Undershirts for Hyperhidrosis

Undershirts for Men with Hyperhidrosis

If you suffer from excessive sweating from the underarms, or if indeed you’ve opted for ETS surgery and suffer from compensatory sweating, then the undershirt is THE number 1 product you absolutely most definitely have to buy! Perhaps an American tradition, the undershirt has so many uses and looks pretty good with anything. Being a guy from Manchester in the UK, undershirts haven’t really been a resident in my wardrobe over the years, but recently I’ve started to change my dressing habits in favour of this American classic.

There’s a wide range of undershirts you can buy to better manage your hyperhidrosis. You have a choice of material, fit, size, neckline, and obviously price being the main differences.

Material

The main categories of fabric include:

  • Natural – This category includes the standard cotton undershirt only. It’s breathable, light, quite airy, and relatively absorbent. I would recommend this type of undershirt for those of you that suffer from moderate hyperhidrosis. If you regularly drench your t’s or you’re in a situation that you’re expected to sweat more than normal (well more than usual for yourself!) then these shirts are fairly helpful. In addition, if you’re sensitive to chemicals in other undershirts, cotton would be the better choice, being natural and all.
  • Cullulose Based (Rayon) –  Cellulose based fabrics or “Rayon” are derived from the pulp of bamboo or beach wood. The pulp from the wood is processed with different chemicals. The three main names you will see in this category are Bamboo, Modal (Micro-Modal), and Tencel which is a Trademark for Lyocell. Some people get irritated by the chemicals in these undershirts, which is why they choose natural cotton instead. You can buy a variety of sizes, fits, and fabrics but they all are 50% more absorbent than cotton, and they are lighter, softer, and are just as airy as cotton. This undershirt is ideal for those who sweat heavily and aren’t allergic to the chemicals used.
  • Wicker Fabric – The common retail names for this fabric include Dri-Fit, Coolmax, Omni-Dry and others. The idea behind wicker fabric is to transfer your sweat from the surface of your skin to the surface of the fabric. Essentially this is so the sweat dries quicker. This may seem like a good idea but for Hyperhidrosis sufferers who want to use it as an undershirt, it’s not ideal. Think about it, the sweat from the skin needs to evaporate, but it can’t do this while you’re wearing a shirt on top. Because the sweat has got nowhere to go, you’ll see sweat patches appear again. So I’m sorry to say, you’re likely to make the problem worse by wearing one of these shirts as an undershirt. If you’re working out or going for a run then these shirts are perfect! As an undershirt they’re useless.

Fit

Things you should look for here are cut (box or fitted), the style of neck such as Crew Neck, V-Neck, or deep V-Neck, and also length, and flexibility. Something I’ve just recently heard about is the wife beater style. In the UK and being “proper” I knew them only as sleeveless :) If you’re looking for an undershirt to help you with your hyperhidrosis though, wife beaters aren’t for you. There’s no protection on the underarms, which is one of the main areas us primary HH sufferers experience sweating.

Prices

The highest price you’re going to pay for an undershirt will be for the more absorbent Bamboo undershirts. These are of a higher quality and give better protection against sweat. Cotton is the cheapest material and prices for these are anywhere between $3.00 up to $35.00. The price difference relating to the style, cut, fit, and protection it offers (ie. Dress Shields sewn in or whether a sweat protection treatment has been used).

Recommended Sweat Proof Undershirts

There are several undershirts that offer some sweat protection for men however, there are three that really stand out as the leaders in market for me personally. They are Kleinert’s, AdvantageWear, and Silverback Apparel.

Silverback Apparel are the latest undershirt suppliers I’ve tried. Silverback are unique in what they offer in the fact that the protection they offer is in essence double what any other supplier offers. What I mean by that is that their undershirts come with double layer protection under each arm and also on the back! Which is perfect for the heavy sweater and those of you who suffer from excessive back sweating (result of ETS perhaps?).

Silverback have two fabric options available. They include Bamboo, and X-Static. The Bamboo undershirts are naturally anti-microbial and eliminate any odour resulting from sweating, and they contain 65% Bamboo and 35% polyester. The X-Static undershirts are made from 4% pure silver and 96% polyester. The X-Static option is said to eliminate odour, is anti-microbial, and can evaporate sweat much quicker than their standard Bamboo undershirts.
Silverback’s products are on the higher priced side of the market and you can expect to pay between $39.99 and $54.99 depending on style and material choice. If you order in bulk you will get some very good discounts.

AdvantageWear (from Advadri LLC) is another well known supplier of sweat proof undershirts. They sell 100% natural cotton undershirts with Dress Shields sewn in. However, you have a choice of each dress shield strength, with 3 protection levels including light, heavy, and maximum plus. You can choose from either V-Neck or Crew Neck. You can expect to pay between $17.99 and $23.99 depending on the level of protection you choose. There’s also a discount of 10% if you order 3 or more. Amazon.com offers AdvantageWear undershirts and you can save on shipping this way.

AdvantageWear also offer Calvin Klein undershirts with sweat guards sewn in. They are the same choices in style but cost $23.99 for a 3 pack with no sweat guards, and up to $23.99 including the sweat guards. There’s also a range of other products available such as t-shirts, dress shirts, and Dri-fit t’s.

You can’t really talk about clothing for hyperhidrosis without mentioning Kleinert’s. They’ve been around for many years and offer a wide range of products for several excessive sweating issues.

Kleinert’s undershirts are 100% cotton and are treated using something called Fabrapel (or Dry Defense). Fabrapel is said to prevent odour, is anti-microbial, prevents sweat, and it’s breathable. Fabrapel also protects the entire covered area, not just the underarms or back. Kleinert’s offer these undershirts in either V-Neck or Crew Neck style, and come with sweat guards sewn in or without them. You can expect to pay $22.99 without sweat guards, and $24.99 with guards.

If you look at the Kleinert’s products on Amazon you’ll see that they offer a wide range of products including sweat resistant underwear, t’s, dress shirts, body shields, antiperspirants and more. One particular product that may be of interest to you is the Men’s Starter Kit, which includes 24 underarm shields, and an undershirt with sewn in sweat guards. Choice of styles include v-neck or crew, colour choices are black, white, or beige, and you can get it for $33.98.

So, that’s my run down of what’s available from these suppliers. If you have some great experiences with other suppliers or certain products then please let me know.

If this hasn’t given you a complete undershirt brain overload, the Undershirt Guy Blog has even more info on men’s undershirts for you to soak up (no pun intended!).

Hasta la vista sweat stains!!