FTM Crotch Sweat and Odor

[Arch]

I'm sure that I'm not doing myself any favors by wearing a packer, but I have this problem with or without it. I sweat a lot now below the belt. This summer has been particularly hot and humid, so I stay damp down there for stretches of time, even when I'm indoors (unless the air conditioning is really stellar). I hate institutional vinyl seating because sitting on a vinyl seat is just as bad as running around outside. My crotch turns into a swamp. Ick.

Since I have an unwanted orifice down there, I also get manly secretions. The combination of that and perspiration results in a particularly strong odor. I have a very keen nose, so I'm more sensitive to smells than most other people are, but I'm sure that some other people pick up on the odor when it's especially strong. I'm horribly self-conscious about it, and the hot and humid weather is likely to continue for quite some time.

I need to combat both the sweat and the smell. Any suggestions for really good products I can use? I've done some googling, but the men who report on various products do not tend to have this extra orifice. I do welcome MTF input, however, since some of you may have had similar but not identical issues in the past.

P.S. I do shower, I am not willing to stop using the packer, I do use specially adapted 100& cotton Hanes underwear (so an underwear change is unlikely), and I do wear cotton clothes because of past and possibly present fabric allergies (and I can't afford to buy a whole new wardrobe of trousers).

[FTMax]

In a similar boat with the sweatiness. I come home from work everyday basically drenched below the waist. As far as odor goes, make sure you're getting to all the bits and pieces when you're washing in the shower. If you're as hairy as I am, trimming it down short or shaving down yonder may be helpful, as there's less for sweat to cling to.

Baby powder helps with sweating and sweat-smell. I was a cop for a few years and we had light blue uniform shirts that I'd sweat through in the first hour of my shift walking a foot beat and wearing body armor. I found if I put baby powder on really liberally (two layers - rub one in, then put another layer on top), I usually fared a lot better.

I haven't tried them and I don't know how open you'd be to them, but I know they make portable packs of "freshness wipes" for the downstairs region. You may just need to towel off a few times during the day to keep it in check if nothing else is working.

[JLT1]

In a similar boat with the sweatiness. I come home from work everyday basically drenched below the waist. As far as odor goes, make sure you're getting to all the bits and pieces when you're washing in the shower. If you're as hairy as I am, trimming it down short or shaving down yonder may be helpful, as there's less for sweat to cling to.

Baby powder helps with sweating and sweat-smell. I was a cop for a few years and we had light blue uniform shirts that I'd sweat through in the first hour of my shift walking a foot beat and wearing body armor. I found if I put baby powder on really liberally (two layers - rub one in, then put another layer on top), I usually fared a lot better.

I haven't tried them and I don't know how open you'd be to them, but I know they make portable packs of "freshness wipes" for the downstairs region. You may just need to towel off a few times during the day to keep it in check if nothing else is working.

The above is all good information.  Loose fitting and summer weight clothes will help.  Some guys like boxers so there is some air flow when walking. Sit with legs apart.  Perhaps antiperspirant or deodorant on inside thigh.

Jen

[Tysilio]

Foot powder is even better than baby powder for those hard-to-air sweaty bits. Look for the kinds that have salicylate in them (very soothing) and avoid anything mentholated, like Gold Bond. (Whoo-ee, it's an "interesting" sensation when you get it on your, um, sensitive bits.)

It's made for feet, fergoshsakes -- they can get nasty. The stuff really does work to reduce odor and keep things more comfortable down there. And if you run to rashes it'll clear them right up.

[Arch]

I have read that Gold Bond can sting regular guys, and I thought about how I would fare with an actual hole...glad I didn't buy that Gold Bond at Target the other night. I considered regular talcum powder but wasn't sure. And I hadn't thought of wipes.

Ahhh, too bad. The foot powder I already have has corn starch (I don't think that's a good idea) but no salicylate. Plus, it's heavily laced with fragrance and gives me a headache. Is there any foot powder that isn't smelly? My allergy headaches get quite nasty and make it nearly impossible to focus.

[Tysilio]

I like both the CVS and Walgreens store brands. They both come in yellow containers, to remind you of Dr. Scholl's. I like the CVS a bit better; to my nose at least, it has little or no fragrance.

Baby wipes are also good, both for quick cleanups and for times when you're away from running water (which is fairly often for me, at least in summer -- I'd never go camping without them.) You can get unscented ones.

The first time I went on a multi-week canoe trip, I wasn't sure how much foot powder I'd need, so I took two of those little film canisters with salt-and-pepper shaker tops. I labeled them "Left" and "Right." (In that case, the powder was also for my feet, which tend to stay wet all day on canoe trips and look like prunes by evening. Powdering them and putting on dry socks was, and is, pure bliss.)

[Arch]

My immediate neighborhood has both of these drugstores, but CVS is more convenient. I'll check it out this week.

I was very unhappy to see that my CVS no longer carries BD alcohol swabs. If I want them--or BD sharps containers--I have to order online. Very inconvenient.

[Laura_7]

For odor you might try a good essential oil, maybe organic because of ingredients.
You could give a drop on a handkerchief, fold it and put it in your pocket.

Cotton clothing should be a good choice.

Odor and sweat also depend on nutrition.
You might try a healthy nutrition. Maybe fresh fruit etc and less artificial ingredients.

[Jenna Marie]

I would recommend unscented baby wipes for sensitive skin, actually - in my experience, the "feminine freshness wipes" are heavily scented, which a) isn't great for sensitive tissues on some people and b) I can't imagine a guy would be much happier having his crotch smell like a flower shop, not to mention c) the potential unhappiness of having to buy something from the "feminine hygiene" aisle. Plus the baby wipes are generally cheaper, and are intended for the very very delicate skin of babies' diaper areas so they're really gentle.

That's what I use, and it does do wonders for a quick wash-up without having to shower/bathe the rest of me (which doesn't really need 3-4 showers a day even if my crotch could use that much cleaning). You may want to follow up with a quick pass with toilet paper as the wipes can leave their own dampness behind, and I hadn't thought of the powder idea before this thread but I bet it could be combined with cleaning methods.

[FTMax]

Foot powder is even better than baby powder for those hard-to-air sweaty bits. Look for the kinds that have salicylate in them (very soothing) and avoid anything mentholated, like Gold Bond. (Whoo-ee, it's an "interesting" sensation when you get it on your, um, sensitive bits.)

Oh gosh, I forgot to mention that! I hope you didn't go for the Gold Bond and get the bad tingles

[invisiblemonsters]

baby powder can cause cancer because of the talcum in it (which is why you don't use it to dust your packer) and things like sprays can cause yeast infection. just make sure you clean yourself properly, trim down whatever you got there and wear loose fitting clothes/underwear.

[Tysilio]

Talcum powder has a bad rep because it used to contain asbestos, which is a known carcinogen. It's been asbestos-free since the 1970's. The association of modern talc-containing products with cancer is not well established, but if it exists at all, it's very small. If it worries you, there are cornstarch-based powders. For FTMs who've had their ovaries removed, there should be no risk at all, since ovarian cancer is the only one with even a minimal association with talc.

In the overall scheme of things... it's not something I choose to worry about.

[Pony]

I used to live in Houston, and would sweat my nuts off (literally), so I got into using a double hit of baby powder, as described above by another poster, and that helped tremendously. I still use it for this purpose because it's been pretty hot lately this summer and I no longer have my 'southern blood'.

[GnomeKid]

I saw some boxer briefs the other day designed for athletic uses that were antimicrobial and said to "battle smell" maybe those might help you out?

I opted for those that were half the price on the clearance rack, so I cannot attest to their working or not... might be worth a shot though.  I think i saw them in the jockey outlet.

[Arch]

So far, I haven't found any briefs that work well for packers--I use TransZwear. I'm going to stick with them.

I tried Tysilio's powder, but only after a break in the heat wave, so I wasn't able to test the product during a real scorcher. I did think it worked well, but the real test will come during another round of hot weather. The way this summer has been going, I don't think that will be a problem.

[2fish]

Baby wipes are the best even the flushable wet wipe toilet paper. All the guys at my job use these products. It does help with keeping odor to a minimum. And it's cheap. Wal-Mart sells the BD alcohol wipes along with the sharps container.

Sent from my SD4930UR using Tapatalk

[Arch]

Ah! I never posted about my successes. I've been using a Thai deodorant stick, and it's actually working. I still sweat, but I don't stink. This thing has gotten me through some very nasty heat waves this summer. Who'd o' thunk it?

And Tysilio's powder has been a win as well. I got mine at CVS. I might not need to use it after bottom surgery, but that won't happen for quite some time. Thanks, Tysilio!

[Tysilio]

Hey, Arch, I'm glad it's working for you!

[chance]

I use Gold Bond and it works very well.  Even when I do sweat through it the Gold Bond prevents odor.  Gold Bond does have a minty/eucylyptus-y scent/feel on your skin but it has never hurt.  I would never have been able to last working as a mechanic in a non-air conditioned garage for 4 years without it.  I still use Gold Bond during the sweaty times weather.

[KayMc]

Putting on my medical hat here for a second...

Avoid using powders that are starch based UNLESS they are medicated to prevent fungus/bacteria growth.

Here's the scoop: old baby powder used to be talc. They stopped using talc and went to corn starch. The problem is obvious: bacteria can't eat talc, but they love eating corn starch. So what you're doing when you put corn starch powder on a wet, dark, warm place is you are basically ADDING FOOD.

The basic baby powders on the market will almost always increase infections, not relieve them (that's that bad smell you are smelling: infection by bacteria or fungus).

So, either find a talc powder - or, more likely - use a powder with an anti-microbial agent in it. There are lots of those available.