Underarm liners, the main alternative to antiperspirants, absorb underarm sweat

SWEAT

SWEAT is an OLN/TSN show hosted by Julie Zwillich that aired in 2003-2004.Each of the 13 half-hour episodes of SWEAT features a different outdoor sport: kayaking, mountain biking, ice hockey, beach volleyball, soccer, windsurfing, rowing, Ultimate, triathlon, wakeboarding, snowboarding, telemark...

 before the sweat reaches clothing. No artificial chemicals are used. The liners are applied directly to clothing. Underarm liners can eliminate armpit stain

Stain

A stain is a discoloration that can be clearly distinguished from the surface, material, or medium it is found upon. Stains are caused by the chemical or physical interaction of two dissimilar materials...

s sometimes caused by chemicals in antiperspirants. Underarm liners are also known as underarm shields, underarm pads, sweat guards, and dress shields.

History

For centuries, bathing

Bathing

Bathing is the washing or cleansing of the body in a fluid, usually water or an aqueous solution. It may be practised for personal hygiene, religious ritual or therapeutic purposes or as a recreational activity....

 was far from common in many parts of the world. Heavy colognes were used to mask body odour. Not until the late nineteenth century did chemists develop products that prevented the formation of body odours. Early antiperspirants included creams, solids, pads, dabbers, roll-ons, and powders. Today, anti-perspirant sticks are most common. But an older form of sweat protection, underarm liners, never went away.

Reusable underarm liners

Today's underarm liners include the traditional reusuable (or washable) products. But they also include newer, disposable products. Reusable liners are used by women only since the liner secures to the underarm area of the garment via an adjustable strap on a bra. Reusuable liners consist of double ply cotton

Cotton

Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....

 on one side and either a nylon

Nylon

Nylon is a generic designation for a family of synthetic polymers known generically as polyamides, first produced on February 28, 1935, by Wallace Carothers at DuPont's research facility at the DuPont Experimental Station...

 or vinyl

Vinyl

A vinyl compound is any organic compound that contains a vinyl group ,which are derivatives of ethene, CH2=CH2, with one hydrogen atom replaced with some other group...

 barrier on the other side. The cotton side rests on the actual skin of the armpit while the vinyl or nylon rests on the clothing as the final barrier, preventing any sweat from reaching the woman's garments.

Disposable underarm liners

Disposable liners are offered to both men and women. The thin liner is a "peel and stick" product the user places directly onto the inside of the garment. One side of the liner consists of a plastic barrier with a layer of purposely formulated glue

Glue

This is a list of various types of glue. Historically, the term "glue" only referred to protein colloids prepared from animal flesh. The meaning has been extended to refer to any fluid adhesive....

. The other side of the liner is the absorbent side. Constructed with air-laid paper

Air-laid paper

Air-laid paper is a textile-like material categorized as a nonwoven fabric made from fluff pulp.-Properties:Compared with normal wet-laid paper and tissue, air-laid paper is very bulky, porous and soft...

, it rests against the skin of the armpit and absorbs the moisture.