Persimmon soap for old person smell

I agree knspol I rather wish I hadn't read it either.

If I've understood correctly, regardless of how often we wash ourselves and our clothes and how well we air our houses we may nevertheless emit an unpleasant smell named nonenal just because we're old.

We're lucky if we aren't men because this smell is apparently more prevalent with men. It is said to be preventable by use of special persimmon or Japanese soap but it isn't clear how this can be proved.

That certainly adds up to something else to worry about.

One gran used to smell of mothballs and my mum smelled of her clothes which had a sort of stale smell.

I know that my sense of smell is not as good as it used to be too, so I am more careful about making sure I and my clothes are washed every day.

Well I shower every day, and shave my head, so I'm not smelly, and my son and his partner would tell me if I was, and I ask them now and again also, and I'm 80, so I'm not worrying

Very interesting thread - and it’s definitely a thing! One thing I often notice (and I personally don’t have a great sense of smell) is women who say, “oh, my hair’s so dry - I don’t have to wash my hair more than once a week”…. when in fact their hair (or maybe it’s their scalp) smells malodorous….. I wash my hair every 2 - 3 days max, but my tip is to either spray rose water in it in the second day or put some talc (preferably Yardley in either Rose, or Lily of the Valley which is even fresher and nicer) in my hands and just jushz it through near the roots. It works like dry shampoo but with a fresher fragrance.

Oh my goodness another thing to worry about, wish I hadn't read this!

I agree Esmay but no one seems to take it seriously anymore.

The area in which I live stinks of skunk .
I hate smell of it ,but what really concerns me is the damage that it does to the brain from long-term use .

I read once that burglars opened the letter-box of houses and if they could smell "old people" then the occupants were in danger of being burgled.

I really dislike this smell and notice it on other older people a lot.
It can permeate homes and furniture.

I would love a source of reasonably priced soap as I'm not convinced we can prevent it and I'd be happy if a soap could stop it developing!

I know that taking a medication (an anticoagulant) has made my own body smell odd (not horrible, just different) - though my nearest and dearest say not, so maybe I'm another one who is sensitive to smells.
I hope I can smell this myself (and stop it) if it happens!

Thing is BlueBelle older people don't necessarily smell because they have problems with hygiene, it could and probably does affect most people as they age. I think it's really good that we have threads like this as it helps to raise awareness. It was a thread on here that made me realise that the musky smell that I really disliked on my OH was a common problem. Fortunately, our relationship is good and I could talk to him about it and we solved the problem. I'm very sensitive to "smells", just wish I could solve the problem of bad breath in my terrier and stop him rolling in stuff he shouldn't!

I was in a a cafe once with my granddaughter, then 8, and she snuggled up to me and said ‘why do all old people smell the same”. The lady sitting nearby burst out laughing and I was mortified. I said “why do children always smell the same” and we laughed. But it’s made me quite neurotic…and now when I see her I always spray one of my best perfumes on beforehand!!

We do get sone smelly people and not necessarily old come in the shop here or on the buses These are my absolute hates
Cannibis users, smell 🥴
Pet dogs especially when they ve been in the sea, smell 🤮
Talcum powerder covering up peed pants, smell 🤢
Toddlers toddling around in dirty nappies, smell 😷
Extra stale nicotine smell 🤧

BTW shysal, don’t worry, you sound extremely clean to me!

I was amused when I read about one of my favourite French authors, Colette. She was very pleased with herself when she stuck one of those two tubes rubber gadget thingy I used to wash my hair with yonks ago with no shower, on to her bath taps and proclaimed she now had a “shower”.

I worry about being an old woman who smells of wee, although I can't smell anything. I have occasional slight stress incontinence and wear period pants to absorb any drips. I shower morning and evening and of course wear clean pants. I have started to spray myself and the underwear with the new Sure whole body deodorant. I feel much fresher, but it is possibly just my imagination.

Most older people experience a change in how they smell, it's part of the ageing process unfortunately and is related to our ability to break down certain lipids as we age. Good hygiene will help but on hot muggy days it's difficult to prevent some build up of sweat on our bodies, especially if we are still active. We don't notice our own smell so it's a kindness to tactfully tell your partner or friend if you notice they have a bit of a musty smell. I can guarantee that the soap I recommended is really effective

On another note…there was often an old man shopping in our local Sainsbury’s, when we were there. He always smelled very strongly of TCP. I really had to concentrate to not wonder why!!!

Esmay

Persimmons are usually sold as Sharon fruit
I love them .
I notice that Amazon sell them as dried fruit .They must be delicious.
Doesn't kaka have a rude meaning ?!
Or maybe that's the effect that they have on people !

I'm reminded again that I'm from a city - hadnt realised - but I don't think I've spotted persimmons for sale in this little town I'm in now since I moved here #sighs.

There was a period where I steadily worked my way through all the exotic fruits I could find - and then I was used to buying the ones I liked regularly after that. That's one I'm used to buying - well I was....

My neighbours French student used their flannels to wipe his derriere and then hid them round the back of the toilet, …..

I remember a friend, absolutely forcing her French student into the bathroom.

Wrights Coal Tar Soap - an almost hypnotic smell. Lovely!

silverlining48

I read that too Hollysteers, certainly the French student we had didn’t seem to wash or shower the whole time she was with us.
Towel and flannels remained dry.

Napoleon to Josephine “Don’t wash”😁

I read that too Hollysteers, certainly the French student we had didn’t seem to wash or shower the whole time she was with us.
Towel and flannels remained dry.

I noticed my late DH had a musty smell about him and he showered regularly. If someone is ill, I suspect there could be a telltale aroma.

My close sister has confirmed that I am not “a smelly person” so that is comforting and I’m not constantly showering (I’m a fire sign so avoid water until I have to😁). I want to be told if I smell that’s for sure.
A male friend smells musty as although he showers, he doesn’t wash his clothes regularly…

I read ages ago that the French use less soap than other nations…🤔

VenusDeVillendorf

I find most people really smell bad. Young or old! And if they have dogs or cats at home houses and cars smell really bad too.

The problem I think is that people don’t wash their hair or clothes often enough.

Very often people wear an outfit for going out and use perfume, then hang it up for the next time, and by the next time the oils which have transferred from the skin have oxidised and the garment smells awfully stale and the perfume is musty.

Washing hair often can be difficult for some so they just comb it or brush it, not realising that the scalp really smells rancid, and they need a more manageable style, and a more citrus based shampoo for more frequent washing.

animal breath really smells if they have dried food rather than offal or meat, and aren’t adequately hydrated. Drugs need regular bathing too, and houses need to be aired out everyday. Open all those windows wide for an hour in the morning!

I think that pet owners are often not aware that their pets and homes are smelly, their noses cease to smell them. I know that when we had cats I could always smell them when I first came home from holiday, but it only lasted a couple of days.
I can't bear the smell of some wet cat foods, I find them really nauseating.