Started smelling of maple syrup and can’t get rid, deodorant help please !

[LovelyDonkey]

Help. In this hot weather my ‘natural’ deodorants aren’t cutting it so have gone back to the strong stuff (am menopausal so really sweat !).

I’t’s making me really smell, though not of bo. One armpit is fine but the other reeks of maple syrup. It’s most odd.

Am washing 2/3 times per shower with soap, scrubber and glycolic acid wash. Come out not smelling then it starts up again.

Any ideas ?

Fenugreek can make you smell like maple syrup, are you eating/taking any?

I'd check your diet, laundry and soap scent. Hibiscrub is good.

I've heard of maple syrup urinary disease, but that normally shows up from birth!

OP, if your sweat smells sweet, you should ask the GP to test for diabetes.

There’s a metabolic syndrome that does this, might be worth getting checked out?

There’s also a company that sell healthy armpit bacteria (I kid you not). Dirty Mother, or Something like that.

Get a hanky and keep it in your non smelly armpit. Transfer it to the smelly one. Several times. You want the effective microbiome from the less smelly armpit to move into the smellier pit!

OP, please let us know if you do this and if it works 😁

The company is called Mother Dirt. Sells deodorant products with probiotics and prebiotics in.

Yes, we really need the laugh emoji back 🤣 It does sound daft!

wow, thanks all. I have started eating a low GI/fat dieu (ie eating mainly whole foods) but my blood sugar has been stable as I have POTS and tend to crash badly if not.

i have a megababe deo with probiotics so will try that.

if not will try thethe hanky trick, might even get DH to try as he never smells ever and often doesn’t use deo at all

I use the roll on from this company, but this could be worth looking at OP, I keep looking at it but haven’t bought it yet as I love the roll on! www.frenchsoaps.co.uk/products/alum-stone-deodorant

That is indeed lovely but I have a stone which I can get away with in winter if I wfh and literally don't move (and follow with talc) - no way in this summer

I'm also allergic to bicarb so that rules a lot of more natural ones out

Someone did that- cultivated their boyfriend’s microbiome. It works apparently. I’ve never done it, as it’s not an issue for me.

I reek when I’m anxious, which is a whole other problem and can’t be solved with products!

But even healthy foods can cause body odour, look at what spices or herbs you're having.

Like some herbal teas have fenugreek which makes a specific body odour. Everyone knows about curry, garlic and onion.

Definitely no fenugreek! I've been living of quiche, cold bold potatoes and salad in this heat

Maple syrup smell can sometimes happen when sweat mixes with certain bacteria or reacts with stronger deodorants/acids/over-cleansing. Probably certain food too. Honestly the glycolic acid wash + scrubbing multiple times may actually be irritating the area & disrupting skin microbiome more (especially in hot weather & menopause).

Try to simplify for 1-2 wks. Gentle cleanser only, no harsh scrubbing, no acids directly on irritated skin, & switch to a fragrance-free antiperspirant. Ingredients like "aluminum salts" reduce sweat itself which usually helps more than masking odor. (If the smell suddenly appeared & keeps happening even after simplifying, it’s worth mentioning to your GP too, just to rule out anything metabolic or hormonal contributing.) Hope this helps.

Thank you - that makes sense too actually. Now to see if there's an industrial strength fragrance free deodorant

Smelling sweet can definitely be a sign of diabetes. I'd get a blood test.