Body Odor Sufferers: Try These Tips to Smell Fresh

Body Odor Sufferers: Try These Tips to Smell Fresh

Do you suffer from body odor or know someone who does? What do you do when a friend, colleague, or classmate has foul body odor and you cannot breathe around them? Ask the Pro Stylist’s Hair Police has a few tips to smell fresh and remove the body odor.

Happy Monday beautiful, and welcome to the Hair Police with Ask the Pro Stylist. This week we cover the uncomfortable topic of body odor, and how to approach the subject with someone who suffers from bad B.O.

Does your body odor offend?

Young friends of mine recently asked me how they should approach someone they work closely with that has persistent body odor. I advised them it is a sensitive area, where you do not want to hurt the offender’s feelings, as they might have a chronic condition that they are unaware of. It brought me back to my teen years when an older brother had a friend who diligently tried to maintain a rare disorder often referred to as fish odor syndrome, TMAU, or stale fish syndrome. He had detailed conversations about his embarrassment with my own mother.

Trimethylaminuria or TMAU is the body’s inability to alter the chemical trimethylamine, distinguished by an unpleasant smell. It accumulates in the urine, sweat and breath and is omitted as bad body odor or a rotten fish smell. This type of body odor is traumatizing to teens and young adults, therefore it is advisable to tread cautiously when approaching someone you suspect of having this type of body odor.

There is no known cure or treatment for TMAU, however dousing the skin in colognes will only combine to make an even worse smell. It is recommended to see a doctor and nutritionist and avoid certain foods such as egg yolks and red meat, among others, as well as take a low dose antibiotic and use a slightly acidic laundry detergent with a pH between 5.5 and 6.5.

It has been my experience that those who suffer from body odor might not be aware, as I think was the case with the sales clerk at CosmoProf this past weekend. I walked in and the entire store reeked of it. Some of us are more sensitive to smells than others, and many times those foul odors stay with us all day.

If you are in the beauty field, or others where we work closely with individuals, it is imperative to practice good hygiene. At these moments when someone else offends, it might be a good time to strike up a conversation about soap suggestions, body lotions, laundry detergent, etc. Then you might learn if the person understands that they have body odor.

And if you are the one that suffers from body odor, a few fresh tips follow from WebMD that will help. While it is not necessary to shower daily (actually the skin could use a break from soap every day), it is important to wash the armpits and genitals daily, especially after a workout. Avoid fatty foods or strongly malodorous spices such as garlic, onion and curry. Try applying antiperspirant before bedtime and apply a mixture of 1 teaspoon Hydrogen Peroxide to 1 cup of water and wipe the offensive areas clean.

If these minor changes do not alter your body odor, seek out professional help from a dermatologist. And remember; be nice to those that affront, as they might not be aware that their smell is offensive.