Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Preteens

Parenting a preteen can be a minefield. Find support here.

Original poster

11 year old DD body odour

85 replies

Malibucyprus · 30/01/2019 12:26

My DD smells Sad

I know that sounds awful, but it's a fact.

She's bathes daily, washes with soap/shower gel, uses roll-on, anti-perspirant, body spray and perfume, we've even tried talc, but I'm not keen on her using that daily. Her armpits smell as soon as she gets out of the bath. She doesn't sweat excessively.

Clean shirt daily, I was her blazer and coat weekly.

Does it warrant a visit to the GP? I'd hate to waste anyone's time with this.

Someone suggested Driclor to me, but I'm wary of all the chemicals she's rubbing into her skin as it is.

I'm worried it's going to be noticed at school, I'd hate her to be labelled as smelly.

I have a 14 year old DD and she hasn't had any issues with BO.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

OP posts:
MrsLettuce · 30/01/2019 15:04

Is she using actual bar soap (not dove or similar) to wash? Dove etc are just as useless as shower gel for this issue. Real soap makes a huge difference.

That in combination with treating the armpits of her clothes with lemon juice before washing really should sort it. Even when clothes smell entirely fresh and clean after washing there can still be stinky bacteria lurking in the fabric just waiting to stink as soon as they can. Not everything can be washed at 60 or hotter and although a 40 degree wash should kill all bacteria, armpit bacteria do seem to be quite resilient. Saturating the armpits with lemon juice (from a squeeze plastic lemon) and letting it sit a while before washing really should work.

Orchidflower1 · 30/01/2019 15:06

I think m and s do all cotton uniform- I haven’t got any but recall thinking it would be a pig to iron so didn’t bother!

Also what about something like a detol or old fashioned coal tar or pears soaps. You can pick them up in wilko or savers.

What about a chat with a good pharmacist if you’re unsure whether gp isroute to go. Tbh you could ask anyway as it may take you a fortnight to get an appointment!

WhoWants2Know · 30/01/2019 15:07

Definitely agree with using a proper bar soap. That makes a huge difference for me.

merrybloominchristmas · 30/01/2019 15:16

I'd swap for a good spray anti perspirant

bakingbernie · 30/01/2019 15:19

I used to have a problem with my DS.
He went into the shower every day but he still had really bad body odour.
Some years later he told me that whilst he went into the bathroom and switched on the shower he did not actually get wet!
I had even taken him to the doctor for advice!

MrsLettuce · 30/01/2019 15:24

Oh. I also see she's using dove antiperspirant. Have you tried any of their antiperspirants yourself? Both DP and I have tried a couple of theirs and found them to have little to no anti-persirant effect...

mitchum is indeed very good but I wonder if this might not have more to do with how useless the dove stuff is.

Original poster
Malibucyprus · 30/01/2019 15:36

I’ve tried Dove soap and roll-on, Sure/Dove/Nivea/Lynx roll-on & antiperspirant, followed by Impulse body spray, then I cover her in perfume. I also spray the armpits of her shirts with body spray before ironing just in case, that probably doesn’t help but I’m getting desperate.

Currently using a charcoal natural rub sample I had with my Birch Box, that hasn’t helped much either.

I’ve tried various shower gels.

I’m going to try some other soaps, I’ve just ordered some Dettol soap. Oh and cotton shirts.

OP posts:
Shadow1986 · 30/01/2019 15:43

I think it warrants a trip to GP to be honest as you wouldn’t want anyone at school to be thinking this and it start to cause her any issues. I know there is actually a medical condition where you get very bad BO. I used to work with a lady who had it, it was so bad. I’d smell it as soon as I got out the lift to my floor. Our manager had to say something because it was so bad and she said she knew but had tried everything. If you’re sure your cleaning under her arms properly and she smells straight away I think you need to get her seen. Hope you manage to figure it out.

Thirtyrock39 · 30/01/2019 15:58

My dd was the same at this age.
Things that helped :-
Daily showers in the morning with soap (Wright's coal tar is really good)
Fresh cotton shirts every day
Spray strong anti perspirant (my daughter didn't like the feel of roll on so wasn't putting enough on)
And the other thing is I wonder if hormones settle down as the smell is much less than it was at 11.

Thirtyrock39 · 30/01/2019 16:02

Just to add it's really common at this age and I don't think you need to go to the gp
I work with children of this age and can assure you there are plenty with BO at this age!
My dd started with it at age 8 and the gp said it's not unusual these days

Original poster
Malibucyprus · 30/01/2019 17:23

I’m thinking it’s hormonal, she’s seems perfectly healthy, and with the other changes her body is going through hormones seems the most likely explanation. It’s just hard to deal with when I’ve tried so many things to help her, she even has a strip wash when she gets changed after school, so she’s washing her armpits twice a day and applying deodorants.

OP posts:
Original poster
Malibucyprus · 30/01/2019 17:27

Thank you all for the tips and advice, I’ll check back in a few weeks after I’ve tried a few of the suggestions.

OP posts:
MrsJayy · 30/01/2019 17:34

You need to stop spraying her nobodyis going to be that close to her that they smell her and if she does have an odour then the body spray will just mix with it and make it worse I am kindly saying calm down with scrubbing and spraying her get some mitchum deodorant which ime is the best you might give her a complex.

lovely36 · 30/01/2019 20:28

Hi I know two people with this problem!! My cousin and dh cousin. My little cousin began having extreme BO as young as 6!! She had the same problem. My aunt tried everything and nothing worked. She took her to her gp and I'm sure there's a name for that. They gave her tablets for it! It's an actually thing not very common. DH cousins (male) also has this issue and unfortunately he's known as the stinky one in the family. Very sad. He's fully aware of it and this past year he had botox in his armpits because that's apparently one of the few ways to treat this, it causes him to sweat less and according to him it's made the smell not so strong. He had to throw all his previous clothes out and everything. I would say take your daughter to your gp so they can tell you what it is, I wish I could tell you what it's called but I can't remember.

Orchidflower1 · 30/01/2019 20:34

The pp makes an interesting point op. Do you have any family members who have suffered with this issue?

Whatdoyouknowwhenyouknownowt · 30/01/2019 20:45

Body odour is bacteria & all these sprays may be killing off her "good bacteria".

I have always struggled with this. Now I use "Salt of the Earth", works really well & a bar of soap in the bath.

Only smelly now if very stressed...

My clothes, despite being a frequent washer, do get a bit manky, particularly anything not cotton. Vinegar works best for gym clothes.

ShutUpLegs · 30/01/2019 20:54

My DD is the same age nd we have the same problem It runs in the family - my Dad stinks by the ed of the day. Mine calmed down as I aged.

Simple anti-bacterial soap and some supervised showering stopped the "still smelling when I get out of the shower" issue. Clean cotton shirt daily, she is using Bionsen at the moment which seems to work as regards deodorant. She needs prompting to use it. She needs prompting to out tops in the wash regularly.

She just doesn't notice it so I do have to nudge her to shower after exercise. I am (fairly) confident that she'll grow out of it!

Believeitornot · 30/01/2019 20:58

Are you washing clothes at a hot enough wash?

And are you the only one who’s noticed the smell? I.e. could you be worrying so much that you’ve inflated it in your mind?

Passthecake30 · 30/01/2019 21:09

When you iron her clothes, can you smell BO as they get warm? That's how I tell if I need to treat the armpits with vinegar to get the sunk-in smell out.

I recommend garner 48hr mineral protection antiperspirant. Way better than the likes of dove.

MsPavlichenko · 30/01/2019 21:15

Yes to hot wash. Otherwise clothes smell clean , and may remain so on tbe rest on you but not on your DD if she ischot/ sweating. And no fabric conditioner. It coats and masks smells.

Original poster
Malibucyprus · 30/01/2019 21:29

@Passthecake30 no, they smell fine when I iron them. I know what you mean though as DP gym t-shirts look clean but smell as soon as the iron hits them.

I’ve been talking to my mom about it again tonight and she said she’s always had really sweaty armpits, which surprised me as I have never smelt anything other than perfume on my mom (although now I know why she showers 3 times a day). Apparently she suffered from a young age, until the menopause and her Dad had the same problem, despite being hygienic. So there may be something in that....

Other people have noticed too, her older sister, and my Mom.

OP posts:
JuniperBeer · 30/01/2019 21:36

Is she using deodorant (which covers the smell) or anti perspirant. Another vote here for Mitchum.
I’d lay off the body spray / perfume mixture.
Definitely another recommendation for soap rather than shower gel. And one of those shower puff things so she’s washing properly. Hopefully you’ll get it sorted OP

messyhousetidymind · 30/01/2019 21:40

Try one of the new type antiperspirant before bed on clean pits. It works better at night apparently something about body temperature. I use sure max (the cream one) but actually have a shower and put on a bit more in the morning just for the fun of it!

No other deodorants including Mitchum work on me.

But I agree see the GP

barkinatthemoon · 30/01/2019 21:56

I sweat really easily, and have to apply my deodorant the second I dry my armpits! I also can't wear anything that sits tight on my armpits as within half an hour it causes me to sweat and smell. It's gross! And the only solution I've found is to religiously use the mitchum STICK deodorant. It's amazingggg. It's a bit more expensive than most deodorants, but not hugely so, and more than worth it. I'd definetely try it, as I was on the verge of going to the gp a couple of years ago, I used to have to take a spare top to work to change into half way through the day, I'd get though bottles of perfumes and sprays each week, and would still smell, until I was recommended to try this. It's made a massive difference to me, so please give it a try.

MrsRubyMonday · 30/01/2019 22:04

I used to have a very similar problem as a teenager, mum often said I smelled and I was aware but nothing I tried helped. I would be wary spraying lots of perfume and body spray as they don't usually hide the smell and it becomes an obvious mix of chemical fragrance and BO. Also we later worked out that my perfume, which mam had smelled and ok'd in the shop, reminded her of BO on my skin which didn't help (she's prone to migraines from scents so any coming into the house had to be tested first, it's not as controlling as it sounds!). Also because I was aware of the problem already, her repeatedly mentioning it only made me feel worse, so be careful how you approach it. I would have been mortified if she came in and started washing me at that age.

Only solutions were hotter washes of clothing (90° for any bras, t-shirts or shirts worn next to skin) and regularly culling anything that started to smell within a few minutes of being put on as once they were at that stage nothing helped. I use the body shop tea tree body wash under arms every evening, wash well with a scrubby glove and then don't rinse straight away so it has time to neutralise any bacteria. As soon as I'm out of the shower, dry armpits and then apply the dove 24h super strength deodorant (comes in a box, I stock up when on offer) and stay undressed for half hour or so while it dries. It has to dry overnight to be most effective. Then in the morning I top up with a normal dove spray or roll on. It may also be worth buying some flannels specifically to use to dry her armpits so her towels don't hold the smell. Mine eased off after puberty finished, about 15 or so, but I still follow the routine or my one armpit reverts back to it's annoying state. It's particularly bad if I eat a lot of onion or garlic, if I have a curry I can literally smell it on my skin the next day. Maybe keep a food diary as well to see if there's a common link you've overlooked?

Swipe left for the next trending thread