my dd (12) underarms smell really bad

[fishfacedcow]

Really really really bad.

We've tried antiperspirant and deodorant. We've tried holing all her clothes.
We've tried halo sport wash and goldshield laundry additive.

We've tried washing her pits every day.

What should our next move be?

Doctors?

[redhat]

Washing her armpits every day should be a minimum. If she smells then she needs to be showering a couple of times a day surely?

[SavoyCabbage]

Is she having a shower every morning and wearing clean clothes every day? I've just lived in a hot country and in the summer you would need to shower before work/school, then when you came home and often before bed too. And my oldest had to have a clean uniform every day.

Mitchum deodorant is supposed to be really good.

[expatinscotland]

Wash with anti-bac soap. Dettol makes a bar soap that's anti-bac for sensitive skin.

[fishfacedcow]

She usually has a bath every other day. With pit washing every day. I read somewhere that too much Ashington can make the situation worse as the body over produces oils to make up for the oils that are washed away.

[Treetopchallenger]

Smell her armpits when she comes out of the bath to make sure they are actually clean then.

[megletthesecond]

I'd encourage her to shower every day, possibly twice if sporty or hot weather, and change pj's every day too.

[hooge]

The shower/bath really needs to be every day. Does she also put on a fresh shirt every day? Are the dirty shirts washed every day before the sweat has chance to stain?

[Micah]

I think if she's washing daily and using anti-perspirant then it might be time to see the Dr to rule out any metabolic issues that can cause body odour.

Is it just her pits? All the time or just toward the end of the day?

[GastonsPomPomWrath]

You can buy a product from the chemist to sort that out. It's a clear gel. It is expensive but worth it. Can't remember the name but if you go in and quietly explain they'll be able to help you.

[ijustwannadance]

Assuming in secondary school her blazer will most likely need a wash too.
Do you have a sgower in your home? If so it would be better if she had a shower each morning rather than a sink wash. Just tie hair up if it doesn't need washing.

Mitchum anti perspirant is great

[Badders123]

My 12 year old sons BO could strip pine
We've had to make him shower every day (used to be every other) and I might look into getting him some Mitchum deo
I also have to air his bedroom every morning too - whatever the weather!
It's puberty
It sucks for them and those that have to smell it
Bedding washed weekly now too

[19bigmomma79]

In 99.9% of cases, the sweat isn't causing the odour (the other 0.1% refers to ultra-rare metabolic disorders).

Fungal growth on the skin, which doesn't wash away in the shower, emits a nasty niff when it comes into contact with perspiration. Within a few hours, the BO smell can become really strong. It's becoming a more common problem since we all started washing at lower temperatures, doing mixed loads, and also since laundry liquid became more popular. The lower temperatures don't kill the bacteria and fungi in the wash load and liquids don't contain the bleaches that powders do. Our mums and grans used to wash at 60 degrees and do a weekly boil wash, killing any mould in the machine, so never had this problem. So, if there's even a little mould hiding at the back of the machine drawer; or, if one person in the house has athlete's foot, or has left something damp in the wash hamper (or a damp sports kit bagged up for a week) and it gets bunged in with everything else on a 30 degree cycle, it results in a nice warm bacterial/fungal soup for the clothes to slop around in. They remain in clothes and will happily colonise the rest of your jumper drawer in no time. Fungal spores are opportunistic little boogers and underarms are the perfect place for them to breed...

Best advice? For your dd, try an antifungal body wash, cream or powder. Artnaturals do a good tea tree body wash on Amazon, £13.95 for half a litre. A visit to the GP would be needed for the cream/powder. There are good OTC creams from the chemist, but as this is for a child (and I'm new here) I'm not going to recommend anything.

If your washer sounds the likely source of the problem, it can be remedied easily. A washing machine treatment can be bought from the supermarket, but run it at 90 degrees and ensure you don't just clean the powder drawer, but also the compartment it slots into. Running a 90 deg wash once a month will help maintain a clean machine. Halo Sports Wash (approx £6.80/litre) is an excellent liquid detergent containing antibacterials and antifungals, can be used just for sportswear and socks or add 30ml to your normal detergent. I prefer Goldsheild Laundry Additive (approx £23/litre). Although pricey, it provides antifungal and antibacterial protection for up to ten washes, to NHS standard. Only takes a small squeeze in the fabric softener drawer, plus it's ten-wash protection means you don't to need add it to every load. So a litre lasts AGES. Essential if there's a poorly person in your household.

I'm an ex-nurse, retired due to disability, so advice comes from a (fairly) informed basis . Hope this helps and good luck

[passportmess]

Thank you bigmomma. Great information there.

[SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius]

I use the Mitchum unperfumed antiperspirant, and it works really well for me. I use my own choice of perfume or body spray on top.

[19bigmomma79]

NB. Sorry if wasn't clear - I'd continue with the Halo and Goldsheild, but in conjunction with a washing machine treatment and the antifungal wash/cream/powder.

New round here...got lots to get used to!

[Gatekeeper]

This has been around since the seventies but try washing morning and night with Shield soap. Proper washing though, with her rubbing the bar of soap into her pits. You can buy it at Home bargains and it is excellent at tackling my whiffy premenopausal pits

[19bigmomma79]

Thanks passportmess. Makes me feel a little better