To be miserable about how badly i smell?

[fireworksinthesky3]

Hey

name changed but longtime poster

really hoping this post resonates with someone and I can get some advice or help 🤞

bit of an embarrassing problem but I smell really badly and don’t know what to do. I’ve tried everything I can possibly think of to fix it and it’s not helped. I’ve heard of things like fish odour syndrome but I don’t think it’s that because I don’t smell of fish- I just smell really musty/BO. It’s genuinely making me so depressed- I’m only 26 and I’m so embarrassed and miserable about it. I’ll post below everything I’ve tried

• I shower every single day without fail, I tried showering twice a day but it made no difference whatsoever. At first I smell fine, then after a few hours I smell musty/BO/as if I haven’t even showered in days

• I’ve tried every single combination of deoderant/antipersperant I could access. Mitchum was highly recommended but wasn’t any help disappointingly, in fact I think I smelled worse with it. Right now I’m using dove stick which is bearable but not great either. As I said above- fine at first, then after a few hours I smell again , badly enough to be noticeable by other people

• I’ve tried every shower gel, scrub, body wash, lotion, soap (bar and liquid), even tried using dettol soap- no difference. I shave every 2nd day.

• i wash my hair every 2-3 days, I change my bedding every week without fail

• i wondered if it was possibly my clothes which smelled rather than me so I got rid of EVERYTHING, and started all over again (new underwear, new pjs, completely new clothes etc) but same problem literally no difference

the only thing I can think of that I haven’t tried is the Driclor range which I’m going to try and I’m praying it works. I’ve always had this problem- I remember being so embarrassed about it as a teenager. It’s definitely not something I’m just paranoid about either- I’ve asked my friends / family to be completely honest with me and they’ve agreed with me. I don’t have any hormonal problems and sweat like a normal person as far as I’m aware but for some reason I just smell so much quicker than the average person

does anyone have any tips or product recommendations I could try (in case driclor doesn’t work)?

sorry for the long post, I’m just so down about it x

i think I would try taking a good probiotic so that your improving the balance of good bacteria in your gut. That along with a healthy diet might solve the problem.

Are you cooking food in a small space with clothes drying in the area?
You need to go to the GP tell them it's affecting your mental health.
Deodorant and washing is only papering over the cracks.
You need to find the root cause x

Is your home damp?

I knew someone who has that musty smell that was really quite intense and she was living in a sort of mobile home on her land whilst extensive renovations were taking place on her home.

There were no obvious signs of damp on the temporary home.

Could be your diet.
Could be bacteria or fungal - which may be linked to diet.
Could be the fabrics you wear.
Could be your washing machine, have you cleaned it out recently.
Using too much washing detergent can be an issue, it clogs up clothes making them more likely to hold smells.

I'd do a pretty extreme exclusion diet, wear only cotton, clean out the washing machine and use minimal detergent on a hot wash, dry clothes well with heat not just room temp to ensure they're fully dry too, damp clothing smells musty/mildewy! Add a pre and probiotic and see if that helps.

I concur. I use the ordinary but replaced the lid with a spray top so I can evenly distribute it.

Funnily enough o was going to suggest you speak to a GP about this.

Excessive sweating has a name (can't remember it!) so you can be treated for it.

No synthetic fabrics (except swimwear obv) here. Cotton only. And although I have tried to wash at 40 in the past, I have to wash DH, DS and my clothes at 60 or they just don't smell right. In the case of tea towels, and bath towels, they actually smell almost immediately if I wash at 40. I haven't changed my drying strategy, I just wash on higher heat now. Problem gone.

It's weird because DM washes her clothes etc at 30 and her things always smell fresh.

I haven’t RTFT

My advice:

first stop the GP. You may have an illness that has a smell as a symptom. They should do blood tests. If nothing else, don’t shower that morning so that the doctor can smell your skin. Ask them to smell your skin. As well as blood tests etc.. Also, there are health conditions that cause you to feel you are smelling something that you are not. (For example: With migraine developing - the aura - I’ll smell a particular smell)

You said you’ve replaced all your clothes. Hopefully with clothes of all natural fibres. I get smelly quickly when I don’t wear natural fibres. So many clothes are made from man made fabrics. Or natural fibres mixed with man made ones. Cotton and elastine. Also materials like viscose are supposed to be natural as it’s made from wood fibres or something, but they use chemicals in the process of making it. Cotton, wool, linens, silk are my friends. My only clothing friends. Elastine in cotton tshirts and stretch jeans etc. are the devil when it comes to smell. Some of us often need to shower twice a day but careful how much soap you use. I use goats milk as it’s gentle in my skin.

You need to be wash your hair every 2 days at longest. Don’t stretch it out the extra day. I often wash every day - always in warm weather,

There’s a lady on TIK Tok that’s a bit of a genius when it comes to cleaning house and body etc.. Her name is ‘ Ann Russell She/Her’. People ask her all sorts of things to do with household and personal cleaning. She gives great practical inexpensive advice.

Also, maybe you don’t smell as much as you think you do. Sometimes we can be convinced we smell but no one else can smell us.

Try Fussy deodorant. It's a natural deodorant with prebiotics. It doesn't stop you sweating but it does stop any smell. I stress sweat and it's the only thing that has ever worked for me. I've used it for over a year now and never had an issue since.

I had this issue. Have you tried using an anti microbial soap on your underarms? They sell hibiscrub on Amazon. That plus Mitchum roll on, not aerosol, has worked for me.

What is your diet like? This seems to have a very significant impact on how we smell. I think meat consumption as well as some spices can really affect the way we smell. I imagine if you were to have a diet mainly consisting of pulses and vegetables and easily digestible foods that this might improve your smell. Worth an experiment…

I’m not sure if you’ve tried these already but it may be worth washing with an antibacterial agent such as benzoyl peroxide, many healthcare professionals recommend it. Benzoyl peroxide helps kill bacteria and helps break down sweat may stain towels or clothes so may sure you rinse really well. Hibiscrub is antibacterial and honestly amazing, I have a huge one in my bathroom and use it for a variety of things. You can get a smaller one from the pharmacy. I would finish with a deodorant like Perspirex . I would them finish with a g In terms of Botox it’s mainly only used for people who have excesses sweating so I don’t know how effective it would be for you, as from your post it doesn’t seem like you have excesses sweating.

your clothing can also be the culprit, places like boohoo etc almost always used polyester,nylon etc. these fabrics when you sweat leave a musty BO smell. I know this because when I worked in healthcare we had these awful polyester uniforms that would smell even if you sweat jusy a little. My advice would be to look for breathable and natural fabrics. Vinted is always a good place to look 😊

hope this helps

I would second the diet / detox suggestion. No sugar, no caffeine, no dairy, no gluten.. a week of bone broth and vegetable juice, plain rice grilled fish and chicken, vegetables, avoiding spices, onions, tomatoes. Lots of herbal tea te, limied fruit and no fruit juice. Helthy amount of exercise and some.epsom salt baths, showering afterwrds with soap.

I’m so sorry to read this, smelling really impacts your confidence. Is it hyperhydrosis? My DH has it and the only effective things is salt rock deodorant straight after a shower so your skin is still damp. If you shave your armpits, shave them at night. Weirdly the salt rock does nothing for me, as if I’ve put nothing on. It’s worse with stress and spicy food. He sometimes uses driclor at night and that does make a difference overall but it stings. He did do the hand sanitiser for a bit, it’s pretty harsh on quite delicate skin. I wonder about hibiscrub? For clothes, I use sport detergent neat on the pits if tshirt is particularly bad or soak with bicarb or vinegar. Sometimes when the smell gets ingrained in clothes, it just doesn’t come out and sadly does need thrown. The smell just heats up when the tshirt is worn, even if the armpit itself doesn't smell. It has improved over the years if that’s any encouragement. He did consider botox for a while but is a bit squeamish. There was a drug which lessened it but it made him super thirsty which he didn’t like. Good luck, I really hope you find the root cause if it's not hyperhydrosis or some of these things work for you

You definitely need to see the GP about it, there could be be something they can prescribe or do some tests etc. It does sound awful for you.

Try changing and experimenting with diet. Lots of spices and garlic in my meals definitely affect my body odour.

You need to check inside your clothes for the label which tells you what the fabric is. Get rid of the synthetics like polyester and focus on cotton and will, which will let your skin breathe. Cheap fabrics will make you smell

Check all your clothes care labels and see what they are made out of. Do not wear anything polyester - you may as well be wrapping yourself in a bin bag - that’s how breathable the fabric is. When I wear anything polyester/acrylic/nylon I stink within an hour! It’s annoying because most clothing retailers use these types of fabrics as they are cheaper. 100% cotton is best or wool. Viscose I find is a lot better than polyester but not as good as cotton or wool.

Stick with washing your body with soap and exfoliation but it may also be worth washing with a medical solution (the ones they give people before surgery called Chlorhexidine wash) - it will help to kill off bacteria on your skin that could be causing a problem. I’m not a medial expert but I use this to cleanse my skin occasionally when I get flare ups of boils and it seems to help.

Are you on any medication? My late OH's smell changed a new times as he tried different meds to treat his illness, and he said mine changed when I was on antidepressants for a while.

Try salicylic egg soap under your arms. It kills the bacteria. You can buy this from Amazon for about £8.

Ask for a swab for bacterial vaginosis as this can make you smell and not just from the groin area. If it’s positive you’ll get a course of antibiotics.

If possible wash your clothes on a very high temp. My son's clothes often smell as you describe and do so even after they have been through a normal wash. Check the label and if possible put them in on a 60 or 90. If when the cycle is finished they still smell funny put them through again.

Are you talking any meds? That can sometimes affect how people smell.

Is this definitely YOU that smells (naked)?

I agree with the many others who have suggested it’s your clothes and due to how they’re being washed and dried.

I have never heard of a person smelling musty before but the clothes thing….I definitely have!

Couple of questions:

Is it just your armpits?

What have friends and family said? You say they agree with you but what specifically say? Do they say you smell unpleasant?

How bad does it get if you don't wash e.g. when you are sick for example

I reckon it’s your clothes and how they are washed and dried. I use biological liquid. Don’t leave the clothes in the machine. Hang up. We don’t have a drier so have to hang in the house. But I have to make sure they are spread out as much as possible. You could experiment by wearing no clothes all day when you don’t have to go out and see anyone. See if you smell by the end of the day.