Most people with hyperhidrosis will initially try simple measures to control their excessive sweating, often to no avail. Dusting powders like cornstarch and talcum powder may help for a very short while, but the sweating can often be so profuse as to wash the powder away. Many people have tried regular spray or roll-on antiperspirants, astringent solutions such as aluminum acetate or aluminum sulfate (Domeboro™) to soak their feet or hands. Others may try stronger aluminum containing preparations, such as 6% aluminum chloride in alcohol (Xerac™ AC), which is mild enough to use under the arms and is available on prescription, or 20% Drysol™, which requires a prescription, and may be more irritating to the skin. These are used once a day, applied to the affected skin when dry, usually at night; with regular use, they may not be needed as often. These aluminum compounds all tend to cause the sweat in the ducts to solidify, plugging up the sweat pores. This may cause rashes, stinging sensations and irritation, thus they should not be used on recently shaved, irritated or broken skin.

Other people have tried a variety of natural or herbal products with varying degrees of success. Some of the various herbal treatments that have been suggested by others include chamomile for its relaxing property, which may help prevent the anxiety that may worsen hyperhidrosis, and valerian or St. John's wort, but there are few scientific studies to show if these truly help.

Many people learn to avoid situations that may worsen their sweating, like meeting new people, public appearances or public performances, or even dining out, as there is a condition known as gustatory sweating, which often occurs in diabetics with autonomic neuropathy, where they sweat profusely when chewing. A similar situation occurs with Frey's Syndrome (Harper KE, Spielvogel RL, Frey's syndrome, Intl. Journal of Dermatology 1986 25:524-526), where there has been damage to the parotid salivary gland and its nerve supply, that causes sweating and flushing. These people may use topical medications such as a 2% glycopyrrolate Robinul® cream compounded by a pharmacy, (May JS & McGuirt WF, Frey's syndrome: treatment with topical glycopyrrolate, Head and Neck 1989 11:85-89) or 0.5% glycopyrrolate cream, (Shaw JE et al, A randomized controlled trial of topical glycopyrrolate, the first specific treatment for diabetic gustatory sweating, Diabetologia 1997 40:299-301) to treat their hyperhidrosis and flushing when eating.

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