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

Firstly, can you wash your hair every day? Second, make sure to wash your clothes on high enough heat. Try washing after one wear at first to see if that helps. Also, wash bedding once a week. Make sure you use enough detergent.

When using soap on your body, use bar soap, as shower gels are not as effective.

Trying rubbing coconut oil under your arm pits before putting deodorant. The coconut oil that is sold for cooking and it is hard. It actually works to kill bacteria and I use only that for deodorant most of the time. The only time I use deodorant is if it is super hot and I will be walking a lot. The coconut oil works extremely well for me alone, so i imagine it should work well combined with deodorant. And I have asked my husband and children to let me know if it is not working (just in case I cannot smell myself).

Could be a food intolerance.

My DD is 11 and smells bad when she has dairy. She's now dairy free and the BO smell has gone. No other intolerance symptoms.

Might be worth cutting out certain things to see if that makes any difference?

Synthetic materials are terrible for my BO. Definitely stick to cotton clothes, OP.

Someone else once recommended AKT antiperspirant which is supposed to be an amazing apparently as a natural antiperspirant for helping.

Try Salt of the Earth unscented spray and spritz it all over. But also maybe bring a change of t-shirt/underwear with you to change after lunch (if you wear plain coloured tees no one will notice) so you can freshen up and not feel uncomfortable in the afternoon

I once thought I stunk really bad. I went straight to the doctors and she reassured me I smelt lovely - it turned out I had a severe sinus infection. The smell was horrific but it was all in my nose and nobody else could smell it.. and I asked absolutely everyone and drove them mad over it.

It’s worth thinking about.

Persimmon soap neutralises the nonenal odour, I used this during meno when usual deodorant didn't work, it really works can get it on Ebay or amazon

I don't use a tumble dryer.

But agree with you that you need to review how you launder your clothes. Maybe sure you dry clothes in a warm well ventilated space as well.

Sounds daft but try using white vinegar instead of fabric conditioner for a while it will neutralise any smell that's on your clothes, if you have an extra rinse option on your machine just give them an extra rinse after the vinegar rinse

Does your house have a mould/damp issue?

Otherwise, I would check whether anyone else can smell it? Ask someone you trust will be honest.

And don't let your GP fob you off. I went 20 years without a diagnosis because my "blood tests were normal". Turns out the blood tests they run are very rudimentary and cannot possibly pick up everything

Look to your diet first point of call and water intake

This is a brilliant product to add to laundry. IMO better than the Dettol antibacterial liquid etc.
And yes, wash with powder not liquid or pods.
amzn.eu/d/fMjcwFS

Sure max strength am and pm.

How do you launder? Clothes washed at temperatures < 40oC sometimes retain smells or begin to smell. Clothes not dried fully or quickly enough often begin to smell. The odour is musty.

I am very sensitive to the musty odour of damp / badly washed clothing and to ensure mine never smell I wash clothes at 40oC with non-bio and make sure it gets dried immediately (by tumble in this weather). I wash bedding at 60oC with Biological and towels at 90oC with biological. All my washing gets softener except towels. If I forget a load all day in the washer I rewash it before I dry it. I have recently found my partners running kit needs the bedding was cycle to stay fresh.

I find many, otherwise perfectly clean, folks smell bad due to their laundry habits.

i think you need to work out if it’s your body or your clothes OP. The musty smell you describe sounds more like damp poorly dried clothes which may not have been washed in a hot enough wash.

Just see your GP. Sounds medical

All those talking about laundry- OP said she replaced everything.

So, OP, was there any smell when you first wore the brand new clothes?

That will tell you if this is laundry-related.

Seconding persimmon soap. Tried and tested on my funky old man and funkier teenager. The soap has a very faint scent but the persimmon works on keeping the body fresh and clean smelling all day.
Also, throw vinegar in your rinse cycle.

As a student nurse I worked on ENT this was surprisingly common so don’t feel bad!!
just makes me a little irritated that op would rather spend hours washing and cleaning and the most likely outcome is that she still needs to go to the GP.

I'm another advocate for Hibiscrub, Boots stock a small bottle and you can buy the bigger ones on Amazon. It will kill any bacteria lingering on your body. I broke my collar bone a while ago and because of the way my arm was for the first week or so normal soap and shower gel wasn't cleaning the bacteria under my armpit. Hibiscrub was the only thing I used.
Aww OP I'm sorry, it's horrible when you can't work out what it is and so distressing. I also can't use a certain fabric softer, Summer Breeze the yellow one, it gives off this weird aroma from certain clothes, like a musty funky smell.
Xx

I once made my own deodorant. I think it had bicarbonate of soda and coconut oil - plus something else too.
Have you tried the alum crystal ones? The crystal neutralises odours. I got a roll-on one this week - Urtekram brand. I hope you find a solution, I really feel for you.

Take out the tray and wash it.

Bleach on a cloth and wipe around the rim and the whole machine.

Put your washing machine on a 90c wash with some bleach.

I use TCP on my under arms before bed and it has cured my sweating/smell.

Use men's Mitchum Deodorant

I have hyperhidrosis and have Botox under my arms. It works an absolute treat. However, if your smell isn't due to excess sweating, i doubt it will help.

Rubbing lime juice under your arms helps to neutralise bacteria - it's the bacteria which smells rather than the sweat - but again will depend on the cause of the smell.

Do you have a good friend you can ask whether you smell and what it smells like? Then you maybe able to work out if it's your clothes or a trip to GP is required.

I agree with PP that this is probably a diet issue and could be due to an imbalance of your gut microbiome - when your gut bacteria is unhealthy it can affect all sorts of different parts of your body.

I would start clean eating as much as you can, veg, fruit, water, avoid junk, stick to brown rice etc - and start taking probiotics daily to get your gut bacteria healthy. I know it's boring to eat like that but give it a go - about 3 months to start with and see if it helps. Good luck.

I feel your pain. I sometimes smell.

I put anti back gel under arms before shower. I then scrub with bar sopa then use shower gel. Sure max cream. And steer clear of polyester clothes

pre soak the arm pit areas of your tops with dettol laundry cleanser or white vinegar before putting them in the main wash (helps get rid of boomerang smell which could be lurking in the seams)