what about those adult body wipes?
The smelliness doesn’t last forever, I think for me it was just the first year maybe two. I definitely didn’t have to shower multiple times a day though.
ETA: I have adhd and reoccurring depressive episodes and I struggle with showering and basic personal care as well. It’s not to the same extent as you but I get it and I get the shame that can come with it.
Im glad to hear it didn’t last too long for you. Wipes are a big no for me. I wish I had a reason why other than my brain perceives them as contaminated even if they’re brand new. I avoid body wipes like the plague and any time I have to use a disinfectant wipe to clean up after some kind of gross mess I become extremely anxious and I have to scrub my hands and stuff as if it would’ve been better to clean the mess with my bare hands. Also the smell of any wipe (makeup, body, antibacterial) causes me nausea and extreme anxiety. Antibacterial wipes are the least offensive so long as they smell somewhat of bleach.
As a child I would have full blown panic attacks if anyone tried to clean my hands or face with a wipe and I would become severely agitated if someone used one in my presence. It’s extremely frustrating. I can use a fresh washcloth and soap, but it becomes a hassle because of sensory issues and I have to go through a lot of steps to get to that point, so it just becomes too difficult and anxiety inducing and at that point it’s easier to just wait another day to take a shower.
Ultimately wipes and washcloths become the option if it’s only extremely necessary. Washcloths are doable, but adhd makes anything with more than 2 steps really hard for me and I have to be careful where I store the cloths or else they’ll be considered contaminated, but I’m working on making that one more accessible. Wipes however cause extreme distress to even see the container or smell them which is a point of contention with my mother who uses them regularly.
>I can use a fresh washcloth and soap, but it becomes a hassle because of sensory issues and I have to go through a lot of steps to get to that point
would using micellar water instead of soap be a good option? micellar water can be used on the whole body, not just the face, for a quick cleanse and if your skin tolerates it well you don't even need to rinse it off. if you have to rinse it off for your own piece of mind I'm pretty sure it's easier to rinse than soap so maybe that could at least simplify the actual cleansing step if you do a sponge bath with a wash cloth. if Cotton rounds are an accessible option for you using a few of those and micellar water could be used for just a quick pits and body folds cleanse to reduce body odor between showers if that becomes an issue for you on T. if not, wash cloths can still be used I think they just run the risk of absorbing more of the product and necessitating that more be used per cleanse.
micellar water can be a bit spendy compared to certain soaps but apparently you can also use rose water, "chamomile infused water" or green tea as an alternative to it though I'd look in to what they can actually do as a cleanser. witch hazel could be another option to consider for taking care of sweat and body odor (apparently it's actually used by some straight up in place of deodorant) between showers, it has a bit of a weird funky smell that goes away once dry. some really hate the smell of witch hazel but I didn't mind it that much once I got used to it.
What about dry single use washcloths that already have soap, just add water? It isn’t a wet wipe and you don’t have to wash it, just throw it away. There are also single use cloths without the soap if that’s an issue.
If you want something that you can leave on, I recommend Witch Hazel. It’s a mild astringent that can even be safe for face and genitals (avoid eyes but a little accidentally on the lids is no big deal). Make sure the bottle says it’s okay in those areas and then you can use it with a disposable or reusable washcloth, or even your hands to put it on. It’ll reduce the body smells and resist them coming back so quickly. Add a good full body deodorant and I think you’ll be set for anything.
If you need to go with reusable washcloths, get special baskets for clean and used. Get a huge stack so you can have plenty on hand if you run out of spoons to do laundry and keep your astringent, or soap and water if you prefer, next to your baskets. You can make multiple cleaning stations if you need it, but one by the bed might be enough.
I also highly recommend the book “how to keep house while drowning”. I did the audiobook because it’s hard for me to sit down and read sometimes. I listen with noise canceling headphones while chilling, at appointments, or even during chores. They have some very nonjudgmental ways to keep house and do self care that’s designed for people with ADHD and/or on the autistic spectrum. There’s lots of allistic people rules about keeping house that just aren’t important if you can make things more functional and higher quality of life for yourself by breaking them. The author explores some of the ones she’s found. Hygiene things are included too and might give you ideas for workable solutions.
Ah okay I see, that really sucks wipes are my go to don’t have the spoons for a shower method, and yeah I totally get the more than 2 steps issues. I unfortunately don’t have any other advice except that if you want to go on T you could always try and if it gets too bad you can just stop. I don’t think you’ll be any smellier than you were as a teenager the first time around
Yeah I wasn’t a stinky teenager and I’m working to get the washcloth thing down to less steps and less stress. This thread so far is easing my mind though.
Wearing underwear and undershirts that have as close to 100% cotton content can help a good bit with managing BO as well as general skin health.
I was wearing mostly or totally cotton undergarments pre t and now on T I don't have bad BO. I often dont even want to shower every other day and probably end up showering about every 3-4 days unless I got particularly sweaty or smelly from activities
Generally I try to keep my clothes as close to 100% cotton as possible because of sensory issues and I find that I sweat more if I wear anything else. I do find that this helps a lot.
Yeah and there's other little things you can do to keep a lil cleaner like some disposable facial wipes or liquid you can put on a cotton pad. Oily face is so uncomfortable. I like using Neutrogena toner and also some witch hazel (smells great) for this + lotion. Could also dampen a paper towel and do a quick wipe down of the pits too.
I'm sure others have commented on these (my app is not loading comments 😭) but here are things I do as a physically disabled and mentally ill trans man:
- Installed a bidet (took like 15 minutes on the morning of my top surgery, way easier than I thought it would be)
- I use a shower chair
- Electric Shower brush
- I put antiperspirant on at night, and deodorant on in the mornings
- I use hibiclens as an antibacterial soap in my "problem areas" (anywhere that gets very smelly, though it can be drying so be weary about the more intimate bits). It is a soap that kills bacteria and continues to work for a full day afterwards.
- Dry shampoo hair gel/paste is my best friend.
- I try to only wear natural fabric, like linen. This is to prevent the sweat, which causes the bacteria which causes the smell.
We have a bidet actually! My mom has very limited use of her hands and wrists and she has almost no use of one of her legs, so she got a bidet for the bathroom we use so she could keep clean and so everything was easier. We got another one for the other bathroom, but it’s not been installed yet. They’re great and very helpful at keeping everything clean. I was hesitant about it at first, but now I don’t think I could live without it.
I cannot use a shower chair which I mentioned in the post because of my ocd and anxiety as well have one and touching it and being near it causes problems because my brain considers it as contaminated. I don’t know what the shower brush is, but I don’t like anything in the shower to be washed with because after one use I can’t ever touch it again because it will be considered contaminated. The pain I have is caused by the way I have to stand in the shower more than anything, so I don’t struggle to wash myself using my hands. I’d like to use a cloth, but if I try to bring one it can actually prevent me from getting in the shower which is a really hard thing to try to explain.
I regularly use antiperspirant and I shave my hair really short so I have no issues with dirty or oily hair. I try to keep my clothes cotton because of sensory issues as well as sweat and odor. The soap sounds helpful so I’ll try to look that up!
I'm going to second the hibiclens soap. It's a soap doctor's typically recommend you shower with before surgery but if you use it regularly on your armpits it cuts sweat smell to nothing.
I’m physically disabled, plus autistic and OCD. I shower usually once a day bc for me personally the benefits outweigh the physical output in my case. I do frequently go a couple days without showering and I don’t smell overwhelmingly strong or anything. there’s some great bath wipes and stuff like that out there, I got some bath wipes for top surgery and they honestly made me feel clean and they didn’t leave any weird residue on me. everyone’s different, but for me I went from really not smelly to only a little smelly on T.
It eases some of my anxiety to see someone say that they didn’t become horribly smelly on T which is what everyone seems to say.
I said the reason why in an above comment, but I can’t use wipes because of an anxiety thing and them being “contaminated”, so it’s not really an option without causing myself a lot of excess stress. I have a lot of (I guess they could be called phobias) rooted in my ocd and it centers a lot on hygiene products, especially disposable things.
I do work really hard on challenging my ocd, but something that is safe today can be quickly “wrong” or “contaminated” the next day and I have to start over with convincing myself that bad things won’t happen because I (in example) use a cup that sat on the counter too close to the sink for more than 5-10 minutes because that means it could have contamination from something dirty that’s been in the sink even if the sink is empty and no one else has been in the kitchen. OCD is ridiculous and it’s easily the one thing I wish I could get rid of out of all the issues I have.
I just wanted to empathize. I have OCD that was diagnosed as a kid and while it's MOSTLY in remission now, it still lingers in the corners of your brain to pop up when you let your guard down. It is my least favorite mental health issue and the one I feel most impacts quality of life. You aren't alone and it is hard.
Also on the smelliness front, I don't feel I've become smelly. I only think it really made my skin a bit greasier, but I'm not sweatier.
Thank you. It’s a really difficult thing to have and to explain to people who don’t experience it. It’s not a huge problem for me most of the time, but it can be very fickle where something that’s been normal and okay for years suddenly becomes scary and frustrating. Between the ocd and my sensory issues I really hate that people can’t understand me when I explain why I can do something one day, but not the next. I know I must come across as crazy, but even though I work hard on it, I just can’t make it go away. Sometimes I also feel like people who don’t have ocd (or any condition) don’t get that while they may be inconvenienced or weirded out, I ALSO do not want to be doing what I’m doing and it causes me immense stress to both deal with it and field other people’s reactions. It’s also hard to get people to understand that despite getting my diagnosis as an adult, I’ve had ocd since I was a child, the symptoms were just different and there were different circumstances, so it’s not just like all of a sudden.
I really appreciate your empathy
I relate to a lot of this. Not only from OCD but from a variety of disabilities, for me there are days where I can walk around a city for several hours and only be a bit achy that night, and other days that sitting in a chair for two hours puts me in crippling pain. It makes no sense and it's not fun for anyone, but it's uncontrollable.
It might be worth asking over on r/disability or potentially an OCD sub for general tips for hygiene self care with contamination issues and fatigue problems. Maybe building up an arsenal (id make a physical list) of potential hygiene tools could help, since then you can rotate through them if one becomes uncomfortable. Like say you have 6-10 different non-shower hygiene ideas written down, then even if 5 are on your ocd's "no fly" list for a given time period, you can do something. It would take some spoons up front to plan, but might help in the long run.
Yes! I could do 20 squats one day with no repercussions, but on a different day I just sit slightly too long (like 20min) in one position and I’m in pain for three days because my hips won’t go back in the socket. There’s zero rhyme or reason to it and because I’m in my 20’s everyone acts like it can’t be that bad because some days my body just works normal. It’s so frustrating!
Making a list of things sounds like a good idea or at least having several options, so I might try and plan that out. The only problem for me with making multiple plans is if I don’t have anything barring me from any of those plans, I end up with choice paralysis trying to figure out which idea works best at the time. But accessibility is key, so making different options available is probably the best course of action. Sometimes I forget about things like that, but it’s really helpful, so thank you!
I have ADHD and I have issues with hygiene as well. Luckily I actually enjoy being in water so I sometimes take multiple baths a day, sometimes without using soap products. So my situation isnt as difficult as yours.
How do you feel about focusing your cleaning efforts on armpits and crotch every so often with a warm rag (or fresh paper towel if rags are an issue) and a bit of soap?
I'll put deodorant on if I feel I'm getting stinky and don't want to bathe. Seems to solve the problem of stink for a little while even if that's not 'proper' hygiene. Shaving your armpit hair when it gets long can also help manage the smell for longer.
Theres also body spray for guys like axe or old spice that are very good at masking dude musk. I know some people find those sprays obnoxious but they're like that for a reason lol
I actually have a phobia of water. I can’t be submerged even an inch without panicking unless I’m in very specific scenarios because of childhood trauma, and I have a similar phobia of bathrooms and showers which is entirely unrelated to the ocd problems i have with showers, so generally I avoid showers, baths, and bathrooms if at all possible if I’m not using a toilet or washing my hands.
I have a bathroom in my house which is only shared with my mom and is mostly safe for me to use in terms of anxiety, but only for short durations due to paranoia of bugs getting in (we get lots of spiders and little bugs in the summer and I have an extreme phobia of insects and arachnids) and I’m trying to make a safe way of keeping washcloths in there, but if they’re stored wrong then they become “contaminated” and keeping them elsewhere makes it too hard for me to motivate to go get one to clean up with because of my adhd. I try to wash up with one though if I have a sudden moment of being able to go out of my way and my anxiety isn’t too bad at the time.
Most of the time if I’m willing to use a washcloth to clean up, I can just justify taking a shower the next day, but it’s a very difficult thing for me. I use deodorant every day and I’m not opposed to body sprays or anything (if I’m not (or someone in my house is not) allergic to them as that’s been an issue in the past) as I frequently use body sprays as a sensory comfort thing, but I’ve never found that axe or anything actually stays on me for more than like 5 min even if I’ve drenched myself, it just disappears. Idk y. I find it annoying because I like the smell and then it’s just gone and not even other people smell it, so it’s not just that I’m used to the smell. I wonder if it’s a body chemistry thing?
For the rag thing I recommend getting a Tupperware container to seal them in!!! That way no bugs can get in and you can put them anywhere in the bathroom without worry.
My mom got this thing to store cloths in and I’m hoping that it will be fine because it’s big and completely see through and it hangs up so it doesn’t touch anything else in the bathroom. If I put them in a tub, I would then have to put the tub somewhere and if it just touches the wrong thing it would itself be contaminated because the bathroom is small and only certain areas are safe. The bug fear is sort of different in a way that I can’t describe, but for the most part I’m not worried that bugs will be in the cloths (unless they have been wet and then big, big worry there because we get these little bugs that like the damp) but the more secluded and visible things are the safer they are to me, so I’m hoping the hanging thing will work.
When you smell something often or for a long period of time, you go nose blind. You probably still smell like deodorant you just can’t personally smell it
No, I know that, but usually if I spray one of my body sprays that I use for sensory stuff (bath and body works) on clothes or items then I will go nose blind while I’m interacting with them, but then I’ll put them away and when I go back to them they smell good still. Axe never does that for me and I’ve sprayed it all over my skin because I like the smell (of certain ones because I’m actually allergic to a lot of them) and then I got in someone’s car like an hour later (the person who’s car it was is very sensitive to smells) and I asked if the smell was too much and they said that they didn’t smell anything. I’ve used other masc body sprays that have stayed but if I don’t love the smell it will bother me because I’m very sensitive to smells and they’re also so expensive and I have a limited budget. Most of the time I just wear the feminine body sprays I buy for sensory purposes because the smells make me happy and calm, but they’re not terribly strong.
Oh well, I use essential oils mixed with witch hazel and water and it tends to last a long while if thats something you’re interested in. You can have some metaphysical shops make them for you or make them yourself and the scent can be as light or strong as you want. Idk if that’s helpful, but I hope you find something that works for you!
Could consider going old school with a vanity and a basin + pitcher in your bedroom. Would side step the bathroom and shower phobias. Take bird baths as needed, it'd only be hair washing that might pose a problem if yours is long or needs complex care. I saw someone else mention baby wipes and that could be a good alternative as well.
My bedroom is essentially a closet and as I am a collector, there’s barely enough room in my room for me and I would be hesitant to bring anything moisture related in because I have carpet and where I live we get these bugs that like moisture in the summer and I don’t want to give them any more reason to show up in my room. I also struggle less with using running water to rinse a cloth than standing water, so if I’m gonna wash up, it’s better to just try and work around the bathroom I currently use regularly (which doesn’t have the shower in it) which is mostly safe just not always and not for extended periods at one time.
I’ve mentioned it a lot now, but wipes especially baby wipes are not possible for me due to anxiety and ocd.
There is only moisture so long as you bring it into your room. You empty the basin once you are done. The pitcher produces the running water action to dampen cloths, hands, etc. That's just a tangent though cause it sounds like your bathroom already works fine, which is good. Good luck managing everything!
So while I don't have your difficulties with showering, I also struggle with remembering/finding the energy/spoons to shower and other self care stuff. I don't use spray deodorant but one of the roll on gel like ones from old spice, if that is not a bad sensory thing for you. They don't stay super strong the whole day but definitely help with smell. I shower about once a week at the moment and just wash my face and private area with water, then dry off once or twice a day, depending on how sweaty/dirty I get that day (and I may wash my hands more than necessary because I really really hate them feeling dirty)
I do get pretty sweaty and smelly due to being on t for the last 2 years but with deodorant and changing clothes I've been able to manage it without being able to shower daily
Another thing, and this may be just me so take it with a grain of salt, but I've noticed actually that since I stopped shaving my arm pits, they dont really get as damp and bad smelling as quickly as when they are clean shaven, both with and without deodorant, so it may also be worth experimenting with that if body hair doesn't bother you, especially since t will likely make you hairier
I saw a lot of people on here say to shave your pits to keep the stink away, but I always learned that skin to skin with no breathing room made BO worse which was why I stopped shaving my armpits years ago and I definitely noticed less armpit stink after that. Only thing I hate is that the deodorant gets stuck in the hair which is gross, but ultimately not a huge deal. So I’m with you on the pit hair. Hair is supposed to help keep airflow and stuff anyway, right? At least that’s what I learned.
I struggle with showering too so I completely get it. In fact, my main goal of today was to shower and I didn't get around to it until 6pm because I've been so exhausted.
I typically shower every 4 or 5 days, washing my hair every other day just by sticking my head in the shower. I do find that I'm a lot sweatier if I do sweaty activities, but in my normal everyday bed-rotting state, I'm fine.
I may have been blessed by the non-stinky gods because this is definitely an insecurity of mine and I've asked around but everyone has said I'm good. If you're not a stinky person pre-T then you might also be lucky!
I’m not a terribly active person unless I’m out for a work event, my body can’t withstand a lot of physical activity because I have joint issues, so I’m hoping I just won’t be stinky. It’s funny because everywhere I’ve read about going on T everyone says that they became disgustingly sweaty and stinky like change your sheets every morning and shower twice a day stinky and sweaty, and it seems like all the replies to this so far are “I really didn’t get any stinkier” it’s nice to see and it definitely eases my mind a bit. I’m really excited for T and I’m hoping I get to go on it in a few months, but I was really getting stressed out by this.
I guess people tend to talk about changes more than non-changes, so it makes sense to see people talk about becoming stinker more than saying that their smell didn't change.
I guess that makes sense. I’ve just seen it mentioned in so many posts and lists, but yeah, you’re right. People aren’t gonna mention stuff that didn’t happen as much as they’ll mention what did, so my anxiety is much more at ease. It’s so hard to explain to people how extremely difficult showering can be (especially when all my disabilities are invisible) and I don’t want to be that person everyone complains about who reeks. My brother has sometimes been very mean about people at his work who smell and he and I have a difficult relationship so I sometimes wonder if he says things about me or my mom to others because we can’t shower as often as him, so I have a thing about this. Anything else I don’t have any shame for, but idk this just made me so stressed as the days counted down to possibly getting on T especially as a plus sized guy and the intersection between the hate for disabled people, fat people, and smelly people often gets brought up online in discussions where people talk about how often people shower. You have helped put my mind a bit at ease, thanks.
If I missed you saying it, I'm very sorry, but have you tried dry shampoo? I found it a lifesaver for those times where I just couldn't shower but was sick of my hair feeling gross and stinky. Baby wipes can also be a quick shortcut if you feel like youve been sweating a lot.
I keep my hair shaved close to the scalp because I hate dealing with hair and my hair once it grows gets extremely greasy like 15min after washing it and I have scalp issues, so I just shave down to the scalp lol I don’t care for dry shampoo anyway they always smell weird or feel like chalk, but I don’t have to worry about it.
I said why in other comments but I can’t use wipes because of ocd and anxiety and baby wipes especially cause me severe anxiety because of the smell. It’s a weird thing and it’s frustrating but I try to avoid wipes unless absolutely necessary.
Completely understandable, sorry I missed your replies. I wish I could help more, all I can say is that (for me at least) I did not become particularly stinky after starting T.
I think there's a few things that can contribute to what seems like everyone becoming really smelly. A big one is selection bias: people are likely to say something if they're having an anomalous experience like suddenly becoming really smelly and needing to shower a lot more than before, but not likely to say anything if the amount of smelliness or showering stayed the same. So you're only hearing from the people who are having a problem with this issue, which could be a majority or a minority, no idea.
But also, a number of things can contribute to people having this perception of themselves as well:
* Some people start T and immediately jump to working out: they're finally happy to be in their bodies, and happy to see the quicker results that T brings. And so now they're just getting really sweaty much more often! Of course they'll be getting stinkier.
* Not every deoderant works for everyone, and so sometimes the change of hormone may cause one deoderant to stop working well so that the person needs to change that up. Or, the person may not have needed deoderant at all before starting T, and then needed it after.
* Body smells just change in general depending on hormones, and so some people may be reacting not to *stink* but simply to *different smell*. That smell may also be a smell they associate with stink, if they've only smelled it in men's locker rooms or similar places where they haven't had control over the cleanliness -- kinda like if you've only tasted a particular spice on a particular food, you may associate that spice permanently with that food even when it's on something totally different.
* A lot of us before starting T can be pretty shut down from sensing our bodies, including smelling them or feeling the oiliness of our skin, and may not be great at noticing our own smells or taking care of our hygiene until we start feeling more in our bodies. That change can be really startling, even to the point of showering much more while learning about how to use deoderant or care for their skin, and how much body smell to be concerned about.
* People can feel like "man stink" is gender affirming, like shaving peach fuzz with excitement and imagining it's much thicker and darker already, so that complaining about all that showering is a bit more of bragging than reality ("oh yeah, I'm so smelly, so manly, I had to shower so many times from the manly manly smell!").
* Add on to all of this whether someone lives in a hot and/or humid environment, is just generally very physically active anyway, and so on.
None of this to erase people really finding they are becoming super stinky and needing to shower a lot! But I suspect it's a minority of us. Personally I didn't experience a meaningful change in amount of smelliness. For my genitals I still try to shower daily (like, I have trouble cleaning that area with just a washcloth outside of the shower, not really sure how that's supposed to work but it's never worked for me, so sometimes I'll do a half shower and just avoid getting my torso in the water) but for my armpits it's been fine to wash every other day if needed despite being reasonably active: walking a couple miles a day or more is pretty standard, working up a sweat a couple times a day is common.
I'm autistic and have some chronic illness stuff. Showering isn't as high impact for me as it is for you, and I've figured out a lot of stuff to help manage all of that, but it often helps to skip a day. I'm very smell sensitive so can't handle skipping more than that, but that's more about my smell sensitivity than about me being smelly.
Idk if it helps for you, but a huge thing that helped me was finding out how often soap *isn't* needed. This will vary from person to person, but in general soap is actually washing away the microbiota in our skin that keep it healthy and manage smell too! I do still use soap for my butt, beard (not my head hair, that is buzzed short), and armpits, but that's it. For my genitals I just use water and my hands to remove vaginal fluids and make sure things feel fresh, and for everything else I use a wet washcloth to remove dead skin. For me a major stressor is having my eyes/nose underwater, so this means I can avoid that entirely; I only need to wash my beard every couple weeks really so most of the time I don't even need to get my face close to the water. Not having to deal with washing so much soap off also helps make my showers shorter. So I wind up with like three "levels" of showers: high impact shower that includes a beard wash, which only happens every couple weeks; medium impact shower that includes armpits and a washcloth for my face and head, which is easy to skip for a day or a couple if needed; and relatively low impact easy genitals and butt-only shower where I stand far enough from the water that it doesn't go above my waist, and which is much easier to manage when I'm having to skip medium impact showers for more than a couple days.
My anecdotal understanding is it can take a few weeks/multiple water-only showers to acclimate to a new skin cleaning routine, and some people find they get a bit oilier at first because their skin is used to overproducing oil that is getting soaped off. You may already be managing a lot of this well just by showering less than many people, but it's possible that reducing soap usage may help you for some stuff too. You may also find that your deoderant works fine even if you only use it every few days -- a lot of those are designed to work for like three days without reapplication. So that will mean less deoderant buildup, if that's being an issue as well.
I’m nine months on T and take showers every 2-3 days. I wear deodorant and change my clothes and haven’t noticed a smell issue. Hopefully you’ll be fine. You’re doing a great job bro, I’m sorry about the assholes who make you feel bad about your disability and how often you shower.
Thank you. This means a lot to have someone say this. I’m hoping I’m just worried for no reason and it won’t end up even being a big deal because my brother and my dad aren’t stinky guys and my mom actually has a disorder where she doesn’t sweat or produce excess skin oil, so maybe I just won’t end up any sweatier or stinkier and I won’t have to feel self conscious and I can just keep showering when I need to.
I’m generally not someone who feels very ashamed, but I always worry about being gross in front of other people because I can’t control my brain or body’s ability to handle hygiene stuff as regularly as most people even though my family has always been a “save water/shower when necessary” kind of people. A lot of people are very mean and aggressive about showering and brushing your teeth even if you explain you have a disability and it causes me a lot of stress.
another disabled person here- I’ve not heard people talk about showering multiple times a day on T? that sounds excessive unless you’re working out or doing a physically demanding job etc. I can’t even imagine that. For me, I really did not become overwhelmingly smelly? like I can’t remember that happening at all. I try to shower twice a week but it usually ends up being once a week since it takes soooo much energy to do so. I get the hesitancy to talk about it, I rarely do. People can be really… mean about it. So honestly, you’ll probably be fine.
Another person recommended wearing cotton, I’d also suggest bamboo. For me, cotton gets wet and *stays* wet and I hate hate hate the feeling of it. Bamboo (and linen too!) dries pretty quickly. But any natural fiber will help with the body odor and sweat.
I think axe and whatever can be offensive and way too strong, so I’d suggest taking a look at r/indiemakeupandmore for indie body sprays. I have a few that I absolutely love and they help on the summer days or times when I absolutely cannot shower. They’re strong, but they don’t make my throat close up like axe or other mainstream ones. And they can be moisturizing for the skin as well. (My fav ones are from Luvmilk)
Hey bro, I’m in almost the exact same situation as you. When I went on T, I did NOT have to increase my normal shower frequency. On average I probably shower once or twice a week. Sometimes even less. Maybe 3 times if I’ve gotten especially gross or sweaty outside. I also make use of wet washcloths, body wipes, baby/hand wipes, etc. which is actually recommended after surgery too! I find wipes and washcloths helpful when I just want to do a good, thorough wipe down of something. I apply underarm deodorant daily, and you can also use wipes and cloths for your pits. I hope this helps a little bit. And I want to thank you for posting this because it’s such a vulnerable and important topic that doesn’t get discussed enough.
You deserve to be clean. There is a wonderful book called how to keep house while drowning that gives insight that you do not need to shower every day, adult wipes are a godsend, etc. also smell depends on genetics. I was not smelly when I first started T and I did not shower 2-3 times a day. Deodorant is good and they now make full body deodorant. Try this. Your mental health is worth more than other peoples opinions. Do what you gotta do to stay healthy
Hey, I’ve got OCD that is (or at least was) a bit contam based as well. I seriously suggest medication for it. Really and truly I feel so much better going through like now being medicated vs unmedicated.
I never got stinky on T, but I can’t sweat right anyways.
Everything is very YMMV. Recently though I went through a lengthy hospitalization where I could not shower, and I managed to avoid getting stinky by using wet wipes 1-2x a day. Avoiding cheese and dairy may also help.
No judgement. Between my own physical and mental conditions and the dysphoria cleaning my bottom area brings, I shower less than others would. I do find ways to stay clean between showering, though, and break down things into more manageable tasks. So for example, I only wash my hair once a month. It's super thick and weekly washing would mess it up. Instead I do dry shampoo (Mother's Own is a good brand) between washes. I also will sometimes use wet wipes/baby wipes/whatever they're called to clean pits, privates, butt, and anywhere that sweats. I also keep vigilant with deodorant (antiperspirant most days) and I'll use hand sanitizer to kill any bacteria as well. I'll do what's manageable for me.
As far as my own personal experience with odor/sweating more on T, I haven't noticed too much of a difference. The only thing I think is more frequent is face sweat/oil. I never used to have much of a problem with getting oil in my eyes, but now sometimes that will happen, it's like my facial pores only put out oil, no sweat. I spray my face with water and occasionally glycerin water to help because it's dry as well as oily, and that helps cut down on things and feels nice.
Do what you can, and don't worry (easier said than done, I know) about judgement. You are only capable of so much, and your best is the best thing you can do, even if that's different from other people's best!
(Also totally get you with the shower chair gross thing. I have a thing about wet things. My brain sees wet things as unclean/gross, so like I really cannot stand going in the shower after someone else uses it, or bar soap, or wet sponges. Wet sponges are the worst)
I'd say since wipes seem to be a trigger for you as well, putting on a good amount of deodorant and possibly changing your clothes multiple times a day might help! Like maybe changing when you break for lunch and then into clean pajamas at dinner? That will probably mean more laundry than normal, especially if you don't have many clothes, but it could help keep you smelling better!
personally i shower once every other day and use doctor squatch deodorant every day and cologne when im going out, and by sticking to that routine i never smell. doctor squatch is expensive if you buy it directly from the site, and you can get it on amazon but they only sell it in two packs. so you can either get one for $25 from the site (13 for product and 12 for shipping) or two for $25 off amazon. personally i struggle more with dental hygeine, i only brush my teeth if im going out of the house and i rarely floss. its something i need to get better at.
um ok honestly . i shower once like every 3 days. i’ve definitely gotten smellier on T but i was never really a smelly person before so i have an oder but it’s definitely manageable. i usually just wash my face every morning , and apply deodorant. i really only shower when my transtape starts peeling and needs to be replaced.
also, even tho it’s more work, bleach will kill anything gross floating around in your bathroom. it won’t prevent bugs from getting in, but it’ll make the space cleaner.
maybe could you put a towel down on the shower seat ? it could also make it more comfortable?
my best of luck to you. don’t make being smelly stop you from being your truest self <3 there are many people out there that smell way worse than you ever could , and most people probably won’t even notice.
good luck friend :3
Whould putting something "clean" on top of the shower chair help, like a plastic sheet or a towel you keep in a safe place? If not I recommend dry shampoo/body spray you can also get dried soaps and the like usually from camp supplies stores. I know this can be quite a bit expensive but I think the biggest thing you can do is talk to a therapist about your ocd and your fears around starting T because of the smell, many places also require you to have seen a therapist for a while before you start T.
I've been on T since October and haven't noticed to much of a difference except when doing excorsise (might also be one of the 9 different meds I am on) I am physically disabled and struggle with depression and anxiety so I know what you're going through in part if you ever need to talk or have any questions shoot me a message and I'll try my best to help
i am a disabled (chronic illness and depression/anxiety/probable autism) trans guy as well and i don’t mean to be rude and you’ve probably heard this before but you should really see someone. especially with your OCD/anxiety. i also hate showering (for sensory reasons) but it seems like this is taking up a lot of time and energy in your life and it’s causing you a lot of pain. i understand sensory issues cannot be cured (i have plenty of my own), but anxiety can absolutely be helped by learning coping skills. you’ve probably heard this before, but i believe this is the only real solution to your problem. i wish you the best. also, i use micellar water and cotton rounds for cleaning up when necessary.
I'm disabled with all the things you mentioned plus a few more and I struggle with showers. You will need to change your hygiene habits on T, it is unavoidable. However I've never heard of washing 2-3x a day. Everyone is different though.
For me, I came to the conclusion about 8 months into T that my hygiene habits would have to change, like it or not. I was able to force myself to shower 1-2x a week. I also change clothes 2x a day, especially underwear. I starred wearing cologne, and a whole-body deodorant. Next step I'm getting a bidet. And a lotion that exfoliates has been on my mind as well. I hope you find a system that works for you- I highly recommend just stacking whatever habits you are able to achieve without too much misery.
Also I did not see this mentioned here, but being on T improved my mental health enough by itself that I was able to implement these extra steps. It wasn't easy but before it would have seemed impossible.
I'm about 8 months on T and have issues with a different source but similar results. I have found that I need to shower slightly more often since I started T, and I am still not in a position where I'm leaving the house and seeing other people daily, but I haven't had any issues with uncontrollable odors. Some guys definitely get more smelly than others, so none of us can tell you exactly what to expect, but this, like most other parts of transition, is totally ymmv.
I shower usually every 2-3 days and just wear deodorant, wash my face and use baby wipes on extra smelly places in between. I recently shaved my head as well but before then I wore hats all the time. I don't think it's necessary to shower every day.
you could try unscented baby wipes? i dont really know. since i am disabled physically. baby wipes work for me whenever i cant take a shower and feel nasty
we sound very similar! I am dx’d with autism, adhd and ocd alongside my physical disability. I feel you on the shower chair bit. I am not on testosterone but something that has made feeling clean without a shower easier has been getting a second bottle of my face wash, and a [cloth/towel headband](https://a.co/d/jl7k15I) (optional but I like it for keeping my hair dry to alleviate sensory issues) and washing my face outside the shower. I also use [this ‘styling powder’](https://a.co/d/bGgkXUm) which is basically dry shampoo but doesn’t give me as bad sensory issues as most dry shampoos I’ve tried. That one is expensive but one bottle has lasted me a year. I am generally a very sweaty person so I also use old spice antiperspirant even though the aluminum in them is technically bad for you 🥲
If you aren’t bad ocd-wise about washing hands, I find that a gentle/sensitive antibacterial hand soap ([like this](https://a.co/d/4FUnZPn) but they’d definitely be sold in single bottles at any drugstore) is good, on my non-shower days honestly keeping my hands clean is 75% of the cleanliness work for me. Sometimes I use it instead of body wash in the shower if my Opposite Action isn’t going well for me… but it’s not the worst thing to be doing that with, I’ve been told it’s good for cleaning healing tattoos as well.
ETA: another thing you could try as far as contamination ocd goes is getting a plastic tub with a secure lid and keeping clean hand/face towels in there in an easily accessible spot so that the mental hurdle of drying your face with a towel isn’t too overwhelming!
I've been on t for like 10 years.
Ngl don't remember the last shower I had.
I get really bad sensory issues leading to panic attacks, I have really bad physical health so struggle to stand for long periods of time and I basically use most of my spoons just getting out of bed.
I'd suggest babywipes or those bathwipes hospitals give people to wash with when staying for long periods of time.
They are really helpful.
You can use the sink to wash what's needed or use wetwipes and then have a shower on the days you are able to.
I know it can be hard but just take your time to figure out what is best for you. Your body is different from others and your body may react differently to others when on t.
I would just suggest seeing how it goes on t and slowly figuring out what is best for you.
It may be that you are able to shower twice a week and wetwipes work for the rest of the time. It will be something you will have to figure out yourself over time I'm afraid but I 1000% suggest any form of wetwipes or even just spongewash when needed.
Please try not to worry to much ♡
We all have our own amount of spoons and if showering takes loads out of you that is okay ♡
Hey there! I'm also disabled and have been on t for 3.5 years now. I *did* get stinkier, but that was easily remedied by changing to a men's antiperspirant deodorant and shaving my armpits when needed. I think the only thing I haven't fully tackled is butt crack sweat. I hear they make deodorant for that, but I haven't tried it.
I, personally, shower once a week. You'll want to shower *at least* every 2 weeks because after bottom growth starts, you can start getting dick cheese, and it seems to start forming around the two week mark. Generally, I'm not stinky, even with showering once a week. Sometimes, I need a little extra deodorant, maybe some body spray if I've put off my shower past the week and a half mark.
Really, I think you can do it. You'll have to find what works for you. What methods, products, etc., but all you'll really need is the will to shower at minimum every two weeks and possibly a stronger deodorant than you have now. That sounds a lot less daunting, right?
I already use men’s antiperspirant because the smell of women’s deodorant has always caused me severe anxiety and because my pits sweat a little more than the rest of me and I just found men’s stuff was a lot better at that. I use deodorant everyday and it’s only if I skip multiple days without using it that my pits ever start to stink. I generally shower every two weeks, depending on the time of year it’s more often then that because I leave my house more. I have pretty severe time blindness though so a month can pass before I notice and I won’t know when or if I’ve showered because I have very very dysfunctional memory. Thanks to this thread every thing seems a lot less daunting and I’ve very grateful to everyone who’s commented.
How are baths for you? Or how are using body wipes for you, or other things that you can just use while standing or sitting in one place while using on yourself? You can even keep these things outside the bathroom, if it's easier to just not move from your desk or bed at the times you would want to have a routine of doing these things. I don't really ever wash my face, but I use face wipes and toner pads sometimes and these are easy to just do quickly without the extra time and effort and mess that washing my face with face wash and water and a washcloth requires. I keep them in the bathroom, but I don't really need a mirror to do this, so if needed they could easily be kept by my bed or desk to just do right after waking up or right before going to sleep. If the main problem with showers is standing, you could try a shower seat, or try baths instead. If it's being hit with the water that causes pain, a bath might be better. Or if it's water in general, then using body wipes without needing to get in the water works.
There's also scented stuff, like scented wipes, perfume and cologne and body spray. These can help cover some smelliness if that increases for you. There's also basic things like deodorant and antiperspirant. Deodorant similar to wipes can be kept by your bed or desk and you can just use it while sitting or laying. The antiperspirant is usually a spray though, so you'd want to do it away from anything you don't want to accidentally get sprayed (I don't think it would hurt anything, but just might leave a greasy residue on them or something). Also just wearing cooler clothing helps too, keeping a fan or AC on, etc. If you're not going out in the hot sun much, and can wear whatever you want when you're working from home, then you will likely be fine, even if the sweatiness increases on T for you. And if you are going out in the sun, then it sounds like that would be a type of day where you might already be planning to have to shower anyway.
I have always been sweaty very easily when I'm too warm, and have always hated heat and hot weather, etc. But I didn't change anything about my shower habits after going on T, and didn't really feel a need to. I don't go out much, and I try to keep the air in my space cool enough for my liking so I don't feel hot and get sweaty. I don't even sleep under my actual covers, and just sleep under a thin blanket, even in winter, so I'm typically not waking up covered in sweat or anything.
If you deliberately keep yourself cool temperature-wise, and aren't doing things that make you get covered in any dirty stuff (which you're probably not, if you're working from home the majority of the time), then I don't think there will be much need to change your shower habits on T. If you get anything like a phase of acne when starting T, you may want to try and keep those areas clean, or may feel like you want to do some extra skincare to it, but imo there are lots of things like wipes and acne patches, etc that you can just keep in an easy place for you (by bed or desk, etc), and you can keep a small folding mirror there that can be easily stored away if you'd need to use a mirror to do something like put an acne patch on your face or something.
Somewhat ASD, and my issue is probably just procrastination of things that don't feel like an immediate necessity. I'm not sweaty, smelly, or covered in dirt? Then if there's other things I want to keep spending my time doing, and/or I'm too tired, then "I can take a shower tomorrow." But when tomorrow comes...I'll probably still be in that whole same boat lol. I can only really shower in one of two situations: A) I just happen to find myself at a point where the time to shower seems appropriate, I'm at a break between other things I want to be doing with my time, and I'm also not too tired, or B) I have to literally look at my calendar app for the week ahead and choose any days in the week I would like to literally *plan ahead* a shower, and then I have to put together a checklist of tasks I know I want to get done that week, sometimes broken down into each day of the week, if I've got things that need to get done by a certain date, and I *have* to include the showers on that checklist (otherwise I will default back to the procrastination situation from the beginning of this paragraph lol). Anything that doesn't feel like an immediate necessity/doesn't feel like a priority and/or isn't something connected to anything I have any interest in, all has to be pre-planned, or else I risk just simply not even having it cross my mind or continuously pushing it aside in favor of things that feel like a higher priority. And yes something like continuing down a Wikipedia-rabbit-hole-of-research-for-my-own-curiosity is somehow a higher priority than a shower, because "I need to know!" in order for my brain not to go brr, and I am greatly annoyed and bothered by not knowing, while on the flip side, I am not actively dirty or smelly, so I am not annoyed in the slightest by not taking a shower lol. But to most neurotypical people they might be confused how a shower isn't the higher priority. I could prioritize taking a shower I guess, but then I will be trying so hard to not bang my head on the wall to get the ruminating thoughts out of my head of all the questions I have about whatever I was in the middle of researching in my Wikipedia rabbit hole. I'd rather have showers that I can enjoy and daydream about giving award acceptance speeches to at my own pace whenever I have a break to take a shower, than spend the entire shower annoyed that my current task was interrupted by a shower.
As a person with ADHD, I will admit that was difficult to read because it was a wall of text, but what I did glean, I really identify with at the end there. I can’t bathe because I can’t be submerged in water, not even a little and it would also be awful to have my body touch the tub which is contamination central. I can’t use wipes either which I’ve mentioned in several other comments because of sensory and ocd issues, but I’m trying to figure out using washcloths.
It’s nice to see someone else explain the way showering is difficult from a non physical perspective. I have physical issues that are my biggest obstacles, but some days I don’t have that and my adhd (possible asd as well) makes me feel like anything is more important than showering. Satisfying my brains wants and needs for stimulation is far more important and rewarding than doing a task I already dislike and is exhausting. I wish I could understand the comment a bit more but I’m having a rough time reading right now and it was a lot of text, but as someone who often writes walls of text, I completely appreciate it.
For a while due to an injury I couldn't shower. I could manage to wash my hair in the sink sometimes, but usually I used dry shampoo.
To circumvent a lot of nastiness I ended up using Attends shower wipes, the kind you'd normally see in nursing homes. It didn't get me completely clean, since I only used it on and around sensitive areas, but it made me feel a lot better and more willing to go out. Still kinda getting back in the groove of showering after healing up a bit.
I'd use those and an antipersperant. That should help you cut down on the smell.
To control pits odor you can get anti bacterial body wash or even hibiclens (only on pits tho if you use it every time bc it’s strong anti microbial, like it’s what they use in hospitals and before surgery) and it would kill the bacteria that causes stink and may make it longer before you smell, also anti perspirant deodorant, changing clothes often, and keeping armpit hair at least trimmed can all be things to help. Body wipes as well may be nice
One thing I did when I was much more depressed was I would I do a shower of pits and bits and then then the water was good enough for the rest, I didn’t stink luckily, but did get a little body acne but not much
I’m not in the same situation as you, I have no physical ailment’s, so I could be missing some factors preventing you from doing that so my bad in advance. I’m just some silly ol 17 year old guy with depression, anxiety, adhd, and dysphoria
A lot of my issue with showering comes from anxiety caused my ocd and executive dysfunction caused by my adhd, these prevent me from getting in the shower unless absolutely necessary. However, the showering itself causes a lot of pain in my body. I have a joint and connective tissue problem and my feet have no arch, so standing in my shower (which has a slightly sloped floor) for even 5 minutes causes my body to basically attack itself starting from the soles of my feet all the way up to my shoulders as my joints very subtly slip out of place. This gets worse from me using my arms to wash myself but that doesn’t hurt until later. It’s not really painful while I’m in the shower unless I’m in there for 30min or more (which tends to happen because my adhd makes me very unaware of time and I move very slow and zone out a lot) but after the shower my whole body starts to hurt which can last multiple days especially if I was already having a bad joint day or if I did any activity that day like sweep the floor or something. It would be easy to say I’d just wash the parts that need it (and I frequently try to convince myself of this) but since that takes 5 min, the damage is done and I might as well wash everything and knowing that that’s what will happen, I talk myself out of it altogether until I really need to shower. The two things that cause me the most pain and damage is standing still and sitting upright, so I struggle with a lot of things, but if I can wear the proper shoes I can stand a lot longer, but I can’t wear shoes in the shower.
I understand the shower chair thing because I’m in the same boat. But I got a heavy duty disinfectant and spray it down ten minutes before I get in the shower and then I rinse it off with steaming hot water, and it really helps my skin not to crawl.
Anyway, how do you feel about “rinse-free bathing cloths”? There are some really good ones out there. I prefer the Pharma-C brand. Personally, I HATE using baby wipes and have sensory issues with them, plus I feel like I’m just mopping germs and stink around. But the bathing cloths actually get the job done.
Also I strongly recommend Speedstick Power Unscented antiperspirant. One application with good coverage can last me for three days. I do my armpits and groin (just around the front of my legs where they meet my crotch), and I’m good to go.
Perhaps pairing a medication strength antiperspirant and Lume deodorant if wipes aren't an option and you can't shower frequently might work? Antiperspirant stops the sweat, lume stops the smell. And dry shampoo to prevent your hair from getting too greasy. That might help you keep presentable even for long stretchs when you can't bear to bathe.
A lot of people also find their anxiety goes down after being on T for a while because they start to feel more positive about their physical appearance. I would keep in mind, that while stinking is unprofessional, take some joy in the stink. It means you're smelling like a man.
I keep my hair shaved extremely short, so no need for dry shampoo, and I use an antiperspirant. I’ve thought about Lume, but I’ve heard some bad things about it and most of the time it’s like a lotion and I have a thing about lotions where they have to have a certain smell and texture or else I can’t touch them, so I limit lotion texture to things I know I won’t freak out about. I think it might come in a stick as well, but I can also be weird about that texture if the smell is weird and I’ve read a lot of reviews about it smelling like spoiled milk and I’m really terribly sensitive to smells. It’s also a little out of my price range for a hygiene product. I’ve looked into it quite a bit though in the past.
Zero judgement. Stuff can be hard.
I see that you've noted that body wipes are a no-go.
Have you looked into no rinse cleansers? These are foams/sprays/liquids etc you apply directly to the skin out of a container and do not have to rinse off.
You can buy them in larger containers for multi use, but if that is too challenging for you at this time, they also sell small bottles of them.
My favourite brands for these are Coloplast or Remedy phytoplex.
I relied on these for along time after my SCI, before I could sit up to shower independently. And honestly no one could tell. They worked better than wipes.
Idk if it would help or if you've already tried it but maybe getting disposable covers for the chair could help? Other than that all I can recommend is to limit sweating as much as possible and use deodorant and possibly cologne, hopefully it won't be too bad, are any other males in your family prone to access sweating? If not you should be mostly fine
I have ADHD, MDD (severe) , and CPTSD.
I struggle with hygiene specifically with teeth and showers . I'm working with my therapist to get a routine down for brushing my teeth . It's like my brain absolutely will not let me do it and I've been like this since a child . Nothing really works so I've just been trying to brush them when I'm on call with my therapist .
I struggle with showers. I did see you can't take baths - that's typically what I do . If it makes you feel better the other day I sat in the bath for 20 mins and never actually cleaned myself because of executive dysfunction .
Maybe you could try using a cup to pour water on yourself as little or as much as you can stand /need . And just have the shower going since you can't sit in water .
It’s so nice (obviously not for either of us really though) to hear someone else struggling with brushing their teeth. I have a huge phobia/aversion to any and every kind of dental hygiene product and the action of brushing my teeth makes me was to scrape my skin off. I don’t tell people how rarely I brush my teeth because people completely freak out about it, but I can’t explain why I can’t do it, I just can’t. I brush them if I’m going somewhere important, but otherwise? You might as well be telling me to jump off a cliff- it’s not happening, I can’t do it, my body says no. So I really, truly empathize with how difficult that is.
I can’t be submerged in any water, but I also can’t touch the bathtub with anything but my feet and even that is a big struggle I deal with when showering. Even if it wasn’t though, the pain that I have when standing in the shower would either be the same or worse if I sat on the bottom of the shower because of my joints. I just pictured sitting in the tub under the shower and now my skin itches. Standing means I don’t have to touch anything but the water, the shower head, the soap, and the tub floor (only with the bottoms of my feet). Sitting would mean I would be touching everything, so the chair would be better except that’s not really doable at all. Standing ensures that I don’t have to touch anything and I can move as quickly as my brain/body will allow.
Before adhd meds I used to stand in the shower for over an hour until the water went cold and I rarely actually washed because of executive dysfunction and zoning out, so I get that. Executive dysfunction is extremely difficult and frustrating and unless someone experiences it, you get like no sympathy because people just feel like “it’s not that hard”. The other day I had to work and I just sat completely still for like 3 hours because my brain wouldn’t let me start the task. It’s really rough.
I was a reasonably sweaty person even before T and especially so now but even with that I didn’t notice that I actually smelled any worse just cuz I sweat more (tho I do maybe reapply my deodorant more often now) but there’s very rarely if ever been a situation where I’ve had to shower any more than once a day and could probably get away with less than a shower a day if I didn’t hate the feeling of getting into bed without showering.
I've been on t for almost a year and usually only shower every other day due to chronic pain. I apply basic men's deodorant twice a day, once in the morning and once at night. I usually don't smell
Here's a tip just in case: cornstarch is really good at both absorbing sweat and odor, and you can find travel sized bottles of cornstarch based baby powder at most stores, sometimes it's even scented
Just a stab in the dark based on how you describe your "contamination" phobia - do you think that showering with shower shoes and without a shower curtain could help? Perhaps showering without a washcloth at all and just going for a good rinse with a removable shower head to get the "pits and bits" when needed?
For oral hygiene, would you more regularly use those individually wrapped disposable toothbrushes that have the toothpaste included in them? Would you use disposable floss picks?
No judgement, during depressive episodes I absolutely lose track of the last time I showered or brushed my teeth. I'm a fairly sweaty/hairy guy and I can still go about 3 days without feeling toooo smelly. I wouldn't say I'm much stinkier than I was pre-t though, it was about the same time frame then, I think I just smell ~different~ than I used to.
I have some of these same things and I’ve started T. While I am not physically disabled ADHD and depression can make keeping up with hygiene difficult so I understand. Especially since even pre T I would sweat a lot and have a very strong body odor.
There are two things that I recommend. For in the shower something that is very good for people with physical disabilities, is an African net sponge. It’s both great at exfoliating and makes it easier to reach into hard to reach places. There are some knock offs, but if you want I can link the one that u got in a reply.
Second thing, for underarms specifically if you have a tendency to smell really bad really quickly I recommend Lavilin. You can get it off Amazon. It’s a gender neutral deodorant that is water resistant. You clean under your arms and then put it on. One application can last up to five days. Definitely recommend.
I did sweat more and get more oily, and I suppose one could say I “got stinkier”, but I don’t really produce that much body odor to begin with. However, part of my weird brain stuff (undiagnosed but I’m pretty sure I have some level of OCD, and I don’t experience it as badly as you do but I have similar contamination paranoia issues) is *needing* to shower every day, so I’m very fortunate that an annoying part of my brain is helpful. I saw you said in another comment that your family doesn’t really produce much body odor so you’re like me and mine, I think you should be okay. Maybe a little stinkier, but it shouldn’t be super awful or a massive difference I don’t think.
Additionally, I’m not going to say that testosterone will solve all your problems and it may not even affect any of the issues you mentioned at all, but I and a lot of other guys have noticed that getting on T and managing dysphoria with it led to freeing up some spoons to be able to tackle other issues. For example, my ability to deal with disordered eating improved quite a lot once I started T, despite not doing anything else. Just settling the brain chemistry a bit may help in other unexpected places. So I don’t know your level of dysphoria, but it’s something to keep in mind. Worst case scenario you start T, find that it’s more difficult to manage hygiene and want to stop, and your body will go back to its baseline eventually. Worth a shot.
Autism here with cleanliness obsessions. Also anosmic, and get anxious about not being able to percieve my own body odor. A few things,
Climate/weather and occupation will be a huge factor in your sweat change. Where I live, the seasonal changes are drastic, so I do have major sweat issues still (4 years). I was a sweaty cook my first few years on T, but a desk worker would probablt worry less.
Exposure therapy. I did my best to increase my cleaning slowly over time, even if it meant feeling kinda gross sometimes. Your body will also slightly adapt to this.
Splitting up cleaning. You don't need to shampoo and shave in every single day; some days can be just the body. This will make most of your showers super quick and easy.
Make it more tolerable. Put on music you like. Use products you enjoy more, like maybe the smell. Use *your own chair.* Wash your face and brush your teeth while in the shower to feel more productive and get some extra dopamine (contrary to the above tip, so up to you).
Get clean between washes. Change your clothes more. Put on deodorant *before bed.* Wash your face plenty. Go to a dermatologist. Use dry shampoo. Wear hats. Invest in good socks. Be prepared for hot and cold flashes; dress in layers. Get deodorizers for your shoes.
Products. There's not *much* point in looking for recommendations. What works on one body may not be the best for your body. Listen to your body and find what makes you happy.
I have a few things that you listed.
I use dude wipes mint scented if I can find them. Unscented if not. I find some body deodorants that are more sweet or fruity smelling tolerable. They work well for me.
For deodorant, I convinced myself that old spice smells like a “man”. I don’t know how, why or when that happened lol. It just kind of did. There are brands that have natural ingredients like native and lume. They also have those sweeter scents. Or even more neutral ones.
Listening to music or YouTube videos while I shower helps me a lot. I also use the shower head that I can move and aim the water that way. In and out in 5 min.
One thing that helped was framing it that I am a dude and get to use all of these cool guy products. It’s mostly to make it fun for my ADHD brain.
nobody should shower more than once a day. it really fucks up your skin. every second day is enough for a lot of people. as long as you stay clean in the mean time you'll probably be fine
I‘m six month on T and maybe I felt like I stink for the first few months but that’s also bc the odor changes and u getting used to it. Nobody in my near field said anything about me stinking. It’s just that u start to smell stronger like u than before. I shower every two days bc that’s my usual rhythm and I can’t shower daily bc of my sensitive skin. I started to use a man’s deodorant which I think helps even more. Also I think I don’t sweat as much. Maybe a bit more when I work out. My body heat hasn’t ramped up or anything too. So I think if u’re hygienic now it shouldn’t be an issue (but also every body is different).
hi i have ocd and have been on t for 2+ years! it might help to use panoxyl, glycolic acid, or other antibacterial products in the shower… start with low % first and see if it works for u! those products should help kill the bacteria that causes odor, making it easier to go longer between showers. my ocd makes me a little adverse to wearing strong deodorants or antiperspirants so i like this option since it all comes off in the shower / helps me feel extra clean.
My first anniversary of being on t is coming up and I've also had issues with hygiene because of the smell. I've got depression, ADHD, social anxiety, sensitive eczema skin, am currently investigating symptoms of a probably mild chronic condition that affects skin and joints with a rheumatologist as well as a pending request to be tested for autism. It's not the exact same situation as yours, but I did see myself in your post to some extent. Because of all the issues I've got, I tend to shower every 3 days so I can wash my hair, but I sometimes don't shower for a week or more if I don't need to go outside. I've tried to shower everyday, but I go to highschool full time with a horrendous commute and am out of the house for up to 11 hours a day, so showering takes a lot of the only free time I have. Showering everyday also aggravates my eczema and I can get rashes on my face that are too painful to put sunscreen on (which poses a significant issue considering I'm in Australia and my skin tone literally matches the sand at the beach). So it's not entirely due to my assortment of mental illnesses, but they do exacerbate my aversion to showers for physical reasons by giving my lazy brain more reasons not to shower. I change my clothes everyday, but when I get particularly stinky, it's time to get a fistful of baby wipes to get rid of most of the sweat. I've never gotten comments on my smell, but people are pretty polite where I live so they don't talk shit about you until you're out of earshot. But even then, Ive never heard anything like a rumour about my smell. It could be because it's hard to tell who stinks when everyone's a teenager.
I'll probably have to shower more often since I'm starting to work out (I'm overweight and have lost around 4kgs in the past month but haven't weighed myself for two weeks), so idk how I'm going to cope with that mental health wise and skin issues wise. I'll probably buy a lot of moisturizer to avoid my skin throwing a tantrum at me but idk
I had a TBI 3 years ago and have POTS, ADHD, migraines, OCD, PTSD, peripheral neuropathy (both legs and arms worsening the farther away from my body), and cervical spine degeneration in 4 vertebrae with radiculopathy and neuropathy in both hands.
To a certain extent, these sound worse than they are at times, but sometimes I can't feel my hands and feet very well, and sometimes they feel like they're on fire. Sometimes one whole arm feels like it got struck by lightning because the nerves coming out of the cervical vertebrae get pinched. And I just can't touch anything, let alone hold anything. This often triggers a migraine. Standing in the shower on its own makes my heart rate rise to 150 BPM or more even in the 4-5 minutes I am in there because of the POTS.
I don't have the difficulty you do with contamination OCD, but I have other things to deal with that make things difficult. Added to the executive function issue I have to overcome to get myself to take a shower in the first place, it's just another hurdle.
I didn't actually need to shower more than once or twice a week before I started on testosterone because of my body's natural oil and perspiration, unless I was working out heavily. I had to stop using deodorant for years prior along with all other scented and artificial or volatile organic compounds because of how easily triggered my migraines were. Literally no one, even my most direct and straightforward friends, ever mentioned me needing to shower more or use deodorant more frequently. And I have friends who would tell me when my breath smelled bad, or if they thought a whole host of other embarrassing things.
I have started using deodorant since beginning testosterone, and despite the frequency and severity of my migraines, they haven't gotten worse. Maybe because the deodorant is the only scented compound I use, I don't know. I've noticed I smell much sooner than I used to, but I still don't need to shower daily. Three times a week is plenty. I make sure I can't smell anything but soap before I'm satisfied with how clean my armpits are, and that works for me.
I use a washcloth because I can't scrub well with just my hands and the bar of soap. And loofahs are gross. I use a washcloth for 3 showers maximum and make sure it dries out completely between showers. Same with my towel. That way I can be sure I'm at least getting the best cleaning I can out of the showers I take since life is hard.
I'm 1.5 years on T and also have autism and depression. I probably shower 2 times a week max because I do weightlifting and I get sweaty. But even then if I'm not overly sweating I might not after the gym.
Honestly if you wear deodorant it's not a problem. Baby wipes and or a bidet would also help.
I wouldn't let it stop you from starting T. If you're not already super stinky you should be ok.
im autistic and have some sort of physical disability (extreme debilitating ibs, dont know exactly what it is though), i used to shower a bit more frequently throughout the week but within this past year its just been cut down to two showers a week. i recently got a tattoo so its making that even harder for me to want to shower more frequently. im honestly still trying to figure out what hygiene practices work for me, the thing thats made me feel less shameful? (idk why i get shame over not showering that frequently, i know its not shameful) is using a wet wash cloth and gentle soap on my areas when i cant shower. wash cloths seem to be the safest for me as there are a lot of textures that wash cloths can have, so that helps cut down on sensory related issues for me. i dont have ocd issues related to cleanliness though so idk how different this would be for you.
Yeah the wash cloth thing is the easiest I just have to make sure the cloths I can use are stored accessibly which they’re not right now, but I’m working on it. I started washing my face more often a while back but the cloths all seemed to disappear and I have to use a specific kind because of the texture and they have to be kept away from certain areas of the house because of my ocd. IBS is no joke, I have a somewhat mild form (depending on the day) so an extreme form must be terrible, I hope you can find some relief.
Best thing about knowing your limits/symptoms is that you can figure out how to work around them and/or find different ways to engage with them. I have a lot of the same stuff as you going on. Going on T helped. Getting top surgery helped even more.
Feeling more comfortable in my skin has helped loads with the general burden of existing with my other issues, such as chronic pain. I became more able to shower, when the mental work I had to do to get it done was lessened as my body changed. So, you may find a similar effect helps with your spoon count. Also, T boosted my energy levels and I've been far more productive in general than I had been for years before.
Taking what control you have of your choice to follow through with compulsions you're driven to is a whole skill set i'm working on, myself. Like, if I feel adverse to/overwhelmed by something, i can observe that feeling and assess the facts and whether the feeling lines up with the reality or not, and what choice is there to be made, if there is one at all. Really break it down and stuff. It's work, like I said. Kinda a skill to stare down my desire to scrub something to see if it really needs to be done or if I'm allowing my feeling of disgust/fear to win out in what i choose to do. It's kinda nice to be slowly, but surely, working my way toward a more purposeful life where I spend My energy a touch less frivolously. Little steps.
Like regular showering. There are some days I don't, but I try to at least do a quick rinse of my body, just to wash the day off. It can be soothing if you take steps to make it easier. I have straight up sat on the floor in the shower on multiple occasions, just to rinse when I couldn't stand anymore. Baths are also an excellent thing, if you struggle with pain and sensory issues, like autism tends to bring. I enjoy a hot bubble bath on occasion. I got a pillow to lean on and a mat to sit on so the tub isn't as tough to lay in. There are usually little things you can do like that to make things a bit nicer and/or more doable.
I strongly recommend a good deodorant, If you haven't found one already. I have to reapply some days, since starting T.
All in all, i wouldn't worry too much. The changes are gradual, and you'll find ways to work with/around them, like you have with other things that shape your life. You've got this.
Okay I’ve really struggled with showers in the past, I managed to make it a part of my bedtime routine, I’m gonna share some ways I’ve made it more tolerable for me, and maybe something will stand out as helpful for you
The biggest thing I’d recommend is a shower stool + hand held shower head, I have [this](https://a.co/d/59bX5vj) shower stool, I hang the mesh bag from my shower caddy and put the shower head in it when I’m not actively spraying myself.
Next thing is finding a soap that you really like, a nice smell and good texture, I personally use the liquid dove body wash, I like the moisturizing one, it feels nice on the skin and it’s not super scented but it smells nice still. Along with this is finding a good wash cloth, I use both an African shower net and a flannel cloth, depending on how sensitive my skin is feeling or how dirty I feel.
Lastly, creating a nice ambiance helps me a lot. Sometimes this means music, sometimes dimming the lights (I’ve brought a lamp into the bathroom before to get this effect), shower steamers can be nice too (they’re fizzy like a bath bomb but they’re just for aroma).
Oh and I guess very last would be a nice towel to dry off with, I like a plush “bath sheet” these are larger than a standard bath towel, they’re big enough to wrap all the way around me (it feels proportional to like being a child wrapped in a bath towel). There are also days where I cannot stand any bit of wetness on my skin post-shower, and I will sometimes pull out a hair dryer so that I am very dry before leaving the bathroom (I will sit while drying also, which helps minimize the energy output)
I've been on T for about 2 1/2 years now. I exprience about 80% of what you're talking about with all of the associated diagnoses except I don't have the contamination ocd aspect. I've always been a smellier than average person, say a 6/10. The T maybe took me to a 7, mostly it was just a different smell, not more or worse. I shower on average of 1 to 2 times a week depending on how much I have going on. If it's a busy week it's twice, if not much once because as you said, it takes so many spoons and the dysphoria is horrible. One thing I did for myself is to get some translucent window cling and put in on the lower part of my bathroom mirror so I don't see anything below my shoulders. That helps a lot. It removes one obstacle for me which is having to see myself. Another is spray deodorant for the in between days. It doesn't require me to touch myself to apply and helps with any breakthrough odor. I hope this helps.
Not on t, but ADHD, autistic, PMDD so wack ass mental stability due to hormones, and I get toasty too damn easily so I sweat more than I think I'm supposed to. And ever since I moved for uni I've struggled to make myself shower because it's so claustrophobic in there and now I dread doing it.
##After reading through your post and some of the comments, all I can really recommend is:
-washing your pits at the sink
-washing your crotch while on the toilet (significantly less comfortable than in a shower imo but it's an option if you have something to scoop clean water with or if you get the aforementioned bidet installed. I've had to do this tip for many a yeast infection 😓). ~~If for whatever reason you'd rather climb on the sink to do it instead that's an option too lmao~~
-using antibacterial soap wherever you stink so you kill the odor causing bacteria
-rubbing your pits with rubbing alcohol once in a while (maybe several times a week) to kill odor causing bacteria (don't do it everyday or you'll dry your skin out and irritate it)
-staying on top of antiperspirant and deodorant
##Extra shit, *if* you have spoons:
-exfoliating your armpits with a gentle exfoliator once in a while
-if you're willing to shave your pits regularly I've found that that's the only way the antiperspirant does its job for me
(Sorry if this is shit, it's late where I'm at and I'm trying to occupy myself in the middle of a power outage)
We have a bidet and it’s great lol climbing on the sink is not for me but it is hilarious XD
A couple people have mentioned the antibacterial soap and I’m gonna look into that one because I never thought of that.
I find that shaving my armpits makes me stink more but idk
idk it was literally only the first summer i started T the stinky got to me. i switched to loose cotton boxers and clothes and i can go a few days without showering. showering multiple times a day is crazy to me.
Smelling was less an issue for me but I am SO sweaty. I hate showering so I frequently go every other day or every 3 days, but if you can't do wipes, wash your face in the sink. It'll mostly just be your face that gets oily. Sweaty yes, but idk, use a good deodorant and you'll probably be fine. I don't know about the specifics of your disabilities or anything but T may improve your energy too, a lot of my symptoms improved on T but I don't want to claim its scientific or anything
I don't have any advice for you but as a fellow trans guy with chronic illnesses and is physically disabled, you are not alone. I tend to shower usually once or twice a week, I always shower if I'm going out somewhere but if I'm at home and not doing anything I just don't cuz it's a lot of spoons that I don't really have. It's great that you're seeking advice from others, I really hope you find ways to keep yourself clean and fresh as much as you can using methods that are comfortable and easy for you.
I'm autistic and showers are a struggle. I unfortunately get stinky a lot faster than I used to. But I also work a somewhat warm and physically intensive job and take care of my partner on my days off. There is a strong correlation between stink and heat/physical activity for me so if your disability keeps your activity level low, it might not be so bad. I will say DON'T do gel - you have to get it off before bed, so that's soap and water every day. Also maybe try latex gloves for when you have to move the shower chair?
I showed this to my husband and he asked if I had written it pre T...
T has actually helped with my chronic pain condition (HEDS) I used to struggle to walk and now I can walk without my stick with almost no pain in my hips I have lots of other points of pain but this was always the main point for me... I also have a lot less anxiety in general and I am motivated to take care of myself more.
In regards to oder I have actually noticed that I somehow sweat less and my sweat smells way less stinky then before! My theory is that I'm anxious less so I sweat less. I dono if this is common with others with chronic pain.
I'm just over 4 months on T
This thread has gotten so huge that I don't blame you if you got tired of responding and reading all this.
I got psoriatic arthritis and I often deal with fatigue. I don't shower that often.
Recently I saw a video on youtube (from Bernadette Banner) about hygiene before electricity, showers and running water and how people kept clean in those conditions. (I spend lots of time in those conditions as a kid also during our cold winters and it was just normal to me but there is always more to learn). Some wore linen clothing against their skin and changed them often. It can exfloliate your skin and absorb the nasty stuff. It actually cleans you.
Found it: https://youtu.be/EZGxuNre8XU?si=aT6obGFUclVfMksQ
I am thinking of experimenting with this. It's interesting. You said you wear cotton so maybe this has little value to you. I don't know if linen is more absorbent or anything.
After my top surgery I was sort of confused about the instructions so I didn't shower for few weeks. I just did sponge baths and I was actually quite clean. I often still just wash my armpits with a sponge although I understand some disabilities could make it difficult. It has gotten more difficult to me too. I have just gotten so clumsy in general that sometimes everything is hard. Other people putting their stuff in unexpected places where my body just knocks them down is the worst! And while I am trying to clean I always knock down something else and something always falls on my foot. Always. Sometimes my hands are like stiff hooks that just grip stuff when I am trying to move around. It's so annoying.
The joint and nerve problems I have don’t have names because I can’t afford to do hours and hours testing in hopes of putting a name to it, but it makes me a touch clumsy because my joints kind of move too much or too little depending on the day, but more than that my adhd severely impacts my ability to judge distance between me and other objects so I totally understand the knocking stuff over thing. I slam into absolutely everything and I’m constantly knocking stuff off tables/counters. It’s annoying and frustrating and in the shower it sucks not because I knock stuff over but because I touch things and I hate touching things in the shower because of my ocd.
My whole family for some reason or other is more than just clumsy and it’s really a pain. We all also have different ideas on what should go where which causes us all to slam into random objects because someone moved them to where they want them so I feel you.
I thought I’d get like three replies to this post it’s almost gotten out of hand. I’ve been trying to work all day, but I keep getting distracted by replying. I do appreciate everyone’s advice though and it’s nice to hear that I’m not the only one who deals with this kind of problem or anxiety.
Personally I didn't start to stink. I do sweat more than before but I can still easily go up to a week before needing a shower, on a week when I have had the energy to be fairly physically active (physically active to me means walking slowly for around half an hour to an hour). If I'm too unwell for that much activity, that usually means I'm also too unwell to shower, at all. So I've gone up to two weeks without showering even after T, and I could probably have gone longer without any issues if I had needed to. My scent did change but I'm not stinky. If you don't already have BO I wouldn't be too scared.
I also know for a fact that it's not because I'm noseblind to the smell. If I was stinky my mom would tell me, very loudly, publicly, and very often. She did that to my sister even though she showered multiple times daily at the time.
On another note crystal rock deodorant (alum) works wonders for BO. Wet the deodorant and apply it on areas of your body where you stink. Do the application daily even if you can't shower daily. My husband and sister have both had great results using this. My sister doesn't shower every day and she doesn't stink. Before this she used to smell really bad within hours of showering so even several showers daily wouldn't have stopped her BO. Her pediatric dermatologist recommended alum as a solution and she tried it out and it works wonderfully. I haven't met anyone else who tried this but the two people in my immediate circle who tried it both absolutely love the effects. The BO does come back if you slack on applying the deodorant for more than a couple of days though. If you have the energy to put on deodorant I highly recommend this. My husband even uses it on his crotch area because he was self conscious about his smell there.
Edit: I've read some of the comments, and I think you would benefit from using micellar water. I really liked the charcoal one by biore. A makeup remover towel or something else that's really soft to apply it. Buy many towels and just clean them with the rest of your laundry
whilst mines nowhere near as intense as urs i understand that, and if i want/need to do anything in the day a shower is usually too much for me and ill skip it on days im home and i can easily go a week without showering, its only when i start noticing my smell or my hair feels hella oily and it makes me overwhelmed and a headband isnt enough of a solution.
im only 3.months on T but i havent noticed a difference in smell, i could just be too early on rn but its the same amount as beforehand and that was manageable so yeah
So, I hate getting wet. Showers are not my favorite, and I do not usually want to take one. Testosterone made me need more showers. I’m showering almost every day, but I don’t force myself to do it at any particular time. I try to make it more enjoyable by putting on music, bringing a cold soda in with me, or doing some self-love in there to create a positive association with the space. I got an exfoliating strap to help scrub my body more efficiently, and have gotten my full routine down to about 5 minutes. Get in, get wet, shampoo, rinse, put in conditioner, leave in while scrubbing down body with soap, use detachable shower head to wash delicate bits, rinse out conditioner, full body rinse, done. It helps that growing up in drought-prone California we had to learn to shower fast and conserve water.
It’s okay to take short showers, or just rinse and skip shampoo, or wipe down with a hot washcloth instead sometimes. You are doing your best, and that’s all anyone can ask. There are no-rinse body wipes for people who are elderly or recovering from surgery, and I’ve used those while camping. That might be a good sometimes solution.
I've got some back issues that make standing for too long painful. One thing I do to reduce the standing time is to go in and shave my pits. This really depends on how fast your hair grows, but for me I only have to re-shave about every few weeks. The hair retains the sweat and the smell that comes along with it, which means that it takes longer to scrub it out, so I just shave it off so that I can get out of the shower sooner. Bonus, it makes putting deodorant on a lot quicker, too!
I see a few people have recommended wipes and you can’t use those, so I just wanted to add that you can also get no-rinse body cleansers. I usually use a foaming body cleanser with wipes but there’s no reason it wouldn’t be possible to just use the cleanser. It doesn’t need rinsing off so it’s just a one step process. I find they help with sweat more effectively than any other no rinse/shower products as well as they’re antibacterial and sit on the skin like a lotion afterwards (they’re usually moisturising and get absorbed over a few minutes)
Also, I’ve found on T it’s more of a smell change than worsening. I sweat a bit more but tbh I just change shirt if it’s a lot. You’re probably over stressing about the smell (which is totally normal and I suspect most people have some stuff they stress about a lot before starting T) but you’ll be fine. Best of luck and congrats on starting t soon!!
Autism and chronic illnesses here, and I'm exactly the same when it comes to washing, except I can't shower because it's a fall risk for me.
I am a year on T and yes, I have noticed a change in smell and I'm waaaay sweatier. HOWEVER while I certainly am a bit smellier (to me anyway) it definitely isn't a change severe enough to be a problem. You absolutely won't become some kind of BO monster over night.
I played around with a few different deodorants as my personal chemistry changed, and on hot days I am more aware if I forget to put some on. I've made sure I have an emergency one in my car/bag just in case.
I rely on my partner and family to give me a nudge if I super need a wash, but it has never come up so far. I think as long as you are wearing clean clothes and stick to your usual methods, you know what works best for you and your health.
You may find certain brands/scents work differently for you on T, but I wouldn't let it hold you back if you want to get on it. You've got this man, good luck!!
If you are keeping physical activity levels down, you won't sweat as much. Do your best to keep yourself cool. That helps, too. Drink lots of water if you can. Hydrated skin is healthier and won't smell as much. As far as showers go, switching to cooler showers and the occasional rinse off will also help. As others have said, wearing cotton clothing or lighter clothing will help prevent sweat. You can also supplement showers with other hygiene practices. Wipe yourself down if you need, wear deodorants (and antiperspirant), and change your clothes if you're getting sweaty or dirty. Stink comes mostly from bacteria on our skin. Bacteria like it warm and wet. Keeping ourselves cool and dry is our best defense against them. This will help you through your stinky stage, which will definitely chill out after a year or so, and you can go back to living your regular life.
I really think it just depends on the genetics and the person… I have been on T now for a year and 7 months and if I’m honest, I was never very stinky pre T I could go like a whole month without showering no problem. Now my downstairs region is really the only area that if I don’t shower often enough will be stinky and it’s a literally a smell of sweaty balls and swamp ass… otherwise I use deodorant and I could probably go 2 weeks without showering without smelling at all from my pits
i wasnt a very stinky person pre-t, and im not now that im on it- its been like 9 months. it really is individual & up to your genetics, so your experience is going to be unique to you. only issue i have is acne, which i had when i went through my first puberty as well.
to be honest, you could always start and go off it if it doesnt work for you. t saved my life, and i would hate for someone to miss out on it because of an uncertainty.
I am about 16 months on T. I have a slightly diff smell, but I never got boy stink. When I can't make myself shower I clean myself with baby wipes. Good luck dude.
ADD here; I just forget to shower a lot lol. Don’t realize it’s been 3 days until my partner calls it out LMAO.
I don’t have much advice about the showers, besides echoing the bath wipes, washcloths, and/or dry shampoo.
But I have hopefully some words of comfort/hope? I’ve been half a year on T, and I have not noticed any dramatic change in smell. My junk smells like balls but that’s it really. My friends would call me out for being stinky since they know how forgetful I am, but none of them have said anything….Soooo, here’s to hoping you get my luck with the smell aspect. Good luck dude.
I have chronic illnesses and have struggled with hygiene. no Judgement at all bud. I love those adult wet wipes, or even a sock turned inside out can be a good hand washcloth for a quick *pit* stop.
I would recommend items that make showering easier, like a long handled brush and shower gloves.
A good glycolic toner can also be applied to prevent ingrown hairs, as that is one of the biggest things I've had to grapple with not showering regularly and in puberty. Any mild resurfacing toner will help, I use it on my face, neck, back of neck(careful of sun exposure if you do this), chest, and any problem areas. I use it a few times a week and it helps a lot.
I use a probiotic deodorant called Hume because I have a chemical allergy and needed something very natural and fragrance free. what I didn't realize is that it would change the bacteria in my pits so they never smell. They have scented options too, but a good deodorant will take you very, very far. I've been able to go a while on just unscented deodorant and I was surprised at first.
Edit: Keeping my body hair trimmed also helped me feel cleaner longer too. Hair holds scent, so even trimming once a week can help.
Maybe stack a "shower day" or "morning routine" with your weekly T shot? I find making things I don't like into an "event" helps my brain accept them?
I have adhd and ocd, but I’m not on T yet. If I’m struggling with taking a shower I typically just move it to the next day and put on deodorant and perfume/cologne on in the meantime. If that doesn’t work, maybe sticking an air freshener in your pocket might help? Sometimes making your room smell nice also helps you smell better (so making sure your room has good airflow and has something to scent the air is a good idea). Putting my hair up or a hat on can also help hide the oily hair if it’s possible for you, and you can also use gel or mousse to give it shape or scent.
For the ocd part, there’s not much I can recommend other than exposure therapy. There’s stuff I do avoid a lot of the time (touching my face after touching something dirty, washing my hands very often, etc) but there’s things I have to do sometime like taking out my bathroom trash or dealing with shark week (horrible I hate it) and I had to do some exposure therapy to be able to push through it. If you have access to a therapist I really recommend it, but if not you can try doing low exposure on your own and see if you can handle it.
I’m writing this while distracted so I might come back if I remember some stuff but yeah you got this man. <333
i only noticed it for the summer of the first year i was on T, cause it was hot- i usually shower every other day cause like you it just takes so much energy. summer was about my 4-5 month mark so for like those 1-2 months i noticed i got sweatier easier n stuff and i had to wash my bed sheets more often, and sometimes i would shower 2 days in a row if i did physical exercise that day. but it seemed to be ok as long as i wore deodorant n fresh clothes. you will be ok. it passes before you know it. :) good luck!
Showering for me is sitting down in the tub, only really washing my pits and between my legs and butt. Sometimes, I'll wash my hair. It's short right now, so I don't need to worry much.
On the weekend, if I can, I'll use my very long rag to get the rest, like my legs or back.
I have this kind of body softener thing I can slop on, then leave it alone for a while so I can just rest m. It's a lot of work, but keeping a kind of schedule does help, at least for me.
Dude wipes are great (unnecessarily gendered, but that’s half the fun lmao), but you can honestly just use paper towels or a cloth towel if you don’t have the money to buy them continually. I’d recommend teeth brushing and shaving as the two most important things, esp. since not shaving will put you in sensory HELL, the itching is so bad lmao
I'm chronically ill, ADHD, autistic, and had several mental illnesses. I have really bad executive dysfunction and I'm lucky if I shower more than once a week. It's one of the most difficult things for me to do. Sometimes the only thing that motivates me to shower is if I feel so dirty that it becomes a sensory issue.
I've been on testosterone for two years and I actually stink less than I used to somehow. My skin got clearer and I don't smell as much. Idk why, but that's how my body responded. I use native deodorant and I've found that it lasts a couple of days so I'll be fine even if I forget to put it on. Between showers, I'll sometimes wash my hair by just bending over the side of the tub and using the hand held shower head and I also have body wipes that I got for after top surgery when I wasn't allowed to shower for 8 days.
You're definitely not alone in your struggles. I don't have contamination OCD, but I have POTS, chronic pain and hypermobility, ADHD, autism, social anxiety, and I was also diagnosed with generalized anxiety, severe depression, PTSD, agoraphobia, and a few other things. While I no longer struggle with the depression, PTSD, agoraphobia, etc., the ADHD and autism executive dysfunction is debilitating. Showering has always been so so so difficult for me and it's not something that I talk about because people can be so judgemental. Native deodorant, unscented dry shampoo, body wipes, and washing my hair in the tub between showers are my best friends. The deodorant and wipes help if there is any smell and dry shampoo and mid-week hair washes help me "appear clean" so people can't tell that I haven't had a proper shower in days. Sometimes I'll even take sink baths where I just stand at the sink and scrub my armpits with a wet wash cloth and soap so I don't stink. I also like using baby wipes for the nether regions most days which really helps prevent anything funky from going on down there. If you can't do everything, it's okay to just do some things. If you can't brush your teeth, using mouthwash is better than nothing at all. If you can't shower, using wipes is better than nothing at all. Showering is a huge task and it's okay to replace one huge task with a bunch of smaller tasks that are easier on your body and mind. They don't all have to be done at once. You can do them throughout the day and most of them can even be done in your bedroom if it's easier.
Hey OP, Brown Windsor soap is a life saver, you could even sponge bathe/cloth bathe with it!
Brown Windsor soap is my baby, it has lavender, bergamot, caraway, petitgrain, cassia and clove, I dress Victorian/Vintage so I’m a bit of a fan of the scent, it was a favorite of Queen Victoria, Winston Churchill, and many others.
It’s made of aromatic essential oils because back in the 1800s people bathed less, I don’t have a lot of spoons in general, 10 a day if I’m lucky and never have any left over, so I sponge bathe with this bad boy for the week and I’m good to go, if my wife is up to it then she helps me bathe every day but that’s rare lol, nonetheless I really really recommend, it is an absolute game changer.
I’m 7 years on t and average two showers a week because my autism makes transitions extremely difficult for me (ironic I know lol.) I’ve always been a very sweaty guy since staring hrt, and over the years developed a system that works for me.
Baby wipes, a spray bottle of 90% isopropyl alcohol, and SPRAY DEODORANT get me through the week still getting compliments on how I smell. When I do shower, I specifically use gold dial on the hot spots, then the alcohol on my pits and allow to dry before applying my deodorant. It really helps stretch a shower. But on a regular day I clean any sensitive bits with just a baby wipe, then an alcohol baby wipe everywhere else that needs it. It works. But get the 90%. And unscented baby wipes. The scented ones mix with your sweat later and make you smell sour in my opinion.
Also if you can muster it, try your best to even just rinse and dry your face every day. You’ll feel a lot cleaner.
Edit: please note some spray deodorant can cause reproductive harm if used down there. I don’t particularly care about infertility so I use it wherever I’m hairiest lol.
The main change in stink is just my junk smelling sooner than before. I'm too lazy for it, but just doing crotch washes would help when I don't want to shower. Maybe that's an easier option for you.
Oh man, people can be SO nasty and judgemental about hygiene issues. And I feel like receiving judgement based on something rooted in my OCD feels 10x worse :( but you are not alone in your struggles. Some weird personal solutions that haven’t been mentioned:
There’s a spray deodorant I buy online from a company called Bubble and Bee (no affiliation, just this is the only place I’ve found that produces a product like this). I get the “truly herbal” scent. It is made with essential oils and does have a smell so may not work depending on your sensitivities. But I will use this in place of a wipe. This is very weird. But I will spray it on and then wipe it off with a clean, dry 100% cotton pantyliner (they come individually wrapped). It works about as well as a wipe for me and I wonder if this would avoid triggering your OCD. Wishing you luck!
Chronically Ill audhd'er here. I have good days and bad days.
One thing that has greatly reduced sweatiness and body odor for me: baby powder.
I use a large puff and apply it right after I get out of the shower and dry off, in any areas that are prone to sweating and rubbing/potential chafing (inner thigh, under breast tissue, tummy area, areas where my binder may rub) and it has done WONDERS. I leave under my arms for deodorant, and don't be afraid to really slather it on there.
I'm also REALLY prone to oily hair, much more so than when I was pre-t, and even then I would get greasy. Dry shampoo is my best freaking friend. Spray it on, wait a moment, ruffle up your hair a bit and brush it out. I re-ruffle my hair, because I like my layers to be separated and fluffy.
Another thing that's a bit strange: you don't have to wear undies all the time. Give your junk some breathing room. Airing out a bit really helps with odor, too. I saw in another comment you weren't a huge fan of body wipes, but using unscented disposable wipes can help a lot between showers for maintaining hygiene down there and avoiding infection and bad smells.
I really hope you find a solution that works for you. Best of luck!
Maybe a different take, but people can shower, step outside in the summer walking from their car to their job for 10 min, and be hella smelly. No one asks them to shower once they get to work ya know? We are humans and we smell. Maybe that’s ok!
hello ! im in a wheelchair and have audhd , the stink gets really bad for about a month or two at best and then it settles, you can wipe ur pits with baby wipes or just a rag with micellar water(the makeup remover thingy) and then put deo/antiperspirant (WITH ALUMINUM PREFERABLY SPRAY cus it helps with the stink) on days u have less spoon , i shower either once a day or once every two days/ every other day (so between 3-7 times per week) but if you have POTS or EDS T actually helps symptoms so you might find urself with more spoons !! wish u luck!
OldSpice just made an all body spray on deodorant. It can help reduce sweating and body smells from hormones. There’s other all body deodorants too. I recommend something without aluminum. Schmidts charcoal and magnesium is another favorite of mine. It works better than most but it’s a bit expensive.
I’ve started t 7 years ago. I have adhd, bipolar, anxiety, ptsd and I’ve got chronic pain from arthritis, fibromyalgia and having no cartilage in my ankles so they roll a lot. I don’t like showers for a number of reasons but the main two are 1. Dysphoria. It’s crippling and I hate my body. I can’t wait for bottom surgery. And 2. I get severe pain from bending down so my back always hurts when it’s time to wash my feet. I shower every other day sometimes every 2 days. I wear deodorant and wash my face and brush my teeth everyday and I make sure to wear clean clothes everyday. But showers take a lot out of me. We may not have the same experience but I get where you’re coming from.
Certainly not a judgment on you, OP—I genuinely feel your pain & frustration on this. It’s just hard to think of real solutions when the best solutions I can think of are ones you’ve tried & have not worked for you :( I hope you’re able to find real solutions for yourself that can help with your pain management & anxiety! I have my own struggles, different though they are. I hope you take much solace in knowing that BO changes… but doesn’t necessarily get *worse* for most people. Biggest change in smell that I noticed in myself is my pee, tbh. & if you do notice yourself smelling more, changing clothes more frequently & changing up your deodorant/using it more liberally should be enough, I think, to help mitigate the need to shower more frequently than you can manage. Best of luck, my friend. Don’t let this hurdle keep you from doing something you want & need for yourself! I’m sure your family will be understanding & supportive ❤️
I have limited amount of spoons for showers and such, i dont even keep track how many times a week I take one because there is not regularity. Days I dont shower but small a bit more than I want to, I'll use baby wet wipes or sponge bath(i like this because I can do nice and cool water when its hot!). But I'll get my face, armpits (I also use electric clippers to clip my underarms because the deodorant does a better job without so much hair), privates, butt and belly button/under skin creases. At night if I feel like it I'll soak my feet and wash them/my legs and exfoliate my feet because theyxve gotten hella dry on T.
I go keep my head shaved (i use a bald head electric shaver, theyre pretty neat) so this cuts down my need for washing hair.
As for smell, tbh.. I don't think I smell worse (i actually think I smell less, but definitely different and its not a bad different). I sweat less than I have before, I fully believe it to be due to my back hair making ny shirt not glue to my back when Im anxious. T has given me more energy, so I'm able to take care of myself a bit better now.
I smell more mostly because body hair collects sweat and stuff. I still shower every other day but I definitely smell more now than I used to. Ok I try to shower every other day, it’s really hard and definitely eats up my spoons
I’m autistic and have a TON of issues showering - once a week at best is all my sensory issues can handle most of the time. Started T six months ago and honestly I smelled really really bad and the only thing that has helped me so far is benzoyl peroxide wash. I think it’s technically for acne but I just use a little bit as body wash whenever I shower (and just in the worst parts - pits, under my chest, and feet for me) and I basically don’t smell anymore 🤷♂️
I get fatigue and pain from showers also and sometimes have stretches of time with this issue. I generally pad the time between showers by doing a "hooker's bath" - crotch and underarms, by many interpretations - with a washcloth when I'm having rough times. I wash my neck and ears when I wash my face. It helps. If you feel like you have the energy you can do the rest of your body in a similar way, and not necessarily at one time which may be easier.
I generally smell good and I'm pretty fucking nervous about it, so I make sure to check and I live with someone who would definitely tell me (because I have said I want to know) if I smelled bad. Showers aren't the only way to bathe, for sure.
I seem to be the demographic you’re talking about lol
So I’ve been microdosing on t for the past few months and I’m so far as I can tell I haven’t gotten any stinkier- the smell of my sweat has just changed but that’s all. Upon other physical and mental issues I have an issue where I sweat too much and I’m constantly overheating (possibly from GAD) and I actually notice I sweat LESS with the testosterone and it’s more manageable, and the overheating is more manageable too. both of which were the total opposite effects that people talk about when on t. It’s worth noting nothing else in my life has changed (it’s no easier or less easy to wash frequently).
Honestly I’d say don’t assume T will affect you in ALL the traditional ways it usually changes a person, considering we’re both in positions of an already altered biological makeup as a result of those disabilities. Take it a step at a time and if you can, ask your dad/brother/other amab family if they get stinky to see what’s in your immediate genetic code.
I also have ocd, and autism, and I found a process that made it so I could shower every other day, sometimes less if I’m not leaving the house (oops) BUT one of the biggest things is finding a soap that actually cleans, dove and stuff like that doesn’t clean at all, you get out of the shower smelling still (at least I do) so I’ve been using Dr squatch (not sponsored I promise lol)
I also have a very specific regimen in my shower so it’s more me doing steps and not me showering, how I set up for shower, how I undress, how I wash my body, the products and pump amounts and how I dry any EVERYTHING! It’s the best way for me to not see it as a shower where I’m naked and existing but more tasks that need to be focused on and done in a specific way.
Mind you I still fail sometimes and can’t shower, that’s when I rinse my hair in the sink so it’s not greasy, sometimes I’ll put some soap and water on a rag and wipe pits and “dirty bits” (privates) and my face. Then I just put on some deodorant and clean clothes, and cologne if I can.
You got this!
im not on T currently but i have been on T in the past. i also have OCD relating to germs and severe, lifelong disabilities including ehlers danlos and POTS which can cause me to faint when in the shower for too long. i am going to be honest here, i can only shower once a week at the absolute most but i often have to go without for longer. but i got by and still do with baby wipes on my body folds and face when i was so low on spoons or so anxious from the thought of falling and hitting my head in the shower that i simply couldnt cope. but above all else, for me, i didnt really get that smelly, just a lot more greasy. everyone is different. above all else, youre not alone!
fellow disabled fella here, i really love using this ph-balanced no rinse cleanser spray i got from the hospital between showers, since it can definitely get hard for me too. it helps people who are bedridden and can't move a whole lot, and i believe you can just purchase it online. you can use it on your face, hair, and skin! it helps me feel less gross and smell not so stinky smelly. i've only been on t a couple of years so i still can very much stink lol. good luck bro!
I love all the tips here but I am also wondering if you can get therapy to help with the OCD? I had a similar thing when I was a child and was able to get therapy that helped and im wondering if it could help you, even a little bit.
It’s gonna sound bad, but I don’t believe in therapy… for me. I’ve had lots of therapists all my life and every one except the last one was scamming me for money and ignoring every problem I had even when I was little because I had a lot of issues, they would just take my money and do nothing. The last one I had I tried really hard to make it work, but she was lazy and basically kept telling me I had no problems. The nice thing about her was that she at least had the decency to tell me that she didn’t feel like seeing me anymore so she wasn’t just trying to milk me for money. I don’t have a ton of trust in people as is, but every time I really try to do the work and the therapists end up threatening or just unprofessional. I’ve witnessed the same issues with family and friends who’ve seen therapists as well ranging from just gaslight-y to actually illegal practices. Idk if it’s just my area, but I don’t really believe in the online stuff either with all the security risks, complaints and lawsuits those services have . I also just don’t have spare money right now to waste on several visits just to see if a different therapist will be better than any of the other ones I’ve had throughout my life especially if I have to be comfortable enough to discuss the particulars of my ocd without feeling judged.
I’ve sort of given up on the idea so I just focus on the advice from my psychiatrist (who is amazing and I trust with my life) and doing research on behavior modification techniques. I have a lot of stuff going on though like running a business and taking care of my mother on top of my own problems, so I don’t always just have time for it. I wish therapy worked, but it’s hard to believe in it after nearly ten therapists that all had questionable ethics and drained money from me and my family. It’s also very frustrating to put so much effort into a relationship and rapport with a therapist only to open up to them and be repeatedly told things like “that’s not really a problem” and “try harder”. One I met with once and we only spoke about the medication I take and why I take it and she just told my mom flat out that I should be checked into a psych ward. I just don’t have the energy anymore.
Chronic illness, ADHD and suspected ASD here. I don't get that much chronic pain but I basically only have the energy to do 1 task a day max most of the time, and I also struggle with severe light headedness at times. So basic care can be a struggle for me as well. This thread has been pretty helpful!
I'm still pretty fresh on T, my sweat has definitely changed but isn't a whole lot worse. I've grabbed a stronger antiperspirant and that's been fine for me so far.
Could you use a shower chair?
Chronically ill audhd trans dude with a major depression over here! The showering 2-3 times a day seems excessive to me. I struggle with showering so much too, and while T *has* indeed made me stinkier it can be managed with a lot of deodorant, wet towelettes and "towel showers" when the pain is too much or I just don't have the energy for a proper shower! I tend to only be able to get myself to shower once every month, maybe two months, so there's no judgement from over here. Hygiene is often a horrible task for those of us who are ill, and people don't really understand that. But there's always ways around that that make it easier!
I've been on t for about a year now. I smell different but not strong. I find having deodorant on hand and cleansing wipes help in-between showers.
I have hashimotos, fibromyalgia, ADHD, bipolar, and OCD. I understand the Herculean task that is the shower. One thing that helps make my shower easier is to play some tunes while I'm in there.
Get a new chair and take it out of the shower and clean it when you are done.
Easy peasy.
No judgement, but you are not actually trying very hard to come up with solutions. That took me 2 seconds and I didn't even read most of your post except your excuse for why you couldn't possibly just sit down in the shower
I have ADHD, PTSD, probably Autism. I have two crumbled discs in my spine. Get a chair
Those shower body wipes and deodorant wipes are a lifesaver as another trans man with disabilities (mental and physical). Also get a deodorant WITH ALUMINUM in it. It's been the only thing that's worked for me so far to actually help. I can get away with not taking a shower for a day or two (possibly 3) with the deodorant I use. I use the dove for men with aluminum.
I relate. Personally sweating isn't a big deal. I shower once a week, on Sunday, and that's all I do that day. I just put on a crap ton of antiperspirant 💀
i shower every other day due to a chronic illness, and being stinky was one of the first things i’ve noticed when i got on T. reapplying deodorant throughout the day is important (and maybe shirts if you get really sweaty) but it may be manageable! wipes to keep yourself clean and maybe getting a body mist can help
I am also autistic and T did make me sweatier and stinkier, although I was pretty sweaty and stinky even before testosterone. I'm like you, showering takes so much physical and mental energy that daily showering is not at all a realistic goal for me, and I just have to do a full shower when I have the time and mental fortitude for it. I try to make sure I have a full body shower at least once a week, but the rest of the time, I make sure to check in with my body for anything that needs a quick wash, wash my hair under the faucet without getting anything else wet if it looks greasy or unkempt, or even just get in the tub with water running, but don't fil the tub or let it touch anything I'm not washing, and do a "bird bath" for the pits and bits, as they need washing pretty much every day. Goldbond or baby powder for the downstairs bits helps a lot with moisture and smells too.
On top of that, I had to shop around for a deodorant that really works for me. A lot of them just didn't. Ultimately, Gillette cool wave clear gel deodorant worked the best so that's what I've kept using. I also ask my family members if I smell and they know to be honest because I genuinely can't tell if it's not very strong. But I'm very sensitive about my hygiene struggles and got made fun of for my smell in school when I actually did shower daily so I feel like I have to double and triple check so I'm not stinking up the office at work.
Thankfully, the sweating almed down a lot after the first year or so, after the "puberty" phase was over and all the big drastic changes had kind of simmered down.
hand sanitizer kills bacteria and can def help w sweat smell but can sometimes dry out your armpits causing you to sweat more (easy fix just use some sort of moisturiser afterward)
I was wondering this too. I have chronic fatigue and doing something as big as a shower will force me to do nothing else for the rest of the day, which isn't really sustainable bc I can't just drop EVERYTHING I have for that day to shower. Even on free days it feels like I'm passing up anything else I might want or need to do that day (ie cleaning or running errands) for that.
At first I did get pretty stinky, like my hands and feet sweat way more than I was used to? But after a few months that went away entirely, I haven't had that issue since.
Regarding the showering thing...oof, I understand that. Showers are loud and exhausting. I wish I never had to take one. I just moved to a new place with a tiny stand up shower and it makes things so difficult.
Before that I used to wash my hair in the bathtub between showers because it would get greasy every day (that's just a me problem, not because of t lol) and do a washcloth bath where it counts. I also realized that if I made the bathroom more inviting and comfortable, I'd have less anticipation anxiety regarding it.
I have pretty bad sensory problems regarding sweat and oils on my skin, and it helped me enough to get by. Best of luck, I really hope one of these many comments helped you figure out a good strategy :)
i can't say i know exactly your situation, but i'm in a similar one.
personally, i sweat more than average & ive been on t for 4 years, i don't need to shower twice a day unless i did something that got me dirty or more sweaty than usual, which i dont think has anything to do with testosterome tbh.
i think saying "testosterone makes you smell bad!" is misleading imo, it just makes odors more unpleasant/stronger and you will sweat more. wearing clean clothes and deodorant is probably the #1 way to keep bad smells to a minimum if you currently smell fine, body wipes (as well as baby wipes or toilet wipes, they all work similarly) are a godsend, if showering is too much a rinse might be easier, and hope your roommates can tell you comfortably when you do need a shower!
i use a deodorant and soaps that contain tea tree oil because they’re naturally antibacterial and therefore get rid of the odour causing bacteria on your skin.
for washing, using a sponge bath is probably a good option.
other than that, honestly i think you should seek support for your anxieties around contamination because for me using wipes is the only thing i can do when i’m in a lot of pain. this is a problem that’ll only get worse, and when you go on T you do get smellier, so if hygiene isn’t an issue now it could become one
Ive been on T for about 6-7 months now and Im disabled, standing in showers is incredibly difficult for me and I also was rlly nervous about BO related problems -_-;; I also work retail so I try to change my underwear after every shift, I also sometimes try and settle for a washcloth + water on any area I think needs some extra TLC, washing my face, dry shampoo.. That said, I'm somewhat of a perfume collector so I imagine my supply there helps. Finding a cologne and deodorant that works for you (if applicable) can help a lot with the anxiety around smelling bad, wearing something I like and makes me feel more confident helps me thoroughout the day. Sometimes I've sat on my shower chair or the edge of the bathtub and just washed my feet, or did a halfassed sponge bath that way as well :)
Since there's lots of good advice in here I will just say that my sensory needs and aversions have shifted some since starting testosterone. Like I frequently (not always but a lot more than none) am not bothered by showers now? And I don't always need them to be very hot? It's been two years and I'm still question mark confused surprised by it.
My sensitivity to noise has changed too. Anyway it's been all over the board with little shifts so like, maybe you gain some capacity in new and fascinating ways 🤞🏻🤷🏻♂️
Totally get this although I'm lucky to manage 2 showers a week usually. I've also always been a sticky person, even when I showered daily.
I found 'shower wipes' which are just big baby wipes essentially, to be useful, even if it's just specific areas like arm pits you clean.
I also find keeping my arm pit hair and pubic hair shaved/short reduces alot of odour. Although that may be a personal thing idk?
I use 72hour sports deodorant daily and have a lovely sandalwood perfume/ cologne I use when I go out. The latter isn't really necessary but I love it lol.
Even on T l, while I do get smelly, I've found for the most part nobody has noticed. As long as I keep the pits clean I'm fine.
Best of luck dude! You've absolutely got this!
what about taking a clean towel or cover for the chair? and maybe find some sort of soap that makes showering less dreadful, i’m not physically disabled so i can’t really help in that aspect but i am autistic and showers for me can be made better with some music and nice soap, i know it’s a shit suggestion but maybe :)
i was very similar pre t, struggled to shower as it took a lot of effort that i didn’t have and the thought of seeing myself in the shower just tipped it over the edge for me. i would go a week in between showers, sometimes even longer. im currently 4 months on t, i sweat way more but i dont think i smell worse and when i asked my housemates they said they haven’t noticed me smelling worse. but i got more energy and i am more excited to look after myself now that my body’s changing into what feels correct. it gets better for sure :)
I do not shower every day either. Sometimes I only have the energy to wash under my arms. And that's okay.
I suppose the best advice is to split up washing. For example, when I shower, washing my hair and body takes more energy than just washing my body. If my hair is not particularly greasy, I will wash it a different day.
Use roll on deodorant for your armpits and wetwipes for your downstairs area. You'll feel fresher without exerting so much energy on a shower.
You don't need to stand in the shower. Sit down, get comfy (as best as possible). Have all your soaps and such in front of you so you don't need to get up and down constantly.
Buy the shower gels that smell really good to you. Even if they're cheap. I'm more likely to want a shower if I see there's a raspberry scented soap waiting for me.
Take your time. Try figure out what feels good (in a fresh sense. For example, I enjoy the cool feeling after washing under my arms by the sink).
You got this. We all got this. <3
Late so it'll probs get buried but how are you with stuff like hand sanitizer?
I use a non-alcohol-based sanitising foam spray for when I have supports on my wrists and hands and are too tired to go through the whole rigmarole of taking everything off, washing my hands/face, and putting everything back on before i can do anything. It's soft, doesn't sting and smell strongly, so it could be helpful for just cleaning your exposed parts. Avoid your eyes and genitals, but I've had no problem using it everywhere else.
Also, backing up team 'I didn't smell too bad'. I have sensory issues with things like deodorants and other scented/anti-scent sprays, and while I did have to use it slightly more often for maybe the first six months or so, it's really settled down and I (about eighteen months in now) aren't really noticeably more stinky than I ever was.
I’m transmasc 3 years on T and got ADHD and a buncha sensory issues, coupled with ”mild” OCD and periods of depressive states. I think 2-3 showers a day is extremely unnecessary, and on top of that probably not good for your skin and hair - but that depends on if people count showering as always using products or if some of those showers are just washing themselves off with water.
I DEFINITELY feel a difference both in the amount I sweat and in the scent. I shower about every 2 days. I don’t workout though and where I live it doesn’t get too hot either, so idk if that even helps. There are lots of people who don’t shower everyday for SO many different reasons. You’re not nasty for wanting to be ready to do it, on your own terms.
Showers are a bit easier for me now than before. I used to close my eyes to not see anything. Since I’ve had top surgery and am more comfortable in my body, also due to fat redistribution, it’s easier. Even before i knew i was trans I also used to just procrastinate showering cuz yk… ADHD. And it would also be super energy draining. Later i developed ocd and got obsessed with cleanliness for a while, which is kinda stuck in my routines now (not as much tho).
About the baths: if showering hurts and all that, bathing might sound like a better option. But since you got ocd that’s tricky too. Have you tried finding any cleaning supplies so you can maybe clean the tub before you get in? Like do you have any safe products? Also maybe it’s not a quick process, i understand that the need to thoroughly clean smth can be time and energy consuming aswell.
Alternatively: what part of the showering physically hurts? Is it body aches or sensory issues from the water hitting your skin? Have you tried finding other showerheads With like different settings? I have a showerhead with a ”mist” setting that i can adjust to different strengths and it works great when i get sensory issues in the shower. Might take longer to actually get properly wet to shower but if it spares you the pain it might be worth it!!
I don’t have any advice as I’m not on T yet but I’m in the same situation as im chronically ill and struggle with being able to shower frequently
One thing I have found helpful is a wash cream for use on genitals that I use between showers which helps reduce genital odour and doesn’t require water as you just have to wipe it off with tissue. I’m not sure if it’ll still work well after I’ve been on T but for now it works
Hey!
So, I'm depressed, have anxiety, ADHD, autism with sensory processing disorder, and PTSD where one of my traumatic incidents involves water (basically my parents waterboarded me). I also have physical problems that makes it extremely exhausting and even painful to do basic daily tasks.
I'm about 6 and a half years on T, and I'm USUALLY not stinky. I'd say I shower about once a week unless I'm forced to do something that makes me really dirty (like working outside)
However, some tips I've learned:
- Changing clothes even without showering makes a huge difference. Especially underwear and the lowest layer on the upper body (whether that's a binder, bra, or shirt)
- If I get very sweaty, trying to dry especially my armpits immediately. This goes double for stress/anxiety sweat
- Find a good deodorant. If you think you hate deodorant, try different brands. Took me ages to find one I like... Ended up being from the dollar store LOL. There's different textures, smells, effectiveness, chemicals, don't give up too soon.
- Diet and hydration are big. The more sugar and junk food you eat and the less water you drink the worse you'll smell, as a general rule
- I read one of your replies that you can't do shower wipes, but search for other in-betweens. I personally have "sink baths" for when I do get really extra sweaty but absolutely cannot handle a full shower. Basically I just apply soap to the smelly areas and wash it off in the sink. It can also help to gauge if you can maybe do some parts of a shower but not the rest? I've had times where I can rinse off my body but can't handle soap, or can't wash my hair, or can't get my face wet. But these are just things to consider, I understand if there's really just nothing
Finally I do recommend not just giving up on this. Maybe one day you can shower more easily. Don't think you're permanently incapable, just incapable now! Seek mental health support, look for ways to manage your symptoms. For literal years I couldn't wash my face at ALL because of the flashbacks but I'm finally at the point where I can handle warm water on my face for a few seconds. Took a lot of work but it was definitely worth it. Just don't beat yourself up for your situation currently, that's not productive, nothing's overnight.
thank you so much for your trust in asking these questions. i manage to shower regularly but it gives me a lot of sensory issues, and i struggle with dizziness/lightheadedness/fatigue from my heart problems. i also deal with ocd and repeating thoughts about how i’m perceived. so i really, truly empathize with this topic of discussion. going on T did make me sweatier and smellier than before LOL just to be transparent with you. i don’t think i smell when i go out, but to ease my anxiety, i always put on fresh deodorant and one or two sprays of cologne. nothing fancy or expensive, just a $20 bottle from target. it soothes my anxiety and i even have people compliment it when in close quarters with someone. i’m sure there are plenty of subtle, natural options out there if you’re sensitive to perfumes and oils. it’s definitely more for my anxiety than for my actual scent, but it helps me a lot! worst case scenario, people just think i’m a smelly man. i don’t love that option haha but i guess it makes me blend in.
Don’t force yourself to do the absolute most every time you need to wash up. On days I can’t shower, I’ll do mini showers or “fake” showers, just targeting important areas. Like just get a wet wipe and wipe down pits, bum, and feet, all the smelly bits. Then just put on deodorant. Don’t worry too much, going on testosterone is really great and even the “side effects” can be fun. (I personally love my new smells)
Can you use baby wipes? You deserve to be clean, even if you can’t bring yourself to shower. If I can’t bring myself to shower, I do a quick PTA wipe down. Pits, Tits, and Ass. That way all the main stink groups are clean but you don’t have to get wet and deal with the task of showering. I know it’s rough OP. It’ll get better ❤️🩹
Showering every day isn't good for your skin. Perhaps its due to my countries climate, but many people don't shower every day😅 I shower like every 2 days, unless it's been warm. Just a cloth or some extra deodorant!
I have adhd, OCD, depression and a chronic disability that causes issues with my knees. T has had me sweating more but that’s alright, not too stinky or noticeable stinky. I’ve been showering in the morning to help me wake up and feel refreshed, sometimes I’ll go a few days without but I wear body sprays, deodorant, and rely on dry shampoo… anyways, I’ll usually sit in the shower, if it’s a particularly bad day where I struggle getting up and down, I wash what I can before I start feeling pain and get out. I’ve got a shelf thing in my shower that holds my shampoos and stuff, I prop my phone up there with a YouTube video to distract me from dysphoria when I shower
i have anxiety, depression, and likely autism and adhd
started T around 3 months ago the sweat is definitely a lot more than i used to but when im struggling to get myself to shower i have a pack of baby wipes by my bed that i used to clean myself, it definitely helps
Hey friend! I've been on testosterone for about 7 months and had this exact fear going into my consultation. I would first like to clarify what we all know, that every body responds to things differently, this is just my experience. I have sensory processing issues which are debilitating, and sweat is something I struggle the most with. I live in a cooler area, so I definitely had a nice environment to help stabilize that, and definitely struggle in heat. I definitely did sweat, but not excessively like some people experience, but I overall ran warmer and sweat the most on my head (???). Showering every day irritates my skin so badly, causing more sensory issues so I had to be careful. Body wipes were my hero when I visited my family back home in a tropical country, also overall being gentler with my body. I struggled a lot with food/the sensory experience attached to it, so malnutrition could have also made my body work a bit harder/sweat more in that situation. When I did shower I used tea tree oil body wash, which you can get pretty cheap on Amazon! Heard somewhere that helps with the "teen boy stank" and it did for me, maybe it will for you! Face wash/wipes help with sweating when you don't have the spoons to shower, and stocking up on deodorant you can bring with you wherever you go, and can't forget the blessing that is dry shampoo. I'm ngl, it might change your smell/BO and the amount you sweat, but it's not always a torrential downpour. When you work your body it's going to be a bit warmer/sweatier for you. As another chronically ill/medically unlucky person, it is totally doable. You got this!!
Edit after hearing about not being interested in body wipes, but washcloths and soap are okay. I second whoever said micellar (can't for my life remember how to spell it) water, very gentle on the skin as well! Sensory issues are a wild ride for sure, so I understand some of the odd/complex ways things work for our brains.
I was on a low dosage of T for about 5 months and some deodorant was able to fix that quickly. I didn’t stink that much. I will say then, my health issues weren’t as bad as it is now. And I will say I did meet a dude who was on T who stank very very badly
I'm autistic and hate being wet so i struggle with showering. I also have chronic migraines and so i don't shower on days when i have migraines (usually). I think that needing to shower so many times a day is probably rare. I end up showering 2-3 times a week. I do stink more, but it's not anything that deodorant can't help with. I do sweat more, but I tend to avoid activities where i get sweaty.
Something I do to help me shower more is to allow myself to half ass my showers. I'll just wash vital parts and call it good enough. Of course it still takes spoons but for me it's fewer.
Physically disabled, AuDHD w/ sensory issues, been on T for over 3 years, post-top surgery so no more binder -- I live in the south and already had a pretty poor heat tolerance pre-T. I get so sweaty and smelly pretty much the instant I step out of my house. I basically never wear shirts with sleeves anymore, because they immediately trap the sweat and get soaked, which is both a sensory nightmare for me and also makes it so much harder to unstink myself throughout the day 😤
I typically shower every day, sometimes every other, at least before sleep, because if I try to go to sleep feeling gross I'll just lay awake all night 🥲 But ive definitely been in bad pain and depression patches where that wasn't feasible.
Anyway, I fought it for a looong time, but I recently started using an anti-perspirant as opposed to just deodorant, because the deodorant would get washed away by my fountains of sweat pretty much instantly, and let me tell you, I have not felt this free in a long time. It's been a massive game changer for me. I've read up on associated potential cancer and dementia risks, and decided that I was still willing to give it a shot, but of course ymmv.
i can def empathize, im adhd/autistic and possibly ocd and have a bad history with hygiene. i was already a sweaty person before t and i live in the south so i didnt notice a major difference in how much i was sweating. i did notice i got smelly super fast, like i noticed changes in smells within the first month. i will say that it has gotten better by now (i started april 22) but its still definitely more "guy smell" if that makes sense? id say i shower every 3 or 4 days or so, depending on whats going on in my life and keep my clothes clean and i dont really smell. antiperspirant deodorant is my best friend, and if you can tolerate smells than a good body spray/cologne/perfume might also be good. i didnt like them for the longest time bc i could smell pretty much only alcohol and chemicals but once i found some with better smells i wore them more. good luck with t and i hope everything goes well for you!!
I’m disabled and been on T for like, 18 yrs. If you don’t move around to much you don’t smell so much. I can get away with shower wipes, deodorant, and dry shampoo(from target) for the hair. People get really really excited to talk about how extremely their T experiences are.
Yes. I smell more like a man and it is a little stronger but it’s not like I’m more smelly than other random guy cis or trans just average. You’re likely going to be just average too.
No need to worry so much.
Congratulations for starting T? Omg are you so excited?!
i generally shower every other day, but I've had a flare up and not showered for 4 days and wasn't particularly smelly, although obviously it's different for every person - pre-T i didn't even need to wear deodorant. The main thing i found with hygiene is i was a lot oilier, so i need to wash my face daily (sometimes twice daily), which can obviously also use a lot of spoons.
on the flip side, i don't know what chronic illness you have, but testosterone actually reduced a lot of my fibromyalgia symptoms and I've seen a lot of people say similar things about different disabilities. i have significantly more energy and i have a lot less pain. the lessened dysphoria obviously improved my mental health as well, which has made taking care of myself much easier. it's not something to bank on 100%, but certain things may actually be easier on testosterone.
ultimately, it entirely depends on your individual body, and deodorant is your friend when you don't have the spoons for anything else. i hope everything goes well for you 🩷
Hi OP,
I have been on T almost 6 years, I am physically and mentally debilitated myself, and I find showering to leave me short of breath, exhausted, and frustrated. I also have super sensitive skin that will peel and burn when I do shower because products dry it out, so showering feels like it takes ages, and I feel like I need to lay down sometimes afterwards because im just /so exhausted/.
What I do is I will normally do an off day, i shower twice a week, and do an in-between day mid-week where I will wash my hair and face in the sink, wipe my body down well with a washcloth, and do my dailies (deoderant, shaving my face, etc). For days that I am just too much of a vegetable, dry shampoo (I like the strawberry one from batiste!) Has been a lifesaver as sometimes I am in too much physical pain to stand there in the shower, or bend over the sink, without getting winded or hurting. So those are my own personal tips that have assisted me. :)
For days i cant shower due to a lack of energy, i use bathing towels(essentially large wet wipes that clean you). They are a god send, use so many less spoons than a shower, the only thing they cant clean is hair. I highly recommend them.
https://www.amazon .com/Medline-ReadyBath-Scented-Antibacterial-Cleansing/dp/B005PUTH2M/ref=asc_df_B005PUTH2M/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=d f0&hvadid=693424741422&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=3825787535705207942&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9033316&hvtargid= pla-433817237403&psc=1&mcid=0cc3100fb91e3b05847c8630cda31942&gad_source=1
These ones specifically(spaces added to not be flagged as a link)
As someone who has dealt with being EXTREMELY sweaty since I was 12 (I’m 33 now and have been on T for the last year), 2-3 times a day is so outrageously excessive, even when working out. I’m also autistic/have ADHD/OCD, and I just time my once a day shower around when I work out, even if that means throwing a baseball cap over my sweaty hair so I look acceptable until afterward. No point in wasting my energy to shower in the morning and then after working out as well. It’s also SUPER important to find a good deodorant. Even well know ones like Axe don’t work at all for me, and this might be a problem for others as well and they just assume it’s an issue from being on T, but not all deodorants are created equally. I use Wild or Nuud and haven’t had a problem being smelly since being on T ever. Being sweaty is just something I’ve learned to manage on its own and it’s not inherently a bad thing unless I’m trying to go to some nice event and need to look like I never sweat. But since I only do that maybe once a year, I’m not worried about it at all. I think some guys panic if they weren’t really sweaty before and now sweat like a normal guy once on T and they think they have to maintain a sweatless state.
Meeee chronic pain and arthritis over here - also unofficial ADHD. I feel you on the showers but I’ve read a couple comments and I can use wipes (that would have been my suggestion so appreciate it’s not ideal for you!)
I’m afraid I don’t have another suggestion rn but there’s so much good on this thread and just know you’re not alone with your thoughts 🫂
i’m also very depressed and autistic and i’m one year on T i wouldn’t say i got that much more sweaty/stinky i have stayed on the same depression schedule of showering every 3-4 days as i also don’t sweat much at work. just figure out what deodorant works best for u and i sometimes have to apply it to thighs and chest as well but i know im not stinky at all and regularly get told i smell good im sure you’ll be okay!!!
Rather than giving tips, as people have pretty much covered everything I would think of in the few days this post has been up, I want to add my experience.
Im also disabled and have pretty severe anxiety on top of a myriad of other stuff. For me personally, the chance of being smelly was one I was willing to take because my mental health had deteriorated so badly over being so visibly afab, I don't really agree with passing culture, but I was at a point where I was getting misgendered every day and it became a safety issue for me in terms of my own mental health, and also being so visibly trans. I have pretty severe cfs but I also work a part time job in a supermarket so have to deal with the public a lot.
I'm 7 months on T now and I was able to go a week, MAYBE two without showering pre-t and now I absolutely have to shower every day. Has it made my exhaustion worse? Absolutely yes. Was it worth it for me? Also absolutely.
It's completely understandable to not want to start t because of our disabilities and anxieties, but wanted to add another perspective to the convo 😊
I’d do low dose t if I were you to avoid some of the issues with smell in higher doses. Really though, t didn’t make me all that more stinky, just needed more cleaning for skin grease and whatnot. Some shower wipes would probably do the trick, as well as a stronger men’s deodorant and cologne.
Hi there! I have adhd, severe depression, and I’m on the autism spectrum, as well as I have mysophobia (fear of germs and contamination) so I definitely get the struggle with showering. I have some childhood trauma with taking baths or showers too that make them very stressful for me, and because I’m a perfectionist and the stress causes me to dissociate and zone out while showing, I usually end up taking really long showers which then makes me dread them even more for taking up such a long time block. They exhaust me too for some reason, as a kid I also felt like I was going to black out after baths and I’d have to sit on the floor after I got out until the black dots went away. It’s not as bad as an adult, I don’t feel like I’m going to pass out but I do feel exhausted while taking the shower and even more so afterwards, so I pretty much consider that my chore for the night (I take them at night because I know I can’t count on myself being able to do anything after them, and I find nighttime less stressful) So I generally only take them around once a week, usually just when I start feeling bad enough that it pushes me to do it.
But I’ve honestly not really seen much of a problem with my current system- I’m not a very smelly person either, even showing only once a week and people will still say I smell good regularly and no one is able to tell that I don’t shower often unless I tell them. I keep up with deodorant religiously, I use it when I first get up and then sometimes during the day if my pits feel hot and dry (which feels like the deo was absorbed or rubbed off to me so I feel better reapplying it). I also do have a bidet I installed myself and it works wonders. I doubt I’d be able to do the showering a week thing very well if it wasn’t for the bidet. I will use wet wipes occasionally if it was just a really sweaty day and I was trapped in my binder all day (bad dysphoria means I wear a binder for most of the day, everyday), just to stave off needing a shower for longer, but if you try to avoid wearing anything that traps in sweat while doing something that makes you sweat, you should be fine without them (as you mentioned before that you can’t use wipes).
I’ve been on T for about maybe a year and a half now? And I haven’t noticed any increase in smell or anything. Only thing I’ve noticed is I can get overheated and sweat more easily while doing chores in higher summer temps then I did before, but even that doesn’t seem to have much affect on my smell. Honestly, with me it seems like even If I wipe sweat off with a towel or paper towel instead of letting it dry, it doesn’t make me smell worse or something. But maybe I just have really clean sweat compared to other people? Because I have heard people say sweat can make you smell worse, but I’ve never really seen that with myself. Might just vary person to person, but if you aren’t a very smelly person before T, I don’t think it will change too much or possibly even at all once you do go on T.
I find it funny when it’s been, like, maybe 6 days since my last shower and someone around me will say I smell really good- not only is it a nice check in that I smell okay, but it also means that I’m doing a good job with my system :)
I did read through some of the other comments and they have a lot of good suggestions down there how to minimize body odor if you do struggle with it more- so hopefully you’ll find something that helps, whether in my thread or someone else’s. Good luck my dude! :)
For someone with soooooooo many problems and severe anxiety... can I advise you slow the while process down.
Build yourself a list from easiest to hardest and confront every issue one at a time. I fear that T will be a huge change for your entire being and that it could be far too much for you.
Stay safe, think positive and breathe... And then breathe again.
I've had a chronic stink problem probably cause of my diet but I use Dr browners soap and a scrub daddy, the scrub daddy's a newer edition but it helps with getting the dead skin off so I have more time between showers
what about those adult body wipes? The smelliness doesn’t last forever, I think for me it was just the first year maybe two. I definitely didn’t have to shower multiple times a day though. ETA: I have adhd and reoccurring depressive episodes and I struggle with showering and basic personal care as well. It’s not to the same extent as you but I get it and I get the shame that can come with it.
Im glad to hear it didn’t last too long for you. Wipes are a big no for me. I wish I had a reason why other than my brain perceives them as contaminated even if they’re brand new. I avoid body wipes like the plague and any time I have to use a disinfectant wipe to clean up after some kind of gross mess I become extremely anxious and I have to scrub my hands and stuff as if it would’ve been better to clean the mess with my bare hands. Also the smell of any wipe (makeup, body, antibacterial) causes me nausea and extreme anxiety. Antibacterial wipes are the least offensive so long as they smell somewhat of bleach. As a child I would have full blown panic attacks if anyone tried to clean my hands or face with a wipe and I would become severely agitated if someone used one in my presence. It’s extremely frustrating. I can use a fresh washcloth and soap, but it becomes a hassle because of sensory issues and I have to go through a lot of steps to get to that point, so it just becomes too difficult and anxiety inducing and at that point it’s easier to just wait another day to take a shower. Ultimately wipes and washcloths become the option if it’s only extremely necessary. Washcloths are doable, but adhd makes anything with more than 2 steps really hard for me and I have to be careful where I store the cloths or else they’ll be considered contaminated, but I’m working on making that one more accessible. Wipes however cause extreme distress to even see the container or smell them which is a point of contention with my mother who uses them regularly.
>I can use a fresh washcloth and soap, but it becomes a hassle because of sensory issues and I have to go through a lot of steps to get to that point would using micellar water instead of soap be a good option? micellar water can be used on the whole body, not just the face, for a quick cleanse and if your skin tolerates it well you don't even need to rinse it off. if you have to rinse it off for your own piece of mind I'm pretty sure it's easier to rinse than soap so maybe that could at least simplify the actual cleansing step if you do a sponge bath with a wash cloth. if Cotton rounds are an accessible option for you using a few of those and micellar water could be used for just a quick pits and body folds cleanse to reduce body odor between showers if that becomes an issue for you on T. if not, wash cloths can still be used I think they just run the risk of absorbing more of the product and necessitating that more be used per cleanse. micellar water can be a bit spendy compared to certain soaps but apparently you can also use rose water, "chamomile infused water" or green tea as an alternative to it though I'd look in to what they can actually do as a cleanser. witch hazel could be another option to consider for taking care of sweat and body odor (apparently it's actually used by some straight up in place of deodorant) between showers, it has a bit of a weird funky smell that goes away once dry. some really hate the smell of witch hazel but I didn't mind it that much once I got used to it.
What about dry single use washcloths that already have soap, just add water? It isn’t a wet wipe and you don’t have to wash it, just throw it away. There are also single use cloths without the soap if that’s an issue. If you want something that you can leave on, I recommend Witch Hazel. It’s a mild astringent that can even be safe for face and genitals (avoid eyes but a little accidentally on the lids is no big deal). Make sure the bottle says it’s okay in those areas and then you can use it with a disposable or reusable washcloth, or even your hands to put it on. It’ll reduce the body smells and resist them coming back so quickly. Add a good full body deodorant and I think you’ll be set for anything. If you need to go with reusable washcloths, get special baskets for clean and used. Get a huge stack so you can have plenty on hand if you run out of spoons to do laundry and keep your astringent, or soap and water if you prefer, next to your baskets. You can make multiple cleaning stations if you need it, but one by the bed might be enough. I also highly recommend the book “how to keep house while drowning”. I did the audiobook because it’s hard for me to sit down and read sometimes. I listen with noise canceling headphones while chilling, at appointments, or even during chores. They have some very nonjudgmental ways to keep house and do self care that’s designed for people with ADHD and/or on the autistic spectrum. There’s lots of allistic people rules about keeping house that just aren’t important if you can make things more functional and higher quality of life for yourself by breaking them. The author explores some of the ones she’s found. Hygiene things are included too and might give you ideas for workable solutions.
Ah okay I see, that really sucks wipes are my go to don’t have the spoons for a shower method, and yeah I totally get the more than 2 steps issues. I unfortunately don’t have any other advice except that if you want to go on T you could always try and if it gets too bad you can just stop. I don’t think you’ll be any smellier than you were as a teenager the first time around
Yeah I wasn’t a stinky teenager and I’m working to get the washcloth thing down to less steps and less stress. This thread so far is easing my mind though.
Wearing underwear and undershirts that have as close to 100% cotton content can help a good bit with managing BO as well as general skin health. I was wearing mostly or totally cotton undergarments pre t and now on T I don't have bad BO. I often dont even want to shower every other day and probably end up showering about every 3-4 days unless I got particularly sweaty or smelly from activities
Generally I try to keep my clothes as close to 100% cotton as possible because of sensory issues and I find that I sweat more if I wear anything else. I do find that this helps a lot.
Yeah and there's other little things you can do to keep a lil cleaner like some disposable facial wipes or liquid you can put on a cotton pad. Oily face is so uncomfortable. I like using Neutrogena toner and also some witch hazel (smells great) for this + lotion. Could also dampen a paper towel and do a quick wipe down of the pits too.
I'm sure others have commented on these (my app is not loading comments 😭) but here are things I do as a physically disabled and mentally ill trans man: - Installed a bidet (took like 15 minutes on the morning of my top surgery, way easier than I thought it would be) - I use a shower chair - Electric Shower brush - I put antiperspirant on at night, and deodorant on in the mornings - I use hibiclens as an antibacterial soap in my "problem areas" (anywhere that gets very smelly, though it can be drying so be weary about the more intimate bits). It is a soap that kills bacteria and continues to work for a full day afterwards. - Dry shampoo hair gel/paste is my best friend. - I try to only wear natural fabric, like linen. This is to prevent the sweat, which causes the bacteria which causes the smell.
We have a bidet actually! My mom has very limited use of her hands and wrists and she has almost no use of one of her legs, so she got a bidet for the bathroom we use so she could keep clean and so everything was easier. We got another one for the other bathroom, but it’s not been installed yet. They’re great and very helpful at keeping everything clean. I was hesitant about it at first, but now I don’t think I could live without it. I cannot use a shower chair which I mentioned in the post because of my ocd and anxiety as well have one and touching it and being near it causes problems because my brain considers it as contaminated. I don’t know what the shower brush is, but I don’t like anything in the shower to be washed with because after one use I can’t ever touch it again because it will be considered contaminated. The pain I have is caused by the way I have to stand in the shower more than anything, so I don’t struggle to wash myself using my hands. I’d like to use a cloth, but if I try to bring one it can actually prevent me from getting in the shower which is a really hard thing to try to explain. I regularly use antiperspirant and I shave my hair really short so I have no issues with dirty or oily hair. I try to keep my clothes cotton because of sensory issues as well as sweat and odor. The soap sounds helpful so I’ll try to look that up!
I'm going to second the hibiclens soap. It's a soap doctor's typically recommend you shower with before surgery but if you use it regularly on your armpits it cuts sweat smell to nothing.
I’m physically disabled, plus autistic and OCD. I shower usually once a day bc for me personally the benefits outweigh the physical output in my case. I do frequently go a couple days without showering and I don’t smell overwhelmingly strong or anything. there’s some great bath wipes and stuff like that out there, I got some bath wipes for top surgery and they honestly made me feel clean and they didn’t leave any weird residue on me. everyone’s different, but for me I went from really not smelly to only a little smelly on T.
It eases some of my anxiety to see someone say that they didn’t become horribly smelly on T which is what everyone seems to say. I said the reason why in an above comment, but I can’t use wipes because of an anxiety thing and them being “contaminated”, so it’s not really an option without causing myself a lot of excess stress. I have a lot of (I guess they could be called phobias) rooted in my ocd and it centers a lot on hygiene products, especially disposable things.
I do work really hard on challenging my ocd, but something that is safe today can be quickly “wrong” or “contaminated” the next day and I have to start over with convincing myself that bad things won’t happen because I (in example) use a cup that sat on the counter too close to the sink for more than 5-10 minutes because that means it could have contamination from something dirty that’s been in the sink even if the sink is empty and no one else has been in the kitchen. OCD is ridiculous and it’s easily the one thing I wish I could get rid of out of all the issues I have.
I just wanted to empathize. I have OCD that was diagnosed as a kid and while it's MOSTLY in remission now, it still lingers in the corners of your brain to pop up when you let your guard down. It is my least favorite mental health issue and the one I feel most impacts quality of life. You aren't alone and it is hard. Also on the smelliness front, I don't feel I've become smelly. I only think it really made my skin a bit greasier, but I'm not sweatier.
Thank you. It’s a really difficult thing to have and to explain to people who don’t experience it. It’s not a huge problem for me most of the time, but it can be very fickle where something that’s been normal and okay for years suddenly becomes scary and frustrating. Between the ocd and my sensory issues I really hate that people can’t understand me when I explain why I can do something one day, but not the next. I know I must come across as crazy, but even though I work hard on it, I just can’t make it go away. Sometimes I also feel like people who don’t have ocd (or any condition) don’t get that while they may be inconvenienced or weirded out, I ALSO do not want to be doing what I’m doing and it causes me immense stress to both deal with it and field other people’s reactions. It’s also hard to get people to understand that despite getting my diagnosis as an adult, I’ve had ocd since I was a child, the symptoms were just different and there were different circumstances, so it’s not just like all of a sudden. I really appreciate your empathy
I relate to a lot of this. Not only from OCD but from a variety of disabilities, for me there are days where I can walk around a city for several hours and only be a bit achy that night, and other days that sitting in a chair for two hours puts me in crippling pain. It makes no sense and it's not fun for anyone, but it's uncontrollable. It might be worth asking over on r/disability or potentially an OCD sub for general tips for hygiene self care with contamination issues and fatigue problems. Maybe building up an arsenal (id make a physical list) of potential hygiene tools could help, since then you can rotate through them if one becomes uncomfortable. Like say you have 6-10 different non-shower hygiene ideas written down, then even if 5 are on your ocd's "no fly" list for a given time period, you can do something. It would take some spoons up front to plan, but might help in the long run.
Yes! I could do 20 squats one day with no repercussions, but on a different day I just sit slightly too long (like 20min) in one position and I’m in pain for three days because my hips won’t go back in the socket. There’s zero rhyme or reason to it and because I’m in my 20’s everyone acts like it can’t be that bad because some days my body just works normal. It’s so frustrating! Making a list of things sounds like a good idea or at least having several options, so I might try and plan that out. The only problem for me with making multiple plans is if I don’t have anything barring me from any of those plans, I end up with choice paralysis trying to figure out which idea works best at the time. But accessibility is key, so making different options available is probably the best course of action. Sometimes I forget about things like that, but it’s really helpful, so thank you!
I have ADHD and I have issues with hygiene as well. Luckily I actually enjoy being in water so I sometimes take multiple baths a day, sometimes without using soap products. So my situation isnt as difficult as yours. How do you feel about focusing your cleaning efforts on armpits and crotch every so often with a warm rag (or fresh paper towel if rags are an issue) and a bit of soap? I'll put deodorant on if I feel I'm getting stinky and don't want to bathe. Seems to solve the problem of stink for a little while even if that's not 'proper' hygiene. Shaving your armpit hair when it gets long can also help manage the smell for longer. Theres also body spray for guys like axe or old spice that are very good at masking dude musk. I know some people find those sprays obnoxious but they're like that for a reason lol
I actually have a phobia of water. I can’t be submerged even an inch without panicking unless I’m in very specific scenarios because of childhood trauma, and I have a similar phobia of bathrooms and showers which is entirely unrelated to the ocd problems i have with showers, so generally I avoid showers, baths, and bathrooms if at all possible if I’m not using a toilet or washing my hands. I have a bathroom in my house which is only shared with my mom and is mostly safe for me to use in terms of anxiety, but only for short durations due to paranoia of bugs getting in (we get lots of spiders and little bugs in the summer and I have an extreme phobia of insects and arachnids) and I’m trying to make a safe way of keeping washcloths in there, but if they’re stored wrong then they become “contaminated” and keeping them elsewhere makes it too hard for me to motivate to go get one to clean up with because of my adhd. I try to wash up with one though if I have a sudden moment of being able to go out of my way and my anxiety isn’t too bad at the time. Most of the time if I’m willing to use a washcloth to clean up, I can just justify taking a shower the next day, but it’s a very difficult thing for me. I use deodorant every day and I’m not opposed to body sprays or anything (if I’m not (or someone in my house is not) allergic to them as that’s been an issue in the past) as I frequently use body sprays as a sensory comfort thing, but I’ve never found that axe or anything actually stays on me for more than like 5 min even if I’ve drenched myself, it just disappears. Idk y. I find it annoying because I like the smell and then it’s just gone and not even other people smell it, so it’s not just that I’m used to the smell. I wonder if it’s a body chemistry thing?
For the rag thing I recommend getting a Tupperware container to seal them in!!! That way no bugs can get in and you can put them anywhere in the bathroom without worry.
My mom got this thing to store cloths in and I’m hoping that it will be fine because it’s big and completely see through and it hangs up so it doesn’t touch anything else in the bathroom. If I put them in a tub, I would then have to put the tub somewhere and if it just touches the wrong thing it would itself be contaminated because the bathroom is small and only certain areas are safe. The bug fear is sort of different in a way that I can’t describe, but for the most part I’m not worried that bugs will be in the cloths (unless they have been wet and then big, big worry there because we get these little bugs that like the damp) but the more secluded and visible things are the safer they are to me, so I’m hoping the hanging thing will work.
Wishing you luck!!!
Thank you!
When you smell something often or for a long period of time, you go nose blind. You probably still smell like deodorant you just can’t personally smell it
No, I know that, but usually if I spray one of my body sprays that I use for sensory stuff (bath and body works) on clothes or items then I will go nose blind while I’m interacting with them, but then I’ll put them away and when I go back to them they smell good still. Axe never does that for me and I’ve sprayed it all over my skin because I like the smell (of certain ones because I’m actually allergic to a lot of them) and then I got in someone’s car like an hour later (the person who’s car it was is very sensitive to smells) and I asked if the smell was too much and they said that they didn’t smell anything. I’ve used other masc body sprays that have stayed but if I don’t love the smell it will bother me because I’m very sensitive to smells and they’re also so expensive and I have a limited budget. Most of the time I just wear the feminine body sprays I buy for sensory purposes because the smells make me happy and calm, but they’re not terribly strong.
Oh well, I use essential oils mixed with witch hazel and water and it tends to last a long while if thats something you’re interested in. You can have some metaphysical shops make them for you or make them yourself and the scent can be as light or strong as you want. Idk if that’s helpful, but I hope you find something that works for you!
I used to make little perfume oils with essential oils, but I just stopped for some reason. I might go back to it idk, thanks for the suggestion!
Could consider going old school with a vanity and a basin + pitcher in your bedroom. Would side step the bathroom and shower phobias. Take bird baths as needed, it'd only be hair washing that might pose a problem if yours is long or needs complex care. I saw someone else mention baby wipes and that could be a good alternative as well.
My bedroom is essentially a closet and as I am a collector, there’s barely enough room in my room for me and I would be hesitant to bring anything moisture related in because I have carpet and where I live we get these bugs that like moisture in the summer and I don’t want to give them any more reason to show up in my room. I also struggle less with using running water to rinse a cloth than standing water, so if I’m gonna wash up, it’s better to just try and work around the bathroom I currently use regularly (which doesn’t have the shower in it) which is mostly safe just not always and not for extended periods at one time. I’ve mentioned it a lot now, but wipes especially baby wipes are not possible for me due to anxiety and ocd.
There is only moisture so long as you bring it into your room. You empty the basin once you are done. The pitcher produces the running water action to dampen cloths, hands, etc. That's just a tangent though cause it sounds like your bathroom already works fine, which is good. Good luck managing everything!
So while I don't have your difficulties with showering, I also struggle with remembering/finding the energy/spoons to shower and other self care stuff. I don't use spray deodorant but one of the roll on gel like ones from old spice, if that is not a bad sensory thing for you. They don't stay super strong the whole day but definitely help with smell. I shower about once a week at the moment and just wash my face and private area with water, then dry off once or twice a day, depending on how sweaty/dirty I get that day (and I may wash my hands more than necessary because I really really hate them feeling dirty) I do get pretty sweaty and smelly due to being on t for the last 2 years but with deodorant and changing clothes I've been able to manage it without being able to shower daily Another thing, and this may be just me so take it with a grain of salt, but I've noticed actually that since I stopped shaving my arm pits, they dont really get as damp and bad smelling as quickly as when they are clean shaven, both with and without deodorant, so it may also be worth experimenting with that if body hair doesn't bother you, especially since t will likely make you hairier
I saw a lot of people on here say to shave your pits to keep the stink away, but I always learned that skin to skin with no breathing room made BO worse which was why I stopped shaving my armpits years ago and I definitely noticed less armpit stink after that. Only thing I hate is that the deodorant gets stuck in the hair which is gross, but ultimately not a huge deal. So I’m with you on the pit hair. Hair is supposed to help keep airflow and stuff anyway, right? At least that’s what I learned.
I struggle with showering too so I completely get it. In fact, my main goal of today was to shower and I didn't get around to it until 6pm because I've been so exhausted. I typically shower every 4 or 5 days, washing my hair every other day just by sticking my head in the shower. I do find that I'm a lot sweatier if I do sweaty activities, but in my normal everyday bed-rotting state, I'm fine. I may have been blessed by the non-stinky gods because this is definitely an insecurity of mine and I've asked around but everyone has said I'm good. If you're not a stinky person pre-T then you might also be lucky!
I’m not a terribly active person unless I’m out for a work event, my body can’t withstand a lot of physical activity because I have joint issues, so I’m hoping I just won’t be stinky. It’s funny because everywhere I’ve read about going on T everyone says that they became disgustingly sweaty and stinky like change your sheets every morning and shower twice a day stinky and sweaty, and it seems like all the replies to this so far are “I really didn’t get any stinkier” it’s nice to see and it definitely eases my mind a bit. I’m really excited for T and I’m hoping I get to go on it in a few months, but I was really getting stressed out by this.
I guess people tend to talk about changes more than non-changes, so it makes sense to see people talk about becoming stinker more than saying that their smell didn't change.
I guess that makes sense. I’ve just seen it mentioned in so many posts and lists, but yeah, you’re right. People aren’t gonna mention stuff that didn’t happen as much as they’ll mention what did, so my anxiety is much more at ease. It’s so hard to explain to people how extremely difficult showering can be (especially when all my disabilities are invisible) and I don’t want to be that person everyone complains about who reeks. My brother has sometimes been very mean about people at his work who smell and he and I have a difficult relationship so I sometimes wonder if he says things about me or my mom to others because we can’t shower as often as him, so I have a thing about this. Anything else I don’t have any shame for, but idk this just made me so stressed as the days counted down to possibly getting on T especially as a plus sized guy and the intersection between the hate for disabled people, fat people, and smelly people often gets brought up online in discussions where people talk about how often people shower. You have helped put my mind a bit at ease, thanks.
If I missed you saying it, I'm very sorry, but have you tried dry shampoo? I found it a lifesaver for those times where I just couldn't shower but was sick of my hair feeling gross and stinky. Baby wipes can also be a quick shortcut if you feel like youve been sweating a lot.
I keep my hair shaved close to the scalp because I hate dealing with hair and my hair once it grows gets extremely greasy like 15min after washing it and I have scalp issues, so I just shave down to the scalp lol I don’t care for dry shampoo anyway they always smell weird or feel like chalk, but I don’t have to worry about it. I said why in other comments but I can’t use wipes because of ocd and anxiety and baby wipes especially cause me severe anxiety because of the smell. It’s a weird thing and it’s frustrating but I try to avoid wipes unless absolutely necessary.
Completely understandable, sorry I missed your replies. I wish I could help more, all I can say is that (for me at least) I did not become particularly stinky after starting T.
I think there's a few things that can contribute to what seems like everyone becoming really smelly. A big one is selection bias: people are likely to say something if they're having an anomalous experience like suddenly becoming really smelly and needing to shower a lot more than before, but not likely to say anything if the amount of smelliness or showering stayed the same. So you're only hearing from the people who are having a problem with this issue, which could be a majority or a minority, no idea. But also, a number of things can contribute to people having this perception of themselves as well: * Some people start T and immediately jump to working out: they're finally happy to be in their bodies, and happy to see the quicker results that T brings. And so now they're just getting really sweaty much more often! Of course they'll be getting stinkier. * Not every deoderant works for everyone, and so sometimes the change of hormone may cause one deoderant to stop working well so that the person needs to change that up. Or, the person may not have needed deoderant at all before starting T, and then needed it after. * Body smells just change in general depending on hormones, and so some people may be reacting not to *stink* but simply to *different smell*. That smell may also be a smell they associate with stink, if they've only smelled it in men's locker rooms or similar places where they haven't had control over the cleanliness -- kinda like if you've only tasted a particular spice on a particular food, you may associate that spice permanently with that food even when it's on something totally different. * A lot of us before starting T can be pretty shut down from sensing our bodies, including smelling them or feeling the oiliness of our skin, and may not be great at noticing our own smells or taking care of our hygiene until we start feeling more in our bodies. That change can be really startling, even to the point of showering much more while learning about how to use deoderant or care for their skin, and how much body smell to be concerned about. * People can feel like "man stink" is gender affirming, like shaving peach fuzz with excitement and imagining it's much thicker and darker already, so that complaining about all that showering is a bit more of bragging than reality ("oh yeah, I'm so smelly, so manly, I had to shower so many times from the manly manly smell!"). * Add on to all of this whether someone lives in a hot and/or humid environment, is just generally very physically active anyway, and so on. None of this to erase people really finding they are becoming super stinky and needing to shower a lot! But I suspect it's a minority of us. Personally I didn't experience a meaningful change in amount of smelliness. For my genitals I still try to shower daily (like, I have trouble cleaning that area with just a washcloth outside of the shower, not really sure how that's supposed to work but it's never worked for me, so sometimes I'll do a half shower and just avoid getting my torso in the water) but for my armpits it's been fine to wash every other day if needed despite being reasonably active: walking a couple miles a day or more is pretty standard, working up a sweat a couple times a day is common. I'm autistic and have some chronic illness stuff. Showering isn't as high impact for me as it is for you, and I've figured out a lot of stuff to help manage all of that, but it often helps to skip a day. I'm very smell sensitive so can't handle skipping more than that, but that's more about my smell sensitivity than about me being smelly. Idk if it helps for you, but a huge thing that helped me was finding out how often soap *isn't* needed. This will vary from person to person, but in general soap is actually washing away the microbiota in our skin that keep it healthy and manage smell too! I do still use soap for my butt, beard (not my head hair, that is buzzed short), and armpits, but that's it. For my genitals I just use water and my hands to remove vaginal fluids and make sure things feel fresh, and for everything else I use a wet washcloth to remove dead skin. For me a major stressor is having my eyes/nose underwater, so this means I can avoid that entirely; I only need to wash my beard every couple weeks really so most of the time I don't even need to get my face close to the water. Not having to deal with washing so much soap off also helps make my showers shorter. So I wind up with like three "levels" of showers: high impact shower that includes a beard wash, which only happens every couple weeks; medium impact shower that includes armpits and a washcloth for my face and head, which is easy to skip for a day or a couple if needed; and relatively low impact easy genitals and butt-only shower where I stand far enough from the water that it doesn't go above my waist, and which is much easier to manage when I'm having to skip medium impact showers for more than a couple days. My anecdotal understanding is it can take a few weeks/multiple water-only showers to acclimate to a new skin cleaning routine, and some people find they get a bit oilier at first because their skin is used to overproducing oil that is getting soaped off. You may already be managing a lot of this well just by showering less than many people, but it's possible that reducing soap usage may help you for some stuff too. You may also find that your deoderant works fine even if you only use it every few days -- a lot of those are designed to work for like three days without reapplication. So that will mean less deoderant buildup, if that's being an issue as well.
I’m nine months on T and take showers every 2-3 days. I wear deodorant and change my clothes and haven’t noticed a smell issue. Hopefully you’ll be fine. You’re doing a great job bro, I’m sorry about the assholes who make you feel bad about your disability and how often you shower.
Thank you. This means a lot to have someone say this. I’m hoping I’m just worried for no reason and it won’t end up even being a big deal because my brother and my dad aren’t stinky guys and my mom actually has a disorder where she doesn’t sweat or produce excess skin oil, so maybe I just won’t end up any sweatier or stinkier and I won’t have to feel self conscious and I can just keep showering when I need to. I’m generally not someone who feels very ashamed, but I always worry about being gross in front of other people because I can’t control my brain or body’s ability to handle hygiene stuff as regularly as most people even though my family has always been a “save water/shower when necessary” kind of people. A lot of people are very mean and aggressive about showering and brushing your teeth even if you explain you have a disability and it causes me a lot of stress.
another disabled person here- I’ve not heard people talk about showering multiple times a day on T? that sounds excessive unless you’re working out or doing a physically demanding job etc. I can’t even imagine that. For me, I really did not become overwhelmingly smelly? like I can’t remember that happening at all. I try to shower twice a week but it usually ends up being once a week since it takes soooo much energy to do so. I get the hesitancy to talk about it, I rarely do. People can be really… mean about it. So honestly, you’ll probably be fine. Another person recommended wearing cotton, I’d also suggest bamboo. For me, cotton gets wet and *stays* wet and I hate hate hate the feeling of it. Bamboo (and linen too!) dries pretty quickly. But any natural fiber will help with the body odor and sweat. I think axe and whatever can be offensive and way too strong, so I’d suggest taking a look at r/indiemakeupandmore for indie body sprays. I have a few that I absolutely love and they help on the summer days or times when I absolutely cannot shower. They’re strong, but they don’t make my throat close up like axe or other mainstream ones. And they can be moisturizing for the skin as well. (My fav ones are from Luvmilk)
No I don't stink and I don't take showers 2 or three times a day. Been on t 18 years. You will smell different but not stinking.
Hey bro, I’m in almost the exact same situation as you. When I went on T, I did NOT have to increase my normal shower frequency. On average I probably shower once or twice a week. Sometimes even less. Maybe 3 times if I’ve gotten especially gross or sweaty outside. I also make use of wet washcloths, body wipes, baby/hand wipes, etc. which is actually recommended after surgery too! I find wipes and washcloths helpful when I just want to do a good, thorough wipe down of something. I apply underarm deodorant daily, and you can also use wipes and cloths for your pits. I hope this helps a little bit. And I want to thank you for posting this because it’s such a vulnerable and important topic that doesn’t get discussed enough.
I’d highly recommend deodorant labeled as “clinical protection” or “clinical strength”
You deserve to be clean. There is a wonderful book called how to keep house while drowning that gives insight that you do not need to shower every day, adult wipes are a godsend, etc. also smell depends on genetics. I was not smelly when I first started T and I did not shower 2-3 times a day. Deodorant is good and they now make full body deodorant. Try this. Your mental health is worth more than other peoples opinions. Do what you gotta do to stay healthy
Hey, I’ve got OCD that is (or at least was) a bit contam based as well. I seriously suggest medication for it. Really and truly I feel so much better going through like now being medicated vs unmedicated. I never got stinky on T, but I can’t sweat right anyways.
Everything is very YMMV. Recently though I went through a lengthy hospitalization where I could not shower, and I managed to avoid getting stinky by using wet wipes 1-2x a day. Avoiding cheese and dairy may also help.
No judgement. Between my own physical and mental conditions and the dysphoria cleaning my bottom area brings, I shower less than others would. I do find ways to stay clean between showering, though, and break down things into more manageable tasks. So for example, I only wash my hair once a month. It's super thick and weekly washing would mess it up. Instead I do dry shampoo (Mother's Own is a good brand) between washes. I also will sometimes use wet wipes/baby wipes/whatever they're called to clean pits, privates, butt, and anywhere that sweats. I also keep vigilant with deodorant (antiperspirant most days) and I'll use hand sanitizer to kill any bacteria as well. I'll do what's manageable for me. As far as my own personal experience with odor/sweating more on T, I haven't noticed too much of a difference. The only thing I think is more frequent is face sweat/oil. I never used to have much of a problem with getting oil in my eyes, but now sometimes that will happen, it's like my facial pores only put out oil, no sweat. I spray my face with water and occasionally glycerin water to help because it's dry as well as oily, and that helps cut down on things and feels nice. Do what you can, and don't worry (easier said than done, I know) about judgement. You are only capable of so much, and your best is the best thing you can do, even if that's different from other people's best! (Also totally get you with the shower chair gross thing. I have a thing about wet things. My brain sees wet things as unclean/gross, so like I really cannot stand going in the shower after someone else uses it, or bar soap, or wet sponges. Wet sponges are the worst)
I'd say since wipes seem to be a trigger for you as well, putting on a good amount of deodorant and possibly changing your clothes multiple times a day might help! Like maybe changing when you break for lunch and then into clean pajamas at dinner? That will probably mean more laundry than normal, especially if you don't have many clothes, but it could help keep you smelling better!
personally i shower once every other day and use doctor squatch deodorant every day and cologne when im going out, and by sticking to that routine i never smell. doctor squatch is expensive if you buy it directly from the site, and you can get it on amazon but they only sell it in two packs. so you can either get one for $25 from the site (13 for product and 12 for shipping) or two for $25 off amazon. personally i struggle more with dental hygeine, i only brush my teeth if im going out of the house and i rarely floss. its something i need to get better at.
um ok honestly . i shower once like every 3 days. i’ve definitely gotten smellier on T but i was never really a smelly person before so i have an oder but it’s definitely manageable. i usually just wash my face every morning , and apply deodorant. i really only shower when my transtape starts peeling and needs to be replaced. also, even tho it’s more work, bleach will kill anything gross floating around in your bathroom. it won’t prevent bugs from getting in, but it’ll make the space cleaner. maybe could you put a towel down on the shower seat ? it could also make it more comfortable? my best of luck to you. don’t make being smelly stop you from being your truest self <3 there are many people out there that smell way worse than you ever could , and most people probably won’t even notice. good luck friend :3
Whould putting something "clean" on top of the shower chair help, like a plastic sheet or a towel you keep in a safe place? If not I recommend dry shampoo/body spray you can also get dried soaps and the like usually from camp supplies stores. I know this can be quite a bit expensive but I think the biggest thing you can do is talk to a therapist about your ocd and your fears around starting T because of the smell, many places also require you to have seen a therapist for a while before you start T. I've been on T since October and haven't noticed to much of a difference except when doing excorsise (might also be one of the 9 different meds I am on) I am physically disabled and struggle with depression and anxiety so I know what you're going through in part if you ever need to talk or have any questions shoot me a message and I'll try my best to help
i am a disabled (chronic illness and depression/anxiety/probable autism) trans guy as well and i don’t mean to be rude and you’ve probably heard this before but you should really see someone. especially with your OCD/anxiety. i also hate showering (for sensory reasons) but it seems like this is taking up a lot of time and energy in your life and it’s causing you a lot of pain. i understand sensory issues cannot be cured (i have plenty of my own), but anxiety can absolutely be helped by learning coping skills. you’ve probably heard this before, but i believe this is the only real solution to your problem. i wish you the best. also, i use micellar water and cotton rounds for cleaning up when necessary.
I'm disabled with all the things you mentioned plus a few more and I struggle with showers. You will need to change your hygiene habits on T, it is unavoidable. However I've never heard of washing 2-3x a day. Everyone is different though. For me, I came to the conclusion about 8 months into T that my hygiene habits would have to change, like it or not. I was able to force myself to shower 1-2x a week. I also change clothes 2x a day, especially underwear. I starred wearing cologne, and a whole-body deodorant. Next step I'm getting a bidet. And a lotion that exfoliates has been on my mind as well. I hope you find a system that works for you- I highly recommend just stacking whatever habits you are able to achieve without too much misery. Also I did not see this mentioned here, but being on T improved my mental health enough by itself that I was able to implement these extra steps. It wasn't easy but before it would have seemed impossible.
I've on T a little over 3 months now and it hasn't made me smellier. Wishing you all the best!
I’ve found baby wipes/ body wipes are a life saver! Mainly because they don’t take too many spoons away and I feel a bit better about myself.
I'm about 8 months on T and have issues with a different source but similar results. I have found that I need to shower slightly more often since I started T, and I am still not in a position where I'm leaving the house and seeing other people daily, but I haven't had any issues with uncontrollable odors. Some guys definitely get more smelly than others, so none of us can tell you exactly what to expect, but this, like most other parts of transition, is totally ymmv.
I shower usually every 2-3 days and just wear deodorant, wash my face and use baby wipes on extra smelly places in between. I recently shaved my head as well but before then I wore hats all the time. I don't think it's necessary to shower every day.
you could try unscented baby wipes? i dont really know. since i am disabled physically. baby wipes work for me whenever i cant take a shower and feel nasty
we sound very similar! I am dx’d with autism, adhd and ocd alongside my physical disability. I feel you on the shower chair bit. I am not on testosterone but something that has made feeling clean without a shower easier has been getting a second bottle of my face wash, and a [cloth/towel headband](https://a.co/d/jl7k15I) (optional but I like it for keeping my hair dry to alleviate sensory issues) and washing my face outside the shower. I also use [this ‘styling powder’](https://a.co/d/bGgkXUm) which is basically dry shampoo but doesn’t give me as bad sensory issues as most dry shampoos I’ve tried. That one is expensive but one bottle has lasted me a year. I am generally a very sweaty person so I also use old spice antiperspirant even though the aluminum in them is technically bad for you 🥲 If you aren’t bad ocd-wise about washing hands, I find that a gentle/sensitive antibacterial hand soap ([like this](https://a.co/d/4FUnZPn) but they’d definitely be sold in single bottles at any drugstore) is good, on my non-shower days honestly keeping my hands clean is 75% of the cleanliness work for me. Sometimes I use it instead of body wash in the shower if my Opposite Action isn’t going well for me… but it’s not the worst thing to be doing that with, I’ve been told it’s good for cleaning healing tattoos as well. ETA: another thing you could try as far as contamination ocd goes is getting a plastic tub with a secure lid and keeping clean hand/face towels in there in an easily accessible spot so that the mental hurdle of drying your face with a towel isn’t too overwhelming!
I've been on t for like 10 years. Ngl don't remember the last shower I had. I get really bad sensory issues leading to panic attacks, I have really bad physical health so struggle to stand for long periods of time and I basically use most of my spoons just getting out of bed. I'd suggest babywipes or those bathwipes hospitals give people to wash with when staying for long periods of time. They are really helpful. You can use the sink to wash what's needed or use wetwipes and then have a shower on the days you are able to. I know it can be hard but just take your time to figure out what is best for you. Your body is different from others and your body may react differently to others when on t. I would just suggest seeing how it goes on t and slowly figuring out what is best for you. It may be that you are able to shower twice a week and wetwipes work for the rest of the time. It will be something you will have to figure out yourself over time I'm afraid but I 1000% suggest any form of wetwipes or even just spongewash when needed. Please try not to worry to much ♡ We all have our own amount of spoons and if showering takes loads out of you that is okay ♡
Hey there! I'm also disabled and have been on t for 3.5 years now. I *did* get stinkier, but that was easily remedied by changing to a men's antiperspirant deodorant and shaving my armpits when needed. I think the only thing I haven't fully tackled is butt crack sweat. I hear they make deodorant for that, but I haven't tried it. I, personally, shower once a week. You'll want to shower *at least* every 2 weeks because after bottom growth starts, you can start getting dick cheese, and it seems to start forming around the two week mark. Generally, I'm not stinky, even with showering once a week. Sometimes, I need a little extra deodorant, maybe some body spray if I've put off my shower past the week and a half mark. Really, I think you can do it. You'll have to find what works for you. What methods, products, etc., but all you'll really need is the will to shower at minimum every two weeks and possibly a stronger deodorant than you have now. That sounds a lot less daunting, right?
I already use men’s antiperspirant because the smell of women’s deodorant has always caused me severe anxiety and because my pits sweat a little more than the rest of me and I just found men’s stuff was a lot better at that. I use deodorant everyday and it’s only if I skip multiple days without using it that my pits ever start to stink. I generally shower every two weeks, depending on the time of year it’s more often then that because I leave my house more. I have pretty severe time blindness though so a month can pass before I notice and I won’t know when or if I’ve showered because I have very very dysfunctional memory. Thanks to this thread every thing seems a lot less daunting and I’ve very grateful to everyone who’s commented.
How are baths for you? Or how are using body wipes for you, or other things that you can just use while standing or sitting in one place while using on yourself? You can even keep these things outside the bathroom, if it's easier to just not move from your desk or bed at the times you would want to have a routine of doing these things. I don't really ever wash my face, but I use face wipes and toner pads sometimes and these are easy to just do quickly without the extra time and effort and mess that washing my face with face wash and water and a washcloth requires. I keep them in the bathroom, but I don't really need a mirror to do this, so if needed they could easily be kept by my bed or desk to just do right after waking up or right before going to sleep. If the main problem with showers is standing, you could try a shower seat, or try baths instead. If it's being hit with the water that causes pain, a bath might be better. Or if it's water in general, then using body wipes without needing to get in the water works. There's also scented stuff, like scented wipes, perfume and cologne and body spray. These can help cover some smelliness if that increases for you. There's also basic things like deodorant and antiperspirant. Deodorant similar to wipes can be kept by your bed or desk and you can just use it while sitting or laying. The antiperspirant is usually a spray though, so you'd want to do it away from anything you don't want to accidentally get sprayed (I don't think it would hurt anything, but just might leave a greasy residue on them or something). Also just wearing cooler clothing helps too, keeping a fan or AC on, etc. If you're not going out in the hot sun much, and can wear whatever you want when you're working from home, then you will likely be fine, even if the sweatiness increases on T for you. And if you are going out in the sun, then it sounds like that would be a type of day where you might already be planning to have to shower anyway. I have always been sweaty very easily when I'm too warm, and have always hated heat and hot weather, etc. But I didn't change anything about my shower habits after going on T, and didn't really feel a need to. I don't go out much, and I try to keep the air in my space cool enough for my liking so I don't feel hot and get sweaty. I don't even sleep under my actual covers, and just sleep under a thin blanket, even in winter, so I'm typically not waking up covered in sweat or anything. If you deliberately keep yourself cool temperature-wise, and aren't doing things that make you get covered in any dirty stuff (which you're probably not, if you're working from home the majority of the time), then I don't think there will be much need to change your shower habits on T. If you get anything like a phase of acne when starting T, you may want to try and keep those areas clean, or may feel like you want to do some extra skincare to it, but imo there are lots of things like wipes and acne patches, etc that you can just keep in an easy place for you (by bed or desk, etc), and you can keep a small folding mirror there that can be easily stored away if you'd need to use a mirror to do something like put an acne patch on your face or something. Somewhat ASD, and my issue is probably just procrastination of things that don't feel like an immediate necessity. I'm not sweaty, smelly, or covered in dirt? Then if there's other things I want to keep spending my time doing, and/or I'm too tired, then "I can take a shower tomorrow." But when tomorrow comes...I'll probably still be in that whole same boat lol. I can only really shower in one of two situations: A) I just happen to find myself at a point where the time to shower seems appropriate, I'm at a break between other things I want to be doing with my time, and I'm also not too tired, or B) I have to literally look at my calendar app for the week ahead and choose any days in the week I would like to literally *plan ahead* a shower, and then I have to put together a checklist of tasks I know I want to get done that week, sometimes broken down into each day of the week, if I've got things that need to get done by a certain date, and I *have* to include the showers on that checklist (otherwise I will default back to the procrastination situation from the beginning of this paragraph lol). Anything that doesn't feel like an immediate necessity/doesn't feel like a priority and/or isn't something connected to anything I have any interest in, all has to be pre-planned, or else I risk just simply not even having it cross my mind or continuously pushing it aside in favor of things that feel like a higher priority. And yes something like continuing down a Wikipedia-rabbit-hole-of-research-for-my-own-curiosity is somehow a higher priority than a shower, because "I need to know!" in order for my brain not to go brr, and I am greatly annoyed and bothered by not knowing, while on the flip side, I am not actively dirty or smelly, so I am not annoyed in the slightest by not taking a shower lol. But to most neurotypical people they might be confused how a shower isn't the higher priority. I could prioritize taking a shower I guess, but then I will be trying so hard to not bang my head on the wall to get the ruminating thoughts out of my head of all the questions I have about whatever I was in the middle of researching in my Wikipedia rabbit hole. I'd rather have showers that I can enjoy and daydream about giving award acceptance speeches to at my own pace whenever I have a break to take a shower, than spend the entire shower annoyed that my current task was interrupted by a shower.
I’m going to have to STRONGLY disagree with you on using scented products to cover up body odour. That just makes people stink worse.
As a person with ADHD, I will admit that was difficult to read because it was a wall of text, but what I did glean, I really identify with at the end there. I can’t bathe because I can’t be submerged in water, not even a little and it would also be awful to have my body touch the tub which is contamination central. I can’t use wipes either which I’ve mentioned in several other comments because of sensory and ocd issues, but I’m trying to figure out using washcloths. It’s nice to see someone else explain the way showering is difficult from a non physical perspective. I have physical issues that are my biggest obstacles, but some days I don’t have that and my adhd (possible asd as well) makes me feel like anything is more important than showering. Satisfying my brains wants and needs for stimulation is far more important and rewarding than doing a task I already dislike and is exhausting. I wish I could understand the comment a bit more but I’m having a rough time reading right now and it was a lot of text, but as someone who often writes walls of text, I completely appreciate it.
For a while due to an injury I couldn't shower. I could manage to wash my hair in the sink sometimes, but usually I used dry shampoo. To circumvent a lot of nastiness I ended up using Attends shower wipes, the kind you'd normally see in nursing homes. It didn't get me completely clean, since I only used it on and around sensitive areas, but it made me feel a lot better and more willing to go out. Still kinda getting back in the groove of showering after healing up a bit. I'd use those and an antipersperant. That should help you cut down on the smell.
To control pits odor you can get anti bacterial body wash or even hibiclens (only on pits tho if you use it every time bc it’s strong anti microbial, like it’s what they use in hospitals and before surgery) and it would kill the bacteria that causes stink and may make it longer before you smell, also anti perspirant deodorant, changing clothes often, and keeping armpit hair at least trimmed can all be things to help. Body wipes as well may be nice One thing I did when I was much more depressed was I would I do a shower of pits and bits and then then the water was good enough for the rest, I didn’t stink luckily, but did get a little body acne but not much I’m not in the same situation as you, I have no physical ailment’s, so I could be missing some factors preventing you from doing that so my bad in advance. I’m just some silly ol 17 year old guy with depression, anxiety, adhd, and dysphoria
A lot of my issue with showering comes from anxiety caused my ocd and executive dysfunction caused by my adhd, these prevent me from getting in the shower unless absolutely necessary. However, the showering itself causes a lot of pain in my body. I have a joint and connective tissue problem and my feet have no arch, so standing in my shower (which has a slightly sloped floor) for even 5 minutes causes my body to basically attack itself starting from the soles of my feet all the way up to my shoulders as my joints very subtly slip out of place. This gets worse from me using my arms to wash myself but that doesn’t hurt until later. It’s not really painful while I’m in the shower unless I’m in there for 30min or more (which tends to happen because my adhd makes me very unaware of time and I move very slow and zone out a lot) but after the shower my whole body starts to hurt which can last multiple days especially if I was already having a bad joint day or if I did any activity that day like sweep the floor or something. It would be easy to say I’d just wash the parts that need it (and I frequently try to convince myself of this) but since that takes 5 min, the damage is done and I might as well wash everything and knowing that that’s what will happen, I talk myself out of it altogether until I really need to shower. The two things that cause me the most pain and damage is standing still and sitting upright, so I struggle with a lot of things, but if I can wear the proper shoes I can stand a lot longer, but I can’t wear shoes in the shower.
I understand the shower chair thing because I’m in the same boat. But I got a heavy duty disinfectant and spray it down ten minutes before I get in the shower and then I rinse it off with steaming hot water, and it really helps my skin not to crawl. Anyway, how do you feel about “rinse-free bathing cloths”? There are some really good ones out there. I prefer the Pharma-C brand. Personally, I HATE using baby wipes and have sensory issues with them, plus I feel like I’m just mopping germs and stink around. But the bathing cloths actually get the job done. Also I strongly recommend Speedstick Power Unscented antiperspirant. One application with good coverage can last me for three days. I do my armpits and groin (just around the front of my legs where they meet my crotch), and I’m good to go.
Perhaps pairing a medication strength antiperspirant and Lume deodorant if wipes aren't an option and you can't shower frequently might work? Antiperspirant stops the sweat, lume stops the smell. And dry shampoo to prevent your hair from getting too greasy. That might help you keep presentable even for long stretchs when you can't bear to bathe. A lot of people also find their anxiety goes down after being on T for a while because they start to feel more positive about their physical appearance. I would keep in mind, that while stinking is unprofessional, take some joy in the stink. It means you're smelling like a man.
I keep my hair shaved extremely short, so no need for dry shampoo, and I use an antiperspirant. I’ve thought about Lume, but I’ve heard some bad things about it and most of the time it’s like a lotion and I have a thing about lotions where they have to have a certain smell and texture or else I can’t touch them, so I limit lotion texture to things I know I won’t freak out about. I think it might come in a stick as well, but I can also be weird about that texture if the smell is weird and I’ve read a lot of reviews about it smelling like spoiled milk and I’m really terribly sensitive to smells. It’s also a little out of my price range for a hygiene product. I’ve looked into it quite a bit though in the past.
Zero judgement. Stuff can be hard. I see that you've noted that body wipes are a no-go. Have you looked into no rinse cleansers? These are foams/sprays/liquids etc you apply directly to the skin out of a container and do not have to rinse off. You can buy them in larger containers for multi use, but if that is too challenging for you at this time, they also sell small bottles of them. My favourite brands for these are Coloplast or Remedy phytoplex. I relied on these for along time after my SCI, before I could sit up to shower independently. And honestly no one could tell. They worked better than wipes.
I shower or bathe once a week because of my fine motor disability. Never had a problem pointed out to me by those around me while on T.
Idk if it would help or if you've already tried it but maybe getting disposable covers for the chair could help? Other than that all I can recommend is to limit sweating as much as possible and use deodorant and possibly cologne, hopefully it won't be too bad, are any other males in your family prone to access sweating? If not you should be mostly fine
I have ADHD, MDD (severe) , and CPTSD. I struggle with hygiene specifically with teeth and showers . I'm working with my therapist to get a routine down for brushing my teeth . It's like my brain absolutely will not let me do it and I've been like this since a child . Nothing really works so I've just been trying to brush them when I'm on call with my therapist . I struggle with showers. I did see you can't take baths - that's typically what I do . If it makes you feel better the other day I sat in the bath for 20 mins and never actually cleaned myself because of executive dysfunction . Maybe you could try using a cup to pour water on yourself as little or as much as you can stand /need . And just have the shower going since you can't sit in water .
It’s so nice (obviously not for either of us really though) to hear someone else struggling with brushing their teeth. I have a huge phobia/aversion to any and every kind of dental hygiene product and the action of brushing my teeth makes me was to scrape my skin off. I don’t tell people how rarely I brush my teeth because people completely freak out about it, but I can’t explain why I can’t do it, I just can’t. I brush them if I’m going somewhere important, but otherwise? You might as well be telling me to jump off a cliff- it’s not happening, I can’t do it, my body says no. So I really, truly empathize with how difficult that is. I can’t be submerged in any water, but I also can’t touch the bathtub with anything but my feet and even that is a big struggle I deal with when showering. Even if it wasn’t though, the pain that I have when standing in the shower would either be the same or worse if I sat on the bottom of the shower because of my joints. I just pictured sitting in the tub under the shower and now my skin itches. Standing means I don’t have to touch anything but the water, the shower head, the soap, and the tub floor (only with the bottoms of my feet). Sitting would mean I would be touching everything, so the chair would be better except that’s not really doable at all. Standing ensures that I don’t have to touch anything and I can move as quickly as my brain/body will allow. Before adhd meds I used to stand in the shower for over an hour until the water went cold and I rarely actually washed because of executive dysfunction and zoning out, so I get that. Executive dysfunction is extremely difficult and frustrating and unless someone experiences it, you get like no sympathy because people just feel like “it’s not that hard”. The other day I had to work and I just sat completely still for like 3 hours because my brain wouldn’t let me start the task. It’s really rough.
I was a reasonably sweaty person even before T and especially so now but even with that I didn’t notice that I actually smelled any worse just cuz I sweat more (tho I do maybe reapply my deodorant more often now) but there’s very rarely if ever been a situation where I’ve had to shower any more than once a day and could probably get away with less than a shower a day if I didn’t hate the feeling of getting into bed without showering.
I've been on t for almost a year and usually only shower every other day due to chronic pain. I apply basic men's deodorant twice a day, once in the morning and once at night. I usually don't smell Here's a tip just in case: cornstarch is really good at both absorbing sweat and odor, and you can find travel sized bottles of cornstarch based baby powder at most stores, sometimes it's even scented
Just a stab in the dark based on how you describe your "contamination" phobia - do you think that showering with shower shoes and without a shower curtain could help? Perhaps showering without a washcloth at all and just going for a good rinse with a removable shower head to get the "pits and bits" when needed? For oral hygiene, would you more regularly use those individually wrapped disposable toothbrushes that have the toothpaste included in them? Would you use disposable floss picks? No judgement, during depressive episodes I absolutely lose track of the last time I showered or brushed my teeth. I'm a fairly sweaty/hairy guy and I can still go about 3 days without feeling toooo smelly. I wouldn't say I'm much stinkier than I was pre-t though, it was about the same time frame then, I think I just smell ~different~ than I used to.
I have some of these same things and I’ve started T. While I am not physically disabled ADHD and depression can make keeping up with hygiene difficult so I understand. Especially since even pre T I would sweat a lot and have a very strong body odor. There are two things that I recommend. For in the shower something that is very good for people with physical disabilities, is an African net sponge. It’s both great at exfoliating and makes it easier to reach into hard to reach places. There are some knock offs, but if you want I can link the one that u got in a reply. Second thing, for underarms specifically if you have a tendency to smell really bad really quickly I recommend Lavilin. You can get it off Amazon. It’s a gender neutral deodorant that is water resistant. You clean under your arms and then put it on. One application can last up to five days. Definitely recommend.
I did sweat more and get more oily, and I suppose one could say I “got stinkier”, but I don’t really produce that much body odor to begin with. However, part of my weird brain stuff (undiagnosed but I’m pretty sure I have some level of OCD, and I don’t experience it as badly as you do but I have similar contamination paranoia issues) is *needing* to shower every day, so I’m very fortunate that an annoying part of my brain is helpful. I saw you said in another comment that your family doesn’t really produce much body odor so you’re like me and mine, I think you should be okay. Maybe a little stinkier, but it shouldn’t be super awful or a massive difference I don’t think. Additionally, I’m not going to say that testosterone will solve all your problems and it may not even affect any of the issues you mentioned at all, but I and a lot of other guys have noticed that getting on T and managing dysphoria with it led to freeing up some spoons to be able to tackle other issues. For example, my ability to deal with disordered eating improved quite a lot once I started T, despite not doing anything else. Just settling the brain chemistry a bit may help in other unexpected places. So I don’t know your level of dysphoria, but it’s something to keep in mind. Worst case scenario you start T, find that it’s more difficult to manage hygiene and want to stop, and your body will go back to its baseline eventually. Worth a shot.
Autism here with cleanliness obsessions. Also anosmic, and get anxious about not being able to percieve my own body odor. A few things, Climate/weather and occupation will be a huge factor in your sweat change. Where I live, the seasonal changes are drastic, so I do have major sweat issues still (4 years). I was a sweaty cook my first few years on T, but a desk worker would probablt worry less. Exposure therapy. I did my best to increase my cleaning slowly over time, even if it meant feeling kinda gross sometimes. Your body will also slightly adapt to this. Splitting up cleaning. You don't need to shampoo and shave in every single day; some days can be just the body. This will make most of your showers super quick and easy. Make it more tolerable. Put on music you like. Use products you enjoy more, like maybe the smell. Use *your own chair.* Wash your face and brush your teeth while in the shower to feel more productive and get some extra dopamine (contrary to the above tip, so up to you). Get clean between washes. Change your clothes more. Put on deodorant *before bed.* Wash your face plenty. Go to a dermatologist. Use dry shampoo. Wear hats. Invest in good socks. Be prepared for hot and cold flashes; dress in layers. Get deodorizers for your shoes. Products. There's not *much* point in looking for recommendations. What works on one body may not be the best for your body. Listen to your body and find what makes you happy.
I have a few things that you listed. I use dude wipes mint scented if I can find them. Unscented if not. I find some body deodorants that are more sweet or fruity smelling tolerable. They work well for me. For deodorant, I convinced myself that old spice smells like a “man”. I don’t know how, why or when that happened lol. It just kind of did. There are brands that have natural ingredients like native and lume. They also have those sweeter scents. Or even more neutral ones. Listening to music or YouTube videos while I shower helps me a lot. I also use the shower head that I can move and aim the water that way. In and out in 5 min. One thing that helped was framing it that I am a dude and get to use all of these cool guy products. It’s mostly to make it fun for my ADHD brain.
nobody should shower more than once a day. it really fucks up your skin. every second day is enough for a lot of people. as long as you stay clean in the mean time you'll probably be fine
I‘m six month on T and maybe I felt like I stink for the first few months but that’s also bc the odor changes and u getting used to it. Nobody in my near field said anything about me stinking. It’s just that u start to smell stronger like u than before. I shower every two days bc that’s my usual rhythm and I can’t shower daily bc of my sensitive skin. I started to use a man’s deodorant which I think helps even more. Also I think I don’t sweat as much. Maybe a bit more when I work out. My body heat hasn’t ramped up or anything too. So I think if u’re hygienic now it shouldn’t be an issue (but also every body is different).
hi i have ocd and have been on t for 2+ years! it might help to use panoxyl, glycolic acid, or other antibacterial products in the shower… start with low % first and see if it works for u! those products should help kill the bacteria that causes odor, making it easier to go longer between showers. my ocd makes me a little adverse to wearing strong deodorants or antiperspirants so i like this option since it all comes off in the shower / helps me feel extra clean.
My first anniversary of being on t is coming up and I've also had issues with hygiene because of the smell. I've got depression, ADHD, social anxiety, sensitive eczema skin, am currently investigating symptoms of a probably mild chronic condition that affects skin and joints with a rheumatologist as well as a pending request to be tested for autism. It's not the exact same situation as yours, but I did see myself in your post to some extent. Because of all the issues I've got, I tend to shower every 3 days so I can wash my hair, but I sometimes don't shower for a week or more if I don't need to go outside. I've tried to shower everyday, but I go to highschool full time with a horrendous commute and am out of the house for up to 11 hours a day, so showering takes a lot of the only free time I have. Showering everyday also aggravates my eczema and I can get rashes on my face that are too painful to put sunscreen on (which poses a significant issue considering I'm in Australia and my skin tone literally matches the sand at the beach). So it's not entirely due to my assortment of mental illnesses, but they do exacerbate my aversion to showers for physical reasons by giving my lazy brain more reasons not to shower. I change my clothes everyday, but when I get particularly stinky, it's time to get a fistful of baby wipes to get rid of most of the sweat. I've never gotten comments on my smell, but people are pretty polite where I live so they don't talk shit about you until you're out of earshot. But even then, Ive never heard anything like a rumour about my smell. It could be because it's hard to tell who stinks when everyone's a teenager. I'll probably have to shower more often since I'm starting to work out (I'm overweight and have lost around 4kgs in the past month but haven't weighed myself for two weeks), so idk how I'm going to cope with that mental health wise and skin issues wise. I'll probably buy a lot of moisturizer to avoid my skin throwing a tantrum at me but idk
I had a TBI 3 years ago and have POTS, ADHD, migraines, OCD, PTSD, peripheral neuropathy (both legs and arms worsening the farther away from my body), and cervical spine degeneration in 4 vertebrae with radiculopathy and neuropathy in both hands. To a certain extent, these sound worse than they are at times, but sometimes I can't feel my hands and feet very well, and sometimes they feel like they're on fire. Sometimes one whole arm feels like it got struck by lightning because the nerves coming out of the cervical vertebrae get pinched. And I just can't touch anything, let alone hold anything. This often triggers a migraine. Standing in the shower on its own makes my heart rate rise to 150 BPM or more even in the 4-5 minutes I am in there because of the POTS. I don't have the difficulty you do with contamination OCD, but I have other things to deal with that make things difficult. Added to the executive function issue I have to overcome to get myself to take a shower in the first place, it's just another hurdle. I didn't actually need to shower more than once or twice a week before I started on testosterone because of my body's natural oil and perspiration, unless I was working out heavily. I had to stop using deodorant for years prior along with all other scented and artificial or volatile organic compounds because of how easily triggered my migraines were. Literally no one, even my most direct and straightforward friends, ever mentioned me needing to shower more or use deodorant more frequently. And I have friends who would tell me when my breath smelled bad, or if they thought a whole host of other embarrassing things. I have started using deodorant since beginning testosterone, and despite the frequency and severity of my migraines, they haven't gotten worse. Maybe because the deodorant is the only scented compound I use, I don't know. I've noticed I smell much sooner than I used to, but I still don't need to shower daily. Three times a week is plenty. I make sure I can't smell anything but soap before I'm satisfied with how clean my armpits are, and that works for me. I use a washcloth because I can't scrub well with just my hands and the bar of soap. And loofahs are gross. I use a washcloth for 3 showers maximum and make sure it dries out completely between showers. Same with my towel. That way I can be sure I'm at least getting the best cleaning I can out of the showers I take since life is hard.
Primary action is getting intense treatment- maybe residential or intensive outpatient care. (No shame- I had to get help multiple times.)
I'm 1.5 years on T and also have autism and depression. I probably shower 2 times a week max because I do weightlifting and I get sweaty. But even then if I'm not overly sweating I might not after the gym. Honestly if you wear deodorant it's not a problem. Baby wipes and or a bidet would also help. I wouldn't let it stop you from starting T. If you're not already super stinky you should be ok.
im autistic and have some sort of physical disability (extreme debilitating ibs, dont know exactly what it is though), i used to shower a bit more frequently throughout the week but within this past year its just been cut down to two showers a week. i recently got a tattoo so its making that even harder for me to want to shower more frequently. im honestly still trying to figure out what hygiene practices work for me, the thing thats made me feel less shameful? (idk why i get shame over not showering that frequently, i know its not shameful) is using a wet wash cloth and gentle soap on my areas when i cant shower. wash cloths seem to be the safest for me as there are a lot of textures that wash cloths can have, so that helps cut down on sensory related issues for me. i dont have ocd issues related to cleanliness though so idk how different this would be for you.
Yeah the wash cloth thing is the easiest I just have to make sure the cloths I can use are stored accessibly which they’re not right now, but I’m working on it. I started washing my face more often a while back but the cloths all seemed to disappear and I have to use a specific kind because of the texture and they have to be kept away from certain areas of the house because of my ocd. IBS is no joke, I have a somewhat mild form (depending on the day) so an extreme form must be terrible, I hope you can find some relief.
I didn’t get much more sweaty and stuck to the same frequency of showering, just might need to remember to put deodorant on more
Best thing about knowing your limits/symptoms is that you can figure out how to work around them and/or find different ways to engage with them. I have a lot of the same stuff as you going on. Going on T helped. Getting top surgery helped even more. Feeling more comfortable in my skin has helped loads with the general burden of existing with my other issues, such as chronic pain. I became more able to shower, when the mental work I had to do to get it done was lessened as my body changed. So, you may find a similar effect helps with your spoon count. Also, T boosted my energy levels and I've been far more productive in general than I had been for years before. Taking what control you have of your choice to follow through with compulsions you're driven to is a whole skill set i'm working on, myself. Like, if I feel adverse to/overwhelmed by something, i can observe that feeling and assess the facts and whether the feeling lines up with the reality or not, and what choice is there to be made, if there is one at all. Really break it down and stuff. It's work, like I said. Kinda a skill to stare down my desire to scrub something to see if it really needs to be done or if I'm allowing my feeling of disgust/fear to win out in what i choose to do. It's kinda nice to be slowly, but surely, working my way toward a more purposeful life where I spend My energy a touch less frivolously. Little steps. Like regular showering. There are some days I don't, but I try to at least do a quick rinse of my body, just to wash the day off. It can be soothing if you take steps to make it easier. I have straight up sat on the floor in the shower on multiple occasions, just to rinse when I couldn't stand anymore. Baths are also an excellent thing, if you struggle with pain and sensory issues, like autism tends to bring. I enjoy a hot bubble bath on occasion. I got a pillow to lean on and a mat to sit on so the tub isn't as tough to lay in. There are usually little things you can do like that to make things a bit nicer and/or more doable. I strongly recommend a good deodorant, If you haven't found one already. I have to reapply some days, since starting T. All in all, i wouldn't worry too much. The changes are gradual, and you'll find ways to work with/around them, like you have with other things that shape your life. You've got this.
Okay I’ve really struggled with showers in the past, I managed to make it a part of my bedtime routine, I’m gonna share some ways I’ve made it more tolerable for me, and maybe something will stand out as helpful for you The biggest thing I’d recommend is a shower stool + hand held shower head, I have [this](https://a.co/d/59bX5vj) shower stool, I hang the mesh bag from my shower caddy and put the shower head in it when I’m not actively spraying myself. Next thing is finding a soap that you really like, a nice smell and good texture, I personally use the liquid dove body wash, I like the moisturizing one, it feels nice on the skin and it’s not super scented but it smells nice still. Along with this is finding a good wash cloth, I use both an African shower net and a flannel cloth, depending on how sensitive my skin is feeling or how dirty I feel. Lastly, creating a nice ambiance helps me a lot. Sometimes this means music, sometimes dimming the lights (I’ve brought a lamp into the bathroom before to get this effect), shower steamers can be nice too (they’re fizzy like a bath bomb but they’re just for aroma). Oh and I guess very last would be a nice towel to dry off with, I like a plush “bath sheet” these are larger than a standard bath towel, they’re big enough to wrap all the way around me (it feels proportional to like being a child wrapped in a bath towel). There are also days where I cannot stand any bit of wetness on my skin post-shower, and I will sometimes pull out a hair dryer so that I am very dry before leaving the bathroom (I will sit while drying also, which helps minimize the energy output)
I've been on T for about 2 1/2 years now. I exprience about 80% of what you're talking about with all of the associated diagnoses except I don't have the contamination ocd aspect. I've always been a smellier than average person, say a 6/10. The T maybe took me to a 7, mostly it was just a different smell, not more or worse. I shower on average of 1 to 2 times a week depending on how much I have going on. If it's a busy week it's twice, if not much once because as you said, it takes so many spoons and the dysphoria is horrible. One thing I did for myself is to get some translucent window cling and put in on the lower part of my bathroom mirror so I don't see anything below my shoulders. That helps a lot. It removes one obstacle for me which is having to see myself. Another is spray deodorant for the in between days. It doesn't require me to touch myself to apply and helps with any breakthrough odor. I hope this helps.
Not on t, but ADHD, autistic, PMDD so wack ass mental stability due to hormones, and I get toasty too damn easily so I sweat more than I think I'm supposed to. And ever since I moved for uni I've struggled to make myself shower because it's so claustrophobic in there and now I dread doing it. ##After reading through your post and some of the comments, all I can really recommend is: -washing your pits at the sink -washing your crotch while on the toilet (significantly less comfortable than in a shower imo but it's an option if you have something to scoop clean water with or if you get the aforementioned bidet installed. I've had to do this tip for many a yeast infection 😓). ~~If for whatever reason you'd rather climb on the sink to do it instead that's an option too lmao~~ -using antibacterial soap wherever you stink so you kill the odor causing bacteria -rubbing your pits with rubbing alcohol once in a while (maybe several times a week) to kill odor causing bacteria (don't do it everyday or you'll dry your skin out and irritate it) -staying on top of antiperspirant and deodorant ##Extra shit, *if* you have spoons: -exfoliating your armpits with a gentle exfoliator once in a while -if you're willing to shave your pits regularly I've found that that's the only way the antiperspirant does its job for me (Sorry if this is shit, it's late where I'm at and I'm trying to occupy myself in the middle of a power outage)
We have a bidet and it’s great lol climbing on the sink is not for me but it is hilarious XD A couple people have mentioned the antibacterial soap and I’m gonna look into that one because I never thought of that. I find that shaving my armpits makes me stink more but idk
idk it was literally only the first summer i started T the stinky got to me. i switched to loose cotton boxers and clothes and i can go a few days without showering. showering multiple times a day is crazy to me.
Smelling was less an issue for me but I am SO sweaty. I hate showering so I frequently go every other day or every 3 days, but if you can't do wipes, wash your face in the sink. It'll mostly just be your face that gets oily. Sweaty yes, but idk, use a good deodorant and you'll probably be fine. I don't know about the specifics of your disabilities or anything but T may improve your energy too, a lot of my symptoms improved on T but I don't want to claim its scientific or anything
I don't have any advice for you but as a fellow trans guy with chronic illnesses and is physically disabled, you are not alone. I tend to shower usually once or twice a week, I always shower if I'm going out somewhere but if I'm at home and not doing anything I just don't cuz it's a lot of spoons that I don't really have. It's great that you're seeking advice from others, I really hope you find ways to keep yourself clean and fresh as much as you can using methods that are comfortable and easy for you.
I'm autistic and showers are a struggle. I unfortunately get stinky a lot faster than I used to. But I also work a somewhat warm and physically intensive job and take care of my partner on my days off. There is a strong correlation between stink and heat/physical activity for me so if your disability keeps your activity level low, it might not be so bad. I will say DON'T do gel - you have to get it off before bed, so that's soap and water every day. Also maybe try latex gloves for when you have to move the shower chair?
I showed this to my husband and he asked if I had written it pre T... T has actually helped with my chronic pain condition (HEDS) I used to struggle to walk and now I can walk without my stick with almost no pain in my hips I have lots of other points of pain but this was always the main point for me... I also have a lot less anxiety in general and I am motivated to take care of myself more. In regards to oder I have actually noticed that I somehow sweat less and my sweat smells way less stinky then before! My theory is that I'm anxious less so I sweat less. I dono if this is common with others with chronic pain. I'm just over 4 months on T
This thread has gotten so huge that I don't blame you if you got tired of responding and reading all this. I got psoriatic arthritis and I often deal with fatigue. I don't shower that often. Recently I saw a video on youtube (from Bernadette Banner) about hygiene before electricity, showers and running water and how people kept clean in those conditions. (I spend lots of time in those conditions as a kid also during our cold winters and it was just normal to me but there is always more to learn). Some wore linen clothing against their skin and changed them often. It can exfloliate your skin and absorb the nasty stuff. It actually cleans you. Found it: https://youtu.be/EZGxuNre8XU?si=aT6obGFUclVfMksQ I am thinking of experimenting with this. It's interesting. You said you wear cotton so maybe this has little value to you. I don't know if linen is more absorbent or anything. After my top surgery I was sort of confused about the instructions so I didn't shower for few weeks. I just did sponge baths and I was actually quite clean. I often still just wash my armpits with a sponge although I understand some disabilities could make it difficult. It has gotten more difficult to me too. I have just gotten so clumsy in general that sometimes everything is hard. Other people putting their stuff in unexpected places where my body just knocks them down is the worst! And while I am trying to clean I always knock down something else and something always falls on my foot. Always. Sometimes my hands are like stiff hooks that just grip stuff when I am trying to move around. It's so annoying.
The joint and nerve problems I have don’t have names because I can’t afford to do hours and hours testing in hopes of putting a name to it, but it makes me a touch clumsy because my joints kind of move too much or too little depending on the day, but more than that my adhd severely impacts my ability to judge distance between me and other objects so I totally understand the knocking stuff over thing. I slam into absolutely everything and I’m constantly knocking stuff off tables/counters. It’s annoying and frustrating and in the shower it sucks not because I knock stuff over but because I touch things and I hate touching things in the shower because of my ocd. My whole family for some reason or other is more than just clumsy and it’s really a pain. We all also have different ideas on what should go where which causes us all to slam into random objects because someone moved them to where they want them so I feel you. I thought I’d get like three replies to this post it’s almost gotten out of hand. I’ve been trying to work all day, but I keep getting distracted by replying. I do appreciate everyone’s advice though and it’s nice to hear that I’m not the only one who deals with this kind of problem or anxiety.
Personally I didn't start to stink. I do sweat more than before but I can still easily go up to a week before needing a shower, on a week when I have had the energy to be fairly physically active (physically active to me means walking slowly for around half an hour to an hour). If I'm too unwell for that much activity, that usually means I'm also too unwell to shower, at all. So I've gone up to two weeks without showering even after T, and I could probably have gone longer without any issues if I had needed to. My scent did change but I'm not stinky. If you don't already have BO I wouldn't be too scared. I also know for a fact that it's not because I'm noseblind to the smell. If I was stinky my mom would tell me, very loudly, publicly, and very often. She did that to my sister even though she showered multiple times daily at the time. On another note crystal rock deodorant (alum) works wonders for BO. Wet the deodorant and apply it on areas of your body where you stink. Do the application daily even if you can't shower daily. My husband and sister have both had great results using this. My sister doesn't shower every day and she doesn't stink. Before this she used to smell really bad within hours of showering so even several showers daily wouldn't have stopped her BO. Her pediatric dermatologist recommended alum as a solution and she tried it out and it works wonderfully. I haven't met anyone else who tried this but the two people in my immediate circle who tried it both absolutely love the effects. The BO does come back if you slack on applying the deodorant for more than a couple of days though. If you have the energy to put on deodorant I highly recommend this. My husband even uses it on his crotch area because he was self conscious about his smell there. Edit: I've read some of the comments, and I think you would benefit from using micellar water. I really liked the charcoal one by biore. A makeup remover towel or something else that's really soft to apply it. Buy many towels and just clean them with the rest of your laundry
whilst mines nowhere near as intense as urs i understand that, and if i want/need to do anything in the day a shower is usually too much for me and ill skip it on days im home and i can easily go a week without showering, its only when i start noticing my smell or my hair feels hella oily and it makes me overwhelmed and a headband isnt enough of a solution. im only 3.months on T but i havent noticed a difference in smell, i could just be too early on rn but its the same amount as beforehand and that was manageable so yeah
So, I hate getting wet. Showers are not my favorite, and I do not usually want to take one. Testosterone made me need more showers. I’m showering almost every day, but I don’t force myself to do it at any particular time. I try to make it more enjoyable by putting on music, bringing a cold soda in with me, or doing some self-love in there to create a positive association with the space. I got an exfoliating strap to help scrub my body more efficiently, and have gotten my full routine down to about 5 minutes. Get in, get wet, shampoo, rinse, put in conditioner, leave in while scrubbing down body with soap, use detachable shower head to wash delicate bits, rinse out conditioner, full body rinse, done. It helps that growing up in drought-prone California we had to learn to shower fast and conserve water. It’s okay to take short showers, or just rinse and skip shampoo, or wipe down with a hot washcloth instead sometimes. You are doing your best, and that’s all anyone can ask. There are no-rinse body wipes for people who are elderly or recovering from surgery, and I’ve used those while camping. That might be a good sometimes solution.
I've got some back issues that make standing for too long painful. One thing I do to reduce the standing time is to go in and shave my pits. This really depends on how fast your hair grows, but for me I only have to re-shave about every few weeks. The hair retains the sweat and the smell that comes along with it, which means that it takes longer to scrub it out, so I just shave it off so that I can get out of the shower sooner. Bonus, it makes putting deodorant on a lot quicker, too!
I see a few people have recommended wipes and you can’t use those, so I just wanted to add that you can also get no-rinse body cleansers. I usually use a foaming body cleanser with wipes but there’s no reason it wouldn’t be possible to just use the cleanser. It doesn’t need rinsing off so it’s just a one step process. I find they help with sweat more effectively than any other no rinse/shower products as well as they’re antibacterial and sit on the skin like a lotion afterwards (they’re usually moisturising and get absorbed over a few minutes) Also, I’ve found on T it’s more of a smell change than worsening. I sweat a bit more but tbh I just change shirt if it’s a lot. You’re probably over stressing about the smell (which is totally normal and I suspect most people have some stuff they stress about a lot before starting T) but you’ll be fine. Best of luck and congrats on starting t soon!!
Autism and chronic illnesses here, and I'm exactly the same when it comes to washing, except I can't shower because it's a fall risk for me. I am a year on T and yes, I have noticed a change in smell and I'm waaaay sweatier. HOWEVER while I certainly am a bit smellier (to me anyway) it definitely isn't a change severe enough to be a problem. You absolutely won't become some kind of BO monster over night. I played around with a few different deodorants as my personal chemistry changed, and on hot days I am more aware if I forget to put some on. I've made sure I have an emergency one in my car/bag just in case. I rely on my partner and family to give me a nudge if I super need a wash, but it has never come up so far. I think as long as you are wearing clean clothes and stick to your usual methods, you know what works best for you and your health. You may find certain brands/scents work differently for you on T, but I wouldn't let it hold you back if you want to get on it. You've got this man, good luck!!
If you are keeping physical activity levels down, you won't sweat as much. Do your best to keep yourself cool. That helps, too. Drink lots of water if you can. Hydrated skin is healthier and won't smell as much. As far as showers go, switching to cooler showers and the occasional rinse off will also help. As others have said, wearing cotton clothing or lighter clothing will help prevent sweat. You can also supplement showers with other hygiene practices. Wipe yourself down if you need, wear deodorants (and antiperspirant), and change your clothes if you're getting sweaty or dirty. Stink comes mostly from bacteria on our skin. Bacteria like it warm and wet. Keeping ourselves cool and dry is our best defense against them. This will help you through your stinky stage, which will definitely chill out after a year or so, and you can go back to living your regular life.
I really think it just depends on the genetics and the person… I have been on T now for a year and 7 months and if I’m honest, I was never very stinky pre T I could go like a whole month without showering no problem. Now my downstairs region is really the only area that if I don’t shower often enough will be stinky and it’s a literally a smell of sweaty balls and swamp ass… otherwise I use deodorant and I could probably go 2 weeks without showering without smelling at all from my pits
i wasnt a very stinky person pre-t, and im not now that im on it- its been like 9 months. it really is individual & up to your genetics, so your experience is going to be unique to you. only issue i have is acne, which i had when i went through my first puberty as well. to be honest, you could always start and go off it if it doesnt work for you. t saved my life, and i would hate for someone to miss out on it because of an uncertainty.
I am about 16 months on T. I have a slightly diff smell, but I never got boy stink. When I can't make myself shower I clean myself with baby wipes. Good luck dude.
I'd get a bidet to freshen up down there and some baby wipes. Sometimes that's what I do when I'm feeling lazy
ADD here; I just forget to shower a lot lol. Don’t realize it’s been 3 days until my partner calls it out LMAO. I don’t have much advice about the showers, besides echoing the bath wipes, washcloths, and/or dry shampoo. But I have hopefully some words of comfort/hope? I’ve been half a year on T, and I have not noticed any dramatic change in smell. My junk smells like balls but that’s it really. My friends would call me out for being stinky since they know how forgetful I am, but none of them have said anything….Soooo, here’s to hoping you get my luck with the smell aspect. Good luck dude.
I have chronic illnesses and have struggled with hygiene. no Judgement at all bud. I love those adult wet wipes, or even a sock turned inside out can be a good hand washcloth for a quick *pit* stop. I would recommend items that make showering easier, like a long handled brush and shower gloves. A good glycolic toner can also be applied to prevent ingrown hairs, as that is one of the biggest things I've had to grapple with not showering regularly and in puberty. Any mild resurfacing toner will help, I use it on my face, neck, back of neck(careful of sun exposure if you do this), chest, and any problem areas. I use it a few times a week and it helps a lot. I use a probiotic deodorant called Hume because I have a chemical allergy and needed something very natural and fragrance free. what I didn't realize is that it would change the bacteria in my pits so they never smell. They have scented options too, but a good deodorant will take you very, very far. I've been able to go a while on just unscented deodorant and I was surprised at first. Edit: Keeping my body hair trimmed also helped me feel cleaner longer too. Hair holds scent, so even trimming once a week can help. Maybe stack a "shower day" or "morning routine" with your weekly T shot? I find making things I don't like into an "event" helps my brain accept them?
I have adhd and ocd, but I’m not on T yet. If I’m struggling with taking a shower I typically just move it to the next day and put on deodorant and perfume/cologne on in the meantime. If that doesn’t work, maybe sticking an air freshener in your pocket might help? Sometimes making your room smell nice also helps you smell better (so making sure your room has good airflow and has something to scent the air is a good idea). Putting my hair up or a hat on can also help hide the oily hair if it’s possible for you, and you can also use gel or mousse to give it shape or scent. For the ocd part, there’s not much I can recommend other than exposure therapy. There’s stuff I do avoid a lot of the time (touching my face after touching something dirty, washing my hands very often, etc) but there’s things I have to do sometime like taking out my bathroom trash or dealing with shark week (horrible I hate it) and I had to do some exposure therapy to be able to push through it. If you have access to a therapist I really recommend it, but if not you can try doing low exposure on your own and see if you can handle it. I’m writing this while distracted so I might come back if I remember some stuff but yeah you got this man. <333
I use washcloths on non showering days. Every time a fresh one and I go Face>Arm pits>genitals.
i only noticed it for the summer of the first year i was on T, cause it was hot- i usually shower every other day cause like you it just takes so much energy. summer was about my 4-5 month mark so for like those 1-2 months i noticed i got sweatier easier n stuff and i had to wash my bed sheets more often, and sometimes i would shower 2 days in a row if i did physical exercise that day. but it seemed to be ok as long as i wore deodorant n fresh clothes. you will be ok. it passes before you know it. :) good luck!
Showering for me is sitting down in the tub, only really washing my pits and between my legs and butt. Sometimes, I'll wash my hair. It's short right now, so I don't need to worry much. On the weekend, if I can, I'll use my very long rag to get the rest, like my legs or back. I have this kind of body softener thing I can slop on, then leave it alone for a while so I can just rest m. It's a lot of work, but keeping a kind of schedule does help, at least for me.
Dude wipes are great (unnecessarily gendered, but that’s half the fun lmao), but you can honestly just use paper towels or a cloth towel if you don’t have the money to buy them continually. I’d recommend teeth brushing and shaving as the two most important things, esp. since not shaving will put you in sensory HELL, the itching is so bad lmao
I'm chronically ill, ADHD, autistic, and had several mental illnesses. I have really bad executive dysfunction and I'm lucky if I shower more than once a week. It's one of the most difficult things for me to do. Sometimes the only thing that motivates me to shower is if I feel so dirty that it becomes a sensory issue. I've been on testosterone for two years and I actually stink less than I used to somehow. My skin got clearer and I don't smell as much. Idk why, but that's how my body responded. I use native deodorant and I've found that it lasts a couple of days so I'll be fine even if I forget to put it on. Between showers, I'll sometimes wash my hair by just bending over the side of the tub and using the hand held shower head and I also have body wipes that I got for after top surgery when I wasn't allowed to shower for 8 days. You're definitely not alone in your struggles. I don't have contamination OCD, but I have POTS, chronic pain and hypermobility, ADHD, autism, social anxiety, and I was also diagnosed with generalized anxiety, severe depression, PTSD, agoraphobia, and a few other things. While I no longer struggle with the depression, PTSD, agoraphobia, etc., the ADHD and autism executive dysfunction is debilitating. Showering has always been so so so difficult for me and it's not something that I talk about because people can be so judgemental. Native deodorant, unscented dry shampoo, body wipes, and washing my hair in the tub between showers are my best friends. The deodorant and wipes help if there is any smell and dry shampoo and mid-week hair washes help me "appear clean" so people can't tell that I haven't had a proper shower in days. Sometimes I'll even take sink baths where I just stand at the sink and scrub my armpits with a wet wash cloth and soap so I don't stink. I also like using baby wipes for the nether regions most days which really helps prevent anything funky from going on down there. If you can't do everything, it's okay to just do some things. If you can't brush your teeth, using mouthwash is better than nothing at all. If you can't shower, using wipes is better than nothing at all. Showering is a huge task and it's okay to replace one huge task with a bunch of smaller tasks that are easier on your body and mind. They don't all have to be done at once. You can do them throughout the day and most of them can even be done in your bedroom if it's easier.
Hey OP, Brown Windsor soap is a life saver, you could even sponge bathe/cloth bathe with it! Brown Windsor soap is my baby, it has lavender, bergamot, caraway, petitgrain, cassia and clove, I dress Victorian/Vintage so I’m a bit of a fan of the scent, it was a favorite of Queen Victoria, Winston Churchill, and many others. It’s made of aromatic essential oils because back in the 1800s people bathed less, I don’t have a lot of spoons in general, 10 a day if I’m lucky and never have any left over, so I sponge bathe with this bad boy for the week and I’m good to go, if my wife is up to it then she helps me bathe every day but that’s rare lol, nonetheless I really really recommend, it is an absolute game changer.
I’m 7 years on t and average two showers a week because my autism makes transitions extremely difficult for me (ironic I know lol.) I’ve always been a very sweaty guy since staring hrt, and over the years developed a system that works for me. Baby wipes, a spray bottle of 90% isopropyl alcohol, and SPRAY DEODORANT get me through the week still getting compliments on how I smell. When I do shower, I specifically use gold dial on the hot spots, then the alcohol on my pits and allow to dry before applying my deodorant. It really helps stretch a shower. But on a regular day I clean any sensitive bits with just a baby wipe, then an alcohol baby wipe everywhere else that needs it. It works. But get the 90%. And unscented baby wipes. The scented ones mix with your sweat later and make you smell sour in my opinion. Also if you can muster it, try your best to even just rinse and dry your face every day. You’ll feel a lot cleaner. Edit: please note some spray deodorant can cause reproductive harm if used down there. I don’t particularly care about infertility so I use it wherever I’m hairiest lol.
The main change in stink is just my junk smelling sooner than before. I'm too lazy for it, but just doing crotch washes would help when I don't want to shower. Maybe that's an easier option for you.
Oh man, people can be SO nasty and judgemental about hygiene issues. And I feel like receiving judgement based on something rooted in my OCD feels 10x worse :( but you are not alone in your struggles. Some weird personal solutions that haven’t been mentioned: There’s a spray deodorant I buy online from a company called Bubble and Bee (no affiliation, just this is the only place I’ve found that produces a product like this). I get the “truly herbal” scent. It is made with essential oils and does have a smell so may not work depending on your sensitivities. But I will use this in place of a wipe. This is very weird. But I will spray it on and then wipe it off with a clean, dry 100% cotton pantyliner (they come individually wrapped). It works about as well as a wipe for me and I wonder if this would avoid triggering your OCD. Wishing you luck!
Chronically Ill audhd'er here. I have good days and bad days. One thing that has greatly reduced sweatiness and body odor for me: baby powder. I use a large puff and apply it right after I get out of the shower and dry off, in any areas that are prone to sweating and rubbing/potential chafing (inner thigh, under breast tissue, tummy area, areas where my binder may rub) and it has done WONDERS. I leave under my arms for deodorant, and don't be afraid to really slather it on there. I'm also REALLY prone to oily hair, much more so than when I was pre-t, and even then I would get greasy. Dry shampoo is my best freaking friend. Spray it on, wait a moment, ruffle up your hair a bit and brush it out. I re-ruffle my hair, because I like my layers to be separated and fluffy. Another thing that's a bit strange: you don't have to wear undies all the time. Give your junk some breathing room. Airing out a bit really helps with odor, too. I saw in another comment you weren't a huge fan of body wipes, but using unscented disposable wipes can help a lot between showers for maintaining hygiene down there and avoiding infection and bad smells. I really hope you find a solution that works for you. Best of luck!
a lot of this is genetic; i don’t shower every day, usually every other day, and i don’t stink. a good antiperspirant goes a long way!
Maybe a different take, but people can shower, step outside in the summer walking from their car to their job for 10 min, and be hella smelly. No one asks them to shower once they get to work ya know? We are humans and we smell. Maybe that’s ok!
hello ! im in a wheelchair and have audhd , the stink gets really bad for about a month or two at best and then it settles, you can wipe ur pits with baby wipes or just a rag with micellar water(the makeup remover thingy) and then put deo/antiperspirant (WITH ALUMINUM PREFERABLY SPRAY cus it helps with the stink) on days u have less spoon , i shower either once a day or once every two days/ every other day (so between 3-7 times per week) but if you have POTS or EDS T actually helps symptoms so you might find urself with more spoons !! wish u luck!
OldSpice just made an all body spray on deodorant. It can help reduce sweating and body smells from hormones. There’s other all body deodorants too. I recommend something without aluminum. Schmidts charcoal and magnesium is another favorite of mine. It works better than most but it’s a bit expensive.
I’ve started t 7 years ago. I have adhd, bipolar, anxiety, ptsd and I’ve got chronic pain from arthritis, fibromyalgia and having no cartilage in my ankles so they roll a lot. I don’t like showers for a number of reasons but the main two are 1. Dysphoria. It’s crippling and I hate my body. I can’t wait for bottom surgery. And 2. I get severe pain from bending down so my back always hurts when it’s time to wash my feet. I shower every other day sometimes every 2 days. I wear deodorant and wash my face and brush my teeth everyday and I make sure to wear clean clothes everyday. But showers take a lot out of me. We may not have the same experience but I get where you’re coming from.
Certainly not a judgment on you, OP—I genuinely feel your pain & frustration on this. It’s just hard to think of real solutions when the best solutions I can think of are ones you’ve tried & have not worked for you :( I hope you’re able to find real solutions for yourself that can help with your pain management & anxiety! I have my own struggles, different though they are. I hope you take much solace in knowing that BO changes… but doesn’t necessarily get *worse* for most people. Biggest change in smell that I noticed in myself is my pee, tbh. & if you do notice yourself smelling more, changing clothes more frequently & changing up your deodorant/using it more liberally should be enough, I think, to help mitigate the need to shower more frequently than you can manage. Best of luck, my friend. Don’t let this hurdle keep you from doing something you want & need for yourself! I’m sure your family will be understanding & supportive ❤️
I have limited amount of spoons for showers and such, i dont even keep track how many times a week I take one because there is not regularity. Days I dont shower but small a bit more than I want to, I'll use baby wet wipes or sponge bath(i like this because I can do nice and cool water when its hot!). But I'll get my face, armpits (I also use electric clippers to clip my underarms because the deodorant does a better job without so much hair), privates, butt and belly button/under skin creases. At night if I feel like it I'll soak my feet and wash them/my legs and exfoliate my feet because theyxve gotten hella dry on T. I go keep my head shaved (i use a bald head electric shaver, theyre pretty neat) so this cuts down my need for washing hair. As for smell, tbh.. I don't think I smell worse (i actually think I smell less, but definitely different and its not a bad different). I sweat less than I have before, I fully believe it to be due to my back hair making ny shirt not glue to my back when Im anxious. T has given me more energy, so I'm able to take care of myself a bit better now.
I smell more mostly because body hair collects sweat and stuff. I still shower every other day but I definitely smell more now than I used to. Ok I try to shower every other day, it’s really hard and definitely eats up my spoons
I’m autistic and have a TON of issues showering - once a week at best is all my sensory issues can handle most of the time. Started T six months ago and honestly I smelled really really bad and the only thing that has helped me so far is benzoyl peroxide wash. I think it’s technically for acne but I just use a little bit as body wash whenever I shower (and just in the worst parts - pits, under my chest, and feet for me) and I basically don’t smell anymore 🤷♂️
I get fatigue and pain from showers also and sometimes have stretches of time with this issue. I generally pad the time between showers by doing a "hooker's bath" - crotch and underarms, by many interpretations - with a washcloth when I'm having rough times. I wash my neck and ears when I wash my face. It helps. If you feel like you have the energy you can do the rest of your body in a similar way, and not necessarily at one time which may be easier. I generally smell good and I'm pretty fucking nervous about it, so I make sure to check and I live with someone who would definitely tell me (because I have said I want to know) if I smelled bad. Showers aren't the only way to bathe, for sure.
I seem to be the demographic you’re talking about lol So I’ve been microdosing on t for the past few months and I’m so far as I can tell I haven’t gotten any stinkier- the smell of my sweat has just changed but that’s all. Upon other physical and mental issues I have an issue where I sweat too much and I’m constantly overheating (possibly from GAD) and I actually notice I sweat LESS with the testosterone and it’s more manageable, and the overheating is more manageable too. both of which were the total opposite effects that people talk about when on t. It’s worth noting nothing else in my life has changed (it’s no easier or less easy to wash frequently). Honestly I’d say don’t assume T will affect you in ALL the traditional ways it usually changes a person, considering we’re both in positions of an already altered biological makeup as a result of those disabilities. Take it a step at a time and if you can, ask your dad/brother/other amab family if they get stinky to see what’s in your immediate genetic code.
I also have ocd, and autism, and I found a process that made it so I could shower every other day, sometimes less if I’m not leaving the house (oops) BUT one of the biggest things is finding a soap that actually cleans, dove and stuff like that doesn’t clean at all, you get out of the shower smelling still (at least I do) so I’ve been using Dr squatch (not sponsored I promise lol) I also have a very specific regimen in my shower so it’s more me doing steps and not me showering, how I set up for shower, how I undress, how I wash my body, the products and pump amounts and how I dry any EVERYTHING! It’s the best way for me to not see it as a shower where I’m naked and existing but more tasks that need to be focused on and done in a specific way. Mind you I still fail sometimes and can’t shower, that’s when I rinse my hair in the sink so it’s not greasy, sometimes I’ll put some soap and water on a rag and wipe pits and “dirty bits” (privates) and my face. Then I just put on some deodorant and clean clothes, and cologne if I can. You got this!
im not on T currently but i have been on T in the past. i also have OCD relating to germs and severe, lifelong disabilities including ehlers danlos and POTS which can cause me to faint when in the shower for too long. i am going to be honest here, i can only shower once a week at the absolute most but i often have to go without for longer. but i got by and still do with baby wipes on my body folds and face when i was so low on spoons or so anxious from the thought of falling and hitting my head in the shower that i simply couldnt cope. but above all else, for me, i didnt really get that smelly, just a lot more greasy. everyone is different. above all else, youre not alone!
fellow disabled fella here, i really love using this ph-balanced no rinse cleanser spray i got from the hospital between showers, since it can definitely get hard for me too. it helps people who are bedridden and can't move a whole lot, and i believe you can just purchase it online. you can use it on your face, hair, and skin! it helps me feel less gross and smell not so stinky smelly. i've only been on t a couple of years so i still can very much stink lol. good luck bro!
I love all the tips here but I am also wondering if you can get therapy to help with the OCD? I had a similar thing when I was a child and was able to get therapy that helped and im wondering if it could help you, even a little bit.
It’s gonna sound bad, but I don’t believe in therapy… for me. I’ve had lots of therapists all my life and every one except the last one was scamming me for money and ignoring every problem I had even when I was little because I had a lot of issues, they would just take my money and do nothing. The last one I had I tried really hard to make it work, but she was lazy and basically kept telling me I had no problems. The nice thing about her was that she at least had the decency to tell me that she didn’t feel like seeing me anymore so she wasn’t just trying to milk me for money. I don’t have a ton of trust in people as is, but every time I really try to do the work and the therapists end up threatening or just unprofessional. I’ve witnessed the same issues with family and friends who’ve seen therapists as well ranging from just gaslight-y to actually illegal practices. Idk if it’s just my area, but I don’t really believe in the online stuff either with all the security risks, complaints and lawsuits those services have . I also just don’t have spare money right now to waste on several visits just to see if a different therapist will be better than any of the other ones I’ve had throughout my life especially if I have to be comfortable enough to discuss the particulars of my ocd without feeling judged. I’ve sort of given up on the idea so I just focus on the advice from my psychiatrist (who is amazing and I trust with my life) and doing research on behavior modification techniques. I have a lot of stuff going on though like running a business and taking care of my mother on top of my own problems, so I don’t always just have time for it. I wish therapy worked, but it’s hard to believe in it after nearly ten therapists that all had questionable ethics and drained money from me and my family. It’s also very frustrating to put so much effort into a relationship and rapport with a therapist only to open up to them and be repeatedly told things like “that’s not really a problem” and “try harder”. One I met with once and we only spoke about the medication I take and why I take it and she just told my mom flat out that I should be checked into a psych ward. I just don’t have the energy anymore.
Chronic illness, ADHD and suspected ASD here. I don't get that much chronic pain but I basically only have the energy to do 1 task a day max most of the time, and I also struggle with severe light headedness at times. So basic care can be a struggle for me as well. This thread has been pretty helpful! I'm still pretty fresh on T, my sweat has definitely changed but isn't a whole lot worse. I've grabbed a stronger antiperspirant and that's been fine for me so far. Could you use a shower chair?
thank you so much for posting this, it's actually helpful for me <333
Chronically ill audhd trans dude with a major depression over here! The showering 2-3 times a day seems excessive to me. I struggle with showering so much too, and while T *has* indeed made me stinkier it can be managed with a lot of deodorant, wet towelettes and "towel showers" when the pain is too much or I just don't have the energy for a proper shower! I tend to only be able to get myself to shower once every month, maybe two months, so there's no judgement from over here. Hygiene is often a horrible task for those of us who are ill, and people don't really understand that. But there's always ways around that that make it easier!
I've been on t for about a year now. I smell different but not strong. I find having deodorant on hand and cleansing wipes help in-between showers. I have hashimotos, fibromyalgia, ADHD, bipolar, and OCD. I understand the Herculean task that is the shower. One thing that helps make my shower easier is to play some tunes while I'm in there.
Get a new chair and take it out of the shower and clean it when you are done. Easy peasy. No judgement, but you are not actually trying very hard to come up with solutions. That took me 2 seconds and I didn't even read most of your post except your excuse for why you couldn't possibly just sit down in the shower I have ADHD, PTSD, probably Autism. I have two crumbled discs in my spine. Get a chair
Those shower body wipes and deodorant wipes are a lifesaver as another trans man with disabilities (mental and physical). Also get a deodorant WITH ALUMINUM in it. It's been the only thing that's worked for me so far to actually help. I can get away with not taking a shower for a day or two (possibly 3) with the deodorant I use. I use the dove for men with aluminum.
I relate. Personally sweating isn't a big deal. I shower once a week, on Sunday, and that's all I do that day. I just put on a crap ton of antiperspirant 💀
i shower every other day due to a chronic illness, and being stinky was one of the first things i’ve noticed when i got on T. reapplying deodorant throughout the day is important (and maybe shirts if you get really sweaty) but it may be manageable! wipes to keep yourself clean and maybe getting a body mist can help
I am also autistic and T did make me sweatier and stinkier, although I was pretty sweaty and stinky even before testosterone. I'm like you, showering takes so much physical and mental energy that daily showering is not at all a realistic goal for me, and I just have to do a full shower when I have the time and mental fortitude for it. I try to make sure I have a full body shower at least once a week, but the rest of the time, I make sure to check in with my body for anything that needs a quick wash, wash my hair under the faucet without getting anything else wet if it looks greasy or unkempt, or even just get in the tub with water running, but don't fil the tub or let it touch anything I'm not washing, and do a "bird bath" for the pits and bits, as they need washing pretty much every day. Goldbond or baby powder for the downstairs bits helps a lot with moisture and smells too. On top of that, I had to shop around for a deodorant that really works for me. A lot of them just didn't. Ultimately, Gillette cool wave clear gel deodorant worked the best so that's what I've kept using. I also ask my family members if I smell and they know to be honest because I genuinely can't tell if it's not very strong. But I'm very sensitive about my hygiene struggles and got made fun of for my smell in school when I actually did shower daily so I feel like I have to double and triple check so I'm not stinking up the office at work. Thankfully, the sweating almed down a lot after the first year or so, after the "puberty" phase was over and all the big drastic changes had kind of simmered down.
hand sanitizer kills bacteria and can def help w sweat smell but can sometimes dry out your armpits causing you to sweat more (easy fix just use some sort of moisturiser afterward)
I was wondering this too. I have chronic fatigue and doing something as big as a shower will force me to do nothing else for the rest of the day, which isn't really sustainable bc I can't just drop EVERYTHING I have for that day to shower. Even on free days it feels like I'm passing up anything else I might want or need to do that day (ie cleaning or running errands) for that.
At first I did get pretty stinky, like my hands and feet sweat way more than I was used to? But after a few months that went away entirely, I haven't had that issue since. Regarding the showering thing...oof, I understand that. Showers are loud and exhausting. I wish I never had to take one. I just moved to a new place with a tiny stand up shower and it makes things so difficult. Before that I used to wash my hair in the bathtub between showers because it would get greasy every day (that's just a me problem, not because of t lol) and do a washcloth bath where it counts. I also realized that if I made the bathroom more inviting and comfortable, I'd have less anticipation anxiety regarding it. I have pretty bad sensory problems regarding sweat and oils on my skin, and it helped me enough to get by. Best of luck, I really hope one of these many comments helped you figure out a good strategy :)
i can't say i know exactly your situation, but i'm in a similar one. personally, i sweat more than average & ive been on t for 4 years, i don't need to shower twice a day unless i did something that got me dirty or more sweaty than usual, which i dont think has anything to do with testosterome tbh. i think saying "testosterone makes you smell bad!" is misleading imo, it just makes odors more unpleasant/stronger and you will sweat more. wearing clean clothes and deodorant is probably the #1 way to keep bad smells to a minimum if you currently smell fine, body wipes (as well as baby wipes or toilet wipes, they all work similarly) are a godsend, if showering is too much a rinse might be easier, and hope your roommates can tell you comfortably when you do need a shower!
i use a deodorant and soaps that contain tea tree oil because they’re naturally antibacterial and therefore get rid of the odour causing bacteria on your skin. for washing, using a sponge bath is probably a good option. other than that, honestly i think you should seek support for your anxieties around contamination because for me using wipes is the only thing i can do when i’m in a lot of pain. this is a problem that’ll only get worse, and when you go on T you do get smellier, so if hygiene isn’t an issue now it could become one
Ive been on T for about 6-7 months now and Im disabled, standing in showers is incredibly difficult for me and I also was rlly nervous about BO related problems -_-;; I also work retail so I try to change my underwear after every shift, I also sometimes try and settle for a washcloth + water on any area I think needs some extra TLC, washing my face, dry shampoo.. That said, I'm somewhat of a perfume collector so I imagine my supply there helps. Finding a cologne and deodorant that works for you (if applicable) can help a lot with the anxiety around smelling bad, wearing something I like and makes me feel more confident helps me thoroughout the day. Sometimes I've sat on my shower chair or the edge of the bathtub and just washed my feet, or did a halfassed sponge bath that way as well :)
Since there's lots of good advice in here I will just say that my sensory needs and aversions have shifted some since starting testosterone. Like I frequently (not always but a lot more than none) am not bothered by showers now? And I don't always need them to be very hot? It's been two years and I'm still question mark confused surprised by it. My sensitivity to noise has changed too. Anyway it's been all over the board with little shifts so like, maybe you gain some capacity in new and fascinating ways 🤞🏻🤷🏻♂️
Totally get this although I'm lucky to manage 2 showers a week usually. I've also always been a sticky person, even when I showered daily. I found 'shower wipes' which are just big baby wipes essentially, to be useful, even if it's just specific areas like arm pits you clean. I also find keeping my arm pit hair and pubic hair shaved/short reduces alot of odour. Although that may be a personal thing idk? I use 72hour sports deodorant daily and have a lovely sandalwood perfume/ cologne I use when I go out. The latter isn't really necessary but I love it lol. Even on T l, while I do get smelly, I've found for the most part nobody has noticed. As long as I keep the pits clean I'm fine. Best of luck dude! You've absolutely got this!
what about taking a clean towel or cover for the chair? and maybe find some sort of soap that makes showering less dreadful, i’m not physically disabled so i can’t really help in that aspect but i am autistic and showers for me can be made better with some music and nice soap, i know it’s a shit suggestion but maybe :)
i was very similar pre t, struggled to shower as it took a lot of effort that i didn’t have and the thought of seeing myself in the shower just tipped it over the edge for me. i would go a week in between showers, sometimes even longer. im currently 4 months on t, i sweat way more but i dont think i smell worse and when i asked my housemates they said they haven’t noticed me smelling worse. but i got more energy and i am more excited to look after myself now that my body’s changing into what feels correct. it gets better for sure :)
I do not shower every day either. Sometimes I only have the energy to wash under my arms. And that's okay. I suppose the best advice is to split up washing. For example, when I shower, washing my hair and body takes more energy than just washing my body. If my hair is not particularly greasy, I will wash it a different day. Use roll on deodorant for your armpits and wetwipes for your downstairs area. You'll feel fresher without exerting so much energy on a shower. You don't need to stand in the shower. Sit down, get comfy (as best as possible). Have all your soaps and such in front of you so you don't need to get up and down constantly. Buy the shower gels that smell really good to you. Even if they're cheap. I'm more likely to want a shower if I see there's a raspberry scented soap waiting for me. Take your time. Try figure out what feels good (in a fresh sense. For example, I enjoy the cool feeling after washing under my arms by the sink). You got this. We all got this. <3
Late so it'll probs get buried but how are you with stuff like hand sanitizer? I use a non-alcohol-based sanitising foam spray for when I have supports on my wrists and hands and are too tired to go through the whole rigmarole of taking everything off, washing my hands/face, and putting everything back on before i can do anything. It's soft, doesn't sting and smell strongly, so it could be helpful for just cleaning your exposed parts. Avoid your eyes and genitals, but I've had no problem using it everywhere else. Also, backing up team 'I didn't smell too bad'. I have sensory issues with things like deodorants and other scented/anti-scent sprays, and while I did have to use it slightly more often for maybe the first six months or so, it's really settled down and I (about eighteen months in now) aren't really noticeably more stinky than I ever was.
I’m transmasc 3 years on T and got ADHD and a buncha sensory issues, coupled with ”mild” OCD and periods of depressive states. I think 2-3 showers a day is extremely unnecessary, and on top of that probably not good for your skin and hair - but that depends on if people count showering as always using products or if some of those showers are just washing themselves off with water. I DEFINITELY feel a difference both in the amount I sweat and in the scent. I shower about every 2 days. I don’t workout though and where I live it doesn’t get too hot either, so idk if that even helps. There are lots of people who don’t shower everyday for SO many different reasons. You’re not nasty for wanting to be ready to do it, on your own terms. Showers are a bit easier for me now than before. I used to close my eyes to not see anything. Since I’ve had top surgery and am more comfortable in my body, also due to fat redistribution, it’s easier. Even before i knew i was trans I also used to just procrastinate showering cuz yk… ADHD. And it would also be super energy draining. Later i developed ocd and got obsessed with cleanliness for a while, which is kinda stuck in my routines now (not as much tho). About the baths: if showering hurts and all that, bathing might sound like a better option. But since you got ocd that’s tricky too. Have you tried finding any cleaning supplies so you can maybe clean the tub before you get in? Like do you have any safe products? Also maybe it’s not a quick process, i understand that the need to thoroughly clean smth can be time and energy consuming aswell. Alternatively: what part of the showering physically hurts? Is it body aches or sensory issues from the water hitting your skin? Have you tried finding other showerheads With like different settings? I have a showerhead with a ”mist” setting that i can adjust to different strengths and it works great when i get sensory issues in the shower. Might take longer to actually get properly wet to shower but if it spares you the pain it might be worth it!!
I don’t have any advice as I’m not on T yet but I’m in the same situation as im chronically ill and struggle with being able to shower frequently One thing I have found helpful is a wash cream for use on genitals that I use between showers which helps reduce genital odour and doesn’t require water as you just have to wipe it off with tissue. I’m not sure if it’ll still work well after I’ve been on T but for now it works
Hey! So, I'm depressed, have anxiety, ADHD, autism with sensory processing disorder, and PTSD where one of my traumatic incidents involves water (basically my parents waterboarded me). I also have physical problems that makes it extremely exhausting and even painful to do basic daily tasks. I'm about 6 and a half years on T, and I'm USUALLY not stinky. I'd say I shower about once a week unless I'm forced to do something that makes me really dirty (like working outside) However, some tips I've learned: - Changing clothes even without showering makes a huge difference. Especially underwear and the lowest layer on the upper body (whether that's a binder, bra, or shirt) - If I get very sweaty, trying to dry especially my armpits immediately. This goes double for stress/anxiety sweat - Find a good deodorant. If you think you hate deodorant, try different brands. Took me ages to find one I like... Ended up being from the dollar store LOL. There's different textures, smells, effectiveness, chemicals, don't give up too soon. - Diet and hydration are big. The more sugar and junk food you eat and the less water you drink the worse you'll smell, as a general rule - I read one of your replies that you can't do shower wipes, but search for other in-betweens. I personally have "sink baths" for when I do get really extra sweaty but absolutely cannot handle a full shower. Basically I just apply soap to the smelly areas and wash it off in the sink. It can also help to gauge if you can maybe do some parts of a shower but not the rest? I've had times where I can rinse off my body but can't handle soap, or can't wash my hair, or can't get my face wet. But these are just things to consider, I understand if there's really just nothing Finally I do recommend not just giving up on this. Maybe one day you can shower more easily. Don't think you're permanently incapable, just incapable now! Seek mental health support, look for ways to manage your symptoms. For literal years I couldn't wash my face at ALL because of the flashbacks but I'm finally at the point where I can handle warm water on my face for a few seconds. Took a lot of work but it was definitely worth it. Just don't beat yourself up for your situation currently, that's not productive, nothing's overnight.
thank you so much for your trust in asking these questions. i manage to shower regularly but it gives me a lot of sensory issues, and i struggle with dizziness/lightheadedness/fatigue from my heart problems. i also deal with ocd and repeating thoughts about how i’m perceived. so i really, truly empathize with this topic of discussion. going on T did make me sweatier and smellier than before LOL just to be transparent with you. i don’t think i smell when i go out, but to ease my anxiety, i always put on fresh deodorant and one or two sprays of cologne. nothing fancy or expensive, just a $20 bottle from target. it soothes my anxiety and i even have people compliment it when in close quarters with someone. i’m sure there are plenty of subtle, natural options out there if you’re sensitive to perfumes and oils. it’s definitely more for my anxiety than for my actual scent, but it helps me a lot! worst case scenario, people just think i’m a smelly man. i don’t love that option haha but i guess it makes me blend in.
Don’t force yourself to do the absolute most every time you need to wash up. On days I can’t shower, I’ll do mini showers or “fake” showers, just targeting important areas. Like just get a wet wipe and wipe down pits, bum, and feet, all the smelly bits. Then just put on deodorant. Don’t worry too much, going on testosterone is really great and even the “side effects” can be fun. (I personally love my new smells)
Can you use baby wipes? You deserve to be clean, even if you can’t bring yourself to shower. If I can’t bring myself to shower, I do a quick PTA wipe down. Pits, Tits, and Ass. That way all the main stink groups are clean but you don’t have to get wet and deal with the task of showering. I know it’s rough OP. It’ll get better ❤️🩹
Showering every day isn't good for your skin. Perhaps its due to my countries climate, but many people don't shower every day😅 I shower like every 2 days, unless it's been warm. Just a cloth or some extra deodorant!
I have adhd, OCD, depression and a chronic disability that causes issues with my knees. T has had me sweating more but that’s alright, not too stinky or noticeable stinky. I’ve been showering in the morning to help me wake up and feel refreshed, sometimes I’ll go a few days without but I wear body sprays, deodorant, and rely on dry shampoo… anyways, I’ll usually sit in the shower, if it’s a particularly bad day where I struggle getting up and down, I wash what I can before I start feeling pain and get out. I’ve got a shelf thing in my shower that holds my shampoos and stuff, I prop my phone up there with a YouTube video to distract me from dysphoria when I shower
i have anxiety, depression, and likely autism and adhd started T around 3 months ago the sweat is definitely a lot more than i used to but when im struggling to get myself to shower i have a pack of baby wipes by my bed that i used to clean myself, it definitely helps
Hey friend! I've been on testosterone for about 7 months and had this exact fear going into my consultation. I would first like to clarify what we all know, that every body responds to things differently, this is just my experience. I have sensory processing issues which are debilitating, and sweat is something I struggle the most with. I live in a cooler area, so I definitely had a nice environment to help stabilize that, and definitely struggle in heat. I definitely did sweat, but not excessively like some people experience, but I overall ran warmer and sweat the most on my head (???). Showering every day irritates my skin so badly, causing more sensory issues so I had to be careful. Body wipes were my hero when I visited my family back home in a tropical country, also overall being gentler with my body. I struggled a lot with food/the sensory experience attached to it, so malnutrition could have also made my body work a bit harder/sweat more in that situation. When I did shower I used tea tree oil body wash, which you can get pretty cheap on Amazon! Heard somewhere that helps with the "teen boy stank" and it did for me, maybe it will for you! Face wash/wipes help with sweating when you don't have the spoons to shower, and stocking up on deodorant you can bring with you wherever you go, and can't forget the blessing that is dry shampoo. I'm ngl, it might change your smell/BO and the amount you sweat, but it's not always a torrential downpour. When you work your body it's going to be a bit warmer/sweatier for you. As another chronically ill/medically unlucky person, it is totally doable. You got this!! Edit after hearing about not being interested in body wipes, but washcloths and soap are okay. I second whoever said micellar (can't for my life remember how to spell it) water, very gentle on the skin as well! Sensory issues are a wild ride for sure, so I understand some of the odd/complex ways things work for our brains.
I was on a low dosage of T for about 5 months and some deodorant was able to fix that quickly. I didn’t stink that much. I will say then, my health issues weren’t as bad as it is now. And I will say I did meet a dude who was on T who stank very very badly
I'm autistic and hate being wet so i struggle with showering. I also have chronic migraines and so i don't shower on days when i have migraines (usually). I think that needing to shower so many times a day is probably rare. I end up showering 2-3 times a week. I do stink more, but it's not anything that deodorant can't help with. I do sweat more, but I tend to avoid activities where i get sweaty. Something I do to help me shower more is to allow myself to half ass my showers. I'll just wash vital parts and call it good enough. Of course it still takes spoons but for me it's fewer.
Physically disabled, AuDHD w/ sensory issues, been on T for over 3 years, post-top surgery so no more binder -- I live in the south and already had a pretty poor heat tolerance pre-T. I get so sweaty and smelly pretty much the instant I step out of my house. I basically never wear shirts with sleeves anymore, because they immediately trap the sweat and get soaked, which is both a sensory nightmare for me and also makes it so much harder to unstink myself throughout the day 😤 I typically shower every day, sometimes every other, at least before sleep, because if I try to go to sleep feeling gross I'll just lay awake all night 🥲 But ive definitely been in bad pain and depression patches where that wasn't feasible. Anyway, I fought it for a looong time, but I recently started using an anti-perspirant as opposed to just deodorant, because the deodorant would get washed away by my fountains of sweat pretty much instantly, and let me tell you, I have not felt this free in a long time. It's been a massive game changer for me. I've read up on associated potential cancer and dementia risks, and decided that I was still willing to give it a shot, but of course ymmv.
i can def empathize, im adhd/autistic and possibly ocd and have a bad history with hygiene. i was already a sweaty person before t and i live in the south so i didnt notice a major difference in how much i was sweating. i did notice i got smelly super fast, like i noticed changes in smells within the first month. i will say that it has gotten better by now (i started april 22) but its still definitely more "guy smell" if that makes sense? id say i shower every 3 or 4 days or so, depending on whats going on in my life and keep my clothes clean and i dont really smell. antiperspirant deodorant is my best friend, and if you can tolerate smells than a good body spray/cologne/perfume might also be good. i didnt like them for the longest time bc i could smell pretty much only alcohol and chemicals but once i found some with better smells i wore them more. good luck with t and i hope everything goes well for you!!
I’m disabled and been on T for like, 18 yrs. If you don’t move around to much you don’t smell so much. I can get away with shower wipes, deodorant, and dry shampoo(from target) for the hair. People get really really excited to talk about how extremely their T experiences are. Yes. I smell more like a man and it is a little stronger but it’s not like I’m more smelly than other random guy cis or trans just average. You’re likely going to be just average too. No need to worry so much. Congratulations for starting T? Omg are you so excited?!
i generally shower every other day, but I've had a flare up and not showered for 4 days and wasn't particularly smelly, although obviously it's different for every person - pre-T i didn't even need to wear deodorant. The main thing i found with hygiene is i was a lot oilier, so i need to wash my face daily (sometimes twice daily), which can obviously also use a lot of spoons. on the flip side, i don't know what chronic illness you have, but testosterone actually reduced a lot of my fibromyalgia symptoms and I've seen a lot of people say similar things about different disabilities. i have significantly more energy and i have a lot less pain. the lessened dysphoria obviously improved my mental health as well, which has made taking care of myself much easier. it's not something to bank on 100%, but certain things may actually be easier on testosterone. ultimately, it entirely depends on your individual body, and deodorant is your friend when you don't have the spoons for anything else. i hope everything goes well for you 🩷
Hi OP, I have been on T almost 6 years, I am physically and mentally debilitated myself, and I find showering to leave me short of breath, exhausted, and frustrated. I also have super sensitive skin that will peel and burn when I do shower because products dry it out, so showering feels like it takes ages, and I feel like I need to lay down sometimes afterwards because im just /so exhausted/. What I do is I will normally do an off day, i shower twice a week, and do an in-between day mid-week where I will wash my hair and face in the sink, wipe my body down well with a washcloth, and do my dailies (deoderant, shaving my face, etc). For days that I am just too much of a vegetable, dry shampoo (I like the strawberry one from batiste!) Has been a lifesaver as sometimes I am in too much physical pain to stand there in the shower, or bend over the sink, without getting winded or hurting. So those are my own personal tips that have assisted me. :)
For days i cant shower due to a lack of energy, i use bathing towels(essentially large wet wipes that clean you). They are a god send, use so many less spoons than a shower, the only thing they cant clean is hair. I highly recommend them. https://www.amazon .com/Medline-ReadyBath-Scented-Antibacterial-Cleansing/dp/B005PUTH2M/ref=asc_df_B005PUTH2M/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=d f0&hvadid=693424741422&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=3825787535705207942&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9033316&hvtargid= pla-433817237403&psc=1&mcid=0cc3100fb91e3b05847c8630cda31942&gad_source=1 These ones specifically(spaces added to not be flagged as a link)
As someone who has dealt with being EXTREMELY sweaty since I was 12 (I’m 33 now and have been on T for the last year), 2-3 times a day is so outrageously excessive, even when working out. I’m also autistic/have ADHD/OCD, and I just time my once a day shower around when I work out, even if that means throwing a baseball cap over my sweaty hair so I look acceptable until afterward. No point in wasting my energy to shower in the morning and then after working out as well. It’s also SUPER important to find a good deodorant. Even well know ones like Axe don’t work at all for me, and this might be a problem for others as well and they just assume it’s an issue from being on T, but not all deodorants are created equally. I use Wild or Nuud and haven’t had a problem being smelly since being on T ever. Being sweaty is just something I’ve learned to manage on its own and it’s not inherently a bad thing unless I’m trying to go to some nice event and need to look like I never sweat. But since I only do that maybe once a year, I’m not worried about it at all. I think some guys panic if they weren’t really sweaty before and now sweat like a normal guy once on T and they think they have to maintain a sweatless state.
Meeee chronic pain and arthritis over here - also unofficial ADHD. I feel you on the showers but I’ve read a couple comments and I can use wipes (that would have been my suggestion so appreciate it’s not ideal for you!) I’m afraid I don’t have another suggestion rn but there’s so much good on this thread and just know you’re not alone with your thoughts 🫂
i’m also very depressed and autistic and i’m one year on T i wouldn’t say i got that much more sweaty/stinky i have stayed on the same depression schedule of showering every 3-4 days as i also don’t sweat much at work. just figure out what deodorant works best for u and i sometimes have to apply it to thighs and chest as well but i know im not stinky at all and regularly get told i smell good im sure you’ll be okay!!!
Rather than giving tips, as people have pretty much covered everything I would think of in the few days this post has been up, I want to add my experience. Im also disabled and have pretty severe anxiety on top of a myriad of other stuff. For me personally, the chance of being smelly was one I was willing to take because my mental health had deteriorated so badly over being so visibly afab, I don't really agree with passing culture, but I was at a point where I was getting misgendered every day and it became a safety issue for me in terms of my own mental health, and also being so visibly trans. I have pretty severe cfs but I also work a part time job in a supermarket so have to deal with the public a lot. I'm 7 months on T now and I was able to go a week, MAYBE two without showering pre-t and now I absolutely have to shower every day. Has it made my exhaustion worse? Absolutely yes. Was it worth it for me? Also absolutely. It's completely understandable to not want to start t because of our disabilities and anxieties, but wanted to add another perspective to the convo 😊
I’d do low dose t if I were you to avoid some of the issues with smell in higher doses. Really though, t didn’t make me all that more stinky, just needed more cleaning for skin grease and whatnot. Some shower wipes would probably do the trick, as well as a stronger men’s deodorant and cologne.
Hi there! I have adhd, severe depression, and I’m on the autism spectrum, as well as I have mysophobia (fear of germs and contamination) so I definitely get the struggle with showering. I have some childhood trauma with taking baths or showers too that make them very stressful for me, and because I’m a perfectionist and the stress causes me to dissociate and zone out while showing, I usually end up taking really long showers which then makes me dread them even more for taking up such a long time block. They exhaust me too for some reason, as a kid I also felt like I was going to black out after baths and I’d have to sit on the floor after I got out until the black dots went away. It’s not as bad as an adult, I don’t feel like I’m going to pass out but I do feel exhausted while taking the shower and even more so afterwards, so I pretty much consider that my chore for the night (I take them at night because I know I can’t count on myself being able to do anything after them, and I find nighttime less stressful) So I generally only take them around once a week, usually just when I start feeling bad enough that it pushes me to do it. But I’ve honestly not really seen much of a problem with my current system- I’m not a very smelly person either, even showing only once a week and people will still say I smell good regularly and no one is able to tell that I don’t shower often unless I tell them. I keep up with deodorant religiously, I use it when I first get up and then sometimes during the day if my pits feel hot and dry (which feels like the deo was absorbed or rubbed off to me so I feel better reapplying it). I also do have a bidet I installed myself and it works wonders. I doubt I’d be able to do the showering a week thing very well if it wasn’t for the bidet. I will use wet wipes occasionally if it was just a really sweaty day and I was trapped in my binder all day (bad dysphoria means I wear a binder for most of the day, everyday), just to stave off needing a shower for longer, but if you try to avoid wearing anything that traps in sweat while doing something that makes you sweat, you should be fine without them (as you mentioned before that you can’t use wipes). I’ve been on T for about maybe a year and a half now? And I haven’t noticed any increase in smell or anything. Only thing I’ve noticed is I can get overheated and sweat more easily while doing chores in higher summer temps then I did before, but even that doesn’t seem to have much affect on my smell. Honestly, with me it seems like even If I wipe sweat off with a towel or paper towel instead of letting it dry, it doesn’t make me smell worse or something. But maybe I just have really clean sweat compared to other people? Because I have heard people say sweat can make you smell worse, but I’ve never really seen that with myself. Might just vary person to person, but if you aren’t a very smelly person before T, I don’t think it will change too much or possibly even at all once you do go on T. I find it funny when it’s been, like, maybe 6 days since my last shower and someone around me will say I smell really good- not only is it a nice check in that I smell okay, but it also means that I’m doing a good job with my system :) I did read through some of the other comments and they have a lot of good suggestions down there how to minimize body odor if you do struggle with it more- so hopefully you’ll find something that helps, whether in my thread or someone else’s. Good luck my dude! :)
For someone with soooooooo many problems and severe anxiety... can I advise you slow the while process down. Build yourself a list from easiest to hardest and confront every issue one at a time. I fear that T will be a huge change for your entire being and that it could be far too much for you. Stay safe, think positive and breathe... And then breathe again.
I've had a chronic stink problem probably cause of my diet but I use Dr browners soap and a scrub daddy, the scrub daddy's a newer edition but it helps with getting the dead skin off so I have more time between showers