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 :(

Could it be your clothes? Sometimes if clothes haven't been washed hot enough or in non-bio the clothes can smell ok straight out of the wash but as soon as you put them on your warm body it activates the bacteria in the fibres and starts smelling again pretty quickly.
Make sure you use biological washing powder and use Dettol laundry cleanser and your clothes will smell fresh again!

Wash with bar soap in the shower
make sure your clothes are CLEAN. Use an enzyme washing powder

Another vote for hibiscrub every now and again, plus natural Salt of the Earth spray, it can be used all over the body. Also might be worth buying an anti bacterial laundry cleanser in case your clothes/towels are hanging on to any bacteria that cause odour.

Salt of the earth and then a squirt of perfume on the clothes (not the skin) under the arms to give it a nice smell. It works for me.

Peri / menopause…. it happened to me from 45 to 50 ish. Mitchum roll on worked for me.

Exfoliate using an African net with dettol soap, pay attention to behind your ears which is where ‘old people’ smell will start to come from over the years. Then wash with your usual shower gel. Lotion afterwards of you want to. Witch hazel on a cotton pad swiped under your arms and in any folds you have plus behind the ears. Deodorant to finish.

I can smell people who aren’t washing themselves properly from a mile away. Peri menopause is making me smell different no matter how hard I try, I think it’s seeping out of my pores.

I was going to say the same. I had an issue with my armpits smelling but I worked out it was my t shirts rather than my actual skin. I now wash everything with biological detergent and on 40c at least. I swear my 30c non bio quick washes weren't actually getting my clothes properly clean.

I use soap, Mitchum roll on antiperspirant and driclor occasionally. My armpits aren't toooo bad but the sweat from my back and thighs is ridiculous. I bought some all over body deodorant to try but even it works on my back/thighs surely it will just find a new place to come out?!

I’ve started using Sure Nonstop Protection Invisible Pure Anti-Perspirant Cream 50 deodorant - The pink one. I used men’s Sure spray for years (the purple one) but it suddenly stopped working around the time they changed the lid.

In fact I’ve forgotten to put some on today after my shower but absolutely no smell at all! It’s really cheap too! Think I bought it in Lidl.

Use a bar of soap with a scrubby in the shower,not shower gel. Then use Sure Max i antiperspirant.

Yup - I always use washing powder (bio). I run a hot drum clean on my washing machine every now and again too.

Proper soap and Mitchum deodorant.

Some deodorants work best if you apply at night. Maybe try evening showers and deodorant at night? And also change your deodorant and see if that helps?

Also, if you wear synthetic fabrics, they can exasperate bad odours.

What do you eat? Smelly foods can also impact how you smell.

@StinkyWinkyMe I'm going through the same with being perimenopausal. I've never been a sweaty person so it's been quite a shock- I'll literally have a shower last thing at night, yet wake up at 3am sweaty. I've started using mitchum antiperspirant and it's made a big difference.

If you’re using body lotion daily do you scrub it off in the shower, either a flannel or exfoliating gloves or just wash with hands? I found if I didn’t get rid of the layer of moisturiser i got stickier/sweatier more quickly.
definitely wash pits with bar soap try to find a gentle one that won’t flare up your eczema other products leave a film on the skin that doesn’t rinse clean again adding to the sticky/sweaty feeling
use an antiperspirant not just a deodorant and make sure your clothes aren’t holding on to the sweat smell.

if You notice your clothes smell a bit foosty after washing and drying especially in the arm pit area. Soak then in white vinegar before washing with biological detergent. There’s a product called halo sports wash that’s brilliant for ingrained smells on clothes. Try to avoid fabric softener in washings as well that makes clothes less breathable, leaves a coating on the fabric and traps in the smell.

I was also wondering this, this is good advice if it seems like it could be the issue. Specifically lipase is the enzyme you want in bio laundry detergent for sweat. Persil pods or waitrose colour powder have it although I guess you might need an unscented one if you have sensitive skin, there is a list here if that's the case: https://www.reddit.com/r/laundry/s/Hm8g5klLAh. Also if you wear a lot of natural fibres then you might struggle to find a suitable bio that's delicate. I use dirty labs hand wash for wool but it is expensive.

It might be worth checking with your doctor as some medications can cause a strange body smell, as can certain medical conditions including diabetes, & kidney or liver disease.

I found thid article on the Guardian re the difference between deodorant and antiperspirant...

https://www.theguardian.com/wellness/2026/jul/05/is-it-unhealthy-to-suppress-sweat

As someone who's had to worry about BO and smelly pits since puberty, here are multiple useful tips:

Wear antiperspirant, rather than deodorant to stop the sweat.

Wash with antibacterial bar soap, not Dove or showe gel or something similar.

Use a flannel to scrub gently under the armpits to exfoliate the skin a bit.

Dry thoroughly and wait until the antiperspirant is dry before wearing clothes.

I find sleeveless is better, and my pits stink more with tight clothes under the arms, and things worn again after being a bit sweaty.

I use non bio washing detergent but PP are correct about the enzymes in biological washing liquid helping to break down bacteria, especially at lower temperatures.

Sweat secreted when anxious etc smells more potent apparently.

I'm off to bed now but will reply again tomorrow 😴

Yep. I've started this and it works much better than gel. Then 72 hour anti-perspirant.

I used to reset mine with tea tree oil every now and then. Now I just use pit rock as perimenopause made all the deodorants not work. Pit rock is the only thing keeping me from stinking.

Are you actually washing your back?

This stuff applied at night

On a hot day (we get plenty of them here), I sometimes scrub my armpits with bicarb. Sometimes I do all over and sometimes my feet.

I don’t have eczema though.

I'm afraid it is likely to be "old person smell" due to Nonenal.

Google it and you will read that the "distinct, musky scent is called 2-nonenal. It is a chemical compound produced when the skin's natural fatty acids break down and oxidize, a natural biological process that typically begins around age 40 and increases as people age. The scent is often described as musty, grassy, or vaguely greasy. Because 2-nonenal is not water-soluble, it doesn't wash off with regular soap and can easily linger on clothing and furniture".

About 30 years ago I found it more and more confronting to hug a good friend who was in her 60s. Each time I would get a whiff of something that wasn't BO but was very off-putting. I knew for a fact that she was fastidiously hygenic, both in housekeeping and personal care. I could never discuss this with her but it made me really curious about what might be causing it.

About five years ago, at 65, I sometimes caught wind of the same whiff coming from me! I was horrified that I might have smelt like it for years. Then I started to take notice of Facebook ads for persimmon soap which was to combat nonenal smells. I bought some (trade name Swava, but bear in mind I live in NZ; there are likely to be other brands) and have used persimmon soap ever since. I have never smelt that unpleasant odour on myself again. I asked my partner if he'd been getting my whiff; he was very cagey but admitted he had and didn't know how to mention it as he knew my personal care habits were good.

I travel quite a bit for work and holidays. That soap, while far more expensive than normal soap, always travels with me.

i notice this the week before my period (47 so probaboy peri). After I shower I rub hand sanitiser under my arms and rub it in. It’s bacteria that smells so it really helps, then anti perspirant and some body powder. It does help.