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 :(

Use soap to wash with, not the dove soap, proper soap.
Mitchum roll on (works for me)
Wash clothes on 60.

have you tried glycolic acid by ordinary? i put it under my pits after shower and it kills the sweat causing bacteria

Weirdly, I found that my body odour increased a lot after I had a round of covid in 2023... The only thing that works for me is Mitchums mens deodorant. Women's doesn't even touch the sides.

It might be your clothes. Some clothes still hold a smell after washing that comes out again when you wear them things that help- washing at higher temp, using bio washing stuff (I don’t do this as allergic), tumble drying hanging outside and I also wash with soap not shower gel. Vinegar added to the wash helps.

the womans one is fine for me. you must be extra stinky

There's also an excellent antiperspirant which is used by musical theatre production crews in the West End - i will look it up. Expensive but works brilliantly apparently.

https://www.aktlondon.com/

AKT deodorant is the one I was thinking of. 👍

I suddenly started smelling weird in peri. And it was just my covid ravaged nose at fault. DH (under duress) confirmed it.

Tried everything. Bar soap and mens’ antiperspirant helped. But I was still annoying myself with how I smelled by the end of the day. It was … wrong. A wrong smell. (possible covid nose ravage involved in the wrongness)

It only disappeared when I went on HRT

It is a delightful perI gift. Definitely hormonal in my case as some days I stank and the next day would be totally fragrant with the same washing routine and products. Frequent showers, proper soap and Mitchum helped a bit.

*peri

This is the one I mentioned up stream. It really is very good. It’s a balm you rub in and you don’t need much. I bought the key to put on the end so I can roll it up and squeeze out every last bit. One tube lasts me approx 8 weeks, sometimes slightly longer.

Use charcoal soap to shower

Driclor high strength antiperspirant is a lifesaver for my excessive sweating. I applied once at night for first week or two and then only need to apply 1-2 times a week. Really minimizes sweat during the day and can still wear regular deodorant with it. Perspirex is another similar type but I don't find it as effective.

Definitely a menopause hormone thing for me. I really whiffed, has mostly gone away now I'm on HRT. Things that worked for me

• washing my clothes every few wears in anti bacterial wash like Halo Sports wash
• DriClor - especially for my back, under boobs and around my middle. Use at night and do not use same day you've shaved your underarms.
• Persimmon soap/body wash - get a Japanese brand if you can
• Mitchum gel (not the roll on)
• Handwashing bras after every wear

Also on hot days when going to work on the Tube I'd feel the big droplets of sweat running down my back so I know what you mean. I'd wear a close fitting cotton vest underneath, remove it when I got to work and wipe my back down in the loo with a damp flannel then apply the Mitchum gel or spray up and down my spine.

Wash armpits twice, to really remove sweat and deodorant. I use soap on pits, bum and feet and back now its really hot. A l'occitaine shower oil everywhere else as my skin is dry. I stopped using an antiperspirant a year ago after I used a natural one I took on holiday to help with thigh chafing and realised at the end of the day I did not smell. Agree with PPs that hormones seem to play a part in body odour and I seem to have been reacting to something in antiperspirant and my underarms stank. I'm not very sweaty, it was just an awful smell.

I use Fussy and Megababe deodorants now and I do feel a bit sweaty on very hot days but a quick wipe in the loo and more deodorant sorts it. Game changer for me, I no longer have to wear cardigans in the office to try and hide the smell. I just have fresh pits I can waft about!

Get some of this stuff. You can use it everywhere you might get sweaty, not just your armpits and no reaction. It will take care of any odor while letting your skin breathe.
You can still use whatever deodorant or perfume you like, it's unscented or they do different scents but I don't like fragrance unless it's essential oils.
There are probably other brands it's just this one is liquid and I wanted a spray

Salt of the earth

Is there any need?

I'd stop the spf body lotion - that might be building up and it seems unnecessary if you are wearing clothes.

Me too. Pea size amount to each armpit.

What works for me is deodorant (not anti perspirant, it makes me smell worse) and loose cotton or linen clothes (natural fibres)

Roll ons, spare tops, I use a nice smelling moisturiser as well as a strong smelling shower gel and I wash my pits before bed and have a shower every morning. Was just talking about this with friends last week and we all agreed- it’s depressing!!!

Or both a morning and evening shower. Particularly in this heat. I'm not sure omitting a morning shower is the way to go about this.

Dettol soap and sure men’s roll on 👌🏽

Persimmon soap. Marketed for old person smell, (whatever that is) you can buy it cheaply from Amazon. It’s good for sensitive skin and doesn’t dry your skin out or leave that tight feeling lots of soaps do.
Body wash like shower gel is just not good enough for sweaty perimenopause sadly.
Then use Ineos roll on, then Ineos spray on top. Once the antiperspirants are dry use soft and gentle deo powder under armpits and under boobs, behind knees and around your bikini area. Also use the Ineos wipes during the day if it’s hot of you feel the need.
I am a life long Mitchum user, but recently got Ineos from Amazon as couldn’t get to the shops and it has been a game changer. Much better than Mitchum.

My friend has started using something similar to dettol antibacterial laundry stuff on her husband’s gym stuff and says its made a difference. I can’t remember the name but it’s like the dettol stuff

Another vote for glycolic acid. Menopausal me used to smell like spaghetti bolognese! A really oniony type pong all over. I got a large bottle of glycolic acid toner from super drug,splashed it all over and the smell went away. Happy times !