DD and personal hygiene.

[AvonCallingBarksdale]

DD is 17 and to be blunt, smells 🙁. Her underarm odour is really strong and unpleasant. She showers every day although of course I’m not monitoring how effectively. She has Dove deodorant but again not sure how much she’s using. I washed some of her clothes today and even after drying on the line there’s still a faint smell in some tops.
She is a bit overweight but not significantly (just trying to give an overall pic)
She has a boyfriend and lots of friends but does struggle with anxiety and low mood. I don’t know if anyone’s ever commented.
So:
a) any recommendations for a better deodorant
b) any tips on broaching this with her that won’t end in disaster? She’s usually v unreceptive to any perceived criticism.

thank you.

My DD is similar- showers daily but usually deodorants don't seem to work for her. She now uses Michem and it's totally effective.

I don’t think so - she’s seeing a therapist and we’ve had v open discussions about that. I can’t be 100% sure but I don’t think so.

Thanks. I really feel for her. So many things have just been tougher for her since an early age.

Everyone suggesting Mitchum, I’ve had a look - spray, roll-on, powder fresh - any one that’s more effective?

Is she changing her bra regularly? Could the smell be lingering on it (and/or clothes?). Might need a soak /more frequent laundering.

My husband who showers every morning gets smelly armpits within hours of showering. He started using this deodorant and hasn't had a problem since. https://www.googleadservices.com/

Not the spray. It’s harder to get enough onto the skin. I think roll on is best. If you get the stick make sure it’s the original one and not the “natural” one as that doesn’t work as well.

The most effective one is the gel.

What does she wash herself with?

I got DS a pouf (you know, one of those things on a string) so he could rub the shower gel on that and get a good lather up, rather than just rub it on and get washed away.

Any Mitchum roll on is excellent. If she's big busted, a quick underboob swipe too.

Her clothes should not still be smelling straight after being washed. Make sure you wash her clothes on a full length cycle at 40%. Fast washes at low temperatures are not sufficient except as an occasional wash for very lightly soiled items.

Despite being very hygienic DD (19) is an excessive sweater and to be frank does begin to smell quicker than most people would. The only anti-perspirant/deodorant that works for her is the yellow Mitchum stick. Dove does absolutely nothing.

She was getting self conscious over it so we decided to take the plunge and book her in for armpit Botox which stops the sweating. Honestly it was worth every penny and DD has been really pleased with the results

Cotton clothing is the best - nice and breathable. Polyester holds smells very easily and causes you to sweat too much

3 steps: 1) Antibacterial soap in the shower, leave on for 2 mins before washing off (Hibiscrub or similar), followed by 2) good deodrant and yes, 3) wash clothes with vinegar and use detol laundry antibacterial santiser with the washing load.

Probably not as frequently as is ideal. But the smell is definitely right in the armpit so I’m not sure the bra will be affecting it.

I do a full cycle but use non-bio.

suggest she washes her armpits twice - the first time only breaks the deodrant down when washing, the second time actually cleans them! and deodrant after shower and on a morning/night depending when she showers

She may have a problem with excess sweating (I did when I was younger) - Driclor was a god send. People say fresh sweat doesn’t smell but I found it started to smell quite quickly (even wearing fresh clothes and showering daily). Also she should be wearing cotton tops/natural fibres. Polyester clothing will make it 10 times worse.

I've suffered from this issue since puberty and I'm perimenopausal now. Mitchum was useless for me tbh, so after much research and trial/error, these are the only things that have helped;

• Antibacterial wash daily
• Glycolic Acid toner (check insta and tik tok)
• Driclor overnight, wash off in morning. (This will sting and itch like crazy unless the armpits are bone dry before application)
• Mens antibacterial antiperspirant in day that contains silver.

Antiperspirant can build up and become ineffective, so changing it up regularly helps.

Not to sound too grim but the sweat and ensuing armpit smell can also emanate from the groin in susceptible people, so I use the same regime as above in summer.

Mitchum gel is brilliant

As with a lot of the trends, some of her tops are tight non-natural fibres so that probably doesn’t help.

So many helpful suggestions, thank you. I wish she’d noticed it herself and brought it up - I know however sensitively I approach it that she’ll be mortified and upset 😢

To be honest OP there’s no way that she hasn’t noticed - you can smell sweat off yourself easily. She may just be too embarrassed to speak to you about it

Mitchum deodorant (I find the stick much better than the roll on)

Wash with proper soap

dettol laundry sanitizer

Wash bedding and towel regularly

The stick one here as she can't cope with the sound of a roll on and spray was mostly going past her and into the air behind her.....

Yeah, we had poly mix school shirts here . I mean, who would agree to that as a uniform choice?!?

I'm the opposite and prefer the roll on, I find the stick drags my armpits skin and it isn't the nicest sensation so with the roll on I end up applying more deodorant automatically because it's less offensive from a sensory pov.

OP it's relatively cheap, perhaps buy one of both and let her figure out which she prefers?