Do you ever have the paranoid feeling of smelling bad? You’re out with your friends or on the commute to work and it feels like you can smell body odor. Is it coming from you or someone else?! There’s nothing worse than the realization that you don’t smell too good. This can happen for a range of reasons, which we’ll discuss throughout the article. The main thing to remember is that everything can be addressed. 

If you feel self-conscious about how you smell, here are some simple ideas that’ll banish any bad smells and make you the freshest person that enters the room! 

Shower regularly with proper shower gel

Look, we’ve all been there. You’ve had a long day, you can’t be bothered to shower, so you jump in and let the water wash over you for a few seconds. In your mind, you’ve washed yourself. In reality, you’ve done nothing! 

Water doesn’t get rid of the bacteria on your body or under your arms that form throughout the day. It’s this bacteria that causes body odor – sweat itself is completely odorless. You need to actively remove the bacteria, which is why we need shower gel or soap. These products remove and kill bacteria, leaving you extra clean and fresh. 

So, if you want to smell clean, you need to shower regularly. Try to shower once a day unless you’ve barely done anything. Don’t worry too much about washing your hair – one of the best hair care tips is to wash your hair less frequently than you shower. It’s better for the follicles and your scalp. 

Apply an antiperspirant under your arms

Do you use deodorant every day? If so, is it an antiperspirant, or just a normal deodorant? Many of us make the mistake of only using deodorants with no antiperspirant ingredients. These will help you smell nice, but they won’t prevent sweating. 

It’s a good idea to use antiperspirant deodorants that stop you from sweating so bacteria can’t form under your arms. You’ll smell better for much longer! 

If you have a serious sweat problem and have patches under all of your clothes, you can find high-strength products like Perspirex that can be used less frequently but have a stronger effect. They’ll keep your armpits dry, which saves your clothes from sweat patches and prevents body odor. 

Always carry some perfume with you

Spray a bit of perfume or dab it on your wrists and neck before you leave the house. This is the best way to have a long-lasting scent that people will recognize for all the right reasons. You’ll be that person who walks by others and makes them think “damn, they smell nice”.

Perfume does a great job of covering up other scents too because it’s so strong. Everyone should carry around good quality perfume oils in their bags as well. This lets you top up your scent throughout the day, so you constantly smell classy. 

It can be a huge confidence booster too. Spritzing yourself with some perfume before a job interview or date fills you with more confidence. You like the way you smell – it makes you feel more attractive, powerful, and in charge. Plus, if you can smell your perfume, you know others can. It removes any paranoia from your brain that you may smell bad today. 

Wash your clothes regularly (including jackets & coats)

Sometimes, you smell perfectly lovely, but your clothes have a distinct odor. There are a couple of reasons for this – the second one will be looked at in the following point – with the main one being that they’re overworn. 

When you wear the same clothes again and again, they’re going to smell. So, even if you jump out of the shower smelling fresh as a daisy, and apply your perfume, you’ll smell bad if you put old clothes on. 

Generally, you should avoid wearing the same tops for more than a couple of days in a row. Of course, it depends on the individual and how much you sweat – some of you may only be able to get one day’s wear out of them. Always sniff your clothes when you take them off, if they don’t smell fresh anymore, throw them in the wash. 

Speaking of which, don’t neglect jackets and coats! We don’t wash these anywhere near as often as we should, causing them to smell pretty bad. Throw them in once a week too, so all of your clothes are nice and clean. 

Dry your washed clothes immediately

The second reason clothes smell bad is that they’ve been left to dry in the machine for too long. Wet clothes lay on top of wet clothes, meaning the whole pile smells damp. It’s a horrible feeling, and even after they get dried properly the smell remains. 

To avoid this, dry your washed clothes as soon as the cycle ends. Take them out and hang them up or put them in the dryer. This prevents dampness and means your clothes won’t smell at all. If you have a dryer, chuck in some dryer sheets too. They add an extra scent to the clothes as they dry, giving them added freshness. 

Use dry shampoo to make your hair smell nice

As mentioned previously, you don’t need to wash your hair every day. In fact, washing your hair too often is bad for it and can make it greasy while damaging your scalp. 

But, what happens when you wash your hair on Monday and it starts to smell a bit funky the next day? Should you shower and wash it again? There’s no need, but you can use one simple hack to liven up your hair and leave it smelling great. 

That’s right, dry shampoo is your best friend. It “cleans” your hair and stops it from looking too greasy without being as damaging as regular washes in the shower. Plus, these shampoos are scented, so your hair smells like it’s just been washed. A very simple hack, yet super effective. 

And there you have it; some top ideas to help you smell good and banish the paranoia of smelling bad while out and about.  

*collaborative post