Who needs deodorant? (longer than it should be)

In My Humble Opinion
1

My kid is going on an overnight thing with his school, and at the parent meeting one mother said, “Hey, you didn’t put deodorant on that list!”

So the teacher said, “You know, you’re right. I’ll have to talk to them about that. Because there’s water for brushing teeth but they won’t be able to shower.”

The kids in question are fifth-graders. Ten-year-olds. They need deodorant? Since when?

I’ll allow that it’s possible an early developer might need deodorant. Most of them, though, are not.

This started me on a whole chain of thinking things like, “Well, he’s my kid. His shitty diapers didn’t bother me so much, maybe I’m just not smelling him…” Only to realize that, in fact, I have sent him in to take a bath because he smelled like he needed one–dirty little boy scent, not the kind of thing deodorant would have helped with. I know when he has bad breath and when his socks stink so I think I would also have noticed if he needed deodorant.

Then, following this chain of thought, I realize that his older brothers were the same–as far as I knew they never needed deodorant. Frequent showers/baths, yes. Maybe they use it now, I don’t know. Once they were about 12 or 13 I no longer had to nag and drag to get them to bathe, in fact they started monopolizing the bathroom, but while they were still at home they never asked for Right Guard on the shopping list.

And their father didn’t use deodorant or need it until he was in his late 30s (the situation was a speech he was making that made him very nervous) and still doesn’t need it all the time. He excretes garlic, another thing deodorant doesn’t help with, but he doesn’ have that armpit thing unless he’s either nervous or angry. Doesn’t use a lot of deodorant, doesn’t smell (although he does use some, since there’s the chance he might get either nervous or angry at work). I don’t know if this is a guy thing or a personal characteristic that can be inherited, like good teeth.

(They didn’t get it from me. Not only do I really need deodorant, I have to change brands every so often because it completely stops working. Even when I am not angry or nervous.)

Anyway, I am torn between buying the kid a stick of deodorant to have just in case everybody else whips one out, and not getting him one, on the assumption that most 10-year-olds do not need it and will not bring it. And anyway it wasn’t on the list.

What do you guys think?

2

Unless he asks for it, forget about it.

I’ve never used deodorant or antiperspirant in my entire life. If I feel grungy, I take a shower.

3

If he’s never used it before he might be too embarrassed to use it anyway.

4

I’m not a parent, but I do remember what my Jr. High locker room smelled like (and those were girls) - some kids that age do smell. The awful smell of that locker room stays with me today.

5

I didn’t need deordorant when I was 10 years old. I didn’t start wearing it until I was in high school. I didn’t smell in the least. I have this weird relationship with deodarant now. I only need to wear it once in a while for it to work all the time. I have found that if I don’t wear any for three weeks or so, I start to feel just a twinge of unfreshness. I just have to wear it once or twice and the clock resets itself.

6

Get him a stick of a classic men’s scent deo - any one of the Calvin Kleins will work nicely - and tell him to whip his out if and when the others do.

7

I simply told my son (around 10), “hey, I don’t think you need it yet, but you will soon - so let me know when you do, OK?” The ice had been broken - he knew I knew and I knew he knew I knew deodorant was going to be needed at some point in the future, and it wasn’t awkward when, one day in his 11th year, he started to get da funk. So I said, “you know, I think it’s time for that deodorant now. Do you want a smelly one or an unscented one?” He chose a manly scent, and that was that. He needs to be reminded only once in a while to use it (since he also monopolizes the shower these days.)

I’m a great advocate of asking the kid what he thinks. Just say, “Hey, a few kids your age are using deodorant now. I don’t think you need it yet, but what do you think? Do you think you should have a stick for the campout where there’s no showers?” If he says no, then your problem is solved without any further effort on your part. If he says yes, go ahead and get it. Not like it’s going to be damaging.

I would hesitate to go ahead and get it without asking him first though, because I think that sends “I think you’re smelly and gross” or “Everyone else is doing it and shame shame if you don’t” vibes from you. It’s one thing if he thinks that way on his own - you don’t need to add to it.

8

Most kids that age don’t need it, unless they’re very overweight (skin folds hold onto odor; sad fact of life) or unless they’ve already hit puberty, which is not entirely unheard of. But if neither of those apply to your son, I’m with the folks who say just ask him if he wants it. Let him know that the other kids there might have it, and leave it up to him.

For me, I use deodorizing powder in my skin folds (yup, I’m very overweight), but as long as I shower daily, I have no problem with underarm odor. Hubby, OTOH, can stink moments after he gets out of the shower, especially if it’s hot/humid out. He has to keep his deodorant in the bathroom and use it immediately. He also carries a box of deodorizing wipes in his car, in case he starts stinking in the middle of the day and still has clients to see.

9

I wanted to give this excellent advice, but WhyNot beat me to it! I’ll just content myself with saying, “what she said!”

I successfully made it past the Intro to Hygiene stage with my 14 year old. Now I just have to give advice on girls…
Argh.

10

My daughter needed deodorant by age 8. I asked the pediatrician if this was “early”, and he said it was very common. My son needed it by age 10. Not that I could ever get him to use it…

11

I needed it around seven or eight, and my armpit hair started to grow around then too. (i’m a girl)

Some kids need it, some don’t. I stink if I get even the tiniest bit sweaty after a shower before deodorant. Mine is also antiperspirant, which some people don’t care for, but works well for me.

12

The school taught us about deoderant when we were nine. So yes, I’d say they’re right at the age when some start to need it…

Though as other people have pointed out, some people never do, god bless 'em.

13

I started using it when I was about eight or nine. It was terribly embarrassing, as none of the other kids my age had the same B.O. problem. If I remember correctly, my pediatrician said that some kids are like that.

Judging by the amount of sweat I find in his armpits when I lift him into the bath, I’m afraid Fang will be getting a little visit from the B.O. Fairy when he turns eight or nine. At least now they have antiperspirants which do more than cover the smell.

14

I needed deoderant at age ten. I even have some horrifying memories of being on the fifth grade class trip, where I ended up with a non-antipersperent deoderant, and watching the huge circles of sweat slowly grow bigger and bigger on my tee shirt while I was on the bus there. I thought I was going to die of embarrasment.

15

You learn so many interesting bits of information on this board.

I assumed that almost everybody over age 12 is wearing deodorant every day.

From time to time I forget to put on deodorant and later in the day if I happen to smell my pits there is a smell that aint so great. It’s not like days of BO that have built up and will assault innocent bystanders but it is a stink.

I guess if I were to stop wearing deodorant and continue to shower every day as long as people don’t stick their nose in my pits it should not cause a big problem other than a general stink in that specific location. That’s my body chemistry anyway, but I’m hooked on wearing deodorant daily to avoid even fleeting pit stink. :wink:

I started wearing deodorant in middle school because they flat out told us to and there was also a good bit of peer pressure in the locker room to comply. I also started to take a serious look at girls about that time so all sorts of new grooming was taking place. Feathered back layered haircuts, cologne, clothes, and other stuff seemed to take a new important role.

For this question I don’t think at 10 years old this particular kid needs deodorant if you have never noticed it before and it’s just one night. It would be more of a peer issue if everybody else is doing it IMO.

16

I guess it seems odd to cover funk with deodorant…never a good idea to assume that if you have funk you can’t shower off at the moment, to “cover” it with deodorant. Handiwipes or cleansing sheets would make more sense but I guess they are pretty geeky for kids.

I still remember when my father told me it was time for me to start using deodorant (when I was maybe 10 or 11). I thought, shoot, I must be stinky. Of course the only deodorant we had was his Old Spice so that’s what I used for a few years :frowning: until I discovered I could buy my own Secret.

Now I swear by Almay Fragrance-Free Clear Gel Deodorant/Antiperspirant. No white mess, no silly fragrance.

17

They told us in fifth grade that we should start wearing deoderant, because the smell after recess was getting decidedly disgusting. I was already sweat-staining my T-shirts. My mother, for whatever reason, thought this was stupid, but eventually got me a stick of unscented, all-natural deoderant that did not work at all. (Science according to my mother, part eight million and three: using normal anti-perspirant is unhealthy under the age of “mother gives you permisison to”.)

Anyway - I say buy him a stick, either unscented or a subtle but ‘manly’ scent, and tell him you’re not saying he stinks, per se, but he may want to use it. Leave the decision up to him, without forcing him to go through the horror of asking his parents for it.

18

Recently my boyfriend noticed that his 9-year-old son was developing Da Funk. I was surprised because i didn’t know you could start getting BO that young; I thought it came with puberty. He had to have a talk with his son about bathing regularly and making sure to scrub up in all the right places. He pondered whether or not to get him deodorant. I don’t think he ever came to a conclusion on that point, but after reading this thread, I may suggest he get his son some deodorant.

My experience was so embarassing. No one ever told me about deodorant growing up. My mom doesn’t use it, so she never got it for me. I don’t recall seeing other girls having it in the locker room. Anyway when I was about 14, I started to notice some armpit BO, but I was too embarassed to ask mom to get it for me, and it was difficult to get to the store to buy it for myself. One day, my friend who say behind me in class delicately brought it up. She told me I had BO and suggested a good deodorant. I was so embarassed and was kind of defensive although in hindsight I should have been grateful. Finally, I was motivated and I walked myself the 2 miles to the drug store and bought some deodorant and have been using it ever since. I can’t live without it!

My main thought is that my mom should have gotten it for me; but she didn’t ever use it, so maybe she just didn’t know. I know that when I have kids, I will bring it up early on so they never have to go through the embarassment I did!

19

I had to bug a friend in high school to use it-her mother was one of those ones who believed causes breast cancer, and wouldn’t buy it for her daughters. Then her sister came home and said the school nurse told her she should use it.

I started in fifth grade when I was nine or ten because my friends were using it, and I noticed if I sweated a lot in gym, (which was rare), I might need it.

TMI:

Another thing you might want to think about-if you’re a rather um, largely endowed woman, you might want to put some just on the undersides of your boobs, if it’s hot out, or if you know you’re going to sweat a lot. Underboob sweat is gross.

20

I’m beginning to think I’m the only person out there who has absolutely zero recollection of when I started using deodorant. I need it, I use it daily, I can tell the difference on those rare days when I forget (and I tend to break into a sweat fairly easily)…but I don’t know who brought it to my attention or how old I was when I started.

Am I truly alone in this? I didn’t know it was such a significant event in others’ lives. :slight_smile: