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Comment by Cyberdog | Hacker News Reader

I think those saying "but you're gonna stink if you don't use soap/deodorant!" in these threads should keep in mind that BO offensiveness is definitely something that varies from person to person based on genetic factors. So it's quite possible that some of these people saying they don't use deodorants or soaps do not offend those around them, and I'm willing to take them at their word.

Me, I can be one of the stinky ones, so I will continue to foul up the earth with my soap bar and deodorant stick for your sake as well as my own.

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Or just use non-scented soap and deodorant. E.g. here are two products with an EWG rating of 1:

https://www.amazon.com/Toms-Maine-Deodorant-Aluminum-Unscent...

https://www.amazon.com/Dr-Bronners-Pure-Castile-Bar-Soap/dp/...

Both work very well, albeit I'll confess to liking the peppermint version of the Dr. Bronner's.

I've had good luck with Dr. Bronners, but I haven't used a non-aluminum based deodorant/anti-perspirant that works for me.

If you use an anti-fungal soap a couple times a week it helps, e.g.:

https://www.amazon.com/Antifungal-Athletes-Toenails-Deodoriz...

https://www.amazon.com/ArtNaturals-Essential-Peppermint-Euca...

Schmidts works pretty well if your skin doesn't react poorly to the Baking Soda in it.

> non-aluminum based deodorant/anti-perspirant

Are there any non-aluminium based antiperspirants known?

I assumed they meant “natural” (I.e. ineffective) solutions.

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Out of all the natural, aluminum-free options I've tried, I like Truly's All-natural deodorant(1): it smells nice (light coconut smell), lasts all day, and noticeably reduces perspiration. I've been using it for more than two years and have no complaints, other than that applying it is slower than the stick-based deodorants.

Definitely worth a try.

[1]: https://www.amazon.com/Trulys-Natural-Lasting-Organic-Deodor...

It's also definitely a matter of culture.

I've lived in Europe and Africa, traveled quite a lot in Asia and America, and what people consider offensive is very contextual, including odors.

I noticed there is some link between how the society handle sexuality and the way we perceive odors. In south America and Africa, quite a lot of countries have a very natural approach to sex, and the body in general, and hence the odor of a healthy non-hobbo human is not perceived as such a problem, even after a day of work under the sun.

In the US, despite having a culture very sex oriented, the population itself is not at all liberated. You are a very sexually frustrated society. And body odor is a problem.

> In south America and Africa, quite a lot of countries have a very natural approach to sex, and the body in general, and hence the odor of a healthy non-hobbo human is not perceived as such a problem, even after a day of work under the sun.

I’ve heard the opposite, that South Americans often complain about smelly European tourists who don’t shower frequently enough.

I’m also not sure I’d choose to use Africa as an example of healthy sexuality, what with the aids epidemic and FGM.

Yes, while I think the link between cultural sexuality and BO acceptance is tenuous and probably unmeasurable, the greater point that the level at which BO becomes unacceptable is culturally subjective is well worth making.

Also, I can't believe that I am actually participating in a conversation about this. Definitely wasn't on my list of things to get done today. Funny the directions in which life takes us.

> I’ve heard the opposite, that South Americans often complain about smelly European tourists who don’t shower frequently enough.

That's completely different. Odors from different ethnies can be easily disturbing. We don't smell the same and we are not used to it.

> I’m also not sure I’d choose to use Africa as an example of healthy sexuality, what with the aids epidemic and FGM.

Actually they have aids epidemic BECAUSE sex is so natural there. There is nothing natural with stopping a sensual escalation and putting a rubber on your penis. Education helped us to do this, and saved us from dying in mass and having unwanted pregnancy, but it has a serious price on the way we handle sex.

I don't know that I would say contraceptives are the source of unhealthy attitudes towards sex in the US. Prudishness stemming from Western religious influences and the like seems more responsible.

You sure https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexual_violence_in_South_Afric... doesn't have anything to do with it?

People from different cultures smell different due to genetic, hygeine, and diet differences. Those differences smell "bad", because people acclimated and lose sensitivity to familiar smells.

This is the exact opposite of my experience. Brazil and Argentina were eye opening for how lax we are in Europe with B.O. . Most people I met showered a hundred times a day , and always managed to smell fresh, in spite of the luck of their climatic draw. I credit that period with my olfactory awakening.

"awakening" == "creating an unnatural neurosis" ?

> So it's quite possible that some of these people saying they don't use deodorants or soaps do not offend those around them, and I'm willing to take them at their word.

People are really bad at detecting their own odors, though. You're marinating in it all day, so you're used to it. As a general rule of thumb, by the time you notice that you've gotten a bit whiffy, people near you have been noticing for a while.

Also highly on what you eat. If you travel and stay for a while you find to not being able to smell yourself quite often.

Personally I'm offended by a generous use of perfumes and/or deodorants not by BO.

You can wear odorless deodorants or very low oder deodorants. Specifically you want deperspirants as those eliminate the possibility of producing smell.

> "you're gonna stink if you don't use soap/deodorant!"

Nobody has said this.

I've never found the BO of someone the same gender as me not repulsive. They universally stink. To the point that I know who does not at work and avoid ever walking behind them. Not wearing deperspirant (not just deodorant!) is poor hygiene as it promotes bacterial growth. I will never agree with someone who thinks they don't need to wear it.

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