Please help me, I don’t know how to use deodorant

[TangerinesOrOrangea]

Very embarrassing at my age but posting on here because it’s anonymous so nothing to lose.

im in my 20s and actually don’t know how to use deodorant.

For a quick bit of context, I had a slightly difficult upbringing and wasn’t brought up by my parents. The family who brought me up were so loving and supportive but I was embarrassed to ask for advice like this.

I remember at school when I was around 13 someone loudly saying I stank. I actually didn’t, and I was wearing deodorant, and the person who said it was the kind of person who just picked a target for the day, but I somehow got it into my head that I smelled and I became paranoid about deodorant and cleanliness.

I started washing more and more incase I smelled, even when I knew I didnt. I scrubbed my face until it was completely raw, I showered 3+ times a day and I wore extra deodorant in the morning and put extra on inbetween classes. Then I wore more, just in case I smelled. Then I wore more. And more. And more. It got to the stage where I was using an ENTIRE full size spray can of deodorant every single day. I was actually really wheezy and tight chested from it and my skin under my armpits was completely raw and sore, and eventually I forced myself to stop at around 17, only because one day I wasn’t able to get spray deodorant and I had to use a stick and it wasn’t that bad. So I made myself make the switch and stopped using as much to help my skin (and tight chestedness!).

I still use stick, and even though I don’t use as much as I used to, I still feel like I use too much and I’ve just realised I actually have no idea how much is a normal amount to be using. For as long as I’ve worn it, I’ve either guessed how much to use or I’ve been paranoid and worn too much. Right now I use a stick a week which is an improvement but I’m not sure exactly how many times I’m supposed to apply it to my skin or if this is a normal usage.

even now as an adult I still feel so paranoid that I smell and I’ve sort of accepted that will never leave me, no matter how much I get reassurance from others that I don’t smell, so I just try to block the worry.

so, for stick deodorant how many times should I be applying it, should I be topping up throughout the day? For spray, how do you know how much to use?

i would really, really appreciate any help or advice with this x

I use a stick one and it lasts me a couple of months.

Ah bless you. And it's a good question - I don't think the containers say how much to apply! I use Mitchum stick, and I do 4 swipes on each armpit (up, down, up, down) making sure I cover the area. A stick lasts me probably a couple of months maybe more.

Sorry to hear what you have been through. Personally I apply deodorant once a day in the morning after a shower. Occasionally I will apply again in afternoon if it's a particularly warm day or if I'm having an outfit change. One application should be more than enough unless you are particularly sweaty. You can buy stronger deodorants for excessive sweating

Oh bless you, OP.

How many times a day are you applying?? I probably just two swipes on each armpit. I think I buy deodorant 2-3 times per year. I rarely reapply. Obviously everyone is slightly different in how much they sweat.

Sorry, was meant to add that I use a spray. But I have used stick before and again that's just been once a day.

I use a Mitchum anti Perspirant/deodorant once in the morning after showering. I use the roller kind and it lasts a couple of months. Anti perspirant stops you from sweating or reduces it anyway, and deodorant is just to stop you smelling. I don’t use the spray kind very often, I have a mini can in my bag which has lasted over a year as I just use it if I need to when out, for example freshening up if going out straight after work.

I'm so sorry for what you have been through.

One or two swipes per side, once per day, usually after a shower but when you get dressed is the main thing (you might shower in the evening, but use the deodorant before you go out in the morning), is normal and usual. You should not need to use as much as you are and it won't make a difference if you don't use that much.

Perspirex once a week under the arms, and any other enclosed creased areas if necessary. Then spray deodorant all over briefly, nowhere near a full can, after a shower, at least once daily.

I very much doubt you ever smelled bad. Quite the opposite. You sound quite shiny. I'd sit next to you on the bus, no problem.

The BEST deodorant I have ever used (and I’ve been using it for years now!) is a Mens deodorant! It’s Gillette Cool Wave. It’s a gel. I do 4 swipes under each arm. No need to reapply during the day- smells fresh like soap/clean scent. Get loads of compliments saying I always smell nice.

💕💕

If you're worried about coverage, OP, you can do a swipe or two and then kind of swing your arms back and forth to make sure it spreads all around any area that might be vaguely considered under arm. But really, up-down-up-down, with light pressure, should be good for most stick deodorants. I probably go through about once a month or so? I have a keen sense of smell and smell perfectly fine all day after doing so.

Oh OP I hear you! What a horrible experience. My mum refused to buy me deodorant for ages as said I was too young, and I used to nick her really ineffective roll-on in desperation until she found out about it and at that point she relented but insisted I have the same crappy useless stuff she used! I was bullied about smelling and not having any/the right brand of deodorant in my PE bag. My mum did smell of BO sometimes and I was mortified by that, and I probably did smell too. Eventually I broke down over the bullying and begged her to buy me a spray deodorant that could control the stronger BO. In fairness to her she did, but I could have been spared the aggro quite easily if she had thought things through.

Nowadays I use Mitchum in the summer, apply several swipes each morning and/or after showering and wait for it to dry before getting dressed. I apply whilst looking in a mirror to ensure i cover the whole pit. It is really effective. A bottle lasts me a few months but I'm not actually a sweaty person now adolescence is behind me.

In winter I use Sanex roll-on as it is perfume-free and I like to wear nice perfume without the smell of deodorant coming through. I feel like I don't need such a strong deodorant in winter. If I am having a sporty or nerve-wracking day, I'll upgrade to Mitchum though.

I use the Nivea roll in with the blue lid. It's just a clean smelling one, a bit like their face cream in the blue tin. I do a few swipes, in the morning. I very very rarely smell and if I do it's after a day of lugging suitcases through an airport or moving house etc it works for me. Just once a day, if I'm home all day I sometimes don't even bother! 😬

I use a 2 second squirt of Sure or Nivea spray under each arm after drying myself after my morning shower.A medium can (150 ml) lasts about 3 or 4 weeks.
If I'm going out in the evening, I shower again, or just wash my armpits with soap and water, and spray with deodorant again

Getting therapy for your anxiety and preoccupation with smelling would be the most beneficial for you.

It is unlikely that any answers here about what other people do will resolve your anxieties during the day.

@TangerinesOrOrangea there are differences between deodorant and antiperspirants so this is important to know.
www.dove.com/ca/en/stories/tips-and-how-to/sweating-tips/antiperspirant-vs-deodorant-what-is-the-difference.html
next as mentioned above apply after a shower bath, good soapy clean and dry.
go up down up down. that's it for a stick type whether deod or anti.
next clothing. if you are concerned some fabrics retain odors more than others and some might need more scrubbing or pre wash in the underarm area.

closet, a pomander in the closet or nice scented drawer liners are a treat and you might enjoy those. don't store stinky shoes with your clothing.
crabtree and evelyn do some lovely drawer liners sold on amazon.

I just spray on a quick burst in the morning after a shower and wouldn’t spray again until the next day. Sorry you have suffered with this, hope you can find a way to stop worrying about it so much.

I shower in the morning, apply roll on (few swipes under each arm so there is a single layer covering armpit), allow to dry and then dress. I shower every evening too as I work out daily. I wash armpits thoroughly and don’t wear deodorant to bed.

I find that my body rarely smells, but sometimes my gym clothes were getting a sweat smell trapped in the armpits. The clothes smelled clean when I put them on, but when I started working out and the clothes started getting damp, a sweaty smell was coming out of the fabric. I now wash all gym gear on a ‘synthetic wash’ and use Halo sports wash with a shot of Dettol laundry sanitiser in the fabric softener drawer and that has fixed it. My gym clothes do have a bit of a strange sanitised smell to them now, but at least it’s a clean smell.

Use soap rather than shower gel in the shower to get rid of the (I'm assuming) build up of old deodorant you will have.

Then as pp said, 4 swipes of mitchum roll on.

I also use a stick and about 4 swipes up and down. I also clean it using a clean tissue every so often just to get rid of any residue such as towel fibres. You definitely don't smell op.