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.

Personally I'd go to the doctor. She may have an infection.

For extreme body odour that’s not going away after washing I’d be speaking to a doctor. It’s not normal to have lingering body odour straight after a shower, there are some medical conditions that can cause it though.

Out of curiosity does she have excessively sweaty hands/feet?

Also, how hot is the water she’s using? Too hot can cause you to sweat in the shower too, a cooler shower is better for your skin.

My hair was fucking awful as a teenager, really really oily and using my mums deep conditioning shampoo made it so much worse. I only really sorted it out when I started buying my own clarifying shampoo, it made a huge difference. That and rinsing it for way longer than I thought it needed.

Now I'm older I'm sweaty for a whole different reason and bar soap really does seem to be much more effective

I would suggest just telling her that these products are much better for people her age than the stuff you currently buy, no need to go into detail, use age as an excuse

Try drying her hair before changing products

Shield soap is excellent for BO

Triple Dry antiperspirants are really good - stronger than Mitchum etc. Sainsbury's sell them as a roll-on or spray, and the roll-ons are on Amazon as well.

Certain medical conditions and medicines can give off that odour so may be worth seeing GP x

I would wash her hair for her. Scrub her scalp and rinse, rinse, rinse. Wash it daily and then see if it still smells. It’s not easy washing and drying thick hair and making sure you do the scalp, perhaps she just can’t manage it herself yet.
Simple soap is good. It’s surprising how many preteens and teens have really long showers but don’t actually wash. Check her towel too, does she leave in a heap or dry it between showers.

if it's not on her clothes it may not be BO, there are hormone imbalances that can cause a fishy odor. no amount of washing will cover it.

Bar soap, definitely

We are also having same problem with our 13 yr old boy exact same issues pretty much. He showers morning and night has all deodorants etc and we still struggling so watching this with interest

I'd change her shampoo and deodorant. My DD did a lot of sports and used to smell be a bit as a teen. I got her using the deodorant for men who do sports. I don't know if it's a bit stronger but it worked for DD. She used Sure for men. Also if she is showering everyday she should wash her hair everyday at the same time. 2 X shampoo and rinse each time she washes.

This is the longest of long shots but does she have any cysts?? I had a perfectly benign cyst on my shoulder that one day started secreting a tiny tiny amount of clear fluid, not enough to show on clothes. And it STANK. I'd get out the shower and still immediately smell it again, in fact hot water made it worse. 🤢 So glad I got the fecker removed.

Stupid question can other people smell it too other than you?

There is science that says parents are more susceptible to the teenage smell as it’s a biological thing to avoid incest.

How about HIbiscrub? Just as one off? A wash with this cleared my DCs stinky feet. It was a miracle
Kills bacteria, surgeons use it.

Also Dettol anti bacteria laundry liquid for clothes and bedding. I thought it was a con and bio powder and a hit was would be ok. But it works on sweaty sports kit. I really rate it

sounds like she needs to shower and wash Uber hair more often, use a clarifying shampoo then use a daily one and condition, use deodorant at least twice a day.

Mitchum gel deodorant is the only one that worked on ds, it's the most expensive one, but you only need a tiny bit.

Re: armpits. Driclore is very, very harsh and can leave the skin red raw if you are sensitive to it. If she does try, make sure it is on very dry skin at night, placing talc on the armpits to ensure everything is very dry helps.

I found Nudd deodorant worked surprisingly well (so much so my son does not even need to apply it daily any more!) and it doesn't contain any of the nasty stuff. Also avoid spraying on deodorant as often these can make the smell worse.
nuudcare.co.uk/
Good luck x

Clarifying shampoo for hair to really clean it. Toni & Guy used to do a men's one that was the only thing that would work on my DD, she'd get out of the shower after using normal shampoo and look like she hadn't even washed her hair. Spray roots with dry shampoo as soon as you've blow dried it (try not to comb too much) so any grease is soaked up straight away.

Also use bio washing powder and if you can get it Rockin Green active wear washing additive, it has enzymes which really stop the stink in clothes.

I had to wash my hair daily from 8

Total PITA but very necessary

Expecting the same with toddler DD when the time comes

Dump the gel just use soap it's the only thing that breaks down bacteria

Try an antiperspirant rather than just deodorant. Also have you tried shampoo with tea tree oil in it?

Tea tree oil is antiseptic and stops dandruff etc. it also unclogs the hair follicles

The Mitchum cream makes me smell absolutely vile. The roll on and spray are fine.

I think she should dry her hair with a hair dryer after washing it, plait it and dry shampoo the roots before bed.