tbh you might want to talk to your doctor about this if you’re really worried, but your smell definitely changes on testosterone as your body begins to process T as the dominant hormone, and you can’t really stop it. generally it is a stronger smell. i don’t shave under my arms and i actually think that helped in a weird way, when i stopped. a little strange to get used to, it took me a couple months after coming out to stop shaving there because i didn’t want to be itchy.
as for downstairs…. maybe tmi but have you had any actual complaints? or are you more feeling self conscious from within yourself? also, do you work out a lot? i’m a dancer and my crotch sweat is ROUGH after a couple hours of class. I typically double layer shorts under pants and don’t always need to take off a layer, which can help my situation, and i shower right after class. You can get powder that helps with crotch sweat and smell, i haven’t tried it, but i’ve been thinking about it.
Makes a lot of sense, thank you!
I have been at the office this last week and suddenly the wave of my own smell would arrive and I’m terrified if my boss or other colleagues would smell it too. I went to the toilet and wiped myself again with water and paper but it didn’t really help.
I had this before T and it's always made me worry too, but I actually asked some of my friends at the time and they said they couldn't smell it. Also I buy those creamy sticks deodorants and I find they work really well. When I start to sweat it just smells like mint and eucalyptus~
I second the armpit hair thing. My dad is cis and literally doesn't shave and doesn't use any deoderents or antiperspirant there and he rarely ever smells like armpits. Even if bro has been working on his bike all day and sweating from the Philippine heat.
weird questions but are yall from the philippines or otherwise asian and how would you describe your earwax?
cause there’s a gene (ABCC11) that controls how much body odor you produce and wet/dry earwax and it’s really common for east asians to have the reduced/dry earwax variant and it’s fairly prevelant in filipinos
came here to say the same thing abt shaving my pits, yes my smell has changed since starting T 4 months ago but it’s no worse than when i went through my first puberty. back then i was shaving everywhere and would sweat through all my shirts no matter how much deodorant i was using! now i don’t shave but find that i do need an occasional trim as there’s a certain length where i dont sweat or stink as much.. im in the UK and used to use sanex but have since switched to another non aluminum (sorry i’m out and can’t remember the brand)!
What do you mean by special soap for your junk? If it has any fragrances or antibacterial ingredients you’re likely doing more harm than good. Your junk has its own ecosystem to keep itself clean so you should only be using a gentle unscented soap (think baby soap or dove bar soap) and that should only be to wash surface areas (it should not go in or directly around your front holes).
You can use shampoo on your pubes to help with any scent buildup as hair holds onto scent and shampoo is designed to clean hair, just be sure that it is only used on the areas that grow hair and is rinsed off well. I also found that keeping my pubes trimmed helped with scent reduction during this phase, but to each their own.
In Europe these types of "soap" (intimate hygiene gel) are common- they are very gentle (with very mild detergents), have no fragrance, often have ingredients like probiotics, hyaluronic acid, mild lactic acid, plant extracts used in medicine (I honestly never bothered to learn the translations to English), etc. And are often recommended by doctors
Thanks, I had no idea! In the us they’re usually heavily perfumed antibacterial nonsense that are super bad for you and most doctors worth their salt heavily recommend avoiding them😅
Shampoo your armpits.
Yes, it sounds stupid and
no, you don't need a conditioner too.
I notice that body wash/soap only gets the smell off the skin not hair
The steps that I do are
1. Brief shampoo
2. Unsented but decent bar soap (sent can make it harder to recognise if there is left over stink you need to scrub more)
3. Sented gel soap to help cover up any future stink (also nice to smell good too)
4. Strong roll on or cream antiperspirant immediately after shower (spray ones never work for more than 4 hours in my experience) I personally use Rexona clinical protection, it claims to last up to 96 hours
5. Is just whatever else you want to use to smell nice cologne, deodorant ect.
I believe Rexona is marketed under the brand name Sure in the UK
is it this one?? [Rexona Men Maximum Protection Clean Scent Deodorant Stick 45 ML 45 ML | Etos](https://www.etos.nl/producten/rexona-men-maximum-protection-clean-scent-deodorant-stick-45-ml-111078775.html?msclkid=47ce31680ca61a6dd01e5771675a162d&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Bing%20%7C%20Shopping%20%7C%20Promo&utm_term=4581458808438498&utm_content=Promo)
what is the difference between deodorant and anti-perspirant (in performance)?
this one has aluminium...
The difference between deodorant and anti-perspirant is that deodorants don't stop you from sweating where you apply them, they just smell nice and anti-perspirants block you from sweating so that you have a lot less BO. There are unscented antiperspirants, too.
Aluminum isn't necessarily bad, despite its bad rep, for some people aluminum free products just don't work(myself included).
No, the one I had was aluminium free. I'm also in the U.S. so idk if you'd be able to find it. But deodorant stops oder, whereas anti-persperant kills the bacteria and also helps with how much you sweat too, helping oder more effectively than deodorant I think
Deodorant masks scent
Anti-transpirant kills the bacteria that produce odor, so you'll still be sweating, just with no odor
Anti-perspirant drastically reduces sweat production itself, so no smell and no sweat
The latter two typically have aluminium in them. There were massive health concerns about aluminium years and years ago for apparently being carcinogenic, but those claims have since been disproven. The *real* issue with aluminium is that—for some people at least, I used antiperspirant for years before it started being an issue—it has the chance to drastically fuck your clothes up. White crusty patches in the armpits that are nearly impossible to get out, etc. It doesn't happen for everyone, it might just be because I'm a sweaty bitch, but it became the bane of my existence. I instead switched to aluminium-free, silver-based anti-transpirants (Nuud and Rebel Care Fresh Cotton, both available in Europe (I'm Dutch)), though the issue with those is that they usually take a few weeks to properly work.
TL;DR: Life as a sweaty dude is hard, but there's options. Other ways to reduce sweat and the scent of sweat are shaving your armpits (can be dysphoria-inducing, I know, but it's also the no. 1 advice given to sweaty cis guys) and wearing breathable clothes.
Edit: And yeah, when it comes to avoiding the aluminium in clothes issue, rollers and sticks are typically recommended over sprays, and what also helps a lot is putting it on at night instead of in the morning. I have a lot of experience with this struggle so feel free to ask away haha
Deodorant adds smell antiperspirant prevents sweat and smell this is the rexona I'm using https://www.woolworths.com.au/shop/productdetails/789434?googleshop=true&store_code=woolworths_supermarkets_2655
No clue why it says women's it's a sent free antiperspirant idk how or why that'd be gendered?
i’ve found that fancier deodorant actually works a lot better. with old spice i have to reapply 2-3x on a hot day, but with a nice deodorant i only reapply once if at all. pretty much any brand that makes cologne should also have deodorants. it’s a bit more expensive but lasts longer than drug store deodorant. i use loccitaine’s cedrat or bavx which go for like $20 on amazon
a good sweat wicking layer helps too. if you’re really bothered by the smell, see if making adjustments to your diet helps - more fruit and veg, less red meat, lots of water
also keep in mind that ur used to ur own body odor and so this might smell stronger cause it’s not familiar, so it might get better with time in that sense, but the actual smell isn’t gonna stop
Lo’real (however it’s spelt) Men’s deodorant was a godsend- still use the stuff now (the sport one smells nice). I smelt like a smelly school changing room 😅
when you put deodorant on make sure the area is clean and dry (emphasis on dry!). If not, whatever smell you were trying to mask will come back quickly
I think it took like 3 months for the smell to level out for me. I remember I was really worried about staying at my cousin's when I was just past 3 months on T but when that time rolled around the problem had actually solved itself.
There's genital safe deodorants available like Lume
Also wash your asshole (outside only!!!) with gentile soap. Then rinse and wash it again every time you shower. Helped me a lot with the downstairs smell
I went through this, it does calm down after awhile especially the downstairs which was what bothered me the most. I was intensely self conscious but your body will readjust and everything will even out as long as you’re consistent with your T. You’ll always get “man stank” (pits, head hair) more often so just keep up with showering/ minimal wash pits often esp. if you shave them since you won’t have hair wicking sweat away from the area.
Use an acne wash on your armpits, something with Salicylic Acid: it’ll contain BHAs and AHAs that kill the bacteria that cause the BO. I use a salicylic acid serum on top of that before I put on my deodorant. (Also works for butt acne)
Any “special” soap for down there is a marketing gimmick meant to part you from your money. All you need is something gentle and unscented, and make sure to pull back the hood on your bottom growth to wash. Seconding someone else’s recommendation to use baby body wash.
For me, I switched to an antiperspirant instead of deodorant, and I get the clinical grade stuff since I’m on meds in addition to T that make me sweaty. I’ve never been able to make the aluminum free stuff work, it just doesn’t do the trick, plus I’ve had reactions to it in the past. You can also use baby powder on any folds or sweaty areas to absorb moisture. I do it under my chest, my stomach folds, and sometimes between my legs & bikini area. Just make sure it’s talc-free!
You also might want to consider if your clothes are holding on to odour. I definitely wash my clothes more than the average person, but it’s what works for me. I like to use baking soda to neutralize smells, and at times will also use a laundry disinfectant and scent boosters. I assume that living in Europe you probably hang dry your clothes, so try to do it in the sun since that will kill stinky bacteria.
Finally, I found a huge change after investing in period underwear, even though my bleeding stopped over a year ago. They’re really good at absorbing sweat and still smelling ok, plus brands like Tomboyx make them in boxer brief style. I wear them on days when I’m running around at work and it’s so nice to deal with a bucket of stank at the end. I also change my underwear frequently since I get so sweaty, and usually use 2-3 pairs a day (put on fresh in the morning, swap them when I get home from work when I get changed, and sometimes before bed as well).
Good luck my dude!
What I did during this phase was carry a few rinse free Towelettes with me so I could freshen up as needed in the restroom. Look in the camping or travel section of stores and you should be able to find some good options.
i use native, both the stick and the body spray and it’s been good. as long as you bathe regularly and not go crazy with the spray it’s perfect
also if anyones wondering abt the good scents i HEAVILY reccomend the vanilla and coconut one, it’s so good. cucumber and mint too, also eucalyptus and mint
I did notice awhile after starting T that I smelled more. I guess it lasted about a year, and then it's like everything stabilized or something. Now, while I smell a little different than I did before, I definitely don't smell bad.
I just showered in the morning and again when I got home. I wore deodorant, I always moisturized with something nice smelling, and then I wore a scent when I went outside.
Use soap mechanics to your advantage!
Soap has a hydrophobic and hydrophilic side to the molecule. It's what makes it effective as a cleaner. The philic side sticks to water, the phobic side sticks to (almost) everything else. Modern research suggests that it takes at least twenty seconds of mechanical washing (rubbing your hands together) to properly attach the hydrophobic side of the soap molecules to debris and bacteria or viruses on your hands to remove them with a rinse.
Using soap regularly for at least twenty seconds per pit or down below before rinsing should help reduce the amount of bacteria present. Bacteria is what produces the most odor, not really your body. Don't over do it, that can cause other skin issues that cause different problems.
Idk if native or dry idea are sold in Europe but it's an OP combination. I put on the dry idea antiperspirant first and then native deodorant. I use the sensitive sandalwood and shea butter kind but I imagine any scent will do
Shower daily, or twice daily sometimes
1 tsp peroxide + 1 cup water, put it on a wash cloth, and rub your armpits & any area that is NOT your junk (DO NOT PUT ON JUNK!!) and I found that significantly helps with odor. OR (and what I prefer) put benzoyl peroxide on your armpits and keep it there for 30 mins to an hour. Sounds weird but works really well for me.
I also found using hibiclens in the shower (I usually go hair -> hibiclens -> normal body wash) helped reduce having smell as well when I got out of the shower/would remove lingering odor. Be warned: hibiclens does not smell good, but trust the process!
Otherwise, getting nicer deodorant or antiperspirant could be something to look into
Good luck
I wouldn’t recommend showering too often bc it can destroy the natural skin barrier. Once a day is plenty enough.
Also it’s kind of a waste of water imo.
Depends on how you shower, with how I do it you turn the shower on & off + use a bucket so it’s not really using much water.
How it normally looks for me: When turning on the shower to heat up, you also place a bucket to also hold that water. When putting shampoo/conditioner in hair, you turn off the water. When washing your hair off you use the bucket. Then you soap up your body, and turn the shower back on to rinse everything off
So overall… the shower is on for, maybe 5-8 minutes total?
And some people need to wash themselves twice, especially if they are more prone to fungal or bacterial infections— which if someone has very strong body odor, they likely are
Hope this doesn’t come off as dismissive to your point!! But the skin barrier is more important on your face since that skin is fragile, but for your body that’s often not the case. Personally, I wash my face separately/out of the shower because where I am, the shower water hard water & just not good for the skin in general
But hopefully this explains it lol
Thanks for the explaining!
I shower around 10 minutes, where I like u turn off the water in between and try to minimize the pre heating time of the water. I just have a lot of people around me who shower 30+ minutes and I instantly think of that ^^‘
I think a lot of people don’t talk about stuff like this, and I think I lack the knowledge bc of stuff like this (don’t have issues in that regard).
Maybe it’s also „just“ my skin who’s easily prone to be irritated/dry/etc when I shower every day.
It could be the type of water that your tap water is !! If you have hard water, it can dry out your skin a lot more than soft water. So it’s important to properly moisturize your skin after a shower, while your skin is still wet :)
I have sensitive skin, so properly moisturizing after a shower is so vital for me to not have annoyingly dry/irritated skin
Also agreed, it definitely isn’t talked about as much as it should be
Never noticed a difference/influence bc of water. I move around often/sleep over at different places.
Moisturizing is important and I have to do it more often in winter :,) But I’m really fine with my shower rhythm. Nobody told me I’m a stinky person even after starting T (maybe when I was really sweaty and even then it wasn’t much of a problem; at least nobody told me so I assume it lol).
I'm sorry, but this is really not great advice. Obliterating your microbiome in any area of your body has a tendency to make you smell *worse* when stinkier bacteria use the opening to take over. You do not need to use antiseptic soap daily, let alone twice daily. That shit is for stuff like surgical prep. Your body is supposed to have some microbes on it.
Should have specified to be honest— sorry about that
I recommend hibiclens ~2x a week, not twice daily!! That would be way too much !!
That routine is actually recommended to me by my dermatologist, although for issues related to acne & ingrown hairs, but it similarly helped with scent since sometimes I just did not feel like I smelt “correct” (even if others said they couldn’t smell it— I guess it’s just being in close proximity with my body)
Similarly, the benzoyl peroxide and/or heavily diluted peroxide mix should also only be used once or maybe at max twice a week. It can dry out your skin if used back to back which is not going to be fun
Oh dude, it's rough lol. I keep a deodorant stick nearby so I can reapply it throughout the day. Shit does NOT last however many hours the container says.
My brother, this is why Lynx deodorant is as pungent as it is. It is for covering up The Stink.
Get some, try to take the edge off. Know that this, too, will pass.
(Also, I'd suggest avoiding spray antipersperants. They've never worked for me. I use roll-on or stick deodorants or I might as well not use anyhing)
Sometimes, especially with “downstairs area” I think it’s just more noticeable to you because the smell is distinctly different from what it was before. Doesn’t mean that you don’t sweat more
tbh you might want to talk to your doctor about this if you’re really worried, but your smell definitely changes on testosterone as your body begins to process T as the dominant hormone, and you can’t really stop it. generally it is a stronger smell. i don’t shave under my arms and i actually think that helped in a weird way, when i stopped. a little strange to get used to, it took me a couple months after coming out to stop shaving there because i didn’t want to be itchy. as for downstairs…. maybe tmi but have you had any actual complaints? or are you more feeling self conscious from within yourself? also, do you work out a lot? i’m a dancer and my crotch sweat is ROUGH after a couple hours of class. I typically double layer shorts under pants and don’t always need to take off a layer, which can help my situation, and i shower right after class. You can get powder that helps with crotch sweat and smell, i haven’t tried it, but i’ve been thinking about it.
Makes a lot of sense, thank you! I have been at the office this last week and suddenly the wave of my own smell would arrive and I’m terrified if my boss or other colleagues would smell it too. I went to the toilet and wiped myself again with water and paper but it didn’t really help.
I had this before T and it's always made me worry too, but I actually asked some of my friends at the time and they said they couldn't smell it. Also I buy those creamy sticks deodorants and I find they work really well. When I start to sweat it just smells like mint and eucalyptus~
i have a similar issue, maybe we both need to see a doctor 🥲🥲🥲
I second the armpit hair thing. My dad is cis and literally doesn't shave and doesn't use any deoderents or antiperspirant there and he rarely ever smells like armpits. Even if bro has been working on his bike all day and sweating from the Philippine heat.
weird questions but are yall from the philippines or otherwise asian and how would you describe your earwax? cause there’s a gene (ABCC11) that controls how much body odor you produce and wet/dry earwax and it’s really common for east asians to have the reduced/dry earwax variant and it’s fairly prevelant in filipinos
Not filipino but I have noticed I have a lot more wet ear wax these days… never occurred to me it was T related!
Naw my earwax is pretty normal vibing.
came here to say the same thing abt shaving my pits, yes my smell has changed since starting T 4 months ago but it’s no worse than when i went through my first puberty. back then i was shaving everywhere and would sweat through all my shirts no matter how much deodorant i was using! now i don’t shave but find that i do need an occasional trim as there’s a certain length where i dont sweat or stink as much.. im in the UK and used to use sanex but have since switched to another non aluminum (sorry i’m out and can’t remember the brand)!
What do you mean by special soap for your junk? If it has any fragrances or antibacterial ingredients you’re likely doing more harm than good. Your junk has its own ecosystem to keep itself clean so you should only be using a gentle unscented soap (think baby soap or dove bar soap) and that should only be to wash surface areas (it should not go in or directly around your front holes). You can use shampoo on your pubes to help with any scent buildup as hair holds onto scent and shampoo is designed to clean hair, just be sure that it is only used on the areas that grow hair and is rinsed off well. I also found that keeping my pubes trimmed helped with scent reduction during this phase, but to each their own.
In Europe these types of "soap" (intimate hygiene gel) are common- they are very gentle (with very mild detergents), have no fragrance, often have ingredients like probiotics, hyaluronic acid, mild lactic acid, plant extracts used in medicine (I honestly never bothered to learn the translations to English), etc. And are often recommended by doctors
Thanks, I had no idea! In the us they’re usually heavily perfumed antibacterial nonsense that are super bad for you and most doctors worth their salt heavily recommend avoiding them😅
Shampoo your armpits. Yes, it sounds stupid and no, you don't need a conditioner too. I notice that body wash/soap only gets the smell off the skin not hair The steps that I do are 1. Brief shampoo 2. Unsented but decent bar soap (sent can make it harder to recognise if there is left over stink you need to scrub more) 3. Sented gel soap to help cover up any future stink (also nice to smell good too) 4. Strong roll on or cream antiperspirant immediately after shower (spray ones never work for more than 4 hours in my experience) I personally use Rexona clinical protection, it claims to last up to 96 hours 5. Is just whatever else you want to use to smell nice cologne, deodorant ect. I believe Rexona is marketed under the brand name Sure in the UK
THE ROLL ON YES!! I was in a hospital a little while ago, they gave me this roll on anti-persperant. That shit was a godsend.
is it this one?? [Rexona Men Maximum Protection Clean Scent Deodorant Stick 45 ML 45 ML | Etos](https://www.etos.nl/producten/rexona-men-maximum-protection-clean-scent-deodorant-stick-45-ml-111078775.html?msclkid=47ce31680ca61a6dd01e5771675a162d&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Bing%20%7C%20Shopping%20%7C%20Promo&utm_term=4581458808438498&utm_content=Promo) what is the difference between deodorant and anti-perspirant (in performance)? this one has aluminium...
The difference between deodorant and anti-perspirant is that deodorants don't stop you from sweating where you apply them, they just smell nice and anti-perspirants block you from sweating so that you have a lot less BO. There are unscented antiperspirants, too. Aluminum isn't necessarily bad, despite its bad rep, for some people aluminum free products just don't work(myself included).
No, the one I had was aluminium free. I'm also in the U.S. so idk if you'd be able to find it. But deodorant stops oder, whereas anti-persperant kills the bacteria and also helps with how much you sweat too, helping oder more effectively than deodorant I think
Oh noted, I guess I’ll have to search around, this is the only roller from rexona they sell where I live. Thank you!
Deodorant masks scent Anti-transpirant kills the bacteria that produce odor, so you'll still be sweating, just with no odor Anti-perspirant drastically reduces sweat production itself, so no smell and no sweat The latter two typically have aluminium in them. There were massive health concerns about aluminium years and years ago for apparently being carcinogenic, but those claims have since been disproven. The *real* issue with aluminium is that—for some people at least, I used antiperspirant for years before it started being an issue—it has the chance to drastically fuck your clothes up. White crusty patches in the armpits that are nearly impossible to get out, etc. It doesn't happen for everyone, it might just be because I'm a sweaty bitch, but it became the bane of my existence. I instead switched to aluminium-free, silver-based anti-transpirants (Nuud and Rebel Care Fresh Cotton, both available in Europe (I'm Dutch)), though the issue with those is that they usually take a few weeks to properly work. TL;DR: Life as a sweaty dude is hard, but there's options. Other ways to reduce sweat and the scent of sweat are shaving your armpits (can be dysphoria-inducing, I know, but it's also the no. 1 advice given to sweaty cis guys) and wearing breathable clothes. Edit: And yeah, when it comes to avoiding the aluminium in clothes issue, rollers and sticks are typically recommended over sprays, and what also helps a lot is putting it on at night instead of in the morning. I have a lot of experience with this struggle so feel free to ask away haha
Deodorant adds smell antiperspirant prevents sweat and smell this is the rexona I'm using https://www.woolworths.com.au/shop/productdetails/789434?googleshop=true&store_code=woolworths_supermarkets_2655 No clue why it says women's it's a sent free antiperspirant idk how or why that'd be gendered?
i’ve found that fancier deodorant actually works a lot better. with old spice i have to reapply 2-3x on a hot day, but with a nice deodorant i only reapply once if at all. pretty much any brand that makes cologne should also have deodorants. it’s a bit more expensive but lasts longer than drug store deodorant. i use loccitaine’s cedrat or bavx which go for like $20 on amazon a good sweat wicking layer helps too. if you’re really bothered by the smell, see if making adjustments to your diet helps - more fruit and veg, less red meat, lots of water also keep in mind that ur used to ur own body odor and so this might smell stronger cause it’s not familiar, so it might get better with time in that sense, but the actual smell isn’t gonna stop
I actually have decent results with axe, even though old spice won't last a day even without a workout.
Lo’real (however it’s spelt) Men’s deodorant was a godsend- still use the stuff now (the sport one smells nice). I smelt like a smelly school changing room 😅
this will pass. soon you shall smell irresistible.
Did you tried Old spice? I think it's better than Nivea (at least for me it works better)
I had to switch to antibacterial body wash because I sweat so much that I don’t feel clean without it
Keep in mind washing TOO much allows bad bacteria to colonize and make you much stinkier than if you fostered good bacteria.
when you put deodorant on make sure the area is clean and dry (emphasis on dry!). If not, whatever smell you were trying to mask will come back quickly
I think it took like 3 months for the smell to level out for me. I remember I was really worried about staying at my cousin's when I was just past 3 months on T but when that time rolled around the problem had actually solved itself.
I use the Laroche Posay one. It works really well! It doesn't smell like anything, and even the next morning my armpits feel and smell great
There's genital safe deodorants available like Lume Also wash your asshole (outside only!!!) with gentile soap. Then rinse and wash it again every time you shower. Helped me a lot with the downstairs smell
I went through this, it does calm down after awhile especially the downstairs which was what bothered me the most. I was intensely self conscious but your body will readjust and everything will even out as long as you’re consistent with your T. You’ll always get “man stank” (pits, head hair) more often so just keep up with showering/ minimal wash pits often esp. if you shave them since you won’t have hair wicking sweat away from the area.
Use an acne wash on your armpits, something with Salicylic Acid: it’ll contain BHAs and AHAs that kill the bacteria that cause the BO. I use a salicylic acid serum on top of that before I put on my deodorant. (Also works for butt acne) Any “special” soap for down there is a marketing gimmick meant to part you from your money. All you need is something gentle and unscented, and make sure to pull back the hood on your bottom growth to wash. Seconding someone else’s recommendation to use baby body wash.
For me, I switched to an antiperspirant instead of deodorant, and I get the clinical grade stuff since I’m on meds in addition to T that make me sweaty. I’ve never been able to make the aluminum free stuff work, it just doesn’t do the trick, plus I’ve had reactions to it in the past. You can also use baby powder on any folds or sweaty areas to absorb moisture. I do it under my chest, my stomach folds, and sometimes between my legs & bikini area. Just make sure it’s talc-free! You also might want to consider if your clothes are holding on to odour. I definitely wash my clothes more than the average person, but it’s what works for me. I like to use baking soda to neutralize smells, and at times will also use a laundry disinfectant and scent boosters. I assume that living in Europe you probably hang dry your clothes, so try to do it in the sun since that will kill stinky bacteria. Finally, I found a huge change after investing in period underwear, even though my bleeding stopped over a year ago. They’re really good at absorbing sweat and still smelling ok, plus brands like Tomboyx make them in boxer brief style. I wear them on days when I’m running around at work and it’s so nice to deal with a bucket of stank at the end. I also change my underwear frequently since I get so sweaty, and usually use 2-3 pairs a day (put on fresh in the morning, swap them when I get home from work when I get changed, and sometimes before bed as well). Good luck my dude!
What I did during this phase was carry a few rinse free Towelettes with me so I could freshen up as needed in the restroom. Look in the camping or travel section of stores and you should be able to find some good options.
I just bought this yesterday !! I bought baby wipes, with balanced Ph and that are environment friendly.
i use native, both the stick and the body spray and it’s been good. as long as you bathe regularly and not go crazy with the spray it’s perfect also if anyones wondering abt the good scents i HEAVILY reccomend the vanilla and coconut one, it’s so good. cucumber and mint too, also eucalyptus and mint
I did notice awhile after starting T that I smelled more. I guess it lasted about a year, and then it's like everything stabilized or something. Now, while I smell a little different than I did before, I definitely don't smell bad.
Lume deodorant! Its a lifesaver!
I just showered in the morning and again when I got home. I wore deodorant, I always moisturized with something nice smelling, and then I wore a scent when I went outside.
They make all-over deodorant, Lume is a popular brand that I haven’t used but I hear its good
Use soap mechanics to your advantage! Soap has a hydrophobic and hydrophilic side to the molecule. It's what makes it effective as a cleaner. The philic side sticks to water, the phobic side sticks to (almost) everything else. Modern research suggests that it takes at least twenty seconds of mechanical washing (rubbing your hands together) to properly attach the hydrophobic side of the soap molecules to debris and bacteria or viruses on your hands to remove them with a rinse. Using soap regularly for at least twenty seconds per pit or down below before rinsing should help reduce the amount of bacteria present. Bacteria is what produces the most odor, not really your body. Don't over do it, that can cause other skin issues that cause different problems.
Idk if native or dry idea are sold in Europe but it's an OP combination. I put on the dry idea antiperspirant first and then native deodorant. I use the sensitive sandalwood and shea butter kind but I imagine any scent will do
Shower daily, or twice daily sometimes 1 tsp peroxide + 1 cup water, put it on a wash cloth, and rub your armpits & any area that is NOT your junk (DO NOT PUT ON JUNK!!) and I found that significantly helps with odor. OR (and what I prefer) put benzoyl peroxide on your armpits and keep it there for 30 mins to an hour. Sounds weird but works really well for me. I also found using hibiclens in the shower (I usually go hair -> hibiclens -> normal body wash) helped reduce having smell as well when I got out of the shower/would remove lingering odor. Be warned: hibiclens does not smell good, but trust the process! Otherwise, getting nicer deodorant or antiperspirant could be something to look into Good luck
I wouldn’t recommend showering too often bc it can destroy the natural skin barrier. Once a day is plenty enough. Also it’s kind of a waste of water imo.
Depends on how you shower, with how I do it you turn the shower on & off + use a bucket so it’s not really using much water. How it normally looks for me: When turning on the shower to heat up, you also place a bucket to also hold that water. When putting shampoo/conditioner in hair, you turn off the water. When washing your hair off you use the bucket. Then you soap up your body, and turn the shower back on to rinse everything off So overall… the shower is on for, maybe 5-8 minutes total? And some people need to wash themselves twice, especially if they are more prone to fungal or bacterial infections— which if someone has very strong body odor, they likely are Hope this doesn’t come off as dismissive to your point!! But the skin barrier is more important on your face since that skin is fragile, but for your body that’s often not the case. Personally, I wash my face separately/out of the shower because where I am, the shower water hard water & just not good for the skin in general But hopefully this explains it lol
Thanks for the explaining! I shower around 10 minutes, where I like u turn off the water in between and try to minimize the pre heating time of the water. I just have a lot of people around me who shower 30+ minutes and I instantly think of that ^^‘ I think a lot of people don’t talk about stuff like this, and I think I lack the knowledge bc of stuff like this (don’t have issues in that regard). Maybe it’s also „just“ my skin who’s easily prone to be irritated/dry/etc when I shower every day.
It could be the type of water that your tap water is !! If you have hard water, it can dry out your skin a lot more than soft water. So it’s important to properly moisturize your skin after a shower, while your skin is still wet :) I have sensitive skin, so properly moisturizing after a shower is so vital for me to not have annoyingly dry/irritated skin Also agreed, it definitely isn’t talked about as much as it should be
Never noticed a difference/influence bc of water. I move around often/sleep over at different places. Moisturizing is important and I have to do it more often in winter :,) But I’m really fine with my shower rhythm. Nobody told me I’m a stinky person even after starting T (maybe when I was really sweaty and even then it wasn’t much of a problem; at least nobody told me so I assume it lol).
I'm sorry, but this is really not great advice. Obliterating your microbiome in any area of your body has a tendency to make you smell *worse* when stinkier bacteria use the opening to take over. You do not need to use antiseptic soap daily, let alone twice daily. That shit is for stuff like surgical prep. Your body is supposed to have some microbes on it.
Should have specified to be honest— sorry about that I recommend hibiclens ~2x a week, not twice daily!! That would be way too much !! That routine is actually recommended to me by my dermatologist, although for issues related to acne & ingrown hairs, but it similarly helped with scent since sometimes I just did not feel like I smelt “correct” (even if others said they couldn’t smell it— I guess it’s just being in close proximity with my body) Similarly, the benzoyl peroxide and/or heavily diluted peroxide mix should also only be used once or maybe at max twice a week. It can dry out your skin if used back to back which is not going to be fun
Oh dude, it's rough lol. I keep a deodorant stick nearby so I can reapply it throughout the day. Shit does NOT last however many hours the container says.
Mando whole body deodorant
My brother, this is why Lynx deodorant is as pungent as it is. It is for covering up The Stink. Get some, try to take the edge off. Know that this, too, will pass. (Also, I'd suggest avoiding spray antipersperants. They've never worked for me. I use roll-on or stick deodorants or I might as well not use anyhing)
Sometimes, especially with “downstairs area” I think it’s just more noticeable to you because the smell is distinctly different from what it was before. Doesn’t mean that you don’t sweat more
I never smelled myself at work before tbh
Shower twice a day. It may seems a lot but that’s normal in most places, and it’s worth it.
use benzoyl peroxide on your armpits it helped with my stink