My experience: If you are using deodorant but not showering, body odor is noticeable at a radius of approximately 1 foot per day. The first day, as long as you don’t get within a foot of people (you usually shouldn’t in most day to day activities), people won’t notice. But by day 3, it’ll be noticeable. (Note: this is for winter/air-conditioned days. Moderate exercise or hanging out in hot computer labs can accelerate this process. Hot summer days you absolutely should be taking a shower every day).
This is based off of approximate research with a limited number of friends (with a very small sample size so I could easily be wrong. And I probably came up with the 1′ rule in particular because it seemed nice and elegant as oppose to was directly suggested by the data, but it seemed fairly close).
If you are using deodorant but not showering, body odor is noticeable at a radius of approximately 1 foot per day.
When hiking it can be fun to make guesses about the hikers that you pass walking the other way along a multiple day track… Deodorant without washing… No deodorant, no washing… Washing and deodorant… Washing, deodorant and actually changing clothes!
No soap != no showering. I use deodorant, and typically shower daily in summer and every other day in winter, but I only use soap when showering after strenuous exercise or long periods outside in the heat, and then generally only on the armpits/nether regions.
My “research” would not stand up to peer review, but I concur that more serious research would be genuinely useful.
In case it was unclear, the last statement was a joke. Periodically when I haven’t had time to shower in a few days I ask friends “hey, I haven’t showed in a few days. Tell me when you can start to smell me” and then step slowly towards them. I’m reasonably certain that they answered honestly.
My experience: If you are using deodorant but not showering, body odor is noticeable at a radius of approximately 1 foot per day. The first day, as long as you don’t get within a foot of people (you usually shouldn’t in most day to day activities), people won’t notice. But by day 3, it’ll be noticeable. (Note: this is for winter/air-conditioned days. Moderate exercise or hanging out in hot computer labs can accelerate this process. Hot summer days you absolutely should be taking a shower every day).
This is based off of approximate research with a limited number of friends (with a very small sample size so I could easily be wrong. And I probably came up with the 1′ rule in particular because it seemed nice and elegant as oppose to was directly suggested by the data, but it seemed fairly close).
When hiking it can be fun to make guesses about the hikers that you pass walking the other way along a multiple day track… Deodorant without washing… No deodorant, no washing… Washing and deodorant… Washing, deodorant and actually changing clothes!
No soap != no showering. I use deodorant, and typically shower daily in summer and every other day in winter, but I only use soap when showering after strenuous exercise or long periods outside in the heat, and then generally only on the armpits/nether regions.
True. I only use shampoo and that not even most days. I don’t have a problem with smell.
You found volunteers to not shower for you? Ick. Double ick if they did unprompted.
Yes… that’s exactly what happened.
This is really useful research. I am not being facetious. Is there a journal that would publish such a thing?
My “research” would not stand up to peer review, but I concur that more serious research would be genuinely useful.
In case it was unclear, the last statement was a joke. Periodically when I haven’t had time to shower in a few days I ask friends “hey, I haven’t showed in a few days. Tell me when you can start to smell me” and then step slowly towards them. I’m reasonably certain that they answered honestly.