Your Guide to Armpit Dress Shields, Garment Guards & Sweat Pads

Fighting armpit sweat can feel like an uphill battle. There are thousands of products on the market that claim to curb your underarm sweating or completely conceal it from the outside world. Armpit dress shields, garment guards, sweat pads — the list is endless. But these products don’t work for everyone. You could easily spend thousands of dollars on failed products and solutions  before finding a product that works.

Protective sweat pads are just one solution out there. Armpit dress shields and garment guards/shields also offer similar protection. But do you know the differences and how they hold up against axillary hyperhidrosis?

How Dress Shields, Sweat Pads & Garment Shields Differ

Sweat pads, armpit shields and garment guards each have distinct features. It's important to understand the differences so you can find the best option for your needs.

Sweat pads and other detachable garment shields are designed to absorb sweat and block the appearance of sweat marks and yellow stains that form when  aluminum-based antiperspirants & sweat make contact with fabric. They differ in how they connect to your clothing, whether they can be washed & their overall shape.

Here are some of the main distinctions:

Sweat Pads

Sweat pads are adhesive cotton pads that stick to the underarm of your clothing or directly to your armpit. They’re typically daily disposable pads intended for one-time use.

The downside of sweat pads.
Because these sweat pads use adhesive, they can leave a permanent sticky residue on your shirts. When experimenting with adhesive sweat pads, it’s best to test the adhesive on a small, inconspicuous area if possible or avoid wearing them with expensive materials.

Sweat pads are not for every sweater. If you sweat excessively in your armpits or suffer from axillary hyperhidrosis, the heavy moisture could loosen the sweat pad. Sweat pads can also cause irritation and skin darkening, so they're not recommended for people with sensitive skin.

Armpit Dress Shields

Like sweat pads, armpit shields are typically cotton pads that cover only the armpit area to soak up sweat before it leaks through to your shirt.

How armpit dress shields work.
While some dress shields have an adhesive strip, most dress shields must be pinned, clipped or sewn into your clothing, which can make inserting them difficult. Some armpit shields can be washed and reused, but disposable adhesive options are also available.

Garment Shields

Also known as garment guards, these protective barriers typically do not require pins or adhesive to secure to your clothing. Instead, they include straps that fasten around the arms, chest and/or torso (unlike dress shields and armpit pads).

Some garment shield options for women also include a vest-like undergarment or bodice that covers the bra for added sweat protection. Garment shields come in short sleeve and regular sleeve options.

How to use garment shields.
Although garment guards are intended to be more secure, they only have straps holding them in place, which can fall down. They also require readjusting throughout the day to make sure they’re completely covering the armpit area. For best results, use additional pins or securing methods to prevent them from moving during everyday activities.

Do they stop sweat?

For light sweaters, dress shields, sweat pads and garment shields can block the appearance of sweat marks and prevent against yellowing. Although these products come in different levels of absorbency, I’ve found that armpit pads and shields don’t work for people with axillary hyperhidrosis like myself — even the pads intended for heavy sweaters. They’re difficult to wear, you’re constantly adjusting them and overall can be a pain. Sweat pads are not a long term, sustainable solution to axillary hyperhidrosis or excessive sweating.

A Better Solution to Axillary Hyperhidrosis

Armpit dress shields, garment guards and sweat pads aren’t standalone options. Garment guard manufacturers also recommend a suite of other products, such as armpit wipes, multiple different shields and sweat pads, prescription antiperspirant. It can get overwhelming to manage on top of the daily stress you already deal with from axillary hyperhidrosis.

You don’t need to spend a ton of money on an arsenal of products to combat your sweat. If you’re looking for sweat proof clothing that has an  integrated sweat barrier (and don’t want to mess with adjusting sweat pads all day), Thompson Tees may be the right solution for you.

The Hydro-Shield underarm barrier traps moisture and releases it as vapor. No sweat marks, yellow stains or fiddling with sweat pads. Just a light, breathable undershirt made from premium combed cotton and rayon from bamboo. Instead of throwing money at subpar products, we’ll let you try a sweat proof Thompson Tee risk-free today. Let us know what you think!