Personal Hygiene – handling body odour

Very few people can find the courage to tell anyone else that they have body odour. That’s exactly the problem with body odour. If you have it, everyone knows except you because no one is willing to tell you.

If you ever wondered then, why people who have body odour are not able to shake it off easily, it’s probably because nobody ever tells them. Of course, it's indeed a difficult issue to bring up with anyone and we shall deal with this matter in another post.

The truth is that everyone has the tendency to smell. If you live in a hot climate where the sun shines everyday with vengeance, you are bound to sweat. Like every waste product from the body, sweat can smell which means anybody that sweats may smell.

Now that we know anyone can smell irrespective of social class or financial height, it is the responsibility of each of us to handle this matter properly. This is especially important as you may be the last to know, if at all you ever do. Unfortunately body odour can be quite offensive and embarrassing particularly to those who have to work or live in close proximity with the bearer. It may also stifle a person's career or business growth as people generally avoid a person with serious body odour.

The following are guidelines that can help deal with this delicate but important matter. Please note that the guidelines are not a substitute for medical help and are not intended to be:

1. We are all used to our body smell so it is easy to assume everything is all right when it isn't. It is therefore necessary to find out from people who are close enough to tell you the truth about how you smell.

2. Shower or take a bath daily, this is non-negotiable.

3. If you have been out all day and need to attend an evening event, it will be wise to take a shower, and at the least change your top, especially if you live in a region of hot climate.

4. Air your jackets well and avoid mixing used clothes with clean ones.

5. Use fresh underwear daily whether you are male or female.

6. Wear a safe deodorant.

7. To minimise bad breath, carry mints on you to freshen your mouth especially if you have been silent for long or if you are fasting.

8. Also brush your teeth daily and if you can, floss regularly.

9. If you suffer from excessive sweating or have a serious case of bad breath, a visit to a doctor will be helpful.

10. If you have a case of sweaty feet, avoid taking off your shoes in a public place.

Finally, every one must make the effort to find out how they are doing in this area so as to avoid the peril of wrong assumption. You may assume you are doing well when in reality you aren't. Don't forget, you may well be the last to know.

We all benefit when we do things right.