This is One Thing, a column with tips on how to live.

Let’s be honest, we’re all sweating this summer. It’s hot, it’s sticky, and the days are long. The cool gusts of fall air are months away. Luckily, I’ve found something that helps freshen me up in seconds flat.

My friend Kate hipped me to the multitude of uses for this product, and now, I don’t travel without it. I can’t. I won’t. It’s not fancy, expensive, or procured overseas. You can find it at your local drugstore or retail chain. It’s: spray deodorant!

You can apply it to your armpits, of course, but I even spritz it on top of my clothes in the armpit area when I haven’t had a chance to shower in a while. Yes, I add it over the outfit, like a perfume (if your pits wore perfume). Or, it adds an extra layer of protection directly to the underarm when you are out and need a reset.

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In colder weather, you can even try it on the inside of a sweater or a coat after you schvitz too much. I spray the stuff on the soft inner lining of my favorite non-washable jacket, and the body odor is gone—although I can’t guarantee this will go well for all fabrics, so tread lightly and test before dousing anything important.

I prefer Weleda Wild Rose Deodorant Spray, with the old-school pump. My scent becomes transformed from “whoa there” to “herbaceous rose garden.” And who doesn’t want to smell like miles of woody perennials? Deodorant is unlike an antiperspirant because it only aims to improve your smell, not block sweating. The one I use comes out clear, which is important if you’re spraying it around willy-nilly, as I do (although the packaging says don’t use it as an air freshener—this stuff is not meant for universal application or inhalation).

Regardless, I would like to extend a big, non-sweaty thank you to my dear friend Kate. This natural spray deodorant has changed my life, or at least the way I smell.

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