The source of your daughter’s body odor is her skin glands, especially under her arms. Beginning around the time they’re 8 years old, girls produce more sweat in this area. Initially, human sweat is odorless. (Honest!) But when it becomes mixed with the bacteria that are normally present on a person’s skin, and then you add in some body heat, watch out. The funky odor begins.
Once this biological process begins for your daughter, she may need to begin bathing daily in order to reduce the amount of bacteria on her skin. This doesn’t need to be an elaborate process of soaking in bubble bath and scrubbing her skin raw. (In fact, both of these steps would do more harm than good to her body.) Rather, a quick rinse in the shower with a mild soap on a regular basis should do the trick.
Another step you can take to help your daughter in this embarrassing situation is to buy her loose-fitting clothing made of natural fibers. These types of clothes allow air to circulate around your daughter’s body and let her sweat evaporate. And needless to say, she shouldn’t wear sweaty clothes two days in a row.
If regular showering and the appropriate clothing don’t fully address the problem, you may want to consider having your daughter use antibacterial soap. Also, you should take a look at her diet. As we all know as adults, people can take a shower every day and wear only freshly laundered clothes, but if they eat food with lots of garlic, onions, and spices, they’re undoubtedly going to produce a noticeable body odor. (And, undoubtedly, they’ll end up standing right next to you on a crowded elevator.)
