Editor’s note: We’ve updated this story to reflect that Amazon Prime Day is offering an exclusive deal on this detergent that our editorial assistant (an Equinox instructor) loves. Just click on the coupon located underneath the product name to unlock the deal!
As an immensely hygienic person, the number of personal care products I have is astonishing, and also a little concerning. Ever since we started working—and working out—from home, I’ve continued to shower frequently, wear natural deodorant, and launder my clothes in a timely manner. I also adhere to the cardinal rule of workout clothes: Never rewear before you wash. So you’d think that my gear smells pretty okay, right? Wrong.
I was a field hockey player for about six years during school. I dealt with sweaty shin guards, gross mouth guards, and team uniforms I accidentally left in my gym bag for a week. Once my days of being an athlete were behind me, I thought my smelly clothes were too. Nope! I’ve kept up an active lifestyle, and with that comes continual loads of smelly sports bras, leggings, and shorts.
I tried normal detergent, “sport” detergent, heavily fragranced detergent, extra spin cycles, an extra rinse cycle (all costing me $$$ at the store and the laundromat), and was almost ready to throw in the sweaty towel until I came across Hex Performance detergent.
Hex Performance is a brand that aims to solve the problem of stinky, sweaty clothes through a little bit of chemistry. Most laundry detergents work thanks to surfactants, which are chemicals that break down and help separate things like oil and dirt from your clothes so they can be washed away easily, SELF explained previously. The surfactants in most detergents also happen to be anionic, meaning they have a negative charge, Rigoberto Advincula, Ph.D., professor of macromolecular science and engineering at Case Western Reserve University, tells SELF. But according to Hex, its detergents are cationic, meaning they have a positive charge.
“Most living organisms have a negative—or anionic—charge,” Advincula says. “The cationic surfactant destroys the surface of bacteria, and removes bacteria and dirt. In that way, cationic surfactants are also antibacterial.”
So it all can kind of be chalked up to the way opposites attract: The cationic molecules in this detergent work to pull out the anionic sweat and bacteria particles in our clothes like a magnet. I can’t confirm exactly what’s happening behind the scenes, but I can really tell a difference in how clean and nonsmelly my clothes emerge after I wash them with Hex, compared to detergents I’ve used in the past.
I started using the Hex laundry detergent when I became a professional indoor cycling instructor about two years ago. I was doing workouts five days a week and teaching between two and four cycling classes each week, so I needed a detergent that was going to get the job done. My mom told me about Hex, and I trust her with my life, so I tried it out and never went back.
My favorite Hex laundry detergent, oddly enough, is the fragrance-free option. I have sensitive skin—even nonsynthetic fragrances like essential oils often leave me with rashes and irritation. With the fragrance-free formula, I don’t have to worry about irritation, and I also know there aren’t any added fragrances masking the sweat smell. In other words, I know that it actually works.
The detergent is pretty concentrated and pours like water, so you need only about a capful for a normal-size load. Although I use cold water for activewear, HEX works with any water temperature. And if you’re environmentally conscious like me, it’s worth knowing that the detergent is biodegradable and comes in a recyclable bottle.