“Deodorant” is just something to make you not stink, hence the “odor” part. That’s why the crystal rocks are deodorants, not anti-perspirants. They won’t make you not sweat; they’re just supposed to make your sweat not stink. Anti-perspirants, which are what most people call “deodorants,” make you not sweat by plugging up your sweat glands with stuff. (sounds gross when you think about it, doesn’t it?)
Rubbing baking soda under your arms after a bath or shower is supposed to help. Cutting back on stinky foods is a good idea. Chewing parsley is supposed to be good for your breath, but I don’t know if it would help with body odor.
If it doesn’t irritate your skin, use Dial soap. It has triclosan, which is an antimicrobial. It will ensure that you are free of stinky bacteria after you shower. My dad refuses to wear deodorant/anti-perspirant. Everyone in the family noticed that he smelled less when my mother switched to dial soap in the shower. As an added bonus, it totally cleared up any acne I was getting on my shoulders/back…
also, before i get clobbered, I realize that anti-microbial soap is not necessary to prevent the spread of disease - so it’s pointless for hand soap, etc. However, since triclosan retards bacterial growth, I still claim that it would help with any stink.
So, you mean “wash” with just water? This takes me back to when my brother was a teen and took showers with water only, and came out smelling worse than when he went in. Do you rub/scrub yourself with a washcloth, or anything else?
My guess is that Acid Lamp is referring to the chemical difference between soaps and cleansers. A soap is a specific chemical composition. Many cleansing agents that we call “soap” are actually detergents, another chemical beast altogether.
Maybe for you. I do exactly what you say, and I still get stinky pits. (Fortunately, I can use most anti-perspirant/deodorants.)
Hey, good idea!
I’ve found that Neosporin ointment with pain relief works miraculously for all sorts of skin irritations. The ointment, not the cream. Maybe this will help kill bacteria, help clear the rash, and provide some pain relief.
I’m allergic to different fragrances, and some irritate me and some don’t. After my third or fourth round of nasty rashes (I’m a slow learner) I switched to Almay gel, which works great. While I was waiting for the rash to go away, I used Gold Bond.
Actually, you might want to reconsider. Very occasionally I get a rash there, and I’ve temporarily switched to rubbing alcohol. It does sting, but in 2-3 days my rash is gone. YMMV, of course.
Do you rinse your underarms immediately after washing them, or do you soap up other body parts before rinsing? If the latter, deodorant soap itself can irritate that area. Just rinse right away.
Most days I wash with just water, or a very small amount of a natural soap applying it only to the areas that are likely to offend, Pits, behind the ears, crotch. Otherwise I simply scrub off with a japanese washcloth. It is an exfoliating scrubby thing. Once a week, (usually Sat) I get a thorough scrub all over. I never soap my face. Hair is washed every third day or as necessary. FWIW, I neither smell, nor have any problem with acne. I put it down to my skin achieving a natural balance, while simple bathing removes the dirt and dead skin effectively enough to eliminate odor and clogged pores. Even after a workout, I just smell of sweat, and not BO.
However, I’ll warn that it can take a while for this to happen and for a week there you might find yourself stinking up the joint until you even out. During that period, I washed twice a day to ensure any odor was kept to a minimum.
With all due respect to Acid Lamp, I would only point out that very few people who smell bad think they smell bad. I used to work next to a person who followed a soap-free hygiene regimen, and let’s just say his confidence in his system was misplaced.
Ask Autolycus, Really Not All That Bright, Ivylass, Ludovic, or The falling Reverend. They’ve all met me in person.
I know if I smell. If I perform a lot of outdoor chores I can wrangle up a stink, but really washing up takes care of it. There is a difference in body chemistry from person to person as well. I use as little soap as possible, not none at all.
I live with Acid Lamp and very rarely does he actually smell of anything. I’m not a big wearer of deodorant unless I think I’m going to sweat, and I generally don’t get smelly unless I’ve been sweating like a pig from a long day of outdoor work. I have, however, known people who remind me of what you’re talking about, and generally they tend to be of the “don’t bathe at all for two weeks straight” variety rather than the “exfoliates but does not use soap every time when bathing” variety; it makes a huge difference, as I could tell by his ripeness when the last shower was.
Er, the “him” in the last part of that paragraph was a guy I knew from when I was an Anthropology major. Nice guy, but you could tell he only showered every other week because he’d slowly go from “fresh as a daisy” to “sitting in a garbage heap” over a two week period.
There’s an alternative deodorant that involves mineral crystals or some such. I haven’t tried it myself but it’s another option for you. Examples here and here.