The issue is that antiperspirant is generally considered bad for one’s health, iirc, because it takes away the body’s ability to cool itself. Now of course, I’m not defending the sort of person that generally gives not one fuck about the most basic measure of hygiene, but…
There are alternatives. Bad body odor is generally produced by the bacteria on your body which thrives and emits odor in the moisture of your sweat, so legitimately taking a shower or applying hand sanitizer to your armpits will help. Though, I dunno if applying like, a rubbing alcohol mixture to your pits would be a wise decision to do frequently since that’s are pretty sensitive body part.
They need like, armpit probiotics, or something. Some sort of stick full of bacteria that smells like lemons or strawberries or something, and then just outbreeds the other bacteria. Somebody should do that, sounds awesome.
It depends on the kind of bacteria, too. Just like with your gut, having a healthy skin biome is important. Not just for odours but also for various skin conditions and infections. Having a healthy skin biome can be the difference between an infection taking hold and giving a nasty sore or dying off due to too much competition (or maybe even predation) without you noticing anything.
Part of it is cleaning the textiles that come in contact with your skin. Especially towels, though clothes and bedsheets are also important. Towels are important to clean properly because their whole job includes absorbing water. Always hang them so that they can dry properly. But even with that, the frequency of them getting wet means bacteria or fungus can start to thrive over time. You can smell it when this happens, it’s one of the nasty BO smells. Let those get established on your towels and they’ll transfer that life to your hands or body whenever you use them. I use bleach with my loads of towels/washcloths (which also means they’ll go longer before they do start to stink, too).
I’ve come to believe that for those who often stink but do shower regularly that it might actually be their laundry practices causing the odours. Maybe there’s some piece of clothing they don’t wash regularly, like a coat or backpack, that is carrying the stink. Or maybe they aren’t washing their clothes effectively. A little bit of bleach once in a while can help with that, too. You don’t need much bleach to sanitize things and most clothing won’t fall apart or lose colour from one exposure. Air drying in direct sunlight could also help with that, since UV light can also sanitize. Also, don’t leave your clothes in the washer for a while before drying them. You’re sometimes better off not washing them at all than doing that.
And another reason why towels are important to maintain properly is that soap can mess with your skin’s pH and make it more difficult for the healthy bacteria to survive. And using hand sanitizer is just blasting away the good and bad so that whatever is the most aggressive ends up taking its place (hence the higher potential for infections). If you blast all the competition away and then rub a towel full of bacteria on your skin right after, you shouldn’t be surprised to discover you stink a short while later.
There’s pre- and pro-biotic soap and lotions that can help support and replace healthy skin biomes.
If I don’t wear antiperspiration my armpits start chaffing when I’m doing yard work or working out and have never overheated because the rest of my body is sweating, but maybe that’s just me or something.
The issue is that antiperspirant is generally considered bad for one’s health, iirc, because it takes away the body’s ability to cool itself. Now of course, I’m not defending the sort of person that generally gives not one fuck about the most basic measure of hygiene, but…
There are alternatives. Bad body odor is generally produced by the bacteria on your body which thrives and emits odor in the moisture of your sweat, so legitimately taking a shower or applying hand sanitizer to your armpits will help. Though, I dunno if applying like, a rubbing alcohol mixture to your pits would be a wise decision to do frequently since that’s are pretty sensitive body part.
They need like, armpit probiotics, or something. Some sort of stick full of bacteria that smells like lemons or strawberries or something, and then just outbreeds the other bacteria. Somebody should do that, sounds awesome.
It depends on the kind of bacteria, too. Just like with your gut, having a healthy skin biome is important. Not just for odours but also for various skin conditions and infections. Having a healthy skin biome can be the difference between an infection taking hold and giving a nasty sore or dying off due to too much competition (or maybe even predation) without you noticing anything.
Part of it is cleaning the textiles that come in contact with your skin. Especially towels, though clothes and bedsheets are also important. Towels are important to clean properly because their whole job includes absorbing water. Always hang them so that they can dry properly. But even with that, the frequency of them getting wet means bacteria or fungus can start to thrive over time. You can smell it when this happens, it’s one of the nasty BO smells. Let those get established on your towels and they’ll transfer that life to your hands or body whenever you use them. I use bleach with my loads of towels/washcloths (which also means they’ll go longer before they do start to stink, too).
I’ve come to believe that for those who often stink but do shower regularly that it might actually be their laundry practices causing the odours. Maybe there’s some piece of clothing they don’t wash regularly, like a coat or backpack, that is carrying the stink. Or maybe they aren’t washing their clothes effectively. A little bit of bleach once in a while can help with that, too. You don’t need much bleach to sanitize things and most clothing won’t fall apart or lose colour from one exposure. Air drying in direct sunlight could also help with that, since UV light can also sanitize. Also, don’t leave your clothes in the washer for a while before drying them. You’re sometimes better off not washing them at all than doing that.
And another reason why towels are important to maintain properly is that soap can mess with your skin’s pH and make it more difficult for the healthy bacteria to survive. And using hand sanitizer is just blasting away the good and bad so that whatever is the most aggressive ends up taking its place (hence the higher potential for infections). If you blast all the competition away and then rub a towel full of bacteria on your skin right after, you shouldn’t be surprised to discover you stink a short while later.
There’s pre- and pro-biotic soap and lotions that can help support and replace healthy skin biomes.
Plus, nothing starts or ends a day like a good shower.
If I don’t wear antiperspiration my armpits start chaffing when I’m doing yard work or working out and have never overheated because the rest of my body is sweating, but maybe that’s just me or something.
Yeah that definitely varies from person to person.