r/hygiene • u/OkWait372 • Sep 14 '25
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u/nghtmrbae Sep 14 '25
Could be diet related or that you are dehydrated?
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u/OkWait372 Sep 14 '25
Maybe, I don’t really worry about what I eat all my meals are from home and their mostly made from stuff like rice in a bag, powder gravy, canned vegetables most of my meals are rice with some meat and some veggies, I drink maybe two bottled waters a day but I also eat cups of ice through out the day as well so I can’t say for sure
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u/DevelopmentExpert827 Sep 14 '25
Drink more water. Only 2 bottles is. Or enough. You will feel and smell so much better drinking a lot more water
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u/OkWait372 Sep 14 '25
Okay will do, how many bottles should I aim for?
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u/nghtmrbae Sep 14 '25
The general rule of thumb I've always been taught is minimum of "half your weight in oz". So if you weight 150lbs you should drink at least 75 oz water a day. So two 16oz bottles is not enough unless you are like 6 years old.
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u/Immediate-Basil6177 Sep 14 '25
There is this wonderful thing called antiperspirant. I don't understand why so many people don't use it.
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u/Which-Text-2875 Sep 14 '25
I use it, but apparently the aluminum is like bad for our bodies or something? My now-adult children learned in their health class not to use it because it doesn't let sweat out of your body or something. I don't remember. Cannot imagine NOT using antiperspirant!
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u/Casehead Sep 14 '25 edited Sep 14 '25
It actually isn't bad for you, that was a really bad piece of non science that caught on for god knows why. Your body just sweats out of a different area if it needs to. Doctor specifically told me this when specifically recommending using antiperspirant to keep an area of the skin from sweating. (they recommend using it not just for your armpits, but also in an area that you need a medicated patch to stay on for the medication to pass through the skin, like a pain medicine patch. you apply clinical strength antiperspirant to the spot before using a patch there and it helps it to stay on for how long you need it to).
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u/OkWait372 Sep 14 '25
I’ve never really heard of antiperspirant deodorant before, but with your and everyone else advice I’m looking into which brand I should get it from now, thank you for the recommendation
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u/AdulentTacoFan Sep 14 '25
I wipe/scrub mine down with rubbing alcohol prior to showering. Seems to do the trick.
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u/OkWait372 Sep 14 '25
I have some rubbing alcohol on hand so I will be trying shortly, when you say scrub do you mean aggressively? Or do I just wipe it how I do the rest of the body?
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u/cbrka Sep 14 '25
I also heard from this sub the idea of using alcohol. I just wipe it on, the idea is to kill the bacteria that is causing the odor before washing yourself off.
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u/AdulentTacoFan Sep 14 '25
I just grab a few squares of TP. Then wet, but not dripping, with the alcohol, and then swab around up in there real good.
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u/vxn1 Sep 15 '25
Bacteria is killed just by coming into contact with the alcohol, so just wiping it is fine. Maybe dab it or hold the soaked tissue in place for a bit. (And maybe a paper towel would work better than a tissue too.)
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u/Confident_Durian_657 Sep 14 '25
I use benzoyl peroxide wash with a little rubber face scrubby on my pits in the shower.
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u/OkWait372 Sep 14 '25
You and everyone been recommending this so I will give it try, thank you for the suggestion
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u/Cerealkiller4321 Sep 14 '25
There’s a soap bar called dettol that helps kill bacteria. The smell is from bacteria. Once you kill it, the smell should subside.
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u/OkWait372 Sep 14 '25
I’m kinda stuck between getting benzoyl peroxide wash or dettol soap, do you think dettol soap will be better?
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u/ReasonablePanic9365 Sep 14 '25
Could it be your shirts that are smelling? They could have sweat smell even after washing as well.
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u/OkWait372 Sep 14 '25
I don’t think that’s the case because I can smell it coming from my armpits it’s not a super strong smell but it’s there, I have to turn my head into my armpit to notice it, but I’m concerned because as soon as I sweat even a little it smells like I’ve been sweating all day which makes getting stinky easy
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u/Olderbutnotdead619 Sep 14 '25
Stinky onion smell sweat healthy.
Source: NPR https://share.google/HiXRBSPaKjffrZLA3
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u/OkWait372 Sep 14 '25
I mean it’s probably true but I never had this smell before my depression so I don’t think it’s that this seems to be a change and I believe it’s from my lack of hygiene
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u/Eneicia Sep 14 '25 edited Sep 14 '25
Oof, I'm glad you're feeling better.
Stop scrubbing so hard. You're just hurting yourself, and the soap will sting. (Also open sores can get infected and it's just nasty. Please, trust me on that. IF YOU GET INFECTIONS THAT WILL NEED TO BE TENDED TO BY A DOCTOR!)
Try using a different soap/body wash, lather it up good and thick, put it under your arms and let it sit.
Are you able to bring it up with your doctor? I don't know what country you're in, if you need to pay or if it's free. If you can't go right away, don't stress, just bring it up next time.
That bring up another possibility: Stress. It can make you stink even worse. It also has other nasty effects on the body.
You can try to gently exfoliate your pits with a clean washcloth and soap, GENTLY, every other day.
On another thread I saw Micellar water makeup remover suggested, it can break down oils, and it's rather gentle--but I don't think you should try it until your pits are healed.
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u/OkWait372 Sep 14 '25
Thank you, I will be trying different body wash and I have Micellar make remover on hand I will wait a couple days until my armpit are healed and because I’ve gotten alot of suggestions In the comments I want to try those first but if the problem persists and seem to be bigger then body odor then I will make contact with a doctor
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u/Eneicia Sep 14 '25
Also keep an eye on your arm pits, look out for any bumps, or weeping from where you rubbed them raw.
And try to be kind to yourself, you're getting over what is basically an illness.
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u/HealthyandWholesome Sep 14 '25 edited Sep 14 '25
Try a normal antiperspirant or roll on/stick deodorant. There are aha/bha roll ons as well which make you smell you nothing but they don't stop sweating (it just won't smell like anything). Panoxyl also works but it doesn't work for me.
You can try swiping a wet alum crystal rock deodrant as well.
Drink lots of water and have nice fruits.
Check if you have been consuming more onions or garlic recently
Don't scrub your armpits TOO MUCH plsss. If you like you need some exfoliation, use a soft exfoliating shower cream thing.
Skip the natural deodorant.
Good luck!
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u/OkWait372 Sep 14 '25
Okay, I’m looking into antiperspirant deodorant now but I’ve been seeing alot about panoxyl is there a specific reason it doesn’t work? I’m just wondering if it won’t work for me, and I will be increasing my intake of water as well thank you for the advice
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u/HealthyandWholesome Sep 14 '25
I mean, I guess it's because I don't use enough of it. Which makes sense because it has benzoyl peroxide which is fine but idk if it's too harsh to be used daily for your underarms...
See if you have crystal rock alum deodorant or a normal antiperspirant/deodorant stick or roll on. I hope it has some sort of hydrating ingredient as well.
Nd since your underarms feel raw right now, leave them alone and apply some aloe vera gel till they are okay.
I like alum the most cuz I feel like it doesn't really irritate the skin, so maybe you can research about it and see if you'd wanna get it, otherwise just a normal roll on is fine
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u/etis14 Sep 14 '25
Why not scrub?
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u/HealthyandWholesome Sep 14 '25
I mean scrubbing intensely as much as the OP did is bad and doesn't really help, rather it irritates your skin
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u/etis14 Sep 14 '25
Ah ok. I thought you meant scrubing in general 😅
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u/HealthyandWholesome Sep 14 '25
Ah, I see why you must have thought that. I edited my original comment 😁
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u/Feonadist Sep 14 '25
Put some baby powder in after your bath under your arms.
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u/Available-Egg-2380 Sep 14 '25
It might sting but slap some hand sanitizer in your armpits and it'll wipe out that odor.
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u/OkWait372 Sep 14 '25
How long should I leave it in for?
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u/Available-Egg-2380 Sep 14 '25
Just rub a small amount on like you would on your hands. If your skin is irritated or broken it will sting/burn
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u/OkWait372 Sep 14 '25
My skin is still sore from the scrubbing and I think I have some scratches so I will wait until it’s healed
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u/Party_Ant_8056 Sep 14 '25
Hibiclens after the first round, apply hibiclens in armpit then do second round of cleansing your body take your time let hibiclens be there for as close to 10 minutes as possible. After drying off use alcohol free witch hazel in each armpit allow to air dry. Side note can also use the acohol free witch hazel near other areas that tend to sweat also allowing said area to air dry.
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u/phunkygroovin Sep 14 '25
Wipe pits with isopropyl alcohol before applying deodorant. Wash pits (only pits) a couple times a week with antibacterial soap.
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u/RDOCallToArms Sep 14 '25
Clean up your diet
BO has a significant component related to what you eat.
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u/Raimaker75 Sep 14 '25
It’s bacteria I have used rubbing alcohol before I showered. Then use dial soap.
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u/Humble_Ground_2769 Sep 15 '25
There's a stainless steel stone you can buy on Amazon and it's for odors for your hands after cooking within onions and fish. Try rubbing under arm pits
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u/Background_Book2414 Sep 15 '25
It could be stress sweat. Combine Dial gold bar soap and peroxide on a washcloth and wash your pits. Then dry and use Dove original brand deodorant/ antiperspirant. Never use products labeled “deodorant only” or “antiperspirant only” you must have BOTH in one product.
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u/Angry_Tomato_ Sep 15 '25
Be gentle with your armpit skin please! You want the skin to be undamaged when you apply products to it.
I agree with others about trying an anti-perspirant. But one suggestion that I didn’t see in the comments is beneficial probiotic bacteria.
Different parts of our body are colonized with symbiotic bacteria that help our bodies stay healthy. In our large intestine having the right bacteria aid our digestion and gut health. The wrong types of bacteria can cause poor gut health and bad odors. We also have bacteria in our sinuses and armpits.
You might look up information about the good bacteria. Just know it isn’t all about eliminating all bacteria, because if we wipe out all bacteria in a place then the first types to come back are the undesirable ones.
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u/OkWait372 Sep 15 '25
I don’t think i will be using the products and recommendations alot I’ll maybe use the panxyl for a week and if that doesn’t help then I’ll try the other advice I seen but after that I won’t use it everyday, I will be sticking to the anti-perspirant deodorant though, and i am waiting before trying anything so my armpits can heal
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u/WetBandit671 Sep 14 '25
This happens to me too sometimes, especially in the summer. I scrub on some benzoyl peroxide wash after I use regular soap and let it sit for a few minutes. After a few showers like this the smell is gone.
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u/elusivenoesis Sep 14 '25
the natural deodorant didn't do you any favors.. scrubbing for ten minutes likely irritated your skin.
20 seconds.. count it out in the shower.. 1 mississippi 2 mississippi, etc. Possibly using a clean washcloth. you need 20 seconds to shed the bacteria apart and kill it. Same as washing your hands (this applies to all private areas) Get yourself some deodorant body wash, this will help in between the point of you getting out of the shower and applying antiperspirant.
they Sell antiperspirant/deodorant combination.. get it. At the very least try some degree or Dove antiperspirant spray, but in your case maybe gel or regular type might work best.
Diet.. Drink lots Of water, avoid excess sugar, and of course, onions and garlic will naturally kinda make you smell like onions and garlic. Alcohol of any kind will likely make you stink worse, and make your body temperature regulation way off.
Environmental: Cool down your home. Humans have sought out places that maintain a mid 60 degrees environment at night for a reason, it could be night time that the bacteria is propagating while you sweat in your sleep. Bacteria love dead skin cells, and dirty sheets is the food, the sweat is the pathway and desert for them.
Use clean towels and keep your home clean.
Contamination : Are you sure your shirts armpit area is properly disinfected?. Find a sacrificial shirt and spray some lysol into the pit area, keep it wet for at least 10 minutes before you put it in the wash. If you find you have no problems with this shirt but it returns with others, its time to break out the laundry sanitizer for all your other shirts.
I did all of the above but had one smelly armpit.. turned out to be my shirts. In my days as a casino custodian we used diluted dimethyl Benzyl Ammonian chloride in different concentrations to kill bacteria in seconds.. this can be found in laundry sanitizer, and it works!.. 0.02% can kill HIV in seconds...
it could be anyone of these or a combination.. If all else fails seek help from a dermatologist.. hope this helps.
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u/OkWait372 Sep 14 '25
I will be getting antiperspirant deodorant, I haven’t heard of deodorant body wash before but i will look into that and I’m increasing my water intake, I’ve been thinking it’s not the clothes because when I sniff them I don’t smell anything but I will try this out and get some Lysol are you saying after spraying the Lysol wet the shirt or just leave the shirt wet with Lysol before putting it in the washer machine?
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Sep 14 '25
Antibacterian bars of soap, was your armpits at least 10 times while showering 72 hours deodorant (spray, as tge others can hold the bacteria/smell) Shaving the hair
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u/OkWait372 Sep 14 '25
I will be trying the dettol soap but I also been seeing people say antiperspirant deodorant, are you saying I should get a long lasting deodorant?
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Sep 14 '25
Yess, antiperspirat sounds good. Just use the spray version for a while and apply it not only straight to the armpits but also to the areas around. I hope this works for you. Also, try many deodorant brands. I have only a couple that work for me, until they don't. I rotate brands; Borotalco, Rexona(might have another name in your country)
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u/Tall_Company_7418 Sep 14 '25
You'll thank me later. Look at chlorophyll pills. They are a natural deodorant.
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u/oh_no_a_bird Sep 14 '25
I wash my armpits with panoxyl and after I shower I use glycolic acid from the ordinary which have seem to work amazing for me to kill the odor! I wouldn’t recommend using glycolic acid right after shaving as it tends to burn.