Help - my kid stinks

[NCgoingdry]

DD 11 is going through puberty at what seems to be a rapid rate. She looks like a young woman which is terrifying.

But she smells of BO no matter how much washing. Predominantly her hair and armpits.

I feel dreadful saying this - but even though I'm instructing her to wash her hair at least 3x a week, even when it is freshly washed I can still smell a horrible greasy BO smell coming off her head.

Straight out of the shower she still has this musty cloud.

I know the obvious answer is that she isn't washing properly - but she is. I've gone over it time and time again, and observed how she does it so I know she's doing it properly. She uses the same products as us so nothing particularly gentle.

I clean the hair brushes, change her pillow cases every couple of days, clean towels, always clean clothes daily. She wears deodorant.

Is there a super strong shampoo that won't break the bank that will be really tough on her hair?! Although it's such good condition I don't want to strip it.

What can I do?! I don't want her to be the smelly kid at school.

@PhoenixArisen Yeah I've tried that and it does 😩

For everyone suggesting fungal skin infections - her skin, scalp and body look totally normal - what should I be looking for??

Can you try an oil based shampoo and conditioner such as argan oil I find makes my hair smell nicer for longer. Also dry shampoo in between or when u style detangle spray. I find nivea deodorant is the best the pearl one. You could always try the lynx type shower gel as I find when I use my partners it is much stronger than the female ones. Maybe you could go out n get her a little impulse set and some nice perfume that doesn't break the bank too.

@NCgoingdry it's a pain but I would separate out washing hair and the shower and wash her hair for her, every day for a week or so to see if it makes a difference.

If not, I'd go to the GP for some investigations

Discolouration on her nails, any patches of skin that are a different colour or texture - any patches of dry skin, or reddish skin, check between her fingers and toes for any sloughing or dry skin. Elbows and the creases behind the knees are places to check too, anything that looks not smooth or sore.

I was going to suggest Driclor too. It works very quickly, and is brilliant for sweating. You can also get it from Amazon & Boots

Agree with this, daily washing is obviously needed at the moment and I have thick hair too and have to be really thorough as it's easy for the water to bounce off the top layer 😂

It might be worth getting the GP to check her scalp- it is possible to develop a fungal or yeast infection there, and she might need to get it treated.

There are medicated shampoos that can help but I would get it checked first so you know what's up.

Can you give her a hair wash over the kitchen sink? You might be able to really give it a good going over and as a pp suggested definitely behind the ears too.

Also, she probably needs a new pillow case daily too at the moment.

Who'd be a teenager again?😢

I second Vosene,it's good.

My DS12 had a similar issue so swimming pool twice a week. Spending an hour in chlorine seems to get rid of the funky cloud.

supervised hair wash using this in the shower I’ve explained it’s really good at getting chlorine out. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Vinegar-Clarifying-Shampoo-Sulfate-Surfactants/dp/B081HJ1P5F/ref=asc_df_B081HJ1P5F/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=430970648805&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=8974868386114280685&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=2826&hvtargid=pla-898549093415&psc=1&th=1&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=103180007714&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=430970648805&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=8974868386114280685&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=2826&hvtargid=pla-898549093415

A good proper hair wash and blow dry daily, and full scrub up in the shower for a week, with supervision. I've done this with DC from being small and it's served them well in the hormonal years.

Tea tree worth a try.

Another query about a fungal infection on her scalp. Why does she need head and shoulders? Is the break out of spots actually fungal infection?

I'd just buy Nizoral shampoo, make sure she lathers it onto the scalp well (maybe do it for her over the sink?) and let it sit for a full 10mins. Do that as per the instructions a couple of times and I bet it'll help.

Fungal infection can be smelly. If you do that, I'd change her pillowcases every day as well so no reinfection. It will only take a week or so.

The only thing that got rid of my DS 'wet dog' hair smell was Alberto balsam tea tree shampoo. So cheap I wasn't expecting much but he still uses it now at 21.

Try T gel shampoo, it's medicated, so is Vosene. A good quality tea tree oil shampoo will help reduce bacterial load.

Consider cutting her hair if it's very long to make it easier to wash daily.

I use dettol soap to wash in, always have it reduces bacterial load though its not very strong and a tea tree oil or aloe Vera soap might be better. BTW I don't use dental cos I smell, I use it cos I feel clean after using it - I have the oriental gene, so don't sweat much and if I do it doesn't smell.

Also look at her diet - increase fruit and veg and reduce processed foods. Try to eliminate vegetable oils too.

If all else fails speak to a doctor.

Puberty is a real nightmare time for some kids, I hope you get this sorted quickly.

This is what I was going to suggest.

I really feel for your daughter, and have been through similar, albeit at during perimenopause. Previously, I hadn't had any odour issues, didn't need deodorant and only needed to wash my hair once a week. I stank, and no amount of washing or applying deodorant did anything to curtail it. Fluctuating hormones was the cause for me and once this was sorted out, these issues vanished.

Need a clarifying shampoo.
A cleanser and soap bar for body with salycilic acid in like ceravae products.

Please avoid Vosene and head and shoulders shampoos. Both are very harsh on the hair and will strip it of natural oils. This in turn may result in extra oily hair, which will definitely contribute to the smell.

Elvive in the lighter green bottle with clay in its ingredients helps enormously to control the grease.

Dettol soap bar. Not shower gel.

White vinegar on clothes.

Hot flannel to wash face morning and night, including behind ears, into hairline and behind neck.

I'd try driclor if excessive armpit sweat

I’ve seen tea tree based products recommended on here a lot for these sort of issues. Remember that bad odours are generally caused by bacteria. Tea tree is anti bacterial and anti fungal. It will kill the source of the smell as well as providing quite a strong, fresh scent itself. There are quite a few different brands you can try with tea tree. Also I’m not sure how your daughter is wearing her hair. I agree that drying it properly is important. If she’s throwing it up in a ponytail or something after a shower then it’s going to go damp and musty.

That's what is needed,isn't it?😂

Id try the things suggested BUT i would also go to the GP as there a are a few things that can cause it.

I would definitely be drying the hair afterwards, i get the musty smell if i air dry too.

My DD has really long thick hair and when she was your DDs age her hair was a mess. Basically she wasnt washing out all the shampoo as it was too difficult/time consuming and was letting it air dry so the underneath never really got dry and it wasnt completely clear of shampoo either. Repeat this for a few weeks and it smelt fusty too.

Top tip is to use one of the herbal essences clear shampoo as it doesnt have as much build up as creamy ones (and smells fresh too) and make sure she rinses her hair through at least twice more after she thinks shes got all thje shampoo out as she wont have! Im a daily hair washer but DD does every other day. Also hair drying her hair, especially underneath, will massively help.

DD is now late teens and her hair is amazing (although on hair washing days it takes her about 30 minutes to have a shower as her hair is so thick).

DS had a horrible musty, oily smell when he was going through puberty. He’s 13 now and it disappeared nearly a year ago so I’m assuming that it was the change in hormones. Head and shoulders helped for hair washing - I made sure that he washed twice, rinsing thoroughly in between. I’m not a fan of Zoflora but I started to add it to the laundry when washing his clothes and bedding and that helped too. Soap rather than shower gel in the shower. Otherwise, it’s won’t last forever and you have to wait it out.

I swear by Paul Mitchell Shampoo Two (there;s different ones). Its a clarifying shampoo and fabulous for greasy hair.
However, I've just noticed the price for one bottle on the normal website I use (LookFantastic) has almost doubled in price in just over two months since I last ordered a bottle so perhaps I won't recommend it 😅
If money isn't a problem though maybe give a smaller bottle a go and see how she gets on.
Also as an aside I have very thick hair and always leave it to air dry and I've never smelt fusty lol. Sounds more like she's not washing it enough or not rinsing out the soap enough.

I'm going to go against the grain. I've always had greasy hair that really needs washed daily but every so often it gets to a stage where it constantly looks a bit greasy and dirty and the problem is always product build up. So I've been using a lot of shampoo to get rid of the grease but it is forming a coating around the hair shaft so when I'm washing regardless of how much product I'm using I'm never getting a proper clean because there is a barrier there. The solution is a clarifying shampoo to get rid of the build up, followed by a gentle shampoo and conditioner to protect the hair. It's like if you had a greasy cooker hood, you could wash it and wash it with alcohol wipes and still have that residue but it needs the dish soap and warm water to bind with the oil and make it soluable to remove it properly and make it clean. Personally I'd go to the hairdresser and see if they can do the clarifying shampoo because they are the experts at hair washing and always leave it so lovely and clean and soft.