People Who Don't Wear Deodorant or Seemingly Bathe Regularly, Why?

Like, I travel around for work and I’ve met plenty of people from all backgrounds.

Why is there a demographic of people who don’t seemingly bathe regularly, or at the very least wear something to cover up their BO? I could understand if it’s an allergy, or even religious reasons (though the people I’ve met that smell bad are usually you’re average American young adult man) but recently (like in the past week, recently) I’ve met a concerning number of people who don’t seem to wear any kind of deodorant or possibly don’t even bathe regularly; it’s starting to become an issue for me, as I don’t even want to interact with them when I can smell them walking up from 3+ feet away yet I need to for work.

Does anyone have any possible insight?

egitalian,

I shower and wear deodorant everyday, but around late afternoon the deodorant just gives out and I start to smell

HurlingDurling,

Time for another shower then. In summer I’ll take at least 2 showers a day if not 3

bpm,

Not always possible, unfortunately. I do my best to shower in the morning and after work before I go anywhere, but if you’re catching me in the late afternoon I’ll probably be pretty ripe.

d3Xt3r,

I find wet wipes handy for that. Just chuck a packet in your pocket, and give yourself a quick wipedown when you’re in the stall.

MutilationWave,

You may want to try using an antiperspirant instead of deodorant.

egitalian,

I did in the past, been trying to limit the chemicals I put on or in me . Aluminum free deodorant definitely doesn’t work as well as antiperspirant+deodorant

ThunderWhiskers,
@ThunderWhiskers@lemmy.world avatar

You need a different deodorant. I’m a pretty heavy sweater and changing to Certain DRI “prescription strength” was a game changer for me.

SmashingSquid,

I had this issue and I started using acne body wash instead of the aveeno I normally use. I use the dove men’s care spray on deodorant and have no issues. Trimming / shaving underarm hair helps as well.

loganberryq,

Depressed.

RustedSwitch, (edited )
@RustedSwitch@lemmy.world avatar

Or Hippies

SadLuther,

They’re a hippy for having emotions? Yikes. What does that tell you about your worldview?

RustedSwitch, (edited )
@RustedSwitch@lemmy.world avatar

I am friends with a lot of hippy-archetypical folks… and many of them don’t do the bathing/deodorant thing with the frequency that’s commonly expected by the majority. Just saying they choose to be au natural… and maybe that’s ok.

RustedSwitch,
@RustedSwitch@lemmy.world avatar

I’m actually a little surprised that my hot take got so much hate… I inferred was there are multiple reasons that people don’t bath. I posed this as an or… as an alternative. I didn’t suggest depression isn’t a reason.

SadLuther,

Oh ok, I misunderstood then. I thought you were playing a little game of word association, not suggesting an alternative. My bad!

sadbehr,
@sadbehr@lemmy.nz avatar

This is the way.

Wahots,
@Wahots@pawb.social avatar

For me, it was because my mountain bike gear was being washed on cold as heat screwed up the Eva foam in the knee pads and body armor. The jersey also got washed cold, so bacteria never got killed off. When it got hot, the heat would activate the smell, but it’s hard to tell when you are going fast down a trail.

Once I started washing everything possible on hot, it stopped a lot of the smell.

I assume people are doing that with non-mtb clothing and getting similar BO results. So it’s quite possible it’s also not necessarily them, but their clothes.

SupraMario,

This doesn’t make any sense…there is a huge movement to use cold water to wash clothes, and hot water unless it’s extremely hot, isn’t staying hot enough to kill off bacteria. Were you using detergent correctly?

Wahots, (edited )
@Wahots@pawb.social avatar

Yup, always the same amount (Pods). The only thing that changed was the temperature of the water.

Nisaea,
@Nisaea@lemmy.sdf.org avatar

It doesn’t make sense if you think the heat is here to kill bacteria. However, heat helps detergents do their job, and most likely helps loosen biofilms given their composition.

ILikeBoobies,

How do people not smell bad?

My clothes are drenched within a few hours, if I’m sitting somewhere then there is a puddle under my feet in less than 30 minutes

Even in the shower I’m dripping/have BO while using soap

sirjash,

Wait… what? Do you live in the Amazon or something? You should probably go see a doctor

ILikeBoobies,

Canada

I was told not to worry about it

Zahille7,

Excessive sweating is definitely something you should worry about.

catboss,

That’s irregular. Have it checked by a medical professional and get a second or third opinion if you already were at the doctor.

There is cases where the underlying reason can not be discovered. Those are usually harmless. Pretty much all cases where an underlying reason can be determined can be tested for and for almost all of them should get you medical treatment. They reach from not good to serious danger to your health.

Nisaea,
@Nisaea@lemmy.sdf.org avatar

That answer doesn’t mean shit when it’s actually affecting your well being. I hope you can find a doctor who takes you seriously.

TheSanSabaSongbird,

Yeah the Amazon is a trip. I was down there for about a week, and except at night, there was no point at which I was not basically dripping with sweat. I’m told that your body eventually acclimates and it becomes less of an issue, but a week was definitely not long enough for me.

SmashingSquid,

Try acne body wash. It made a big difference for me, before switching I was using aveeno. I use the Amazon brand version of this: www.neutrogena.com/products/…/6805370.html

Make sure you’re using a wash cloth, loofa, etc not just your hands. Scrub well.

Birdie,

Are you on any meds? I was once taking a medication (an NSAID) that caused excessive sweating, and it took me longer than I’d like to admit that my new med and my sweaty head were related.

Buchling,

A deodorant does not replace washing your body. The combination of both smells is the most terrifying. I hate the smell of all deodorants, so don’t use them. But I shower sufficiently, you won’t smell me from a distance. Promised.

emptyother,
@emptyother@programming.dev avatar

Same. Haven’t found one I like the smell of yet. I’d rather shower more often than use them.

Zahille7,

Really? The Bearglove scent from Old Spice smells JUST like jolly ranchers it’s crazy.

Nisaea,
@Nisaea@lemmy.sdf.org avatar

Alun stone changed my life for that reason

TheGreenGolem,

How much distance are we talking about?

Buchling,

You choose. Plus I bet I won’t like to smell your deodorant. Like most perfumes others are applying. Worst is if deodorant or perfume is used instead of washing yourself. This last comment is not on you by no means.

13esq, (edited )

A lot of people simply don’t know proper hygiene because they were never taught it.

A shower doesn’t mean let the water run over you for a few minutes and then spray on some deodorant. Lather some soap in to a flannel and scrub every part of your body, and if you sweat badly use antiperspirant.

But it’s recent thing you’ve noticed. People might be cutting back on things due to budget. Not many people would admit that they’re not showering because of financial worries.

haui_lemmy,

I was that person as a kid. I‘m autistic and my proprioception (feeling of body stuff) is all over the place. I didn’t know back then but I do now.

My parents didnt tell me and I had to learn by being bullied for it at school.

Since its not always easy, I have a different take on cleaning:

  • if you can, shower at least every two days
  • if you sweat a lot or work manually, shower daily
  • no need to scrub your whole body, just clean your arm pits, genitalia and butthole, more if a spot is dirty
  • wash your hair according to your skin. Hair should not be greasy but if that can be achieved by washing 2 times a week thats fine

If you‘re in a bad mood/are broke and cant shower use a piece of cloth and spot clean mentioned areas.

Use deodorant daily, if you sweat profusely like I do, use stronger/prescription deodorant.

I hope that helps.

charlytune,
@charlytune@mander.xyz avatar

I was brought up before showers were something that most people had installed, and we just washed at the sink with a flannel cloth. We washed face, pits, bum, and feet twice a day, and only had a bath once or twice a week. I still just do a wash of the important bits at the sink with a cloth if I’m feeling very apathetic.

haui_lemmy,

Exactly.

13esq,

Fair shout and well written post.

I work manual labour, so it’s a full wash for me every day!

haui_lemmy,

Thanks. Appreciate the feedback.

flying_sheep,
@flying_sheep@lemmy.ml avatar

Lather some soap in to a flannel and scrub every part of your body

That’s not recommended by dermatologists. Soap destroys the acid layer on your skin that keeps bacteria out. As a regular thing, you should therefore only lather on soap where the bacteria buildup is high enough, i.e. under your arms, in your butt crack and other skin folds.

Unless you got super sweaty, you shouldn’t soap up your arms and legs every day.

13esq,

Fair point. When I said soap, I really meant a body wash, of which pH balanced versions are available.

flying_sheep,
@flying_sheep@lemmy.ml avatar

You also have an oil layer that keeps certain kinds of bacteria out, so don’t destroy that one. As said: most days, just lather pits, groin, and feet, simply rinse the rest with water.

TimeSquirrel,
TimeSquirrel avatar

I can't stand the feel of human-produced skin oils building up anywhere on my body. I need to feel squeaky clean to feel clean. But that might be just my own personal mental problems. I never even use lotion. I just can't stand grease and oily substances. Seeing or feeling my own fingerprints on my devices sends me into a rage of wiping everything down with alcohol.

SwingingTheLamp,

For what it’s worth, scrubbing to get that “squeaky clean” feeling removes the protective layer of sebum between your skin cells. It dries out your skin, and hence, causes your body to go into overdrive producing more oils. As a result, you end up really greasy by the end of the day. After learning this, I backed off the temperature of my daily shower, switched to a pure Castile soap, less of it, and stopped scrubbing vigorously. Now I don’t leave oily smudges on my phone screen, except after sweating a lot. Also, no more itchy, dry skin and cracking knuckles in the winter.

flying_sheep,
@flying_sheep@lemmy.ml avatar

Phones and keyboard are filthy, but it’s more about people usually not cleaning them enough and not about people not being clean enough.

The amount of bacteria on thoroughly and often soap-washed skin very quickly rises high because of the missing acid and/or oil layer.

The “only use soap on armpits+groin+feet most of the time” recommendation is not made up.

GutsBerserk,

Everywhere around the world soap + shampoo should be free. And deodorant should be as cheap as possible. It should be a basic human right.

Nisaea,
@Nisaea@lemmy.sdf.org avatar

Add tampons ans pads to that

thawed_caveman,

I never talk to anyone so i have no incentive to other than my own comfort. I do feel more comfortable when i’m clean, but my mere comfort often doesn’t feel like reason enough when executive dysfunction makes a shower is a 1-hour affair, plus i have a weird anxiety around thriftiness so i don’t like to “waste” the warm water and soap.

Same reason why the house isn’t as clean as it could be. It would be cleaner if anyone came in here ever, but no one does, so the only reason to vaccuum is my own satisfaction, which isn’t worth the time and effort.

All told i end up showering every ~5 days in winter and once a day in summer, and i never touch the perfume bottles. I actually don’t really get the point of perfume or deodorant tbh, seems like the solution to BO is a shower.

ChexMax,

I don’t get how showering is less than an hour affair for any women at least. Between washing my hair, washing my body, shaving under my arms, and shaving my legs, that’s easily 30 minutes. And then the whole applying moisturizer so my skin doesn’t totally dry out from the shower, toweling off, lying in front of a fan to actually feel dry, and semi drying my hair, that’s an hour (plus my hair is still wet for hours after). This does not include the time spent convincing myself to shower. I shower twice a week. Less if I don’t have anything going on that week/ I get to stay home.

I don’t, because my hair is naturally straight, but a lot of women also have to completely reset their hair with every shower too, blow drying, straightening, curling - whatever they do to look professional again.

I absolutely do use deodorant though, and I also clean under my pits with a washcloth between showers if I ever start to smell anything past neutral

thawed_caveman,

Yeah but look at all the stuff you do besides showering, the shaving and hair care and such. I’m genuinely just talking about the shower itself. There’s convincing myself to shower, then there’s watching youtube videos with my clothes off, then there’s spending too long in the hot shower because i don’t want to step out into the cold bathroom, then there’s drawing shapes on the fogged mirror, etc

I think my expectation for quick showers comes from my upbringing? For a few years growing up we had the toilet, sink and shower all in the same bathroom, and that bathroom was being used by like 6 people. So every minute spent in the shower was inconveniencing someone else. idk

RBWells,

Not all that every shower though. Ponytail or shower cap. I shower as you describe twice a week, yes, but also each evening just jump in and wash underarms, crotch, hands, feet, face. Yes lotion, night cream for face (Retin-A) deodorant and sleep. It’s relaxing and sheets stay nice, I wake up clean enough to just dress & go.

You don’t have to do your hair or shave every time you shower.

Thisfox,

I find the ones drenched in foul smelling deodorants smell far worse.

Whisper06,

I was once a stinky man and while I don’t want to use this as an excuse, I had a not so great childhood and struggle with mental illnesses. I’m still not always the best at taking care of myself but I’m better than I was and I make sure I’m mostly clean.

MonkRome, (edited )

For much of my adult life I’ve smelled good with or without deodorant and rarely sweat much. Lately whether because of a hormonal change or something wrong I’m unaware of, my smell has changed completely. No amount of deodorant helps, no amount of showering helps. In fact, I often end up using deodorant as a last resort, because whatever bacteria is taking over seams to turn all types of deodorant into vinegar & onions in a matter of minutes, as if it’s feeding off the deodorant. The smell seems to be improving over time, according to other people, not just me. But it has given me additional sympathy for people going through this. When its bad, I can lather my body head to toe in the shower 4 times and come out smelling the same as I went in. Sometimes smells are hard to tackle. You shouldn’t assume it’s a hygiene thing.

BowtiesAreCool,

Go to a doctor

focusforte, (edited )

The few people I know with this issue fall into one of two categories.

  1. Access issues. There are some kinds of road blocks accessing a quality shower/bath. Which makes showering/bathing is an uncomfortable activity for some reason. Maybe it’s that their shower is really small and cramped, with a low quality shower head. Maybe it’s an issue where the water quality is low in the shower they have access to. Low quality water can have an odor people find uncomfortable, or it can dry out their skin making their skin feel dry even while under the water. People naturally avoid things that make them uncomfortable even subconsciously.
  2. Mental Health. I suffer from this occasionally. I love showering, it’s extremely relaxing, but for whatever reason the process of getting into the shower is such a huge barrier to overcome. You feel like absolute dog shit. You know that a shower would make you feel better, but for whoever reason no matter how hard you try, you cannot push through the transition of wanting to shower, to taking that first step towards doing it. And it all compounds together to make you feel like an even bigger piece of shit for not being able to do something so basic. Until eventually you’ve doom scrolled the entire day away and now it’s dark out and you’re tired and you’ve got a stress headache because you’ve barely even ate today either while you just stewed in your own filth.
Chadus_Maximus, (edited )

When you live in the countryside, you have to spend several hours getting the bath house ready. During the summer you can go for a swim and it’s just as convenient as showering.

In winter however… Washing yourself takes effort.

M137,

Well written on both parts, and it’s often a combination of both. When you have mental health issues, it can also be harder to get stuff to make a shower or anything else nicer. Be it issues doing laundry, so you don’t have completely clean towels and/or fresh clothes to put on afterwards, or having shampoo, conditioner, etc.
I often get stuck because I haven’t showered, haven’t been able to force myself to do laundry, and/or forgot to buy products. Then you really don’t want to leave your home because you get anxiety over others seeing or smelling you, so you’re just stuck with that anxiety for days until you manage to do anything about it.

infernalaanger,

I shower when I feel like I need to. Usually every 2-3 days, unless I’ve been sweating or working in a dirty environment. Wife says I never stink and she has the nose of a god damned bloodhound. Guess it depends on body chemistry and the PH balance of the skin. I use gentle soaps. I do wear antiperspirant everyday though. So I dunno. But I did find this:

…harvard.edu/…/showering-daily-is-it-necessary-20…

littlecolt,

Thank you. I am a 2-3 day showerer as well. I do wash my face every day, wash my hands regularly of course, and wear antiperspirant deodorant. I tend to shower when my hair has finally become oily enough that it’s noticable, of if I start smelling bad, but my body somehow doesn’t produce much of a smell. It’s not that I’m just used to my own smell, I’ve had it confirmed by plenty of people. Even on day 3, I’m generally fresh. I do try to put a hard day 3 limit on myself, though. Times when I’ve pushed it to 4 days have not been so great lol

MrFunnyMoustache,

First off, not everyone who doesn’t wear deodorant smells, and secondly, some people shower regularly and use deodorant and still smell.

The diet, genetics, and what kind of bacteria live on your skin will affect the body’s odor. I struggled with body odor for years before I discovered that I was showering incorrectly. I learned that after lathering the soap and getting covered by it, you’re supposed to let it sit on the skin for a while before scrubbing and rinsing; this discovery which many consider obvious was new to me, and it stopped my body odour completely to the point I don’t need deodorant at all by simply showering with a correct technique.

Stupidmanager,

I’d take a bet you were a fast shower person. In and out in 5 min. I know I was just like that as a teen in a house of 7 people. Body odor problem was notable enough that I carried deodorant on me. I, like you, learned this simple trick later in life but shared it with my kids to help them through teenage years.

you’re supposed to let it sit on the skin for a while before scrubbing and rinsing

Part of this is due to the heat opening your pores on your body and the soap doing its job by cleaning out the bacteria and oils that cause the smells. Scrubbing also plays a big role too, lather and rinse using a scrubber!

Doing this has allowed for me to skip shower days and I just need to scrub my head/face to remove oils before bed. I still wear deodorant, but it’s lightly scented because otherwise I have a naturally strong orange(fruit) smell that can get overpowering (to me).

I know we’ve got some cold shower bros out there and don’t worry, this still works in cold showers, just over longer stretches of time. I know this because Mother Nature doesn’t often preheat her rivers while I’m camping, but I still stay fresher than my peers.

MrFunnyMoustache,

Oh yeah, I have been speedrunning my showers for most of my life, and no one ever told me I was doing it wrong. Only discovered the proper way to shower after seeing a professional car wash… Lol.

madcaesar,

First off, not everyone who doesn’t wear deodorant smells, and secondly, some people shower regularly and use deodorant and still smell.

Yea… This is something people love to say, but it’s not true for 99% of the stank out there. Is there people like that? Maybe, probably, but it’s much more likely they just have poor hygiene.

It’s the same with people that have bad breath… Somone will comment, well actually there are people with this genetic disease passed down by Attila, that even if you brush 8x a day you still have bad breath!!

Yea… Ok buddy.

Art3sian, (edited )
@Art3sian@lemmy.world avatar

My experiences with stink.

  • Old people. Some were raised to shower infrequently because regular bathing wasn’t a luxury they had access to growing up. They carry this habit with them now. Source: I used to work with lots of old people.
  • People from cold climates who move to warmer ones. Sure, in Amsterdam you can shower once a week but move to Australia and you stink. Source: My ex-father-in-law is Dutch, living in Australia.
  • People who avoid soaps and deodorants because they prefer natural alternatives or ‘splashing and rinsing’. They think they don’t stink. Most girls I’ve met with bad smelling vaginas fall into this category. Source: Dating.
  • Teenagers who haven’t worked out puberty yet. Source: Used to work in a school.
  • Re-wearing unwashed clothes too many times. Source: Figured this one myself.
  • People who prefer to stink. When you don’t bathe and don’t use deodorant, you get used to the icky feeling and the smell to the point where you prefer it, and a shower and soap then makes you uncomfortable (itchy/tingly). Source: Ex-girlfriend.
Fades,

You missed one: depression

Zahille7,

That last one… How did you put up with that?

Switchy85,

Especially with the smelly vagina point earlier in the list. 🤢

ChexMax,

If your vagina smells bad, you should go to your doctor in case you have an infection. Vaginas should smell neutral to mild. That said, You’re really not supposed to use any kind of soap in or directly around a vagina, so it’s a bit concerning that you mention lack of soap and smelly vaginas in the same point. Vaginas are self cleaning and using soaps (especially with any kind of fragrance!) Can lead to serious issues. Clean with water and a newly washed wash cloth (only if you use non scented, mild detergent) or water and a clean hand. You should not clean anything past the exterior.

Let your body clean itself out with your natural lubricant, and then clean the outside with water daily.

IHadTwoCows,

So, I’m kindof an outlier, I guess…

I bathe regularly and I have always used Safeguard antibacterial soap. I work physically…construction, handyman, remodeling, woodworking, etc. I live in a tropical climate. In spite of all that, I rarely sweat (most likely due to climate because I sweated like a pig when I lived in SE US). When chatting with clients, I’d make an apologetic comment about my smell and they always respond with “you don’t smell.”

I assumed that this was just being nice and cordial, but my wife says “no, they’re right. You don’t smell”. I assure you that she is NOT trying to be cordial, and it turned into a conversation in which she insisted that I don’t smell. “I can tell you’ve been working, but you don’t smell bad or anything…”

So I would occasionally “forget” to wear deodorant. Eventually I stopped wearing it altogether. Same thing: not smelly. I HAVE to assume that it is because the soap killed all the smelly bacteria.

PhineaZ,

Some people also just don’t smell. I found that hard to believe, but my GF a) never sweats and b) even when she does, it’s not smelly.

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