From his early teenage years, Josh Valdez started sweating more than ever before. At first, he thought this change was normal. His voice had dropped, he had acne on his sensitive skin, and so he thought increased sweating was just another part of growing up. Plus, he knew heavy sweating ran in his family.

But Josh quickly realized he was sweating significantly more than anyone else he knew. It didn’t matter if it was cold outside (and it can get very cold in Ontario, Canada, where Josh was raised and still lives) or if he was sitting at his desk at school. He was always dripping with sweat.

It would take nearly a decade of living with this problem until Josh discovered two important things:

First, that he wasn’t alone. Excessive sweating is a real medical condition that is more common than psoriasis and peanut allergies.

And second, there was a safe and effective treatment available that could keep him dry and improve his overall quality of life.

You can start treating your sweating underarms with Duradry today for just $20.

What It’s Like Living with Hyperhidrosis

A headshot of Joshua Valdez

What Josh has been suffering from is called hyperhidrosis — that’s the medical term for people who uncontrollably and excessively sweat.

Specifically, Josh has primary focal hyperhidrosis, which means he sweats for no apparent reason. It doesn’t matter if he’s at the gym or lying down on the couch playing a video game in an air-conditioned living room.

Josh’s hyperhidrosis is in his armpits (also called axillary hyperhidrosis), but other sufferers may have it in their hands (palmar hyperhidrosis) or feet (plantar hyperhidrosis).

Josh started experiencing hyperhidrosis at a very young age, which made fitting in difficult.

"I was definitely bullied a lot because of how much I sweat..."

“People made fun of my pit stains,” Josh says. “Uniform was mandatory, which meant I could only hide my sweating with dark-colored shirts outside of school hours. And gym class was the worst, as that’s where I would sweat the most and everyone would stare at me.”

Any formal occasion that required dressing up — such as a school dance — was more nerve-racking than enjoyable, so Josh would avoid them to save himself from embarrassment. If he went, he’d always choose to wear a simple black shirt to hide his sweat stains. This sweating problem was always on his mind and affected his daily choices.

Unfortunately, experiencing hyperhidrosis symptoms at a young age is common. According to the results of a survey we ran with nearly 1,300 customers, roughly 54% of responses indicated they started sweating heavily before they turned 18, with almost 30% of them experiencing heavy sweating before age 14.

These social problems — ones of embarrassment, discomfort, and isolation — can continue as you get older. While the bullying eventually leveled off as his peers matured, Josh still couldn’t be himself at work or social gatherings.

“I had a job at a hotel where we’d work different events, and if it was an event where I had to wear a light-colored dress shirt, I’d try to avoid people as much as possible,” Josh says.

This meant not speaking up in meetings and standing far away from co-workers and customers.

How Josh Tried to Fix His Sweating Problem

Throughout his life, Josh has tried several different tactics to stop his sweating.

This included trying dozens of different over-the-counter antiperspirants. The problem is traditional antiperspirants are fine for normal levels of sweat but aren’t strong enough for people who excessively sweat. They don’t use the right active ingredients, so they can’t effectively plug your sweat ducts and block heavy perspiration.

When those failed time and time again, Josh went to his primary care doctor and ended up trying two different prescription antiperspirants — including Drysol.

"Some of the prescriptions did 'technically' help me sweat less, but the side effects were excruciating."

“I would get really painful rashes,” Josh says. “It just wasn’t worth it.”

Josh also tried some of the home remedies that were supposed to curb his sweating problem, like using tea tree oil or baking soda with water.

“I tried all kinds of things. I shaved my armpits thinking that would help me sweat less. I even changed my diet,” Josh explains. “I also increased my water intake, ate almonds, bananas, and lots and lots of vegetables. All because of tips I read online. But nothing worked.”

No matter what Josh tried, he was still dripping in sweat daily.

(Finally) Finding a Solution that Works

Josh came across an ad for Duradry on Instagram. It was clear the message was meant for him — Duradry promised to stop excessive sweating in 3 simple steps.

When he went to our website and started reading reviews, he realized he wasn’t as alone as he thought. Plenty of people experience the same as Josh. And he saw this wasn’t a prescription product or one he had to find in some hard-to-reach store. Instead, it’s available online and ships directly. We also have thousands of genuinely happy customers.

Josh decided to try Duradry because there was no risk. He’d been over-sweating for the past decade. He already wore clothes specifically to help him hide how much he sweats. If Duradry didn’t work just like the other solutions hadn’t worked, then he’d get his money back (we have a 100-day satisfaction guarantee) and continue as he always had.

“Honestly, I thought this was my life going forward. I didn’t think it’d ever change,” Josh says. “In that sense, Duradry has been a real miracle. I never expected it to work so well.”

Three days into using Duradry’s 3-step system, Josh was sitting down and playing a video game. But something was different. His underarms weren’t dripping. Duradry was working!

And it continued to work, without causing any painful side effects whatsoever.

“For the first time in my life, my sweating problem is under control,” Josh tells us. “I can wear what I want in public. I’m more confident at work. I’m more excited to do things.”

How Josh Uses Duradry to Stay Dry

When you purchase Duradry’s 3-step system, you’re getting three individual products that work together to keep you dry.

 

First, there’s Duradry PM. This is our specially designed antiperspirant for people who are suffering from hyperhidrosis. It uses a pure form of Aluminum Chloride, which is one of the most effective active ingredients to fight excessive sweating. (This is because Aluminum Chloride is a small compound that can get deeper into your sweat ducts.)

Duradry PM is an unscented gel that you apply before you go to bed. Generally, we recommend customers apply Duradry PM 2-3 a week or as many times as needed. Josh uses Duradry PM most nights as he has a very severe version of hyperhidrosis.

"Duradry is great because it has fixed my sweating problem, which is completely life-changing."

“Unlike the prescription brands I tried, Duradry doesn’t cause any rashes or irritation. I have sensitive skin, so finding something like Duradry that works without causing any skin irritation was a major surprise,” Josh explains.

Duradry PM is effective and easy on the skin because of two key reasons:

  • We use a 15% concentration of Aluminum Chloride. When Josh was using prescription antiperspirants like Drysol, he was using an antiperspirant with a 20% concentration of Aluminum Chloride. But that’s when the side effects are more likely to occur. The good news is you can use a 15% concentration without losing any of the benefits of Aluminum Chloride.

Next, there’s Duradry Wash. Josh uses Duradry Wash to clean his pores. If he was just cleaning his underarms with normal soap, they may not clean his pores thoroughly enough. This means bacterial, oils, and other residues could remain on his skin and actually block Duradry’s topical antiperspirants.

Lastly, every morning Josh applies Duradry AM. Duradry PM does the heavy lifting, but by using Duradry AM every morning Josh gets an extra layer of protection while also getting a daily deodorant.

Together, those three products make up our 3-step system which has helped 97% of our customers — just like Josh — achieve full dryness within a week. It’s available on our website as a one-time order, or as a subscribe and save.

“Another perk is that Duradry is really easy to get hold of — I have subscribed, so I automatically get refills every few months. This way, I don’t need to worry about ever running out,” Josh says. “It’s delivered in pretty discreet packaging. I don’t need to see a doctor, go to a pharmacy, or worry about my next shipment.”

Going Forward: Living a Life without Worrying about Sweat

Dealing with an excessive sweating problem can be debilitating. When we sent out a survey asking how often hyperhidrosis sufferers think about sweating, more than half of respondents picked “all the time.” 

And nearly 50% of those surveyed said they felt their sweating problem adversely affected their work performance.

Josh knows how this feels. But now that he uses Duradry, he doesn’t have to factor in his hyperhidrosis into his decision-making. And he’s going to college in the fall, which is good timing because he’s more confident than ever.

"Now that I have this under control, I feel like I can live a normal life."

Josh explains, “I can go to conferences and meetings and dress however I want. I can look professional without worrying about the color or fabric of my shirt. I’m more sociable. And I can talk to people without feeling embarrassed. It’s amazing.”

You can start treating your sweating underarms with Duradry today for just $20.