To ask for help with my armpit odour?

[thinkImaystink]

Posting here for a wider variety of answers.

I have always been worried about smelling and thus, very careful about my personal hygiene. I've never ever smelt before. Lately, my armpits have started smelling of onion!

I shower twice a day, wear cotton clothes, change clothes regularly, wear Mitchum antiperspirant deodorant, don't get particularly sweaty. I come out of the shower, smelling fine and then 15 mins later, my 'pits smell!

I've recently been very unwell and lost lots of weight, not sure if my ill health has any connection with the new smell.

It's making me feel really fucking miserable and paranoid, even though apparently no one can smell me even if they get up close to my armpit.

It might be worth a mention to your gp if you have been unwell recently.

Could it be your clothes, I have a couple of tops that seem to have absorbed bo and no matter how clean me or the top is I Still stink within 10 minutes of wearing it. Don't have this problem with any other clothing only these 2 tops!

I'd agree with talking to the GP since its following your illness. Especially if noone else can smell the odour.

Other things I've tried -
clothes - wash them hotter, and with a different detergent to normal (ie bio if usually non bio)
Try a change in deodorant - I need to keep changing brands. If I stick with the same one, I start smelling.
Really clean your pits occasionally - I've had success with cleaning with a facial scrub, and also witch hazel with a few drops of tea tree oil in.

I've recently been using magnesium spray for sleep and noticed I wasn't sweaty. When I searched about it, people were saying using it under their arms can make sweat/smell stop

I agree that I have found certain (synthetic) tops retain the stink. Stick with 100% cotton.

Try the face wipes & deodorant mid-day.

And check with your GP!

I went through a stage of this in my early twenties. .. looooonnng time ago. I don't know what caused it but the one thing that worked for me was arrid cream rather than mitchum. I don't know if they still make it. I did have to bin clotges as I could never get them fresh. The stress of sweating made me sweat more and work blouses and sleeveless tops that tickled under the armpits made it worse! It stopped after about a year but I wish I had asked for help sooner

Clotges is my misspelled clothes in case a pedant would like to point it out.

If it's new and unusual, and given your recent/ongoing ill-health, I would mention it to your GP.

Armpits can pick up fungal infections quite easily. Possible?

Agree re hot wash (clothes!) and a different deodorant. I sweat quite a lot and Dove is very effective for me - I use the solid stick. It has a very clean, fresh fragrance and keeps me dry all day.

Hope you get it resolved soon, op.

When I was ill and lost a lot of weight I felt I smelt terrible.

I was told it can be something to do with your body burning up your muscle to get energy or something like that (my memory is not that perfect, this was over 20 years ago).

It disappeared as I was able to resume a more normal, balanced diet.

I'm wondering if it could be to do with your digestion. There are some foods that I can't seem to process and effect my body odour. Another possibility is to work our of it's to do with stress, stress hormones effect the smell of sweat.

Could you be pregnant

As well as all the above, if you use fabric conditioner, stop. It clogs the fibres in your clothes which means smells linger.

What is your diet like OP have you been eating more protein than usual?

May sound silly but have you been eating a lot of onion or spicy food lately? When I have my pits stink really oniony and the more I wash they still pong. Worth a visit to your GP if youre concerned.

DH and I noticed that we were both a bit stinky a few years ago (that was a fun day), in spite of us both washing well and using good deodorant / anti-perspirant. Since then, we've squirted a bit of stain remover spray (such as Vanish, but usually an own-brand version) in the armpits of our clothing at every wash. The problem has disappeared. We did have to bin a couple of shirts, which were beyond hope, but there have been no whiffs since then.

My teen daughter has ridiculously smelly body chemistry and this is what works for her:

Scrub with soap and flannel in the shower twice a day. Normal washing with her hands just doesn't get all the smell off. She as to scrub, rinse and repeat.
Sure (in the tall spray) antiperspirant - mitchum never did anything for her and neither did any other brand
Vanish sprayed under the arms of all her tops before washing with bio powder

I never ever smelt until I got pregnant. Possibility?

I always thought my armpits smelt like onion when I was pregnant
& for a few months afterwards.

Mitchum doesn't work for me. Only one that does is Dove original roll on. Applied frequently. Sometimes use a dove spray over top