flowers in the gym doesn't appeal to you (ahem, guys) you may consider athletic wear treated with stench fighters like activated carbon or silver. Adidas has silver-infused tanks and Patagonia has a line of workout shirts that contain amino acids, which claim to beat bacteria. But, do they work? According to Consumer Reports, when volunteers were done working out, their clothes were sweat-free and they didn't smell bad either.

So, what's the price for these sweet-smelling workout items? One piece of odor-fighting athletic apparel averages about $25-$50.

Learn more about Michele Cheplic

Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism.

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