to think is gross / to be worried?

[listyle]

a friend of mine has been telling me for a while now she's suffering with smelling of body odour on her armpits even after showering.

She asked me do I ever smell after showering & I said no. She asked what am I doing different from her so i asked about her diet/what body wash is she using etc we got talking about shower routines and I explained I use a loofah and that I literally scrub my body from head to toe, and that I shower everyday & use deodorant afterwards as well as body lotion etc.

She was shocked , first of all that i shower everyday , she said she showers AT MOST 3 times a week and when she does shower she jumps in, rinses her body with water, whacks shower gel on her hands puts it on armpits and bum (nowhere else) , rinses that off and hops out (excepts for the days she washes her hair, she'll do that) and she'll only use a deodorant when she's bothered. I said to her "no wonder". I wanted to be as nice as possible. I explained that she needs to start washing her full body and washing armpits 2/3x and preferably with a loofah & ALWAYS use deodorant afterwards. She was like "but the issue is only my armpits I don't need to be putting body wash anywhere else I only wash my armpits and bum"

I was being so so nice to her but also trying to get the seriousness across and the importance of personal hygiene.

It's shocked me to be honest she's a close friend and she doesn't come across as dirty. I've never smelled anything bad off of her, she comes across as clean and presents herself well.

I feel a bit concerned is it mental health related? We're very good friends and I've never once thought she has bad mental health but I suppose it's not always visible.

She just seemed so shocked that I shower everyday. She couldn't wrap her head around that I use a loofah and I wash my arms/legs/belly button/back , literally everywhere. She literally only rinses with water, uses hands to wash armpits and bum and that's it. She said her showers are no longer than 3/4 minutes (unless washing hair which would make it 10 mins)

She also mentioned if she wants to shave she'll take a bath but won't put anything in the bath. Only put body wash on armpits and bum and when she rinses that off the suds will go into the bath.

She said she thought this was the norm and what most people did.

I don't know, I haven't stopped thinking about it all day. Am I crazy? If it was your friend would you be worried? I'm not sure if she took on what I said about what she should be doing. She seemed like it would be so much effort for her to do.

(I know she doesn't use mumsnet)

Im not sure what you mean?
You can put anything into the wash.

A damp or wet cloth in the laundry basket will make everything smell damp etc. If it's not put straight into the washe.

I use a flannel daily for my face and no laundry smell issues. It isn't dripping when I put it in though, probably only just damp

No you have to leave it on the towel rail

I went off them for years as I was always pressured to get them washed as they are so very sodden. But the dermatologist convinced me they are the best thing out there for keeping skin appropriately exfoliated and clean without harshness. Takes me back to childhood actually! I had an Orinoco Womble one and a rabbit with floppy ears! Now I have nice thick white ones . You can also use muslin cloths which dry out fast, esp in a heated towel rail and that gives you more time to launder them.

DD is a typical hormonal 19 year old so far from it, and no - I wash every other day, sometimes every day depending on my activities. Always after exercising. I can tell you now that I do not stink, and DD certainly doesn’t either. I have no issues in calling out dirty people - we are not.

Nobody needs to be scrubbing themselves down every single day, that’s a fact whether you have skin issues or not and I don’t see why you have such an issue with this. If you like it then that’s absolutely fine, you do you but no need to get so defensive over it and call other people lazy and dirty for doing what fits them.

Can't believe the amount of people saying the OPs routine is OTT, to me and most people I know that's very standard

What, scrubbing away at your skin every day with a loofah?

I shower every day but don't soap all over every time and certainly don't use a loofah on my armpits! Ouch!

Scrubbing your body head to toe with a loofah every day is as far from normal as it’s possible to get. I doubt there’s any healthy organisms left on her skin.

I think it’s the loofah used daily.

This might be explained by done people calling those scrubby cloth things loofahs. I suppose they are a kind of imitation loofah. BuT a full on genuine loofah all over daily would upset your skin microbiome.

You're all so dramatic about the loofah, lathered in shower gel it feels no different to a sponge. Pick up a loofah on your next trip round b&m give it a go I really doubt you will come out the shower red raw. Even a flannel it suffice but your hand is not removing anything

@Calliopespa maybe I'm thinking of a loofah wrong - to me a loofah is the colourful scrunchy things you can pick up for a pound in b&m

@Adelant maybe in your culture or your circle of friends but I can assure you it's very normal for many people

Some people are meaning that I think. But I posted a gif upthread which showed guys in bathrobes with genuine loofahs. They come from the loofah plant - literally a dried chunk of plant fibre. They look almost like a giant cucumber but no flesh remains and are much more fibrous. They are quite harsh and don’t rinse out flakes of dead skin easily and also tend to absorb water but are too stiff to be wrung out. As an occasional exfoliation they are lovely! You feel like a cat rubbing against a 🌵!

No, I can pretty much guarantee that 99% of the UK does not scrub their body head to toe with loofah every day.

I suspect what they really mean is that loofahs (and sponges for that matter) are actually very unhygienic due to sitting damp in the shower constantly, harbouring bacteria. If you’re going to use something then it needs to be thoroughly washed and dried after every single use, otherwise you’re just rubbing germs all over yourself.

Those body puffs are bad for your skin

"Dead skin cells nestle and get trapped in the copious amounts of netting when the puffs are used to exfoliate.
"Then you put them in this environment in the shower that's warm and moist and gross, and it's a setup for bacteria, yeast and mold to grow in the puff," Knight explained.
Apparently, it's even worse if you use them on newly shaved skin, because the skin is open and the bacteria can get into nicks and cuts.”

https://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/shower-puff-bacteria-sponge-cells-15778892?int_source=amp_continue_reading&int_medium=amp&int_campaign=continue_reading_button#google_vignette

Those body puffs are bad for your skin

and 100% plastic. The hygiene obsessed are probably replacing every 2 minutes as well.

Loofah

As evidenced by “pick one up for a £1” and “your next trip round B&M”. Some of us aren’t making daily pilgrimages to the tat store to buy disposable plastic shite we don’t actually need. Too busy wallowing in our own filth, obviously.

Loofahs or exfoliating mitts are unnecessary. I rarely exfoliate and have nice skin. I'd be red raw doing that every day. Washing with your hand is fine surely.

Most dermatologists say exfoliation is unnecessary. I only do it before applying gradual tan. I have good skin.

Thank you! Yes a proper loofah!

Loofah song time!

@Wannabegreenfingers

’fusty smell' - are you Scottish?