My daughter always stinks of BO!

[Thedarksideofthemoon30]

My dd13 suffers with really bad BO. She had a shower this morning and has had to have another. It’s so bad it goes through her shirt onto her school blazer. We’ve tried mitchim (?) and it was working but doesn’t seem to anymore. We are currently using a spray (can’t remember name but something like sure).

It’s so bad and she says she washes properly. She’s in there long enough!

We originally caught her wearing a scabby bra that I thought I had thrown away that absolutely stunk!

It’s been thrown away now.

I had to wash her coat yesterday bevause it stunk so bad.

It’s driving me insane!

What can I do?

Dettol Laundry wash

Bar soap

Shave pits

Sure Max

DD age 13 still hums but these things have reduced it significantly. It's definitely hormonal in part, too.

Spraying down coats / jackets between wears and putting them out to air helps. I also used bicarb and rubbed it into the seams of the pits of some of her clothes which combatted any build up

Would you all be saying 'shave pits' if this was a boy? FFS.
She doesn't need to shave, bar soap, stick antiperspirant and biological washing powder and making sure she is using all three properly and regularly enough will be far more effective.

Tell her to try having a wash and then rewashing her armpits with cold water. Only thing that used to work for me was washing with cold water.

My dd was the same. Agree with others suggesting perspiguard.

Diet? My dad stinks when he eats cheese cut out the cheese the smell reduces dramatically

Iron the armpits of her shirts after wash kills more bacteria

Does she drink water or caffinated drinks? It can all be linked

I personally think antiperspirant works better when you shave. I think if she's using a sting antiperspirant and washing plus the clothes are actually coming out clean then yiu could see they GP. You can have botox injections and other treaents for BO and excess sweating.

Also make sure you don't end up making her paranoid and giving her a hang up. Not saying your handling it badly! Just be extra sensitive

@RebeccaRaspberry

It's a case of not washing thoroughly I should think. They're at an age where they need constant reminders. I tell my 14 year old to wash twice under his arms and rinse clear each time. And I've put it into a bloody rhyme so it sticks on his head (he has some processing issues!)

He then has a roll on or stick deodorant and that, with a daily shower and a fresh shirt each day keeps him smelling fresh

I also wash his blazer weekly (really easy as comes out practically dry so can be hung up to dry and air totally) and pyjamas changed daily too

Hi we need to know the rhyme please!

I have this with my 13yo DS. I get him to wash with a bar of antibacterial soap followed by shower gel. He then uses Perspirex. It's a game changer. I got really sweaty and stinky while in hospital when pregnant with my twins during a summer heatwave. Someone got me this and it was so good I never looked back!

This is so interesting and some brilliant points. I have a (not proved) hypothesis...... do any of you with whiffy kids think other people can smell your kids BO as much as you do? Or is it a biological response to deter inbreeding?!!

Yes sure maximum or dove maximum. I suffer from hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating) and this works for me.

I was surprised by the comments to shave.
My dd has just started to smell too...

All these deodorants are they the safe ones? Without the stuff linked to breast cancer?

I'm going to try dettol soap on her but I don't want to suggest shaving. I find the growth back prickly.. I get my arm pits waxed.. I wonder if that would be better?

If it was neccsary as a last resort of course.

Re others smelling her I find the whole smell thing interesting.. I have a sensitive nose.. And dh body odour is fine to me, other bf in the past however have revolted me!.
We also share a rare blood type? So rare the consultant pulled me aside privately to absolutely make sure he was the dad must be nature's way? Otherwise before the injections if I'd had a different partner the baby would have had problems with?

Shaving can actually exacerbate the issue. The hair is meant to be there and shaving/waxing your armpits can make them sweat more.

Sorry to ask this but does she have clean underarms? Sometimes the smallest hairs could cause bo as well. I used to use an epilator at that age as I found when I used to shave it, the hairs would grow back during the day which would cause bo.

Be carefully shaving underarms regular as can get shavers rash not nice

so take her to the doctor then if you think it's more serious? All of my sisters went through similar issues between 11 and 14 ish, my mum politely went over using wash products correctly and how to use deodorants and I would bring wet wipes with me to school. I still have an issue now and since year 11 carry deodorant on me and top up at least once a day. Also I use men's deodorant as it seems more efficient and when not in work or education etc wear loose fitting and lighter clothes it helps.

She hasn’t shaved yet, do you think I should get her to?

I’ve not read through the full thread but I think a roll on is better than a spray. I use dove roll on daily and only ever smell at all if I go a few days without it (if I forget it when we go away and I have to use a spray for example).

To see if the bacteria is coming from her clothes, don't rely on the smell straight out of the machine- dry it and iron the armpit and smell it then.

Maybe try washing clothes with the dettol washing liquid??
Use soap.
Try different deodorants.

^ Thedarksideofthemoon30

She hasn’t shaved yet, do you think I should get her to? ^

DD1 (19) and I both noticed over the summer that our pits feel sweatier and therefore smellier when we shave so anecdotally I’d say shaving should be way down on the list if things to try.

DD2 (14) went through a similar stinky stage. Explaining how to wash was the cure, we’d sniff her after she showered and send her back if there was still any smell. She has very sensitive skin so washes underarms with soap, rinses well then uses an emollient ‘shower gel’ followed by roll on deodorant. She currently doesn’t shave her underarms.

@Thedarksideofthemoon30 how would she feel about waxing? Personally I never shaved as the stubble would grow within the day and cause bo whereas the waxing/epilator would take min 10 days to grow. Also with shaving, she could get a rash which is not good.

Agree with a pp about actually washing pits. It's not enough just to shower (rinse). They need to be washed with a sponge and a decent shower gel, dried properly. Then deodorant or anti perspirant. I find that the dove cream stick works well for me and I've stuck with it for the last 20 years or so. It's also gentle after shaving. I would avoid soap as I think this makes things worse, in my experience any way. Clean bra is needed every day too. X

@LegoPandemic

Spray underarm areas of clothes with white vinegar before washing. Wash with proper bar soap twice a day Secret deodorant (fromUS/ Amazon) is brilliant.

This about the white vinegar. I remember ironing a clean, washed in bio washing powder school shirt of my dd’s at a similar age, and the minute the heat and steam hit the armpit area, the BO stench was unbelievable! I ended up buying new school shirts! I know you’ve washed her coat, but if you spray the underarm area with neat vodka (yes I know!) that kills the smell and doesn’t leave any after smell

I would also wait on shaving and think about waxing instead - it lasts longer. BUt have to watch out for in grown hairs etc.

I'd definitely get her to shave.

I used to have this problem after having DD. Mitchum, Sure Max etc. didn't even last the 10-minute school run. Then I read on here about washing pits with bar soap and that completely solved the issue. I can use any normal roll-on antiperspirant deodorant now and be fresh all day.