Everyone has a unique body odor though it may be sweet, sour or spiky. It is not a function of the amount of sweat that you generate. Your body odor sometimes may be silent, not easily perceived by people but with constant and closer proximity it eventually manifest its unique flavor.
If your body odor is not offensive, then you have a good bargain, however not so many people are that lucky as their body odor always causes a cringing of the face and squeezing of the nose, passers-by evoke negative sentiments while people nearby are laden with poor perception of the person.
Offensive body odor is bad vibes within social circles.
Having a bad body odor brings a question mark to your workplace appraisal on professional grooming as well as bad vibes within social circles.
Many corporate organisations have hygiene policies to mitigate and guide staff members that may have this challenge and in many cases, during interviews, the HR personnel is always on the lookout for candidates with such physical short comings and may score them low on personal grooming at interviews and social auditioning engagements.
It is essential that you evaluate yourself critically to ascertain whether you have an offensive body odor or mouth odor and deal with it early.
It is interesting to note that some people have a poor sense of smell and don’t even know that they have this physical appearance deficiency, so they live in the dangerous oblivion of a repulsive body and mouth odor.
It is essential to observe other people’s body language and their diplomatic comments about your grooming or physical appearance to decipher if they have spotted this challenge and may be, just managing the situation. Trust me some people are decent and diplomatic enough not to attack or embarrass you with this off-flavor personality deficiency.
Just nip it in the bud.
Causes of Bad body odor
Your body odor is not dependent on how much sweat you generate but it is a result of the mix between your sweat and the bacteria on your body. So the kind of smell or flavor that comes from the mix of your sweat and the DNA of the bacteria that lives in your body can determine how sweet, sour, spiky or offensive your body odor will be.
Your body hormones, the type of food you eat, the infections you have or medications you have taken, your underlying health conditions like diabetes, kidney and liver problems are all important factors to your body odor.
How To Approach a Person with Body Odor
Please note that not all people with offensive body odor know how bad it is or what your perception is about this challenge that hangs around with them due to their faulty sense of smell or judgement. Do not think that they are reckless, not giving a damn about the comfortability of others or the workspace environment.
Bad body odor is a result of the cultural norms of some people or their medical condition. So, it is important to be cautious, friendly and sensitive in calling the attention of the person affected or other necessary authorities like the Supervisor and/or the HR to counsel the person appropriately in line with the organisation’s hygiene policy.
If the cause is inevitable like a cultural norm or a medical condition, then necessary accommodation and restraint have to be observed by all.
You can reduce body odor by doing the following
You may seek the advice of your physician for applicable antiperspirants, body perfumes or medications. Lifestyle changes can also bring respite to body odor while there are also home remedies that you can adopt to moderate offensive body odor.
As much as possible limit the contact between your sweat and body bacteria. Below are some other home remedies that can be of help;
Frequent Bathe –Take your bath regularly and use antibacterial soap to reduce the amount of bacteria on your skin.Choice of clothing – Make correct choice of clothings and fabrics that are comfortable with the weather condition and your daily activities. Materials made of cotton, wool and silk are great for daily wear while synthetic materials are good for sports.Reduce Stress- You can reduce stress by getting yourself refreshed, and relaxed and not beating yourself over life’s challenges. These will reduce your internal agitation and sweating.Manage your diet. You will surely reflect and smell what you eat. Smokers sometimes smell like their smoke, alcoholics smell alcohol, When you eat onions and garlic your breath betrays you. So eliminate foods and drinks that make you sweat all over and stress your system.
IMAGE SOURCE: UNSPLASH
