The Smell Factor

[OceanMassage 5357]

The thread about deodorant gave me the idea for this thread. Many people are not aware of what causes smells in the first place let alone how to manage to eradicate and prevent them from coming back.

 

Pheromones, lunch or bacteria?

What scent do people pick up from you? Your pheromones, what you had for lunch or the bacteria colonies that have taken control of your skin?

 

Pheromones. Normally, the natural smell of a healthy body is light to moderate. Although not all pheromones types are pleasant to every person, they usually will create on a "smeller" a reaction somewhere on the spectrum Addictive to Repulsive. Body chemistry and, consequently pheromones, can be altered positively or negatively by various factors: stress, lack of sleep, food and beverages, medication, illness, sun exposure. A healthy lifestyle is more conducive to a rich and pleasant scent from pheromones. Stress an lack of sleep tends to acidify the body and the sweat and pheromones may be overpowered by cortisol and adrenaline byproducts scents. Sun exposure tends to bring out the pleasant tones of scents. However, medication or illness will often cause an unpleasant stench.

Foods have various effects, on the pheromone bouquet but also on the sweat. Cumin and onions are the most common offenders, as well as deli, garlic, red meat. Fruits, vegetables and fish on the contrary will leave a lighter trace. Certain herbs will create a pleasant undertone e.g.: fenugreek which gives the sweat and semen a sweet maple syrup like scent/taste.

 

 

Hair. The scalp is a smell generator people don't often consider. People that sweat from the head a lot or produce a lot of sebum may find there odor strong at times. Heating cooling reheating and cooling makes the sebum rancid and the heat from the head diffuse it in the air like an aromatherapy stick, just not necessarily a pleasant one. A person stressed or during intense emotional or mental activity, will sweat neurotransmitter byproducts by the scalp, the eyes and ears. Some people who suffer from lots of dandruff often notice a smell produced by the bacteria that causes dandruff in the first place. Add tea tree, patchouli and juniper to your shampoo and conditionner. You will be amazed.

 

Pits. All over the body, we are colonized by bacteria strains. Most of them are either helpful or harmless and our top layer of epitelial cells have antibacterial properties sufficient to keep the colonies in safe numbers. However, some strains produce stronger smells then others and in zones where the level of humidity is higher such as the pits, especially if there is hair multiplying the surfaces where to cling to, bacteria reproduce faster than the skin ability to control them, with stench that ensues. The body heat diffuses the odor and after a cooling period, another warm up episode will diffuse even worst emanations. If by some unfortunate circumstances some really bad bacteria strain set foot and take control of the region and the skin cannot keep it in check, the colony will spread all over the body and it will become resident and almost impossible to get rid of. Some people need to shower twice daily and put tons of deodorant yet the stench comes back really fast.

There are 2 reasons for that: recontamination and resistence.

 

When the stench is very strong and is obviously not from food or illness, I recommand people to shampoo from head to toes with a Ketokonazol shampoo (such as Nizoral) to lather it well and stand like this for 10 minutes than rinse. One or two of these is sufficient to kill the offender.

 

BUT it is very important to not dress in ANY of your clothes before they have been decontaminated. Laundry detergent does not kill these bacteria strains. They live in the fabric dormant and are reactivated by the body heat and repopulate the skin and recontaminate person and clothes again.

There are only 2 ways to get rid of these: you must wash ALL your clothes either in really hot (boiling may be necessary for head caps and clothes that have been repeatedly saturated in stenchy sweat) water. Bleach only if white clothes. For delicate fabric that cannot be submitted to hot water, use the second method.

Put 2 cups of sea salt in a clean 5 gallons tub dissolve with some hot water than fill to 3/4 with warm or cool water. Put in the clothes and let soak overnight. You may add a cup of vinegar for extra freshness and softness. Excellent for technic wear and sports wear that cannot be put in hot water.

 

Another bacteria that is horribly stinky is the moisture mold. I call it the damped towel stink. You know when a towel never dries fully it starts stinking bad? Some people do not smell that but i do. And if you dry yourself with such towel, you transfer mold onto your body and then to your clothes and if you let these clothes dry and then wear them again, it reactivates the mold and bacteria and it has this really bad smell that gives the impression that the person is not clean when they actually just put on clean clothes coming out of the machine. The washer is also a source of contamination: front load machines, if the gasket is not wiped dry after use and the door closed, the mold will get into the rubber and contaminate clothes. Dry, you wont smell it but as soon as your body heat and sweat a bit, you will smell it. The good thing is that normally mechanical removal (lathering well with soap) is sufficient to remove it from your body as it can't really live there. But not from the clothes. Only the very hot water and vinegar or salt AND VINEGAR overnight soak can eliminate mold spores from clothing.

 

Most deodorant do not kill bacteria and antiperspirant simply remove moisture to slow down the reproduction process. The most effective deodorant that does kill bacterial is "Crystal" see below. I personally like to add a couple of essential oils drops to Crystal in spray. You may choose between rosemary, laurel, tea tree, bergamot, grapefruit (especially if you have high blood pressure issues and cholesterol, that will be a helpful bonus). Rosemary for fair skin and dark coarse hair works really good, tea tree is an acquired taste but is antibacterial and antifungal, so is ylang ylang, bergamot has a lovely and delicate scent that we often find in men's perfume. You may mix one of the herbs/leaves with one of the citruses.

 

Belly button: crass cumulate in there or sometimes yeast(candida). The best way to prevent this is to wash regularly and spray with "Crystal" (mineral salts such as Potassium Alum, Sodium Bicarbonate, Zinc Gluconate and Benzoic Acid).

 

Feet: soak in water with tee tree and rosemary. Spray with "Crystal" (btw it does not have to be that brand but that's they only one we find these days...) your soles and inside your shoes and let it dry during the night.

 

Mouth: well it is late so i'll continue another day. But swiching with coconut oil is supposed to be excellent to kill the bad bacteria that smell yet not bother the good ones. If you have a white coating on your tongue it feels thik and feels that the side of your cheek are peeling off, you probably have candida. Take fluconazol (diflucan) and revised your diet to see if you are not eating too much sugar. If you like to eat a lot of garlic and onions, try to eat parsley. it helps, so does chlorophyle. For smells that come from the stomach hyperacidity, I've been told that extra hot food like mexican, will alliviate that but this info i have not verified so take it with skepticism.

[Mutau 2516]

A very informative post. Merci beaucoup. Muchisimas gracias.

Mutau

[capitalCforcougar 16766]

Not sure.what the purrrrrrpose of this thread is hehe...but...as a medical practitioner of over 2 decades.... I have to interject a bit ... (I may offer more later, but am currently on my phone so hehe)

 

am now on my laptop so hehe.. have gone in and added/elaborated a bit.... sorry hon, not trying to bash you.. but sometimes, misinformation can lead to some serious issues :)

 

**if you have blood pressure issues...and are on medications for it....do not...DO NOT....implement grapefruit...pink or otherwise, in any way at all (even the lovely pink grapefruit pop can cause harm believe it or not!). Contraindications with your medications, render them useless OR can possibly cause the amount of medication in your blood to increase.. possibly dangerously so... (hospitalisation and/or.. in rare but prevalent cases.. fatalities!!! doooon't touch!!)

 

Candida is not a contributor to body stink....but it is easily managed...once properly...and medically (most doctors may still shake their heads at it...but a holistic practitioner...like yours truly..hehe...has lots of helpful things for you) moderating your diet.. more water, less (or no) yeast products.. and NO SUGARS (candida, as with most bacterias/yeasts) feeds on sugar... and brushing with baking soda... (also.. msging me.. can help too hehe.. just sayin) ;)

 

As for the coconut oil.....it *can* help to lessen plaque/tartar build up on the gums....but...after years of long consultations/conversations with dentists, doctors and hygienists......and making tooth/mouth care prrrroducts myself for years.....it is not.medically proven to kill the bacteria that can be in a mouth....

Brushing with a bit.of baking soda on your brush does more.for halitosis (chronic baaaaad breath)..than coconut oil ever will

 

Rosemary is.a wonderful astringent....as is juniper...and anything with that sort of 'acrid' scent.....wonderful as deodorants..... and if you are one who tends to perspire a lot.. a soap with any of these types of herbs.. or using a few drops (only a few in the whole bottle!! too much can be just as bad and/or harmful!) in a body wash or shampoo can tame it a bit... as does my old stand by.. 1/3 cup of baking soda for a soak in the tub.. or even added to your wash..(clothes.. body... it's lovely stuff!)

 

...and pheromones are.much more.to do with an 'attraction' factor. ...(and are *not* actually affected in any way shape or form with what we eat or how we sleep)... they *are* sometimes affected by age.... and as such....are what we are unconsciously drawn to in a partner....if we find them stinky...hehe...'friend zone!' hehe

 

spicy food does have a tendency to be a culprit of emitting unpleasant odors via the sweat glands.. but in order to have a drastic effect.. one would have to consume massive amounts of it, pretty much on a daily basis... hehe although garlic does tend to be a bit of an exception ;)

all of them, however, make the body a wonderfully clean, well-running machine with an amazing immune system.. and a resilient skin.. shiny hair... and oddly enough.. clean ears ....and are also .. and this might be even more weird <grin>.. amazing aphrodisiacs! ;)

(I happen to make an unbelievably tasty and wonderfully efficient body butter.. meant to share hehe out of most of the 'offenders' mentioned hehe)

 

Not trying to be argumentative.....(luv ya Ocean hehe) ....just my (certified practitioner and maker of holistic medicines)....25+ years of professional experience speaking :)

[Guest st*****ens**ors]

A silly aside, but my favourite cuisines all involve potential offenders: Indian, Mexican, Middle Eastern, Greek (yes that last one was likely censored but referred to the cuisine of the southern European nation dangling into the Mediterranean east of Italy).

 

If I have any prospect of a visit, I don't eat beforehand. Except on one memorable occasion when a beautiful woman mentioned a restaurant close to her location and we indulged together. ;)

[OceanMassage 5357]

@ stillopensdoors Bah my take about it is if both eat the same food, nobody is offended!

 

 

C. I won't get into a lenghty argument about who's been longest in the health biz and who knows more.

 

However I will say the following:

 

People, always check with reliable sources, and your medical doctor when appropriate, what you find on internet, that includes my posts and those of C.

 

 

I must correct some of your corrections: Grapefruit does not render medicine inefficient: it augments their effect. So yes, it is a given, if someone has been prescribed a medication and specifically told not to eat grapefruit, well, don't use essential oils either. It IS efficient to LOWER highblood pressure so, if its already low, that is not a good idea.

 

Candida has a distinct scent. It is not an offensive one. I mentionned that it could reside in the belly button. I also described the symptoms of someone who has it in the mouth, often times caused by too much sugar as a hint to avoid passing it elsewhere.

 

With coconut oil, I specifically wrote "swiching with coconut oil is supposed" I did not say research have shown nor did I present it as a fact.

 

Finally I did not suggest that people should stop eating spicy dishes! I love all sorts of foods, including indian, mexican, ahhh greek, and would be the first to protest. I suggested how to mitigate the aftermath e.g. chlorophyle, parsley, mint.

 

I'm explaining what influences body smells. As a fun fact kind of narrative. You may object but I insist that it is not necessary to eat that much spices, especially cumin, to have your sweat tainted. Garlic is not as offensive as onions (especially spanish or red onion) which lingers both in the breath and the sweat. I would have tought a big cat like you would have experienced it first end...

 

I have an extremly developed sense of smell. I could have been a nose if I would have been trained in perfumery or oeneology.

[capitalCforcougar 16766]

didn't say you 'said' et al... but some of your points are not founded as a 'medical' practitioner.. but as a massage therapist.. and perhaps should be put out as an opinion.. which of course, is always valid.. it's an *opinion* :)

 

but.. as a medical practitioner.. clinic owner and therapist of a number of modalities.. and knowledgeable in ways that an RMT (retired or not hehe) *might* not be.. I had to interject on a few points :)

 

and obviously hehe anyone should go on the advice given to them by either their own practitioner and/or their pharmacist (including informing them of herbal "all natural' things they may be taking) over anyone on the internet.... that should be a given.. but sadly, at times, it is not.. which was why the grapefruit comment made me a bit nervous...

I had a boyfriend who ended up in hospital after ingesting things that contained grapefruit.. while on a few BP meds... baaaad move hehe

 

 

but, again... no harm, no foul meant... ;)

 

and I whole-heartedly agree on the sharing a 'stinky' meal hehe who cares... so long as you both stink it's all good :) <grin>

[Brassfoxx 1390]

glad I'm now informed on people's unique scents ahah