12 year old did clamminess and and smells of seat all the time.

[Thoughtsfortheday]

My 12 your old dd has always been quite a sweaty child, even as a baby I had to bath her more than other two dc as her head often smelt like sweat, she always had clammy hands and when would touch her in at night she would always be sweaty to touch.

This has never really been an issue until puberty has hit and now became quite noticeable.

She showers daily, in clean clothes every day, takes deodorant to school with her but she still often smells of BO and of unwashed head. She is also very sporty and rides so spends most days in after school in a riding hat which i don’t think helps.

She is such a lovely, kind and gentle little thing and the last thing in the world I want to do is give her a complex but I also don’t want people to avoid her because she is smelly.

Just to add she is very fit and slim so not sweating due to holding any excess weight, but have wondered (and to an extent hoped) there might be a deficiency or over worked gland that may be a play...

Does anyone have any advice?

Try 'Halo' sports wash (available from Sainsbury's) for laundry - it's antibacterial and antifungal, and I've found it really does solve the problem of clothes seeming clean but honking again once they warm up. I use it for all my washing now.

And using bar soap in the shower - I'm perimenopausal and hyper conscious I've suddenly had a change in body odour and using soap and ditching gels makes a huge difference, especially on armpits.

This sounds very similar to my DS 13. He has always been a sweaty child and baby, clammy hands and feet. I noticed a change in his smell around 11/12 and it took a while to get on top of. We changed him to Faith in Nature Tea Tree and Lemon body wash, and soap and more frequent showers, he generally washes twice a day. I found he wasn’t washing thoroughly enough and so I’d be sending him back into the shower to rewash his armpits.
He also wasn’t using enough deodorant or using it consistently, he would say he was but the reality was he wasn’t. I don’t think he understood the implications. A few times after his shower I had to get him to smell his Clothes and he could then smell the BO and was repulsed by it, before showering he was totally unaware why I was making him shower after school and was reluctant. As long as he uses deodorant and a body spray it doesn’t seem to matter what he uses it works…..it’s the consistent use that seems to be key for him.
Good luck it’s a fine line to walk without giving them a complex

Use biological washing powder. I swapped when my DS’s school shirt arm pits still smelled of BO after washing.

Most adults, as long as they have a consistent personal hygiene regime, and wear clean clothes, don't smell. Teens can be a bit honky!

I think it's a combination of less than rigorous washing/clothes changing and runaway hormones.

Enforce daily showers with bar soap and hair washing at least twice a week. Natural fabrics washed in biological detergent (30 or 40 is fine), make sure they change their underwear and socks every day (they can be surprisingly lax ime!).

There are conditions that cause excessive or unusual body odour, but I'd get a good system going and take it from there.

My DD has a horse though, when she comes in from the yard she absolutely reeks. So any chaps, body protectors, hats etc need a good bloody airing daily! I put chaps in the washing machine on a cool wash and use specialist cleaner and deodoriser for her hat.

Definitely use bio detergent,good shout @DinosaurDiana. I recommend Ariel cold wash, discovered it during the first lockdown when I couldn't get my usual brand,what a difference! I tend to get it from wilkos/Amazon/ Poundland as it's often on offer there.

Thanks everybody, really good advice from everyone.

Aluminium chloride is good for sweatiness. I used to buy a roll on for my husbands feet

I was a sweaty teen & young adult. I was always very conscious of it!

I swear by Sure or Dove 48 hours cream roll on as an adult (they seem to be the same product, I interchange between them). I notice a huge difference when I use another type. Mitchum never worked for me 🤷🏼‍♀️

Things that helped me were cotton T-shirt’s under my shirts. I showered & washed my hair daily, every morning in my case. I used to shave my under arms every other day, which I def didn’t need too but looking back, it did mean I was putting a lot of soap under my arms and they got a good clean! And I had some of this for my feet:

www.amazon.co.uk/Scholl-Fresh-Step-Antiperspirant-Spray/dp/B00BG69AEE/ref=asc_df_B00BG69AEE/?hvlocphy=1006806&linkCode=df0&hvptwo&psc=1&psc=1&hvnetw=g&hvadid=309940318982&hvpone&hvlocint&th=1&hvpos&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl&hvqmt&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&hvtargid=pla-423769162242&hvrand=11408967277980578905