Nothing ruins a great outfit like pit stains. You’re feeling confident, when all of a sudden, you look down and realize those pesky yellow stains under your arms. You find yourself spending the rest of your day holding your arms at awkward angles or worse yet, considering retiring that favorite shirt altogether.  

We've got three at-home pit stain removal tactics for you, as well as a way to avoid yellow pit stains for good. Seriously, there is a solution, and truth be told, it's not that crazy.

First, it helps to identify where those yellow pit stains are really coming from, (in order to avoid them altogether).

Why Do I Have Armpit Stains?

If sweat is colorless, what's causing those unfortunate yellow pit stains? Turns out, aluminum is actually the culprit in the mystery of the yellow pit stains. Many deodorant and antiperspirant brands use aluminum in their products. The aluminum blocks the pores on your skin and prevents perspiration (plenty more on why we’re against that here). On top of stopping a natural detoxifying process, the aluminum has a negative visual effect. When aluminum reacts with sweat, it leaves behind a yellow coloration. If deodorant with aluminum wreaks irrevocable havoc on cotton or polyester, it's worth asking 'what kind of effect does it have on sensitive skin in the underarm region?' 

How to Remove Deodorant Stains?

There’s plenty of tricks out there, but here a few easy ways to get rid of pit stains with items you probably already have at home:

1. Try using a combination of vinegar, baking soda, salt, and hydrogen peroxide. Soak your white shirt in a mixture of vinegar and warm water for around 20 to 30 minutes. While that soaks combine baking soda, salt, and hydrogen peroxide. After you take your shirt out of the vinegar mix, apply the peroxide, baking soda, salt mix to the stained areas. Let it sit again for 20-30 minutes. Finally, you’ll want to wash the shirt in the laundry since you won’t want to smell like vinegar!

2. A little aspirin can save your shirt! Crush up a few aspirins and add them to a bowl of warm water. Submerge the stained area in the concoction and let it sit for a few hours.

3. The number of uses for lemons seems to be almost endless, and we discussed their use as a natural deodorizer in a previous article. As it turns out you can add ‘eliminating stains’ to the list of things this helpful fruit can do. Mix lemon juice and water then use a brush or cloth to rub stained areas.

How to Stop Pit Stains?

Of course, all these great options are reactive, but preventative measures are even better. Switching to aluminum-free underarm products is an excellent first step. No aluminum means the old aluminum-sweat reaction (the one that causes yellowing) won’t occur in the first place. A simple choice in the deodorant department can save you countless trips to the dry cleaners, embarrassing stains, and may even rescue a shirt or two. You may still end up with smudges, blotches, spots from daily life, but hey, that’s what lemons are for!

Now what? Well, if you’re ready to stop staining shirts (and blocking pores) Lavilin carries an array of shirt-saving, pore-freeing products we think you’ll love.