Need help with my body odour

[CRP1999]

Hi I don’t know if anyone on this page can help or if someone can point me in the right direction of where I need to be. I want to ask about my body odour I’ve recently noticed. So if anyone knows where I should go it would be a great help. Thanks!

[roseabi Ultramarathon]

As we are all runners on this page we tend to work up quite a sweat and probably don't smell very nice sometimes! Are you a runner yourself?

I am not sure if you have a medical problem that makes this a particular problem for you, but if so there may be a community on Health Unlocked more qualified to help. I'm afraid I do not know - but you could try using the search facility at top right and see what you find.

Here is a link to NHS advice on this subject:

nhs.uk/conditions/body-odou...

[GoGo_JoJo Ultramarathon]

Is it something new or has it changed or is it something you've had all your life? Things we use and even things we eat can affect our body odours.

[CRP1999 in reply to GoGo_JoJo]

Just recently like a good few months I’ve noticed it, I used as much deodorant needed, wash every day, shave when needed

[GoGo_JoJo Ultramarathon in reply to CRP1999]

Here's a link to diet related issues wexnermedical.osu.edu/blog/...

Many of today's extra strong deodorants don't wash off easily and can actually build up and prevent a real clean. I've found this myself in the past. I highly recommend every second day using alcohol gel to cleanse your armpits and allow to fully dry before applying deodorant. I'm making the assumption we're talking about primarily pit sweat. If it's excessive whole body sweating you really need to talk to your GP as that is a medical condition.

Unfortunately body odour is one of those vicious circles, the more we worry about it, the more we sweat and it goes round and round.

The clothing we wear is also an issue. Cotton can retain smells, I've found technical fabrics in sports clothing washes cleaner and prevents heavy sweating in most circumstances.

Are you a runner? Do you work out? If so be sure to wash sweaty gear asap and preferably with a sports wash, Sainsburys stocks Halo at 4 quid which is brilliant for getting kit really clean and fresh.

It can be incredibly embarrassing, full credit to you for asking 👍🏻😊 I really hope one of those helps.

[Sqkr Half Marathon]

Could it be exacerbated by your sportswear? Manmade materials really trap bacteria, even after washing, and can smell a bit weird- even when clean on--might this be compounding the issue? If you find it only happens when you are wearing your running gear then it might be worth giving everything the occasional anti-bacterial vinegar soak or wash (google will give you instructions!). Additionally, Mr Sqkr swears by some washing liquid called Halo which helps keep his training stuff from getting too fusty. (So he says anyway, he still gets a little fusty if he's not done a vinegar soak in a while.)

[GoGo_JoJo Ultramarathon in reply to Sqkr]

Weirdly I find man made fabrics wash better whereas cotton holds odours. (And stains)

[Sqkr Half Marathon in reply to GoGo_JoJo]

Cotton takes longer to dry so in a basic sense it can be smelly if you're engaged in a sweaty activity, or can get fusty if it takes too long to dry on the line. But synthetic sport material traps bacteria inside it, it's something to do with the wicking structure. It's why it often retains a smell even out of the washing machine. I read much better articles than this when I learnt about it a while ago but can't find any just now, this one does the job though!

health.howstuffworks.com/sk...