I stink! What to do?

[StinkyWinkyMe]

I'm 44 and I've never had problems with body odour but now I really notice if I forget my deodorant (I reckon the heat wave isn't helping 😂) but I also just...smell a bit worse? I have heard this might be related to perimenopause, but what to do about it?

My routine is: shower in the morning before work, pat myself dry, apply body lotion with SPF, and deodorant. But by the time I get to work I'm a bit sweaty. My armpits are a bit more ripe than I would expect but it's this sort of sweaty smell that is bothersome to me. Is there anything to be done about this? I'm a bit sensitive to perfumes and have quite sensitive skin so I'm not keen on loads of scented lotions, perfumes, etc. But I'm also feeling quite self-conscious about my new odour :(

I use benzoyl peroxide on my pits periodically - it kills the bacteria that I find linger after a normal body wash that make me a bit whiff. Then sure maximum protection deodorant cream. Also use vinegar on my clothes every now and then to remove the smell that gets activated when I put them on. Hope this helps!

Same here. Defo perimenopause in my caee

Never been a sweater before, even when exercising and noteworthy its dripping off me, and I dont smell great. Ive found layering a natural deodorant straight after the shower with an aerosol one is keeping things at bay a bit

Good luck

Thank you, I will try this on my underarms. What about a generalised sweaty smell that seems to radiate from my whole body? Today I got to work and it was like my back stunk, I was just sweaty and musty and it was an unclean scent. I was mortified and happy no one else was in the office yet. I wear natural fibres so think they breathe reasonably well.

Are you using antiperspirant? Which one?

Peri menopause can definitely affect body odour. I use exfoliating gloves every day. Shave armpits every day and use hibiwash/scrub under my arms ,bust and groin area. I use normal shower gel every where else. I also wash my hair everyday as im on hrt and it can make your scalp more smelly.

I have been known to use medipure powder to help with sweaty areas. Its talc free. I also use sure maximum antiperspirant

You need an anti perspirant as well as a deodorant. Use soap not shower gel or body wash.

Apparently deodorant and antiperspirants are best applied at night…I’ve not tried it but could be worth a shot. I always use soap not shower gel and Mitchum roll on. For going to work on hot days I wear a vest top to go in, then freshen up with wipes when I get there and put a clean top on.

A tip I got from Mumsnet that’s worked well for me is to use a bar of dettol soap on my pits in the shower it’s really helped.

You could try an all over body spray. Daise do a nice one which I picked up in a small Tescos. Yes I know it’s a teen range.

Prob not helpful if you dont like scents but i buy a little bottle sprayer and fill it half way with lenor conditioner and top up with water and throw it in my bag then when at work a bit of sure deodorant and spray my clothes with my bottle i smell lovely and fresh and everyone else nicks it (helps that were all women and no one has sensitive noses . Also we put baby wipes in the fridge at work so can give our arms and necks a nice cool wipe over

https://www.boots.com/vaseline-aloe-sensitive-anti-perspirant-deodorant-aerosol-250ml-10109015?affwin&utm_source=Genie+Shopping-259955&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=css&utm_term=&utm_content=&sv1=affiliate&sv_campaign_id=259955&awc=2041_1783717738_fb3472907e56185f217c5e9c1f52e4b3

Dettol soap. You need to kill the bacteria on your skin then use antiperspirant. I rub Dettol soap into an African net or exfoliating gloves and rub it under my armpits to get the deodorant off. Glycolic acid wiped under your arms with a cotton pad a few times a week too

There are lots of sensitive anti Perspirants on Google, I found the Vaseline one I linked.

If you get sweaty or need to cool down feet/legs then body shop do a peppermint cooling spray. I’ve been using that the past few days.

Use soap not shower gel

I use Uriage soap substitute, my skin is quite eczema prone and anything else turns me into a crocodile 😫

I do wash and condition my hair every day. I use Dove combination deodorant and antiperspirant.

Hibiscrub in the smell places. Or benzoyl peroxide wash like panoxyl. Doesn’t need to be used all over, just targeted areas.

Try Persimmon soap bar

Yeah Peri got me badly.

i used Dettol soap and hibiscrub.

I found the smell was mostly body rather than hair.

deodorant won’t do much. Strong anti perspirant might.

I would be super careful about using these harsh products like dettol; if you have sensitive skin they absolutely destroy your natural skin barrier and invite irritation and inflammation.

Personally I have found natural salt deodorant absolutely brilliant - yes I was surprised too! I shower morning and night and put it on (very thoroughly on a wide area) after.

I also started HRT a year ago and that’s probably helped loads too (I’m 43)

The salt doesn’t seem to irritate my skin, it’s not scented, and there’s no horrible chemicals. It’s not an anti-perspirant, so it might not fully work if you’re doing sport. But for me, I shower after sport anyway

I’ve tried the natural salt deo, but for me the game changer was Wild. It’s natural and apparently reduces the bacteria that cause bad smells. fussy has nicer flavour choices, but wild has stopped me being a sweaty smelly mess!

Do you use proper soap, not shower gel, and a strong deodorant like Sure or Mitch? Men’s deodorants are stronger too I think.

Use soap rather than shower gel and get the Mitchum gel (I also use the spray on top) but the gel is a really strong anti perspirant and has done the trick for me xx