People Who Don't Wear Deodorant or Seemingly Bathe Regularly, Why?
People Who Don't Wear Deodorant or Seemingly Bathe Regularly, Why?
Like, I travel around for work and I've met plenty of people from all backgrounds.
Why is there a demographic of people who don't seemingly bathe regularly, or at the very least wear something to cover up their BO? I could understand if it's an allergy, or even religious reasons (though the people I've met that smell bad are usually you're average American young adult man) but recently (like in the past week, recently) I've met a concerning number of people who don't seem to wear any kind of deodorant or possibly don't even bathe regularly; it's starting to become an issue for me, as I don't even want to interact with them when I can smell them walking up from 3+ feet away yet I need to for work.
Does anyone have any possible insight?
I look forward to reading what an online community that specializes in Linux and Star Trek memes has to say about personal hygiene...
People should shower regularly, but I find the aromas wafting from people who use many fragrance products far more offensive and offputting than someone smelling like a human. Some people's shampoo, laundry detergent and deodorant (not to mention body spray, cologne or perfume) are so strong that I can smell them from 5 feet away, and the odor lingers for several minutes after they leave an area. I don't really care what it smells like as much as that I seem to be allergic to these fragrances, and sneeze, get red eyes, my nose starts running my lips swell a bit. This is why some places have instituted a fragrance-free policy - as many as 25% of people have an allergy to various components of these perfumes. Unfortunately it's a very touchy thing to explain to people as the average person thinks they're doing something virtuous by wearing a bunch of fragrances and it makes them more appealing to be around.
People become nose blind to their perfumes and deoderants so they put on more and more over time to smell the same (from their perspective). My mom has the same issue but claims it's all in my head.
My mom and dad's hair products are about the worst thing imaginable. After they take showers I can hardly go in the same room as them for 3-4 hours and the scent even lingers for 5-10 minutes after they walk out. She said 'huh? it has a scent?'
Every single day, when I am out walking my dog, a jogger comes by smelling of like a shit-ton of soap/perfume/deodorant/body spray - I nearly gag. These guys (and sometimes girls) are so terrified they might smell sweaty when doing something, you know, sweaty, like jogging a couple of miles...it boggles my mind.
Who taught people we have to smell like artificial bouquets of flowers all the time, even when exercising, ffs?
Yeah, and when your body wants to sweat, you MUST stop it. I've wondered with all the different scented products people wear at the same time, why they want to smell like the average of 12 different synthetic flowers.
Who taught people we have to smell like artificial bouquets of flowers all the time, even when exercising, ffs?
Detergent and perfume companies
I had a really weird thing years back, never since then.
Middle-aged white women wearing something, no idea what, would gag me out. I don't mean it was merely offensive, I mean I'd hold my breath near them. Made me low key nauseous.
Had that problem for a couple of years, haven't smelled that for maybe 10 years. Anyone have a clue what I mean or what it might have been?
LOL, and you would hate my wife. She's Asian, so I'm not sure she's capable of body odor, but she's so paranoid about it she bathes twice a day and hoses herself in perfume, hair too. I love it up close, but I don't think you would pick it up from 5'.
I've become familiar with several different classes of horrible fragrances that people use. There's the one that smells like salty roses, one that smells like 'old ladies' (this gross light flower-lavender scent?), one that's like a bunch of synthetic grapes and other fruit, the 'cotton candy' kind of dryer sheet scent, some that smell like flowers mixed with burning plastic... not sure which one you might have encountered. I find if I take antihistamines it's more 'huh, I smell that' vs. a toxic emergency, but I prefer to just avoid it. I do hold my breath in some circumstances, like if I have to walk down the laundry detergent aisle in the grocery store.
I actually can smell many people's scents from 5 feet away and still smell their fragrances after they exit an area. I'm probably more sensitive because I don't wear clothes coated in this stuff and sleep in sheets soaked in it.
That's disgusting. You're seriously telling me you prefer week old BO over the average deodorant? That's exactly why it's called de-"odor"-ant. OP wasn't talking about covering yourself in axe body spray or copious amounts of perfume, he asked why people don't shower and use deodorant.
Yes, because it doesn’t give me an allergic reaction. Clearly you’ve never experienced that but maybe you could imagine the difference.
week old BO over the average deodorant
That's a false dichotomy though. The obvious third option is to shower every day and wear clean clothes?
I was this kid all throughout my school years.
Parents never taught me any kind of personal hygiene, and my house was filled with a thick smog of smoke, so my sense of smell is still shot to this day. To give an idea how bad it was, I was asking for dentures when I was 14 because my teeth were literally falling out. The water in our house was spotty at best, on top of the hygiene thing, so baths were maybe once every 2 weeks or so. My parents always had a fridge stocked with Coca Cola, but almost never drinkable water.
Besides pointing at my parents, I don't really have an explanation for you, but I've definitely "been there."
It took a lot of effort, but I've come a looooong way since then. Like... unrecognizably so, thankfully - other than the dentures, at least.
If anyone is reading this, and in a situation where their home life or depression or whathaveyou is putting you in this kind of situation: Just know that things can and will get better. I know how difficult and embarrassing it can be when you're deep in it, but all you gotta do is be a little bit better than yesterday (when you're able). It takes time, but it's totally worth it.
Wow thank you for sharing. I grew up poor and grubby too, but my folks were health food nuts, so I think I got spared the worst of it compared to some people I've seen.
I'm so glad things have got better for you.
My girlfriend finds showering and bathing extremely painful due to several very severe skin conditions. She’s also allergic to almost every deodorant that doesn’t cost a ridiculous amount. She doesn’t sweat a whole lot so it’s usually not an issue, and can get away with only one shower a week usually. Her conditions are pretty rare so I’m not saying everyone who doesn’t shower regularly has what she has, but there might be factors at play for some that give them legitimate reason not to shower. Or it could just be laziness
and can get away with only one shower a week usually.
I gotta ask, what is your weather like where you are, because no one could get away with one shower per week where I live (about 26 to 32 Celsius on average), let alone if doing some physical activity, whether for pleasure or work.
During the summer it can get up to 30, during the winter down to -20 ish. -5 up to 20 is the normal range though. Not sure how but she rarely sweats. She’s always freezing cold. Her sweat also doesn’t really smell much, not sure if that’s a pH balance or what, idk much about that.
I don't think you're going to find anyone that admits to smelling bad. I assume people who smell bad do it because they don't know that they smell, so they don't try to change anything.
Yep, that's likely the problem with most people. It's nothing you usually talk about and people won't change problems they aren't aware off. We should probably normalize talking about it without anyone being offended.
A lot of people simply don't know proper hygiene because they were never taught it.
A shower doesn't mean let the water run over you for a few minutes and then spray on some deodorant. Lather some soap in to a flannel and scrub every part of your body, and if you sweat badly use antiperspirant.
But it's recent thing you've noticed. People might be cutting back on things due to budget. Not many people would admit that they're not showering because of financial worries.
I was that person as a kid. I‘m autistic and my proprioception (feeling of body stuff) is all over the place. I didn’t know back then but I do now.
My parents didnt tell me and I had to learn by being bullied for it at school.
Since its not always easy, I have a different take on cleaning:
- if you can, shower at least every two days
- if you sweat a lot or work manually, shower daily
- no need to scrub your whole body, just clean your arm pits, genitalia and butthole, more if a spot is dirty
- wash your hair according to your skin. Hair should not be greasy but if that can be achieved by washing 2 times a week thats fine
If you‘re in a bad mood/are broke and cant shower use a piece of cloth and spot clean mentioned areas.
Use deodorant daily, if you sweat profusely like I do, use stronger/prescription deodorant.
I hope that helps.
I was brought up before showers were something that most people had installed, and we just washed at the sink with a flannel cloth. We washed face, pits, bum, and feet twice a day, and only had a bath once or twice a week. I still just do a wash of the important bits at the sink with a cloth if I'm feeling very apathetic.
Lather some soap in to a flannel and scrub every part of your body
That's not recommended by dermatologists. Soap destroys the acid layer on your skin that keeps bacteria out. As a regular thing, you should therefore only lather on soap where the bacteria buildup is high enough, i.e. under your arms, in your butt crack and other skin folds.
Unless you got super sweaty, you shouldn't soap up your arms and legs every day.
I can't stand the feel of human-produced skin oils building up anywhere on my body. I need to feel squeaky clean to feel clean. But that might be just my own personal mental problems. I never even use lotion. I just can't stand grease and oily substances. Seeing or feeling my own fingerprints on my devices sends me into a rage of wiping everything down with alcohol.
Everywhere around the world soap + shampoo should be free. And deodorant should be as cheap as possible. It should be a basic human right.
Add tampons ans pads to that
The few people I know with this issue fall into one of two categories.
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Access issues. There are some kinds of road blocks accessing a quality shower/bath. Which makes showering/bathing is an uncomfortable activity for some reason. Maybe it's that their shower is really small and cramped, with a low quality shower head. Maybe it's an issue where the water quality is low in the shower they have access to. Low quality water can have an odor people find uncomfortable, or it can dry out their skin making their skin feel dry even while under the water. People naturally avoid things that make them uncomfortable even subconsciously.
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Mental Health. I suffer from this occasionally. I love showering, it's extremely relaxing, but for whatever reason the process of getting into the shower is such a huge barrier to overcome. You feel like absolute dog shit. You know that a shower would make you feel better, but for whoever reason no matter how hard you try, you cannot push through the transition of wanting to shower, to taking that first step towards doing it. And it all compounds together to make you feel like an even bigger piece of shit for not being able to do something so basic. Until eventually you've doom scrolled the entire day away and now it's dark out and you're tired and you've got a stress headache because you've barely even ate today either while you just stewed in your own filth.
Well written on both parts, and it's often a combination of both. When you have mental health issues, it can also be harder to get stuff to make a shower or anything else nicer. Be it issues doing laundry, so you don't have completely clean towels and/or fresh clothes to put on afterwards, or having shampoo, conditioner, etc.
I often get stuck because I haven't showered, haven't been able to force myself to do laundry, and/or forgot to buy products. Then you really don't want to leave your home because you get anxiety over others seeing or smelling you, so you're just stuck with that anxiety for days until you manage to do anything about it.When you live in the countryside, you have to spend several hours getting the bath house ready. During the summer you can go for a swim and it's just as convenient as showering.
In winter however... Washing yourself takes effort.
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Copying and pasting my answer from the same question just 2 weeks ago:
How do you know they all weren't wearing it?
There are a lot of people who do wear it but continue to smell because of underlying medical conditions. For example, fruity smelling body odor can indicate diabetes. People with a rare genetic condition called Trimethylaminuria can smell strongly of fish. It all depends on what bacteria (which outnumber your own body cells by 10 to 1 even though they are only 2% of your body mass) and what balance of enzymes you may or may not have.
Reducing perspiration can and often does help, concealing the odor with different ones can help, but sometimes people's bodies just aren't right for whatever mass produced product they have bought. Sometimes that can be fixed with medication. Sometimes it can't.
https://kbin.social/m/[email protected]/t/638513/-/comment/3647566
Another sucky condition is chronic hyperhidrosis, which causes excessive, sometimes permanent (my case), sweating. I bathe every day, sometimes multiple times a day, and reapply deodorant every 5 hours or so, but even then, if you catch me at an inopportune time, I may well be sweaty.
I highly recommend isotretinoin (accutane) for hyperhidrosis. Its primarily prescribed for zits, but off label for hyperhidrosis. Its not fun when you're on it but the changes are seemingly permanent. A full year after completing his treatment and my husband is still much less sweaty and his skin is much clearer to boot.
Talk to your dermatologist!
Sometimes I’ll go a few days when I’m working from home and not going anywhere out of pure laziness. But if I’m going to be interacting with other people, shower guaranteed beforehand.
Same same. Dental hygiene and face care routine is a must twice a day, but other than that I can go a couple of days without a shower. I'll be the first to admit I can get a little stanky, but there are no other people around to witness it. I think the issue with these unwashed people OP mentioned is their willingness to enter the public domain at peak stank, and their inability to notice it themselves.
This is literally what I'm talking about.
HOW do people go out in public if they know they stink? How can they live with themselves not being clean at least semi-regularly? It's baffling to me.
Same. It just doesn't compute to harm your skin when you don't plan to meet anybody. And I don't smell my own body odor anyway. Your skins microbiome and the environment say thanks. OTOH if you're sweating much you should consider a shower because the initial healthy effects of sweat on your skin wear off, when it's clogging your pores with toxins and bad bacteria it washed of beforehand.
It’s when I start smelling myself that I know I am extra stanky.
Believe it or not, most of us don’t actually need to shower every day. If you’re not doing a lot of physical work or don’t work in a place with a lot of grime, you can honestly get away with showering less often. Technically the same goes for deodorant but I wouldn’t go a day without it lol.
I personally shower once every day, but I don’t shampoo my hair nor use body wash all over my body every day. I’ll usually use conditioner only for my hair and I will regularly wash my pits, feet, privates, butt, and ears with body wash, but I only really use shampoo and use body wash everywhere like twice a week or so. I also apply deodorant every day. No comments about bad smells from everybody including a people who will straight-up comment on stuff like that, and I’ve actually got a lot of compliments about my hair :)
I do sort of agree, but also there's a lot of people who don't think they need to shower but really do. I know people who will argue that they only need to shower 2 or 3 times a week but they stink.
Maybe they say 2-3 times a week when the reality is that they’re hedging based on reaction and they actually shower closer to once a week.
That said, I realized recently that I could smell someone else’s unwashed hair. I have no idea how recently they washed it, but now I’m semi-paranoid about how fast that happens. I shower (including hair washes) at minimum every other day, with an occasional weekend spent at home when I’m extra lazy and don’t shower all weekend. I sure hope my hair doesn’t smell like that on day 2.
I’m not surprised. I forget when I looked up the research, but several hair typed definitely don’t need shampoo as much as people think they do. That we have another product (conditioner) yo undo the damage shampoo does to out hair is astounding.
As for the overall bathing thing, I agree. It depends on what you do day to day, your environment, and genetics. With all three of those factors, some people need to bath more often than others need to.
Most of my washing routine is actually for chronic pain. I don’t need to scrub for smell too much, but hot water feels good on pained areas.
Wearing deodorant has nothing to do with bathing regularly.
You can bath regularly and not need deodorant, every body is different. Also depends on the activities done between each bath/shower.
Now some people do not bath regularly and use deodorant or perfume, that never ends up well in terms of odor.
A deodorant does not replace washing your body. The combination of both smells is the most terrifying. I hate the smell of all deodorants, so don't use them. But I shower sufficiently, you won't smell me from a distance. Promised.
How much distance are we talking about?
You choose. Plus I bet I won't like to smell your deodorant. Like most perfumes others are applying. Worst is if deodorant or perfume is used instead of washing yourself. This last comment is not on you by no means.
Same. Haven't found one I like the smell of yet. I'd rather shower more often than use them.
Really? The Bearglove scent from Old Spice smells JUST like jolly ranchers it's crazy.
Alun stone changed my life for that reason
My experiences with stink.
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Old people. Some were raised to shower infrequently because regular bathing wasn’t a luxury they had access to growing up. They carry this habit with them now. Source: I used to work with lots of old people.
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People from cold climates who move to warmer ones. Sure, in Amsterdam you can shower once a week but move to Australia and you stink. Source: My ex-father-in-law is Dutch, living in Australia.
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People who avoid soaps and deodorants because they prefer natural alternatives or ‘splashing and rinsing’. They think they don’t stink. Most girls I’ve met with bad smelling vaginas fall into this category. Source: Dating.
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Teenagers who haven’t worked out puberty yet. Source: Used to work in a school.
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Re-wearing unwashed clothes too many times. Source: Figured this one myself.
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People who prefer to stink. When you don’t bathe and don’t use deodorant, you get used to the icky feeling and the smell to the point where you prefer it, and a shower and soap then makes you uncomfortable (itchy/tingly). Source: Ex-girlfriend.
You missed one: depression
That last one... How did you put up with that?
Especially with the smelly vagina point earlier in the list. 🤢
If your vagina smells bad, you should go to your doctor in case you have an infection. Vaginas should smell neutral to mild. That said, You're really not supposed to use any kind of soap in or directly around a vagina, so it's a bit concerning that you mention lack of soap and smelly vaginas in the same point. Vaginas are self cleaning and using soaps (especially with any kind of fragrance!) Can lead to serious issues. Clean with water and a newly washed wash cloth (only if you use non scented, mild detergent) or water and a clean hand. You should not clean anything past the exterior.
Let your body clean itself out with your natural lubricant, and then clean the outside with water daily.
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The older I get, the more I sympathize with Agent Smith from the Matrix. What is it with people and their stink?
If only the codes to Zion's mainframes were the solution.
Mainframe sounds like an Axe spray scent name.
I'm a Reddit moderator with over 2 million karma I don't have time to bathe. When I do bathe it's useing a garden hose because I weigh 450 pounds
450 pounds
So svelte! You must be the envy of all the other moderators!
sorry, i shower twice a day and wear deodorant but i just sweat so damn much that i end up smelling within a few hours no matter what :(
My advice is to use a body wash or soap with salycitic acid. It's in products for preventing or treating acne - the salycitic acid kills the bacteria that causes body odor. You can also apply a toner with salycitic acid directly to your armpits (Stridex pads work well for this - they even make ones that are larger for use on the body). I do this and have zero B.O. Some people use other antibacterial soaps like Hibiclens or Paroxyl.
Also make sure that you are wearing clean clothes (wearing the same tshirt a couple of days in a row is taking a chance).
ETA: This won't help reduce sweating but it will help with the bacteria that feeds on the sweat.
How about anti perspirant? Or is that what you meant? I'm a major fan of Arm & Hammer everything. Works, not perfumy, inexpensive, all that.
Your body is supposed to sweat. I shower twice a day rather than block my pores.
You might want to try a medication for hyperhidrosis.
Depressed autistic
I didn't use to either shower or bathe but it was a mental health issue: I went though both depression, which didn't help, and I didnt have good showering habits due to being kinda aquaphobic. If water hit my face at all I would think I'd die (pretty dumb I know). Nowadays I bathe pretty much daily. Having a detachable showerhead helps a lot so I don't have to deal with water on my face.
What's your job that you're running into so many people with poor hygiene?
If you have ever worked on the floor of a casino, you would be appalled at the amount of disgusting pigs who gamble.
It appears that a number of people in this comment section just downvote everyone that does not use deodorant for any reason. As a test: Deodorant never quite grew on me, I started hating the rather extreme and sometimes even pungent smell as a teenager. I shower (twice) daily to every third day depending on season, daily routine and other factors.
It's especially weird to me that they're so much harder on the ones who skip deodorant than the ones who skip showers. Aren't showers what actually takes the smelly shit away instead of masking it? I wouldn't be surprised if I found out these threads are created and/or maintained by deodorant marketing.
Pretty much my thinking. I'd rather have someone take care of personal hygiene than of their body odor. Save for a very few special cases where you really have to use deodorant, it is perfectly normal and acceptable to wash regularly and only deodorant sporadically when really necessary. I personally even prefer a person's "natural" (not implying that natural = good) smell to no smell at all. If you want to impress, use perfume.
Alum stone
It seems my test was successfull. Probably the same 4 people everytime.
I can almost smell you from here
Oh right now you definitely can, I am currently very sick and can barely get out of bed. Smelling non-sick is NOT a priority right now.
I shower and wear deodorant everyday, but around late afternoon the deodorant just gives out and I start to smell
You need a different deodorant. I'm a pretty heavy sweater and changing to Certain DRI "prescription strength" was a game changer for me.
I had this issue and I started using acne body wash instead of the aveeno I normally use. I use the dove men’s care spray on deodorant and have no issues. Trimming / shaving underarm hair helps as well.
Regular bathing isn't what you want, frequent bathing, that's important. What good is it if someone bathes with great regularity on the first of every month?
One of the common definitions of “regularly” is “frequently”. E.g. “We used to meet regularly, but less and less as time went on.” This is also why frequent customers are called “regulars”.
edit: "Happening or doing something often" is even the first definition of the Cambridge English dictionary. Misinterpreting OP's use of "regular" just feels like Stack Overflow level pedantry.
I bet you are great fun at parties
I shower every 2nd day. The 2nd day of Christmas and Easter.
I shower when I feel like I need to. Usually every 2-3 days, unless I've been sweating or working in a dirty environment. Wife says I never stink and she has the nose of a god damned bloodhound. Guess it depends on body chemistry and the PH balance of the skin. I use gentle soaps. I do wear antiperspirant everyday though. So I dunno. But I did find this:
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/showering-daily-is-it-necessary-2019062617193
Thank you. I am a 2-3 day showerer as well. I do wash my face every day, wash my hands regularly of course, and wear antiperspirant deodorant. I tend to shower when my hair has finally become oily enough that it's noticable, of if I start smelling bad, but my body somehow doesn't produce much of a smell. It's not that I'm just used to my own smell, I've had it confirmed by plenty of people. Even on day 3, I'm generally fresh. I do try to put a hard day 3 limit on myself, though. Times when I've pushed it to 4 days have not been so great lol
Drought. When you live in the bush and only have tank water for everything, drinking water comes before showering/bathing. When things are bad, shower once per week and use a bowl of water and wash cloth to freshen up the rest of the time. Still end up with a smell though. You can smell the drought on the people in a rural areas when you go into town.
For much of my adult life I've smelled good with or without deodorant and rarely sweat much. Lately whether because of a hormonal change or something wrong I'm unaware of, my smell has changed completely. No amount of deodorant helps, no amount of showering helps. In fact, I often end up using deodorant as a last resort, because whatever bacteria is taking over seams to turn all types of deodorant into vinegar & onions in a matter of minutes, as if it's feeding off the deodorant. The smell seems to be improving over time, according to other people, not just me. But it has given me additional sympathy for people going through this. When its bad, I can lather my body head to toe in the shower 4 times and come out smelling the same as I went in. Sometimes smells are hard to tackle. You shouldn't assume it's a hygiene thing.
Go to a doctor
Sounds like illness or diet. Better to see a doctor.
I live in a tropical country, showering daily or more than once/day is a necessity (at least it is to me). As for a decent and safe deodorant, try Milk of Magnesia.
So I shower relatively regular and definitely before I go out meeting people. But deodorant I keep forgetting since I started working from home when Covid began. I don’t go out often and for going to the grocery store I don’t care, so it’s not ingrained into me anymore. But I don’t think it’s so important since I just showered anyways.
Yeah, leaving the house was always my cue to shower and now that that’s not as regular of a thing I’m all out of whack!
How do people not smell bad?
My clothes are drenched within a few hours, if I’m sitting somewhere then there is a puddle under my feet in less than 30 minutes
Even in the shower I’m dripping/have BO while using soap
Wait... what? Do you live in the Amazon or something? You should probably go see a doctor
Yeah the Amazon is a trip. I was down there for about a week, and except at night, there was no point at which I was not basically dripping with sweat. I'm told that your body eventually acclimates and it becomes less of an issue, but a week was definitely not long enough for me.
Are you on any meds? I was once taking a medication (an NSAID) that caused excessive sweating, and it took me longer than I'd like to admit that my new med and my sweaty head were related.
Try acne body wash. It made a big difference for me, before switching I was using aveeno. I use the Amazon brand version of this: https://www.neutrogena.com/products/skincare/body-clear-body-acne-wash-pink-grapefruit/6805370.html
Make sure you’re using a wash cloth, loofa, etc not just your hands. Scrub well.
I was once a stinky man and while I don’t want to use this as an excuse, I had a not so great childhood and struggle with mental illnesses. I’m still not always the best at taking care of myself but I’m better than I was and I make sure I’m mostly clean.
I never talk to anyone so i have no incentive to other than my own comfort. I do feel more comfortable when i'm clean, but my mere comfort often doesn't feel like reason enough when executive dysfunction makes a shower is a 1-hour affair, plus i have a weird anxiety around thriftiness so i don't like to "waste" the warm water and soap.
Same reason why the house isn't as clean as it could be. It would be cleaner if anyone came in here ever, but no one does, so the only reason to vaccuum is my own satisfaction, which isn't worth the time and effort.
All told i end up showering every ~5 days in winter and once a day in summer, and i never touch the perfume bottles. I actually don't really get the point of perfume or deodorant tbh, seems like the solution to BO is a shower.
I don't get how showering is less than an hour affair for any women at least. Between washing my hair, washing my body, shaving under my arms, and shaving my legs, that's easily 30 minutes. And then the whole applying moisturizer so my skin doesn't totally dry out from the shower, toweling off, lying in front of a fan to actually feel dry, and semi drying my hair, that's an hour (plus my hair is still wet for hours after). This does not include the time spent convincing myself to shower. I shower twice a week. Less if I don't have anything going on that week/ I get to stay home.
I don't, because my hair is naturally straight, but a lot of women also have to completely reset their hair with every shower too, blow drying, straightening, curling - whatever they do to look professional again.
I absolutely do use deodorant though, and I also clean under my pits with a washcloth between showers if I ever start to smell anything past neutral
Yeah but look at all the stuff you do besides showering, the shaving and hair care and such. I'm genuinely just talking about the shower itself. There's convincing myself to shower, then there's watching youtube videos with my clothes off, then there's spending too long in the hot shower because i don't want to step out into the cold bathroom, then there's drawing shapes on the fogged mirror, etc
I think my expectation for quick showers comes from my upbringing? For a few years growing up we had the toilet, sink and shower all in the same bathroom, and that bathroom was being used by like 6 people. So every minute spent in the shower was inconveniencing someone else. idk
Not all that every shower though. Ponytail or shower cap. I shower as you describe twice a week, yes, but also each evening just jump in and wash underarms, crotch, hands, feet, face. Yes lotion, night cream for face (Retin-A) deodorant and sleep. It's relaxing and sheets stay nice, I wake up clean enough to just dress & go.
You don't have to do your hair or shave every time you shower.
Some ethnicities have less or different body odor. So some people just don't need much or any deodorant.
For me, it was because my mountain bike gear was being washed on cold as heat screwed up the Eva foam in the knee pads and body armor. The jersey also got washed cold, so bacteria never got killed off. When it got hot, the heat would activate the smell, but it's hard to tell when you are going fast down a trail.
Once I started washing everything possible on hot, it stopped a lot of the smell.
I assume people are doing that with non-mtb clothing and getting similar BO results. So it's quite possible it's also not necessarily them, but their clothes.
This doesn't make any sense...there is a huge movement to use cold water to wash clothes, and hot water unless it's extremely hot, isn't staying hot enough to kill off bacteria. Were you using detergent correctly?
Yup, always the same amount (Pods). The only thing that changed was the temperature of the water.
It doesn't make sense if you think the heat is here to kill bacteria. However, heat helps detergents do their job, and most likely helps loosen biofilms given their composition.
I shower once a day. I don't generally wear deodorant. I get away with it I think because body odor is largely impacted by meat intake. I swear I don't smell bad, I've asked others. This is the Internet and so no one will believe me unless OP comes to my house and smells my arm pit.
I get away with it because body odor is largely impacted by meat intake.
I've encountered plenty of smelly vegetarians and vegans.
I swear I don't smell bad, I've asked others.
How sure are you they weren't just being polite?
I am 100% sure that I don't smell bad and people are not just being polite. I definitely would have been called out by now.
And again, no one will believe me either way. This is the Internet.
Diet plays a role, but I've found it's far more down to the spices one consumes. I'd bet the strongest component is hormones and genetics.
Meat intake? I'm a vegetarian and if I don't use deodorant, my pits stink within hours.
No idea. Personally I never had much of an issue with it.
Vegans are always hilarious. They blame so much on meat and pretend they’re better for not eating it.
I had a vegan ex once, I remember her getting drunk and throwing up going “This can’t happen I’m vegan” as if somehow her super diet made her beyond a mere mortal and gave her a super stomach.
You remind me of her.
I'm not claiming I am better than anyone else. I have one perk to this lifestyle. I have many more downsides. I need to take supplements because I've been anemic. I fart constantly.
I'm allergic to eggs and lactose intolerant. I will eat dairy. I usually have to stick to yogurt. I don't eat meat because as a child we had to push expiration dates and got sick a lot. Meat just grosses me out. My wife is not a vegetarian. I'm not in this for moral reasons. I don't fault anyone for eating meat. I'm not pushing a lifestyle here. I'm just saying I don't smell much.
And, I do throw up. I'm a lightweight when it comes down to drinking. I also generally don't like other vegetarians because they do act superior. I like to point out random facts that are in opposition of their view, and call them out. Then when they play the moral high ground card; I can do the same.
Apparently it could also have to do with the microbiome on the skin too, there are a couple companies developing probiotic deodorant based on the flora of people who naturally don't smell very bad. It's a balance of good bacteria versus stinky bacteria and I can see how things like antibiotic use and diet can have an impact on that balance just like it does in the gut, but a decent portion of it does seem to be genetic.
That's pretty cool. I didn't know that was a thing.
I rarely ever eat meat (and almost never red meat) and my BO still smells if I don't shower or use deodorant daily
Personally; I manage my BO. If I can lift my shirt up, pull my head inside the shirt, and smell my own armpit odor, then I'm in need of some DO.
I've been using a Dove branded Spray-On (AP/)DO for Women and it's effective. By combining the acts of applying DO, then, changing clothes; I don't particularly sweat over much.
I Do Shower on an As-Needed Basis. That's saying that I do shower, without committing to any specific showering pattern or timing basis. If you try to imply I don't shower regularly you will look foolish.
If I stink, then it's either uncommonly hot and humid or I have not yet had the opportunity needed to shower. The hows and whys of this are not important; but generally if I choose not to shower, it's probably for a good reason.
I do suffer from some allergies and disabilities. I won't comment on what they are specifically, but they do exist, so I keep my fragrances light and unobtrusive; and I try to shower only when I can manage to handle doing so. I'm not going to uproot or upset my health, focus, peace or routine just to take a shower to please someone arbitrary; but I do allow the people whom I live with and love to remind me gently should I forget about addressing my BO in the chaos of life.
This isn't saying that I don't care. It's saying I'm imperfect, I have a life, and I do get overloaded sometimes.
My momma used to say that if you can smell yourself, other people have been smelling you for days.
Don't know what your issues are, but I have aquagenic urticaria. There are waterless, alcohol based 'soaps' that I rely on heavily.
I just don't like them. I like the natural body odors, even with women, I hate it when they cover that up with some heavy perfume.
you don’t like showers
I do, but not excessive showering. Sure, once a day in the summer, 2 or 3 times a week in the winter, I think that's fairly normal.
Gross. This person prefers BO to deodorant.
I've noticed a lot of people don't do things the way I do them and it bothers me too!! Stomp your right foot with me if you agree!
am smell good without deodorant
I find the ones drenched in foul smelling deodorants smell far worse.
I am not of those you are describing but in general: Some can have (afaik) genes that do not necessitate the use of deodorants.
Obviously those ones are not whom op is complaining about
Does anyone have any possible insight?
Lazyness
Not being aware of it (nose blind)Those are my calls (for now).
I don't apply deodorant at all. Maybe before I know I'm about to be active, but even without it, it's fine, I shower after anyways.
I know I will let myself go when I'm in the midst of being deeply depressed, but then again I usually don't get much past my bed then. So that could be some of it.
I used to have a buddy that stank to high heaven, good dude overall, but damn did he smell. Turned out that he never washed his clothes. Once he got in the habit of doing that the problem resolved itself quickly.
The only other thing I can think of would be some Andrew Tate types going on about some made up benefits of 'natural male musk ' or something like that. Not sure if anyone is doing that, but I could see some men taking to that advice.
I had a workmate who was quite eco consious and used to rinse his clothes in cold water and then put them on the line. He was fine mostly, I never noticed a smell, but we had to have a chat when his 14 year old son got a meeting at school about how badly he smelled.
Some people just don't know the norm.
Never tried using deodorant. I didn't like the idea of using it. Showering has been enough for me. (I'm 32)
Nowadays I have a skin condition in my armpits so I don't think it would be wise to use that stuff anymore anyway.I don't use deodorant because they all use aluminum salts, and I'm allergic to aluminum.
I have this same allergy, and arm & hammer naturals also makes good deodorant without aluminum salts. Agreed, not a great excuse not put some on
Antiperspirants use aluminum. Standard deodorant does not.
Deodorant is for children. I wear an antiperspirant and perfume
Many people are allergic to antiperspirants.
I got a reaction when I switched from deodorant to antiperspirant, but it went away in like a month.
imagining a body builder applying purfume after washing off at the gym
"I WEAR IT BECAUSE I'M NOT A CHILD. YOU WANNA GO?!"