So What makes you stink?

We created a soap for that, but now lets think about some factors that contribute to stinkyness. Yes, we all to experience body odors at times, this is part of being a human. But what are some of the things we can try to control to reduce odor?

• Spicy Foods – Certain spices like garlic or curry can actually make your skin smell. As we digest these spices, our bodies release a sulfur-containing gas. Marie Jhin, MD, a dermatologist who practices in California, told Reader’s Digest that these smells can last for a few hours. “Don’t eat these foods before an important meeting or a date,” she explained. The smell comes from how our bodies break down these spices and spicy foods. “Components in a lot of aromatic spicing are very fat soluble,” explains Dr. Preti. “So they’ll get stored in your body fat and get into your sweat and saliva and they’ll influence body odor over time.” If you indulge in your favorite garlic bread, don’t panic. Drink plenty of water before, during, and after your meal.
• Stress – being stressed in life causes stress to our body. Stress causes us to produce sweat and odor, so it’s time to take a nice, deep breath. According to modern medicine, we have two types of sweat glands. Eccrine glands are spread throughout our bodies and open up into the skin. When we sweat through them, the liquid is evaporated to cool us off. These are the glands that produce sweat when we workout or are hot, and the sweat is mostly made up of water and salt. The other type, apocrine glands, empty into our hair follicles such as underarms. These glands empty a milky liquid (sexy, right?) into the hair. When that fluid comes in contact with the bacteria on our bodies, it produces an odor. This is the type of sweat our body creates when under stress and is considered normal sweat on steroids.
• Low Carb Diet – Low-carb diets are known for their quick weight loss. When your body doesn’t have its usual supply of bagels and pasta to burn for energy, it starts burning fat instead. When you burn fat, your body produces a chemical that can make perspiration smell either like nail polish remover or fruity. The exact alteration to the natural body odor depends on a person’s body chemistry. This new smell usually lasts for as long as you are on the diet.
• Fish oil – Yes! That fish oil supplement is giving you glowing skin, lustrous hair, and some serious brain power, but you know what it’s also giving you? A fishy aroma. Choline, one of the vitamins found in fish and fish oil supplements, is responsible for adding that fishy smell. That choline can stay in our tissues for days and come out in our sweat. Drinking plenty of water throughout the day may help.
• Frequency of washing your clothing – odors will stay on and in the weave of our clothing… and as the clothes are heated by body temperature often these odors will bloom. The answer is wash your clothes more frequently to break down bacteria trapped in your clothing.
• Shoes stink? Wear socks. The quick answer to preventing your shoes from stinking is to add a nice pair of cotton socks to absorb the foot perspiration, and reduce the bacteria build up that occurs when you don’t wear socks.

There are many other factors, including pregnancy, menopause, medication, and frequency of consuming alcohol that can affect odor. All that said, know it is normal to experience body odors, and as we grow older those may grow stronger. Science calls that unique stronger and often difficult to live with fragrance called 2-nocient odor. As i posted recently we were asked by a friend who cares for her elderly parents if we could research and create a soap that fights this. We learned that an extract made from the persimmon fruit fits this mission. If you would like to read about that soap, click here