Under arm body odour - what's going on here?

[Dumbledoresgirl]

I have an idea in the back of my mind that if you use one particular deodorant/anti perspirant for a considerable length of time (ie years) you suddenly reach a time when it stops working for you. You then need to buy an alternative brand. Is there any scientific evidence for this or am I labouring under an illusion?

If the latter, what else would explain my sudden problem? I have noticed that my deodorant/anti perspirant is not always as reliable as it once was. It is particularly embarrassing as it seems to fail when I am meeting people (something I don't do much of as I am a sahm). The excitement/nerves/call it what you will that I seem to experience when talking to people seems to make me sweat. I wasn't aware of it until recently and only then because the deodorant/anti perspirant seems to suddenly fail.

Fortunately, I am usually in a situation where I can have a wash and change my clothes quite quickly, but I shouldn't have to, should I? Is this an actual medical problem (I have a vague memory of seeing something about this on Embarrassing Bodies) or is it just a case of changing the brand of deodorant/anti perspirant I wear? Is there a stronger brand anyone can recommend?

I would like to say before anyone says anything rude or offensive, I shower every day and change my clothes regularly and I am not overweight. The odour is not linked to physical activity.

I used to get this a lot with shampoo, and would just change brands every so often.

Try using a bar of soap instead of shower gel - dettol have good range in Asda or Dove green one is nice. I use mitchum deodrant.
My daughter uses driclor from boots for sweating and it has helped her so much.

I have used Dove for years abd years, and then suddenly it stopped working for me. I was mildly worried, then I read somewhere (probably on here ) that they had been messing with the ingredients. Switched to the green Mitchum one, and all is well again.

You didn't say how old you are. This can be a symptom of perimenopause.

Apologies if you are only 20; you can safely ignore that idea!

If you're looking for a stronger brand, I recommend Perspirex. It goes on at night after a shower and you wash off the residue in the morning (if you don't it might make you itch). It works like a good normal deodorant at first, but after about three months I realised that a problem had disappeared from my life: underarm wetness and BO. It also worked for my husband and our hormonal 16 year old DS (changing room smells from his bedroom have stopped). You can buy it in Pink/strong from Tesco or Blue/extra strong from Boots. Check out the reviews on the Boots website!

This is happening to be. I think peri menopausal (sadly) and I'm not quite 40

Moln, it happens. I went through the menopause at 46.

Ah thanks for the recommendations. I had read that there are anti perspirants that work in a different way to normal and you put them on at night and wash them off in the morning. It sounds like what you are describing Sgtmajormummy. I will get to a big Boots next week armed with a list of recommendations here. Interestingly, Dove is what I have been using for the last few years, but I have noticed a reduction in the effectiveness of other deodorants before too so I don't know that the particular brand is significant. At the moment, having had to change my clothes earlier following a 10 minute conversation with another parent when picking my son up from a sports activity , I am wearing dh's deodorant just to try something different.

And I am 50 and pretty much through the menopause. It isn't a hot flush though. I have no awareness I am sweating until maybe half an hour later when I suddenly realise I am reeking

OP, I don't think it's related to hot flushes per se; it's more to do with changing body chemistry making your sweat more "whiffy".

Bloody menopause. Things they don't teach you at school.

Sorry, meant to add, there is a Sure Maximum Strength, which is another one you put on at night, and it lasts 24 hours. It's a cream, applied with a dispenser stick, and comes in a white box.

It's very good, although pricier than usual deodorants. I won some in tombola (random?) and was quite impressed.

Yeah, sorry, I realised almost as soon as I had posted that you weren't implying hot flushes and I didn't really need to mention them.

Thanks again for the recommendations. This is one of those rare occasions where I don't think I care much about the price as long as it is effective. I am beginning to become a bit paranoid about making social contact as I know what the likely outcome will be. And yes, to not being taught about the menopause - or not all these little inconveniences anyway - at school.

I will make a list of everything mentioned here and maybe buy a few different things to see what I get on with. Cheers.

I second DriClor recommendation. I used to sweat a fair amount and would smell if using a less reliable deodorant. I used DriClor a few times and I have never ever noticed sweating since then, I think I could quite happily wear no deodorant to be honest or any deodorant I want, I no longer need to use specific brands that definitely work. It did make all my lymph nodes go up though, but I'm a bit prone to that. It also was quite burny, hence only using it twice!

I have had the same thing....I put it down to hormone fluctuations.

I use Mitchum. It works really well for me.

Worth a go.

OP I've often thought the same as you...my decidedly unscientific research solely based on my experience has come to the conclusion that after using the same deodorant for an age, I associate the smell of the deodorant with sweat, so when I sweat and the deodorant starts working and I catch a whiff of it, I think I smell bad, although DP assures me I don't.

I've decided it worse with highly scented brands so now taken to buying non scented ones (i like sanex) and switching around each time I buy a new one and it seems to have sorted it...

I know it sounds insane, but it was driving me mad...can you tell i've spent a lot of time thinking about this?

I don't know if that is it - but I do know that some tims i sweat and smell more than usual.

Agree with pp recommending bar soap as opposed to shower gels. I find bar soap much more effective - and hve got teen DS using it too now.

I sometimes use Dove roll-on - other times the Mitchum.

For me it depends on where I am in my cycle - I sweat more at some times of the month.

Also I find the clothing I'm wearing can make a difference e.g. cheaper tops which are tight fitting are worse.

Sometimes I find when I put deodorant on, I get a rush of sweat

Sometimes using just deodorant and not anti perspirant is best - minimal sweat!

If I want to reduce the smell I use seperate deodorant and anti perspirant.

It is so annoying!

My husband and I have both pondered on your theory on deoderants in the past. Sure do a deoderant stick that lasts 48 hours, you dont even have to reapply it much. ive used it in summer and it was amazing. The packaging is white. Its not a roll on its a stick, designed for heavier perspiration.