this post was submitted on 08 Dec 2023
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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?

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 11 months ago

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.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago (1 children)

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.

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (8 children)

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

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

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.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago

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.

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[–] thawed_caveman 3 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (3 children)

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.

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago

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.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (14 children)

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.

[–] quotheraven404 4 points 11 months ago (1 children)

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.

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[–] Witchfire 3 points 11 months ago

I rarely ever eat meat (and almost never red meat) and my BO still smells if I don't shower or use deodorant daily

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

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.

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago (3 children)

Some ethnicities have less or different body odor. So some people just don't need much or any deodorant.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4724538/

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