Stinky Deodorant / Antiperspirant

[MindsMirror]

We were research-shopping the other day in a big box store with a wide selection of brands and found that nearly all of the men's deodorants and antiperspirants stink to the point of overpowering ones senses. Maybe we're just getting old, but when did this happen? Even several of the women's fragrances are overpowering. Is it the more/bigger/harder/stronger is better thing run a muck?

-MM

 

[49greg]

I bought several of the antiperspirants I currently use six or seven years ago. I found the "clear stick" antiperspirants made by, someone, not sure, and they work, and are not perfumed so much I can smell it after I put it on. Once I found it and then realized that it was hard to find, I got several whenever I saw them.

I look for more at every store I go to. I check the make and type before I go, but they don't seem to make it anymore. It goes on smooth and works.

Must be bad for you since they apparently ceased production.

I'm running low, and getting desperate.

The end of times approach, first the shick twin blade with the cleaning tab that pushed out gunk between the blades, now my fav deodorant.

 

[Hypoxia]

They suck. Use soap. Dr Bronner's is great. Scrub those pits and crevices.

 

[MindsMirror]

We just thought with all the actual odor reducing technology, they wouldn't need to smell so strong. But more to the point, that they would use pheromones or something that attracted intended targets or at least didn't smell bad. These things were more off putting than the worst body odor.

 

[MrBennet]

There seems to be a fashion cycle with deodorants and I think the fad for young men wearing sickly body spray has hopefully faded: it's called Lynx but more accurately should be described as Tom Cat and Burnt Caramel. However there has been perfume amongst women, particularly ones in their 50s+, to use a brand so toxic, it's like having a hot poker up your nose: really unpleasant stuff.
At my place of work we sometimes have to wipe the counter down and open the windows to remove the lingering whiff from any such customer.
As for personal use, I use a roller thingy from Bionsen with a brand that doesn't contain aluminium that has a pretty neutral scent ... and I wash

 

[Handley_Page]

We were research-shopping the other day in a big box store with a wide selection of brands and found that nearly all of the men's deodorants and antiperspirants stink to the point of overpowering ones senses. Maybe we're just getting old, but when did this happen? Even several of the women's fragrances are overpowering. Is it the more/bigger/harder/stronger is better thing run a muck?

-MM

Do not forget that, when "a little" is applied to the appropriate part, it will not be as apparent a pong.

But you'll have to extract my Old Spice original Aftershave from my cold, dead, hand.

 

[jsmiam]

Unscented varieties exist in a few brands, even at mainstream stores. You may have to look closely, there won't be many, but they exist. Worst case, pay more at a health store, but probably not necessary.

At the same time, its probably not as big a problem as you think. You probably don't get as close to an undearm as you do while putting a stick directly to your nose. Maybe over at the fetish board? (there.. Somebody had to make it "on topic"...

EDIT: I will admit that I like a sexy pair of underarms myself, so my original comment (above) isn't/wasn't intended to sound judgmental. My standard defense: it's only a fetish if it's the ONLY thing you like.

 

[OmnislashXX]

I'm allergic to Axe products. if I use any of their deodarants/sprays I'll develop a burning rash after consecutive days of use. I think they kinda suck anyway. Anyone else?

 

[Areala-chan]

I have to swap out deodorant brands every few months, otherwise their effectiveness starts to drop. I usually rotate between Dove, Degree, and Secret.

 

[Lori_the_Hoosier]

There seems to be a fashion cycle with deodorants and I think the fad for young men wearing sickly body spray has hopefully faded: it's called Lynx but more accurately should be described as Tom Cat and Burnt Caramel. However there has been perfume amongst women, particularly ones in their 50s+, to use a brand so toxic, it's like having a hot poker up your nose: really unpleasant stuff.
At my place of work we sometimes have to wipe the counter down and open the windows to remove the lingering whiff from any such customer.
As for personal use, I use a roller thingy from Bionsen with a brand that doesn't contain aluminium that has a pretty neutral scent ... and I wash

We get the full brunt of the great unwashed here in the hospital, people who think rubbing themselves down or drenching themselves with something sickly is an acceptable substitute for a good wash; sometimes I'm tempted to give them a good blast of Febreeze and ask them to wait out in the parking lot until it starts working...

One of the things I miss least about London is travelling on the Central Line on an August afternoon; the overpowering fug of 1,000 different body sprays, roller-sticks, and slap-on whatever, all underpinned with the unlovely aroma of unwashed bodies, is truly stomach-turning; the carriages smell like a bear-pit, even with the ventilation system going full-blast.

 

[Desiremakesmeweak]

We get the full brunt of the great unwashed here in the hospital, people who think rubbing themselves down or drenching themselves with something sickly is an acceptable substitute for a good wash; sometimes I'm tempted to give them a good blast of Febreeze and ask them to wait out in the parking lot until it starts working...

One of the things I miss least about London is travelling on the Central Line on an August afternoon; the overpowering fug of 1,000 different body sprays, roller-sticks, and slap-on whatever, all underpinned with the unlovely aroma of unwashed bodies, is truly stomach-turning; the carriages smell like a bear-pit, even with the ventilation system going full-blast.

Oh god that is so SO TRUE!

 

[Desiremakesmeweak]

There are several factors with the full answer to this very sound observation.

Firstly, companies and the distribution industry have all got themselves into a situation where they have so much scale that the REAL ingredients to make any GENUINE product - even those that use GOOD synthetics - are too expensive or simply just not available in the volumes required.

Consequently mass scale production means cheap synthetics.

Secondly, the European market is SO overburdened with rules and regulations and even hard laws about what can go into these products that in fact, many traditional products are no longer made for ANY mass supply (although they are ALL still available somewhere, in tiny niche markets).

There is a 'psychology' behind certain of the large conglomerates in the fragrance and fragrance marketing industry that ranks lower, frankly, than the worst conspiracy theory fairy-tales you have ever seen. I have seen internal reports which say 'modern people do not have olfactive (sic) capabilities that are able to sense wide varieties of or subtle flavors due to diet rigidity and other environmental factors and consequently they can only register extremely heavy or obvious olfactory compounds.'

And of course there is a belief that marketing makes products sell - which is of course certainly not true but until all these firms go bankrupt they will never deviate from this false belief.

Don't buy the rubbish, obviously. And try and find small niche composers - on-line, is probably the best bet these days...

Check the many independent reviews available nowadays. Each person is quite individual and what you might like may not be what I might like and so on. Fragrances all smell different in different climates and atmospheric and temperature conditions.

 

[MindsMirror]

There are several factors with the full answer to this very sound observation.

Thanks for the thoughtful post. Our observation has been that even "unscented" versions have oder and most aren't pleasant. With all of the time release technology and oder-eliminating compounds (like hydroxylpropyl beta-cyclodextrin, the one in febreze), it's odd that one of these companies hasn't put a subtle natural odor instead of these overpowering synthetics.

-MM

 

[sunandshadow]

But you'll have to extract my Old Spice original Aftershave from my cold, dead, hand.

I the smell of that stuff


I am also baffled by how offensive a lot of shampoo and other fragrances are - at least 1 in 3 gives me a headache from just one sniff. For shampoo I stick to mild strawberry or green apple scents that dissipate by the time my hair is dry. For deodorant I used to use teen spirit strawberry, but I dunno if it was discontinued or the stores around me quit carrying it, but I can't get it locally any more, so I switched to Ban sweet simplicity. So if anyone wants a mild-scented women's deodorant, I recommend giving that a sniff.

 

[Hypoxia]

Did I mention soap? Try soap. Consider time vs effect:

DEODORANT: 5 seconds, not very effective
BABY WIPES: 10 seconds, more effective
SOAP SCRUB: 20 seconds, very effective

How much are 15 seconds worth to you? And do you care how you smell? Really?

 

[sunandshadow]

Did I mention soap? Try soap. Consider time vs effect:

DEODORANT: 5 seconds, not very effective
BABY WIPES: 10 seconds, more effective
SOAP SCRUB: 20 seconds, very effective

How much are 15 seconds worth to you? And do you care how you smell? Really?

I really question how you think deodorant is supposed to work. What you are supposed to do is wash with soap in the shower to remove armpit bacteria, then apply deodorant after you dry off to keep the bacteria suppressed for the next 10-14 hours. Although I guess some people shower at night and use deodorant in the morning; that's not as effective.

 

[Hypoxia]

I really question how you think deodorant is supposed to work. What you are supposed to do is wash with soap in the shower to remove armpit bacteria, then apply deodorant after you dry off to keep the bacteria suppressed for the next 10-14 hours. Although I guess some people shower at night and use deodorant in the morning; that's not as effective.

In my Army days, roll-on deodorants were known as the Marine Corps (or Special Forces) Shower, something to be applied in lieu of better cleansing before heading for R&R fun. As for showering (and shaving), folk wisdom says such are performed by young men and women at night, and old men and women in the morning. -- meaning, oldsters aren't so hot for sex. Right.

Okay, so one should shower at night or in the morning, then apply deodorant so as to exude its chemical-tang odor throughout the day. Is that sexy for you?

 

[rjordan]

One of the things I miss least about London is travelling on the Central Line on an August afternoon; the overpowering fug of 1,000 different body sprays, roller-sticks, and slap-on whatever, all underpinned with the unlovely aroma of unwashed bodies, is truly stomach-turning; the carriages smell like a bear-pit, even with the ventilation system going full-blast.

One of my most enduring memories about business trips to London was being in a crowded hotel elevator with locals wearing rain-wet wool suits that hadn't been cleaned in the current decade. Repelled, but at the same time nostalgic for my dog who smelled almost the same when she was wet.

rj

 

[sr71plt]

In my Army days, roll-on deodorants were known as the Marine Corps (or Special Forces) Shower, something to be applied in lieu of better cleansing before heading for R&R fun. As for showering (and shaving), folk wisdom says such are performed by young men and women at night, and old men and women in the morning. -- meaning, oldsters aren't so hot for sex. Right.

Where does your chart put folks who shower in the afternoon--after their daily gym session?

My spray on claims it's odor free. Perhaps I've been operating on the illusion that it really is. If so, "that's life."

 

[Hypoxia]

Where does your chart put folks who shower in the afternoon--after their daily gym session?

I have no chart, no schedule.
I have no expectations beyond "everybody stinks".
When around others, I try not to inhale.
I need to carry a sage potpourri.
And an attack ferret.

 

[sr71plt]

I have no chart, no schedule.
I have no expectations beyond "everybody stinks".
When around others, I try not to inhale.
I need to carry a sage potpourri.
And an attack ferret.

Incidentally, it's hard to fit into the two examples you give, when I don't get up in the morning and usually go to bed so late that my wife has been asleep for hours and wouldn't be all that pleased with the suggestion that 4:00 a.m. is the hour of love.

 

[Desiremakesmeweak]

I just have to add some further detail regarding some of the chemicals recently banned in the US and Europe and make some personal observations and suggestions.

Firstly, the OFFICIAL STATED REASON that the antibacterials 'triclosan' and 'triclocarban' have been made illegal for manufacturing in the US is that they 'may lead to bacteria becoming immune to them...'

Without making any particular comment on the science behind this statement or the claims being made, this move by government regulators means that ordinary anti-bacterial soaps and handwashes - which were the absolute front-line for solving a lot of odor issues - have been removed from availability to the public.

Now you probably all now there is a lot of TRULY advanced science out there in the hands of really smart and highly professional companies and groups and I will say this from what I have read and seen - probably THE MOST SIGNIFICANT area the human being needs to watch out for is the nasal passage and various sustentacular tissues as far as bacterial infection and other causes of health problems are concerned. And this is for TWO reasons, not just the accumulation and growth of surface located bacteria as well as anaerobic bacteria and microfungi (which can lead to presenting 'infection' conditions) but SECONDLY 100% it is the subconscious functioning of the brain that also has a major part to play on physiological reactions; the body can 'get sick' when the brain (mind) observes there are enough antagonists to cause sickness.

The wrap-up there being, that not only do you require to suppress bacterial presence and growth on the skin (with anti-bacterials) but also you need to eliminate subconscious stimuli SUCH AS MICRO-ODORS THE BRAIN ASSOCIATES OR KNOWS ARE FROM VIRAL AND/OR BACTERIAL AGENTS.

So, smell and scent are PRIMARY. They are not 'just' a secondary aesthetic factor only.

Natural organic compounds are available that perform as well as synthetic anti-bacterials. Tea-tree oil, eucalyptus, wintergreen are all strong anti-bacterials, and so is orange oil, if you can get it fresh.

There are others too, frankincense being by far the most powerful, with myrrh and various other resins and smoke-bush type chemicals doing almost similar jobs.

This is, of course, someone's life-time area of professional skill, it's not particularly mine at all although I have had some involvement in reading some academic research about it not too long ago.

 

[Green_Knight]

We were research-shopping the other day in a big box store with a wide selection of brands and found that nearly all of the men's deodorants and antiperspirants stink to the point of overpowering ones senses. Maybe we're just getting old, but when did this happen? Even several of the women's fragrances are overpowering. Is it the more/bigger/harder/stronger is better thing run a muck?

-MM

It's called 'marketing' - persuading people to buy something that they don't need at a vastly inflated price.

You persuade people that they smell. Just listen to the subtle wording of deodorant adverts as they try to convince you that you'll lose all your friends and will never, ever have a chance of getting a girlfriend unless you smother yourself in Brand X deodorant to mask all your natural body odours. What's one of a young man's greatest fears? Not being able to attract a girlfriend when all your mates are able to pick them up by the bucket load. And, if you're going to use a deodorant, you want one that really does the job - that's going to overpower any other smell within 100 metres.

Then, of course, there seems to be a parallel trait of subtle smells and tastes going out of fashion. You can't just have lightly-flavoured food these days - it has to be covered in a sauce that totally masks any hint of the original flavour of the food.

 

[rjordan]

... this move by government regulators means that ordinary anti-bacterial soaps and handwashes - which were the absolute front-line for solving a lot of odor issues - have been removed from availability to the public.

If a person needs anti-bacterial soap to eliminate body odor, they probably should be seeing their doctor or maybe a mortician.

Bacteria on your skin concentrate on armpits and groin because that's where the nutrients are. Apocrine sweat glands in those places secret nutrients and bacteria feed on it. That's where the odor comes from. Eccrine sweat glands on the rest of the body secret mostly odorless saline solution for cooling and bacteria can't live on it.

Wash with ordinary SOAP, not detergent which is what most commercial bars of "soap" are made from--Ivory, Dove, Dial--all detergent. Soap washes away the nutrients that bacteria need to survive. Use a deodorant that maintains a pH that bacteria can't tolerate. You can leave a slight film of ordinary soap in those areas and that will maintain the pH. Don't do that with commercial bar "soap". It will dry and burn the skin.

[My wife was an artisan soap maker and worked with local doctors to develop soaps for patients with allergies. She blended various combinations of traditional oils used in soapmaking based on the doctor's testing. One goal was to eliminate deodorant for these patients.]

rj

 

[Hypoxia]

Wash with ordinary SOAP, not detergent which is what most commercial bars of "soap" are made from--Ivory, Dove, Dial--all detergent. Soap washes away the nutrients that bacteria need to survive.

I highly recommend the non-corporate Dr Bronner's liquid Castile soaps, based on olive and hemp oils, totally hypoallergenic.