Teenage dd sweating and school uniform

[thenewaveragebear1983]

I'd be interested in some advice on this. My teen dd (nearly 14) has a bit of an issue with body odour. Or rather, I have an issue with it because she doesn't seem to notice it. She wears a white shirt to school and a blazer, and after school they both absolutely reek of body odour. I have now just washed the blazer but I think the shirts will have to be binned as the smell is 'in the fabric' and I cannot get it out. As soon as her body heat warms the fabric this very strong smell permeates.

I have removed any polyester shirts from her wardrobe leaving only the 100% cotton, but her blazer is polyester and they have to wear them all the time. She also walks 40 minutes to school and back, wearing the blazer.

I really struggle to get her to shower regularly, she will not do it without being told (she has never in 14 years autonomously gone for a shower), but she does have one at least every other day. I always make sure she has deodorant on before she leaves for school, but it doesn't seem to help. She is at a new high school since September and I worry that other kids are going to say she smells.

Any advice for a) deodorants that might be more effective and help reduce the sweating and b) how to get the sweat smell out of the clothes?? Especially the blazer?

[dementedpixie]

Does she use antiperspirant rather than just a deodorant ? I bought a Dr Beckman spray that's supposed to get smells out. Don't know how good it is. Can the blazer be washed too ?

[dementedpixie]

I got this in Morrison's i think

[DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen]

A daily shower needs to be non negotiable. There would be a removal of phone/ WiFi off / not going out until this happens.

I think vinegar removes whiffy smells from clothes.

Soap and not shower gel,it's far more effective.

Trial and error with antiperspirant but I like Right Guard.

[dementedpixie]

Where is the picture?

[JustMeeAgain]

Aluminium based deodorant stop excessive sweating so reduces stinky bacteria build up. I recommend driclor, you only have to apply it every few days. I would also have a stern chat about personal hygiene because other kids will notice and she may be bullied because of it.

White vinegar to soak on stinky clothes before washing should also get rid of the odour.

[DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen]

And use Bio detergent.

[LegoCaltrops]

Soap instead of shower gel (there's a big thread about it somewhere, don't know why but it really helps).

I use biological powder in the washing machine as a pre-wash, then non-bio. I even soak some bio into any stained or especially stinky bits & let them just sit for a while before I set the machine going - It's pretty good for getting body fluid stains & smells out, even if you can't actually wash them (e.g. baby sick on the carpet).

No idea about deodorant, hopefully someone else will!

[hugoagogo]

Triple dry helped here.

[LadyMarmyLard]

Try a deodorant/anti perspirant called Mitchum, it really works.

[LoniceraJaponica]

It was having to keep the blazer on all day that caused DD's perspiration issues.:

Wash school shirts at 60 degrees with bio powder
Use Triple Dry anti-perspirant
Shower every day and use soap, not shower gel for the armpits. Most shower gels leave a film on the skin so anti-perspirant won't work properly

[WildRosesGrow]

With my teenage daughter, what worked was an insistence on daily showering, then talc and Mitchum roll on deodorant. As long as she sticks to this, then she doesn't smell sweaty any more.

[DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen]

Talc then roll on sounds like a recipe for boils/ blocked pores!

[TheCraicDealer]

Use soap instead of shower gel, and get her a shower cap and remind her she probably only needs to wash her hair every other day. The washing and drying of the hair might be why she’s not bothered about showering, but a soapy rinse will take less than five minutes.

[dementedpixie]

Mitchum roll on takes about 3 days to dry! I don't rate it that much tbh. Some if the garnier minerals ones are good

[WildRosesGrow]

Not sure why you think talc and deodorant would lead to boils? Talc just helps make sure your skin is dry and obviously deodorant to stop you sweating. FWIW I've never had a boil.

[Ilovewheelychairs]

White vinegar soak the armpits of the blazer and shirts before washing and that will get the smell out of the fabric. Mitchum deodorant/anti perspirant works best for me, but is a bit trial and error as every person is different.

[Maverick66]

Definetely bar of soap rather than shower gel.
I have a problem with whiffy armpits even though I shower twice a day.
However after reading thread about soap versus shower gel I am converted .

[DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen]

Not sure why you think talc and deodorant would lead to boils?

Because one's a solid and one's a liquid so you're making a paste that can block pores. Anyway if it works,that's great

[thenewaveragebear1983]

Wow, thanks all for your replies!

She does need to shower every day, I know, but it can actually be quite difficult to get her to actually do so. Also when she's in there, I don't know how effectively she actually washes. She has Afro hair which doesn't respond well to daily washing so yes, shower cap might help.

Even in the days she does shower in the morning, her blazer still emanates this smell. I am convinced it's in the fabric and the heat and polyester combo just react together.

I will definitely try bar soap not shower gel, would any brand be ok? I don't think we've ever used a bar of soap but I am sure I have some that were Christmas gifts etc. Will dig one out.

The shirts in 60* wash with bio I already do. I think I might need to bin the man made ones and get new cotton ones. The blazer can be washed at 40 as its polyester but I'm reluctant to use extra stuff in it in case it fades it- it was really recognise and we've only had it since September!

I'll try all the tips thanks. Hopefully if we can eradicate the smell from the clothes and then reduce future sweating, that will help. She isn't bothered by it, or doesn't seem to be at least. It sounds awful but perhaps if someone at school did say something that might make her a bit more proactive. I don't like the idea if removing privileges/wifi etc but I have been trying to encourage her to be more hygienic for years. I've posted many times before. She literally has zero concept of managing this herself, she just will not do it or 'forgets' every day. I had to brush 6 weeks worth of dreadlocks out of her hair before school went back and that's even though she has apparently combed it every day and washed it regularly. She just does it really badly.

[Believeitornot]

Do you have similar hair to her?

If not, as someone with hair like hers, I would help her with it because it's bloody difficult. All of my peers with similar hair had family help - it was a bit of a family ritual to have your hair done on a Sunday (along with all of your cousins ). Make sure she has decent products.

As for washing, this isn't something to be encouraged. It's to be enforced!! Write up rules for her to follow each day as part of getting ready. THat includes washing.

Also wash her blazer regularly. You can use a gentle setting. You will not kill the smell otherwise. Also look at investing in "sweat catchers" to be put on the inside of her arms in the blazer. They stop sweat getting in and ruining it. I use these for work jackets

Turn her blazer inside out to air and use febreeze.

As a teenager I had epic sweat problems. Mitchum was the only thing that helped me.

[hippyhippyshake]

Make sure the shirt isn't tight! Dd2 had this problem with the fitted school blouses around the upper arms and armpits. We bought a bigger size which was more comfortable and although the problem didin't disappear it was noticeably less.

[Passthecake30]

Try spraying the blazer liberally on the armpits with white wine vinegar before it goes in the wash, it helps for my smelly polyester.

Also she should try washing with soap, rinsing, and then washing again. Sometimes I need to wash twice as the first soap still leaves a smell...