
‘I don’t smell ’ Meet the people who have stopped washing - shawndumas
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/aug/05/i-dont-smell-meet-the-people-who-have-stopped-washing
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kstenerud
I stopped using soap 6 years ago, but I usually don't tell people because
there's still such a stigma attached to it. But the reaction of those I do
tell is always the same "Wow, but you don't smell like anything at all!"

~~~
gumby
Agree! I do use soap occasionally (for "pits and pubes" or if I come back from
a few weeks backpacking to get the deep grime out) but apart from that...no
need, even after the gym.

I started out without shampoo about 20 years ago after reading a reference,
just water and a vigorous scalp rub. My wife thought it was fine though I
don't have long hair. And it seems absurd to put detergent in your hair
followed by an additional product just to put back the oils removed by the
detergent.

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VladimirIvanov
There was this Korean guy that I used to work with that told me that Koreans
have a gene that prevents body odor. The thing was he basically smelled like a
high school gym locker room 247. I really didn't know what to say to him.

~~~
nailer
'body odor' was popularised in thee early 20th century as a way to sell
deodorant.

[https://www.printmag.com/daily-heller/american-
advertising-w...](https://www.printmag.com/daily-heller/american-advertising-
when-body-odor-was-chic/)

As a regular gym goer, what smells is /bacteria/. Fresh sweat doesn't smell
bad, old sweat does. Same thing goes for urine.

Wash your body and clothes regularly, you don't need deodorant and it won't
save you if you haven't washed your body and clothes.

~~~
aaomidi
8 hours of work in a day is enough to make your fresh sweat smell like shit.

~~~
nailer
No, past work does not change the smell of new sweat.

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1-6
Not exactly a message you want to spread around programmers who already lack
basic hygiene.

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lmilcin
I don't know where you have worked and I can only pity you for your bad
experience but this kind of generalization does no good to anybody.

I have worked for almost 20 years and over that time I met only one individual
who had "issues". Most people try their best to look and smell as good as
possible.

~~~
blaser-waffle
Ditto. Most of the IT and Dev folks I've dealt with are fairly well paid and
rock several certs and degrees. They can afford houses, soap, showers, and
other basic life accouterments.

Mind you, they're not always the best put together folks -- flabby 30
something dudes in ill-fitting shirts and cargo shorts, yes cargo shorts in
2019 -- but most of em clearly had a shower recently and brushed their teeth.

~~~
dekhn
can you knock off insulting people for wearing ill-fitting clothes and cargo
shorts?

That's just unnecessary.

~~~
sli
It certainly doesn't help that my options for shorts seem to be: cargo shorts,
"dress" shorts, jean shorts, and athletic shorts. Given those options, I'll
take my cargos every single time. I don't look better in the other three, and
I'm certainly not going to wear athletic shorts all the time. If I'm not
wearing shorts, I just wear regular jeans.

I'm not trying to win a fashion show at work while sitting in my office _not_
talking to clients. I'm wearing clothing that's functional and comfortable.
Only random people on the internet seems to actually care about this, and can
never seem to explain why they care so much. It usually comes down to some
spurious nonsense about "neckbeards."

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fian
Body odor can be greatly affected by the foods you eat:

[https://www.allure.com/story/diet-body-odor-
causes](https://www.allure.com/story/diet-body-odor-causes)

[https://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/19/how-eggs-can-impact-
bo...](https://nutritionfacts.org/2014/08/19/how-eggs-can-impact-body-odor/)

I learned about the effect of eggs when I tried a high protein, low carb diet
where I ate 2 fried or scrambled eggs every morning. Within 3 days of starting
the diet I developed an unpleasant fishy body odor, especially in my armpits.
Normally I would eat 2 eggs once a week, at which level I did not develop the
fishy smell. Even washing my armpits with soap did not eliminate the odor. I
stopped eating eggs daily and within a couple of days the odor cleared again.

Similarly, I do a 10-12 day self supported pack hike most years. For lunch on
these hikes I typically eat some form of processed meat (cacciatore sausage,
salami etc) with processed cheese and dry biscuits. On these hikes I can
usually swim or bathe in fresh water a few times each day without using any
soap. I notice a slow increase in body odor, again mostly from my armpits over
the course of the hike. I suspect the body odor may be caused by the garlic
from the sausage. The other foods I eat are things I eat regularly without
issue. Unlike with the eggs, this odor goes away with the first hot, soapy
shower when I get back to civilisation.

Note that in the past I have had girlfriends comment that I had very low body
odor compared to other guys they had dated.

So I suspect that successfully switching to a no or very low soap hygiene
routine might be challenging for people whose diet and genetics mean they
excrete odorous, non-water soluble compounds.

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blaser-waffle
I remember at Carnegie Mellon's orientation for the CompSci majors they handed
out soap. Perhaps premature?

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SenHeng
Had a colleague that stopped using shampoo. Fortunately he still bathes. He
claims that he doesn't smell. I think he's just used to it.

~~~
seattle_spring
Very similar to my experiences with people who claim they don't smell. They
ALL smelled terrible, they just got used to it.

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turtlebits
For me, and I assumed most others, the primary goal of washing is to not feel
"icky", not smell.

~~~
finaliteration
I’m the same. I recently went on a camping trip and didn’t shower for the
three days we were gone. I changed my clothes and still wore deodorant every
day. I didn’t smell despite the fact that I had been sweating due to the heat,
but I definitely -felt- disgusting and longed for the warm shower I’d be
taking once I got home.

~~~
ksaj
A skunk can't smell its own stink. Are you sure you didn't smell?

~~~
finaliteration
I confirmed with a third party while we were out. So either they were being
polite (doubtful) or they also smelled the same and didn’t notice it.

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gotrythis
I'm pushing 50 and haven't washed my hair with shampoo or conditioner since I
was around 20.

When I tell hairstylists, the reaction is shock/disgust followed by surprise
when they can't help but do the smell test, and it doesn't smell, and then
with the unprompted admission that I have "abnormally" thick and healthy hair.

I also just use unscented, clear, vegan, glycerin soap on the important bits,
but I'm going to experiment with stopping that after reading this article.

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bmer
Click-baity title? Not using soap isn't the same as "not washing" (i.e. not
showering) is it?

~~~
ctack
The first line of the article: "David Whitlock has not showered or bathed for
15 years, yet he does not have body odour."

~~~
devoply
Sounds like genetics. People from poorer countries where people don't bathe as
often or have deodorant will tell you people can smell quite a bit without
soap and deodorant.

~~~
ctack
Could be but again, from the article: "Whitlock had hoped that he would
naturally acquire this type of bacteria simply by stopping washing. He didn’t
– and grew quite pongy. So, he harvested bacteria from the soil at a local
farm and fed them with ammonia and minerals. When they turned the ammonia into
nitrate, he knew he had what he wanted and started narrowing them down to a
single strain that seemed happiest on human skin. After he applied the
bacteria he had cultured – the stuff the horses were apparently after – he
stopped smelling."

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octoberrust
Anecdotally, the biggest change that made a difference for me was switching to
a more natural deodorant (Dr. Schmidt's bergamot+lime) from some of the big
brands. I used to be able to smell body odour by the end of the day or go into
a panic if somehow I forgot to apply in the morning. The odour has drastically
been cut down, even if I did not apply the deodorant.

Apparently, when switching to natural deodorant it's supposed to get worse
before it gets better which didn't happen for me.

I've asked my partner who has a pretty sharp nose and she agrees with me.

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ptah
they still wash, they just stopped using soap

