Why does dd9 smell funny?

[HappyDznyCamper]

You say your DD is fair, does she use sunscreen daily? The sunscreen could be getting in her hair or along her hairline(scalp). If she is getting it in her hair and not washing it out daily, that could be the cause. Plain old Dove soap (bar type is pretty cheap and effective) for her skin and my fav. for daily shampooing is Sauve's clarifying. She should also use a conditioner for her hair(same thing with drying out and oil production)

 

[jennifer293]

I would try washing her hair more than 2-3 times a week especially if she has long hair. As she is getting older I am sure her oil glands are going crazy and making sure her hair is free from oil will probably keep it smelling fresher. I am 31 (today actually.. ) and I cannot go a day without washing my hair or it looks like a grease pit, and it started doing that when I was about 11 years old. Also try changing her pillowcase often because if her skin or hair is oily that gets on the pillow case and just keeps going back and forth till you wash it again.

 

[BRANDIRN]

I think Dial soap would be an excellent choice, it's antibacterial. Trying the shower in the morning may help also. I'm not sure what a "garlic" smell could be, other that a hormone thing. You might mention it to her pediatrician.

 

[willoughbyclan]

I have never experienced this with my girls so I am sorry to say I can't offer any advice. I wish you luck and it seems there is alot of great advice here.

BTW, Happy Birthday Jennifer293, hope you had a great one!

 

[vhoffman]

I would try washing her hair more than 2-3 times a week especially if she has long hair. As she is getting older I am sure her oil glands are going crazy and making sure her hair is free from oil will probably keep it smelling fresher. I am 31 (today actually.. ) and I cannot go a day without washing my hair or it looks like a grease pit, and it started doing that when I was about 11 years old. Also try changing her pillowcase often because if her skin or hair is oily that gets on the pillow case and just keeps going back and forth till you wash it again.

Why didn't I think of changing the pillow cases? I used to change the bed linens daily when I went through my "greasy" phase, about 11-35. I changed all the bedding every day, because I sweated and deposited oil/grease on them. Right now I change the bedding 2x week, guess we have to step it up. Maybe invest in some new pillows and those special pillow cases, the type you can travel with?

I guess my little girl is growing up Will try the changes in routine/hygiene, if no results, then discuss other possibilities with her ped. No need to rush to the doctor right now, but keep the suggested possibilities in mind!

 

[vhoffman]

I would try washing her hair more than 2-3 times a week especially if she has long hair. As she is getting older I am sure her oil glands are going crazy and making sure her hair is free from oil will probably keep it smelling fresher. I am 31 (today actually.. ) and I cannot go a day without washing my hair or it looks like a grease pit, and it started doing that when I was about 11 years old. Also try changing her pillowcase often because if her skin or hair is oily that gets on the pillow case and just keeps going back and forth till you wash it again.

BTW, Happy Birthday!

 

[mytwotinks]

My dd9 washes her hair every night. On the rare occasion that she misses a night, it looks o.k. for a couple of hours, but by afternoon it's a grease pit. I also have to make sure that she only conditions the very ends of her hair. If the conditioner gets on her scalp it looks gross and greasy. I would hate to see what she would look like if she only washed her hair 2 times a week. That wouldn't have worked for her ever.

Your dd is probably just a late bloomer. You probably just need to have her wash her hair every day. Lot's of kids can get away with skipping a day, but I think most girls need to wash every day by the time they are 6 or 7.

 

[jennifer293]

Why didn't I think of changing the pillow cases? I used to change the bed linens daily when I went through my "greasy" phase, about 11-35. I changed all the bedding every day, because I sweated and deposited oil/grease on them. Right now I change the bedding 2x week, guess we have to step it up. Maybe invest in some new pillows and those special pillow cases, the type you can travel with?

I guess my little girl is growing up Will try the changes in routine/hygiene, if no results, then discuss other possibilities with her ped. No need to rush to the doctor right now, but keep the suggested possibilities in mind!

I have 2 little girls of my own and I am sure they will be popping up with all kinds of new things for me...I will cherish the fact that they are only 6 and 2 right now, and the hardest thing so far has been potty training them..hahaha I dread the days of hygiene and PMS...


THANKS FOR THE BIRTHDAY WISHES VHOFFMAN AND WILLOUGHBYCLAN

 

[LisaR]

For her hair you might want to try a Tea Tree oil shampoo(DD14 uses Paul Mitchell brand from Super Cuts, I stock up when it's on sale). For her soap, maybe try Dove, it will not dry out her skin(dial might) which will make her produce more oil to replenish the skin.

There was just an article in the New England Journal of Medicine (Feb 2007) that said children, especially boys, should not use products containing tea tree oil or lavender oil. It has too much estrogen and can produce breasts in boys. The estrogen levels do go back to normal after you discontinue the product. My dd was using tea tree oil for acne and we just stopped after reading that article a few weeks ago.

Lisa

 

[TheDizMom]

How long has she been wearing deodorant? Have you changed it recently? I find with my husband that some of the scents they put into the deodorants don't mix well with his body chemistry. The combination makes a bad smell to me . Try finding a more neutral or scent free on and see if that helps.

 

[vhoffman]

I really think its washing her head every day. She wears her hair long, which makes washing it every day a bit of a management chore, but doable. I hate to tell her she smells, but I'm not doing her any favors by not letting her know. If yur mother won't tell you, who will? I'll have to "gently break the news" to her over the weekend.

She really doesn't want to take the time to shower right, she's just going to have to learn. That head looks so greasy at times! The sooner she learns to manage it the better.

But still, this funny odor, it really seems to be something besides her hair. Like I said in my original post, I knew two people who had the same odor, one a little girl when I was in 4th grade, the other a lady I worked with (was pregnant at the time). Both seemed quite clean, even had shiny clean hair, but that funny smell. Both had very fair skin, sort of redhead, I don't know if that had anything to do with it or just coincidence. The post about it being a meatbolic /genetic disorder sort of fits my observations with dd and others. But lets try the greasy head thing first.

Lets face it, some people are more challenged by their bodily hygiene than others. I had to wash my hair every day from age 11 `35, then was able to skip a day, even now I wash it 2-3 times a week. Some people just don't produce the oil/sweat that others do, they do great on a camping trip! I always hated camping for that reason, I couldn't go 24 hours without a shower without looking/feeling/smelling like a grease pit. Just the way some people are!

 

[fivefordisney]

I would have her wash her hair everyday and increase how much water she drinks.

Drinking a lot of water really seems to clean your body from the inside out. My friend noticed that after eating certain foods and then working out, she smelled the "food" smell. She told me that the more water she drinks the better she smells! Maybe increase her water intake... Just a thought...

 

[Shagley]

I remember when I was around 9-10, I hated to shower so I would get in, wash my hair, and get back out. I figured since I was getting wet, my body was clean enough. I only washed my hair because it was greasy. I remember my Mom saying to me one morning when I was about to get in the shower something like "remember, now that you are turning into a young lady, it is very important that you use soap and wash everywhere to keep your body clean". I wasn't offended at all at the time. It wasn't until quite a while later that I wondered if I was smelly and that is why she said that to me. That was the day that I made sure to completely wash in the shower, and not just make it a race to get out really fast. I have no clue if that might be what is happening with your daughter, but you may want to just mention something to her about the importance of using soap for cleanliness (if you suspect that might have anything to do with it).

 

[ohiominnie]

Will look into it. Right now she just uses the cheapest I can get, usually suave, just bought some White Rain. Ds plays with the shampoo, so I just get the cheapest I can. But I might need something stronger for her.

I just noticed that Suave has a clear "clarifying" shampoo. My dd uses the Neutragena shampoo sometimes which cuts the residue. I'm hoping the Suave does the same thing b/c it's like 20 times cheaper! The Suave bottle does say it removes the residue of other shampoos. I'm hoping!

 

[ohiominnie]

When I was a teenager and showering daily (at night) I didn't wash my hair at night b/c I didn't want to sleep on it wet (or damp) so I'd shower and do my body, but then the next morning I'd wash my hair by just leaning over the edge of the tub and putting my head under the faucet. Then I could blow dry it and get ready for the day.

I noticed this also helped get the shampoo out faster b/c the stream of water coming from a tub spout is far more powerful than that which comes out of the shower head....especially for little girls who are that much farther from the shower head.

May want to try that too....my dd does it sometimes....but from within the shower (she'll shower, then wash her hair under the tub spout while she's still in the shower).

 

[HannaBelle]

My DH has very oily skin and his clothes sometimes smell musty. It could be something that has "seeped" into her dresser or chest of drawers. Our linen closet has that smell too.

Have you noticed a smell in her room? I know my DS(13)'s room is really getting funky and he HAS to bathe and wash his hair each morning!

All of that being said, I would probably take her to the dr ASAP just to get a general check-up. Body odor is typical a sign of illness and it is just better to be safe than sorry!

 

[java]

Things I have discovered with my 2 older children(9 and 12) The 12 year old was going into the shower and washing his hair with body soap because it was easier for him(and um yes- he smelled.) I buy those loreal kids hair products with the strong scents- easy to tell if they washed enough. Now my dd (9) takes a shower and washes her hair every night. She was putting on her old socks!!! She would grab the old socks when she was in a rush as they were right in the middle of the floor- HELLO YOU STINK! So once we figured that out - I made her put socks in the hamper everynight. OH! and she was also notorious for digging shirts out of the hamper if she wanted to wear something. I think it is time for some investigation...... check the clothes and daily hair washing is in order. Good luck! And may she be stink free soon. Feet are often the culprit!

 

[threekidsandasheltie]

My dd will be 10 later this month, she has problems with greasy hair if she goes more than three days without washing or if she does not rinse well enough. So I have taken to helping her rinse her hair, she is getting better at doing it herself since we got her a hand held shower head for her bathroom.

Washing everyday is not an option for us right now, she bad eczema patch on the back of her neck.

 

[TheRatPack]

My dd has showered daily since she was 7 or 8, she's 11 now. It is a bit more work for me having to dry her hair every morning, but it makes me feel so much better knowing she's clean and not the stinky child. My son takes a shower daily too, and has for some time...he's 12 1/2 now.

I have a friend though, her dd has a funny smell to her. It's not normal BO and it's not a sweet smell, but it smells up the whole bedroom when she spends the night....etc with my dd. She's quite a bit younger though, 6.....so I'm not sure it's puberty related. I've not mentioned it to the mother because I don't want to imply that her child is dirty....she seems clean and never has greasy hair or dirty clothes. It does worry me on a medical level though, as it isn't a normal smell for a little girl to have and even my husband made a comment that it smelled like something rotten when he walked past my dd's bedroom when the little girl was here and he caught a whiff of the smell.

If she was my dd I'd probably talk to a pediatrician about it after trying the daily bathing and washing hair changes. And be careful with the antibacterial soap, things like that can throw off your body chemistry and especially little girls getting to the age of puberty, it could cause her to get yeast infections....etc.

 

[hsmamato2]

make sure she takes daily showers...the stinkies start well before they hit puberty best thing is a.m.- start the day fresh-
change her sheets weekly, more often the pillowcase if it needs it-
soap type doesn't matter too much,as long as you like it-
start her using deoderant,whatever kind you can find that doesn't cause a skin reaction-
be honest with her, you have certain expectations,no doubt as to your kids appearance and how they present themselves to the world. Whatever those expectations are,just let her know, let her know why(b/c you love her,and want others to think well of her too)
I had to be very firm w/ds on this subject,and explain the minimum daily clean requirements in our house,and my reasons why....
You don't have to say"you smell funny" -just continue to explain about how much fun it is to grow up,and have to spend lots of time getting clean!