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When Someone Smells Bad What Can Co-Workers Do?

What do you do when a friend or co-worker has body odor? This is not the sort of thing people talk about comfortably, but there may be a simple solution.

Q. Every week we have a staff meeting and one of my co-workers ends up sitting close to me. He has body odor that I find really offensive.

I have asked friends of his at work what the problem is and they say he can’t use antiperspirant because it gives him a rash. I can sort of sympathize but the smell is hard to handle. Other co-workers complain behind his back too.

Surely there must be an antiperspirant that would control the smell without causing him irritation.

A. We’re guessing that your co-worker is super sensitive to the aluminum salts that are found in all antiperspirants. That means that he literally cannot use an antiperspirant without discomfort. Controlling body smells without an antiperspirant can be tricky.

Alternatives to Antiperspirants to Control Body Odor Smells:

That does not mean he has to stink, though. Many readers report that milk of magnesia (MoM) is both gentle and effective for controlling body odor. The only problem is that sloshing this liquid laxative on your underarms can be a bit daunting, especially for guys.

In addition, oral laxatives contain bleach (sodium hypochlorite) as a preservative. Even though it is probably in a very low concentration, bleach does not seem like something most people would want to put on their delicate underarm tissue.

Men’s MoM from The People’s Pharmacy:

For those reasons we recently developed Men’s MoM (Milk of Magnesia) Aluminum-Free Roll-on Deodorant. It is scented for men with a pleasant herbal fragrance. It just might do the trick for your co-worker.

Reviews for Men’s MoM:

Ron offers:

“Being concerned with the whole aluminum in anti-perspirants issue, I started looking into alternatives. I tried the enzyme products but they were quite the sticky mess. Then I found Men’s MOM and am very satisfied with how it works. Nice subtle manly scent and really does stop the pit smell! Good product.”

Sidney in Horseheads, NY says:

“Gentle, long lasting once applied.”

Kate in La Mesa, CA shares:

“My husband can’t use any other kind of deodorant. All others have irritated his skin and caused intense itching. He is so grateful to have found this product.”

Discount on Holiday Gift Offer for Men’s MoM:

We recognize that a deodorant is a strange gift for a guy, but we figure that a lot of women would like to keep their men smelling fresh without exposing them to aluminum. Here’s a cute stocking stuffer that will be appreciated once it is tried.

To make it an especially attractive gift for this holiday season we are offering a 25 percent discount on Men’s MoM. Just enter the discount code: MEN25 when you check out.

We hope this solves the bad smells problem and that your co-worker will appreciate your thoughtfulness.

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About the Author
Joe Graedon is a pharmacologist who has dedicated his career to making drug information understandable to consumers. His best-selling book, The People’s Pharmacy, was published in 1976 and led to a syndicated newspaper column, syndicated public radio show and web site. In 2006, Long Island University awarded him an honorary doctorate as “one of the country's leading drug experts for the consumer.”.
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