How important is Deodorant to you ? (gel, light, sticks, correction)

[Pitt Chick]

Originally Posted by Rubi3

Unfortunately, as bad as too much perfume is, it isn't the same as this thread's topic of underarm odor.

You are quite right... it is NOT the same.
It is worse... for those of us with allergies.

[kevxu]

Originally Posted by Hermosaa

I wonder why there are people who can't smell their odour.

I had a female boss who could not because she had an impaired sense of smell.

One day shorty after I began to work with her regularly, she walked in and a bottle of deodorant was sitting in the middle of her desk. She asked it I had put it there, I hadn't. Then she asked if she smelled, and I had to say yes, and badly.

She was shocked. She said she bathed every day and used deodorant. Seemed unlikely to me, but I was in no place to say that. Then it came out that she had a lousy sense of smell, colognes, pungent foods, etc. all just passed her by.

At that point I suggested that perhaps it was her clothes, and that she wasn't washing and dry cleaning them frequently enough. A friend did a sniff test on some of her clothing she had in her home later on....you betcha! Since she couldn't smell their odor, what prompted her to have them washed or cleaned was simply their appearance. She started keeping a record of how often she was wearing her clothes....we worked in a computer center so this was not an especially difficult thing to create.

Voilà, no more "body odor."

But, I wonder if many people have this problem. I can certainly smell when my body or clothes stink.

[mjazz]

People can't tell because they are used to it.
When I was younger I had people tell me I stunk and I couldn't smell anything.

[bg7]

Deodorant, some form of soap, and toothpaste for humans; and washing detergent for their clothes.

Unwashed people or people who stink of BO make others retch or gag. Bad breath is pretty horrible also, but doesn't seem to have the same effect on its victims - more like it just makes them grimace and hold their nose.

[Truth11]

My skin reacts to chemicals like that and I actually end up smelling stronger! Now I use baking soda and that seems to work good.

[Adi from the Brunswicks]

Originally Posted by Hedgehog_Mom

It's important to me...I was in a store recently where there were 5 or 6 different women who weren't wearing it and who had a whole smell cloud following them around. It was a thrift store. I imagine they were shopping there because it was time for the semi-annual burning of their wardrobe which had become too stinky to wear. My daughter, with her overactive teenage hormones, kept trying to discreetly sniff her own armpits to make sure she wasn't the source of the odor.

Anyhow, if they didn't sell deodorant year-round here, I would just buy extras to get through the winter. For me it's not just the odor control, I don't like to go around all sweaty.

For me its the other way around. I don't mind sweating, its just bad odor that turns me off. Sweating is a natural phenomenon, bad odor means that you need to take a shower and freshen up with some powder, scent, or deodorant. I usually don't sweat till temperatures cross 85 F (humid) or 95 F (dry). But I freeze really fast. Today its 51 F and I am freezing in short sleeves .

[sade693]

It's essential. There's nothing worse than being stinky or being self-conscious about your odor.

[laorbust61]

How important? Hmm. Let's just call Freshly showered/bathed, shaved, freshly washed hair, wearing good deordorant and clean clothes my holy hygiene trinity. I can't imagine a woman who is deeply in touch with her femininity doing otherwise. I even like to be fresh when I work out. I was a youngster 35 or 40 years ago. It was expected. No ifs and's or but's. So it is behavior ingrained in me from being brought up properly. "country", Catholic and Girl Scout. Corny, but true.

[Soda120]

Deodorant (sp?) and daily showers are a must for me.

A close third must is body oil or cologne (love smelling good).

Deodorant is essential for children, too. A mother chastised (sp?) her boy (looked about 8 years old) for not wearing his deodorant. She was right. His underarms smelled like onions. He reeked.

Wonder what they used in the "old days", maybe baking soda?

[carlitasway]

Here in Allergy Hell we have summer weather 9 months out of the year. It's important.