This Girl's Worth

B.O. Body Odor.

For women, we want to smell, look, and feel good, so when we’ve all had the really embarrassing moment pointed out by someone else about the way we smell, it’s devastating.

Hygiene is embedded in our livelihoods. For boys, they’re expected to run around, to sweat, to stink from a full day of being out in the summer heat, but girls, it doesn’t matter what you just finished doing, you should never stink.

Ever since puberty, I could remember comments being made about my hygiene. 98% were from my mom as moms know everything. I became hyper-aware of my hygiene and did everything I could to smell good.

I had consistent hygiene habits. I showered everyday, sometimes twice a day. I washed my clothes every week, and put on deodorant twice a day. Still, it wasn’t enough.

My mom would give me the lecture about hygiene everytime she caught of whiff of me after a long day. You have to wash under your arms properly, and make sure you’re washing your bra, and make sure you put on deodorant. I would always get frustrated because I was doing these things and more.

No one mentioned to me that my habits weren’t the problem but the products and fabrics I wore were causing the issue. I had to really study myself to notice patterns to figure this out.

If you struggle with body odor, even though you have good cleaning and hygiene habits, this may help you too. Here are my tips for smelling your best.

1) Bar soap is a no go.

While I don’t know the science, bar soap can be disruptive to skin pH. So I noticed, bar soap doesn’t clean my skin as well and dries me out. What happens as a result? My skin is drier and I sweat more in all my enclosed areas. I end up stinking more.

The fix: A hydrating body wash. Because my skin has a nice balance, I don’t end up sweating more. I love Olay’s Clean Infusions line and Dove’s Original Body Wash. I get really clean with these, but I’m not dry.

2) Satin like or polyester underwear.

Basically, fabrics that do no breathe. Down there doesn’t get enough air as it is. Take anything that creates moisture and enclose it, and what does it do? It begins to stink after some time.

Those cute, cheap underwear you buy from those little boutique stores will have you funky.

The fix: Granny panties, my personal favorite, made of cotton, are the best if you are prone to more moisture or sweat.

3) Similar to your underwear, the fabric of the clothes you wear can be difficult. Polyester is always a tough one for me, but that’s because it’s not breathable enough for me.

While I won’t stop wearing polyester, I have learned to work around somethings.

The fix: wearing talc free powder on top of your deodorant and along the sides under my arms has helped combat the moisture of sweating and thus, the stink.

Also, using a fabric odor neutralizer spray on my clothes in between washes so the smell doesn’t settle into my clothes in between washes has been a big help. It might even allow me to get a second wear before my weekly washes.

4) You need to experiment to find your deodorant

There are some lucky people on the planet who can throw on 80% of deodorants and it will do the trick. If you’re like me, you went though at least 20 different brands before finding one that actually worked.

I learned a lot in my little experiment, though I feel bad for anyone who had to be around me in that time. These are the three main takeaways from my experiment.

1) I have to wear deodorant at night or I will wake up stinking.

2) Scented crap is an absolute not.

3) Gel or sprays were created for the same people who can use natural deodorant.

The fix: experiment for the best deodorant for you. My favorite is Arm and Hammer unscented solid stick. It turned out to be the cheapest and the only thing I can use for my underarms.

5) Choose your scents wisely.

You might think that if you struggle with body odor, adding perfume might mask your natural sweaty scent, but perfume cannot fix anything, it only mixes with.

If you aren’t aware yet, perfumes mix with your natural body scent and can smell vastly different depending on each person. We tend to pick scents based off of what we like rather than our body chemistry, which isn’t the smartest thing.

A great way to test this out is not to spray the perfume on a tester, but spray it on your skin and wear it around for at least 10 minutes or as you go shopping. Ideally, you’d want to wait 30 minutes to give it time to settle.

I’m naturally attracted to scents that are warm and a little sweet like vanilla and brown sugar, but my body doesn’t agree. Since I’ve learned my body’s natural scent, I’ve instead opted for florals, which my body loves and now I’m obsessed with. There are thousands of fragrances, so you really have to find the one that works for you.

What doesn’t work for me is fruity, sweet, and citrus scents. For some reason they mix with my body and create a musky scent with a hint of sweet. It’s awful.

Pro tip: Keep scents away from under the arms or on private areas. Again, if you tend to have odor in those areas, the perfume is mixing with the odor. A good rule of thumb is to keep your smelliest areas neutral and your neutral areas smelling good. Check out number 6 for more on this tip.

6) Talc Free Powder is your friend.

Baby powder isn’t just for babies. The purpose of baby powder is to help control moisture and neutralize odors. That can be useful for adults as well.

The fix: Using a little bit of powder in your underwear, your shoes, under your breasts and in between your breasts, if you have bigger breasts like I do, can be the answer to your prayers about staying fresh throughout your day.

7) One shower may not be enough.

If you are still not as fresh as you’d like to be, you might need to add in a second shower.

This may sound like a task, but just think of it as a nighttime skincare routine. So this could be as simple as using a different body lotion or body wash during the nighttime. You can also combine this nightly shower with your face routine. Even if you are clean, your skin is an organ, so being out in varying temperatures, pollution, and clothes can impact your skin.

The fix: You may need to ditch the whole nine you do in your morning shower such as shaving, a body scrub, and just opt for a nice wash just to prepare yourself for bed. Back to elementary, just keep it simple silly. However, if you smell good, you feel good.

8) You use soap or scented soaps in your private area.

We’ve ready talked about how perfumes or fragrances can mix with your body’s natural scent and that you should keep fragrance away from enclosed areas.

This includes washing the v area. Everywhere else seems to be fine, but trust me, you can wash this area with just water. I actually notice more issues if I don’t use the right body wash in this area.

The fix: on most days, use just water, on days you need reinforcements, namely right after a cycle, a gentle and/ or scent free soap can be helpful.

9) Stinky bra and panties?

B.O. mostly shows up in our undies. They are in direct contact with our skin until come off. Usually, if you stink, you check your underarms. You should probably go to the bathroom and check your undies.

The fix: Always carry a fresh bra and pair of underwear with you. Always! If you want to go the extra mile, an extra outfit could be helpful too.

So in short, you maybe stink sometimes, but it’s not your fault. It doesn’t mean you have bad habits. Everyone teaches the basics, but no one tells you that fabrics, perfumes, lotions, and even the type of body wash you use can make you stink. Sis, you’ve been set up to fail. Now that you have the cheat sheet to hygiene, you’re going to be living your best life.

If you’re trying to figure it out, try one or a combination of all of these tips. Finding out what’s best is all about trial and error. Why I live by all of these reinforcements, it could one simple tweak for you that’ll change your life.

Let me know if you have any other tips. It’s a community out here and we’re all trying glow up!