No Shower Month: Record How Long You Lasted

[Huckleberry]

It's all based upon the fact that sweat in the pits, groin and breasts includes proteins, aromatic oils, and other chemicals that are not present in normal sweat.

So is it bad if I find my own armpit sweat particularly offensive, or is that normal? This must be a subconscious thing, if it is even a trait that humans still possess. I've read that the sense of smell is different from the other senses in that it connects to the brain in a way that bypasses conscious thought somehow. I've probably described that poorly. I don't know the particulars of it but supposedly this is why scent is the best sense for evoking memories. So maybe when we smell people's armpit sweat (and other areas) we may find it offensive, but we react on a subconscious level.

Hey Moonbear, check my armpits. Do they stink to you?

 

[Moonbear]

I heard something about pheromones being secreted in armpits glands and supposedlly women find them irresistible.

Myth. There was a study where women smelled t-shirts that men had worn to see how they rated armpit odors while they were in different stages of their monthly cycle. The hypothesis was that they would find armpit odor (and included pheromones) more attractive when they were ovulating than other times of the month. They didn't find it attractive...slightly less offensive, but they still ranked the odors as bad. I don't know if I can locate that study again to cite it. Of course there may be cultural differences that were not considered in that study, but that would indicate it's a learned preference, not that there is anything inherently attractive about armpit smell.

I can also say from experience that I don't care how much I love a guy or how attracted I am to him, if his pits stink, I'm sending him to the shower!

 

[Evo]

As for the Napoleonic quote, it was because of the pheremonal effect of sweat.

The Empress Josephine was addicted to musk. She used so much that story has it you can still smell it in the walls.

 

[Moonbear]

Hey Moonbear, check my armpits. Do they stink to you?

No way! Smell your own! *hands Huck Irish Spring soap* Even better, just take a shower to be on the safe side. Need any help washing your back?

 

[Evo]

Myth. There was a study where women smelled t-shirts that men had worn to see how they rated armpit odors while they were in different stages of their monthly cycle. The hypothesis was that they would find armpit odor (and included pheromones) more attractive when they were ovulating than other times of the month. They didn't find it attractive...slightly less offensive, but they still ranked the odors as bad. I don't know if I can locate that study again to cite it.

You mean this study?

Study...
A study conducted by UCLA's Department of Psychiatry has revealed that the male face a woman finds most attractive can differ depending on where she is in her menstrual cycle.

For instance, if she is ovulating, she is attracted to men with rugged and masculine features.

However, if she is menstruating or menopausal, she is more prone to be attracted to a man with scissors lodged in his temple and a bat jammed up his ass while he is on fire.

Further studies are expected.

 

[Moonbear]

You mean this study?

Study...
A study conducted by UCLA's Department of Psychiatry has revealed that the male face a woman finds most attractive can differ depending on where she is in her menstrual cycle.

For instance, if she is ovulating, she is attracted to men with rugged and masculine features.

However, if she is menstruating or menopausal, she is more prone to be attracted to a man with scissors lodged in his temple and a bat jammed up his ass while he is on fire.

Further studies are expected.

 

[Danger]

Myth. There was a study where women smelled t-shirts that men had worn to see how they rated armpit odors while they were in different stages of their monthly cycle.

Another one had women sniff T-shirts and rate which owner they would probably be most attracted to. They then did the same thing with a series of facial photos. It was bloody amazing how often the owner of the shirt was the picture chosen by a particular woman.

 

[cronxeh]

However, if she is menstruating or menopausal, she is more prone to be attracted to a man with scissors lodged in his temple and a bat jammed up his ass while he is on fire.

Further studies are expected.

so.. who wants to sniff my pheromones.. limited time offer! finest quality alpha-male sample!

 

[Moonbear]

Most armpit odor is just bacterial by-products. There might be pheromones secreted too, but it's not what causes the odor.

 

[SOS2008]

Myth. There was a study where women smelled t-shirts that men had worn to see how they rated armpit odors while they were in different stages of their monthly cycle. The hypothesis was that they would find armpit odor (and included pheromones) more attractive when they were ovulating than other times of the month. They didn't find it attractive...slightly less offensive, but they still ranked the odors as bad. I don't know if I can locate that study again to cite it.

It was a program on Discovery or some channel like that, right? I also thought I saw a program about attraction to pheromones indicating chemical compatibility for reproducing, but I could never find that one again.

I had a client that wore cologne too heavy who would always give me a hug when I saw him. I couldn't wait to get home and shower that obnoxious smell off of me. Many men think women are loving their cologne--so sad.

 

[cronxeh]

its better to have certain bacteria on your skin, as they will protect you in case of some virus/chemical attack by simply being there

thats why i won't scrub too hard in the shower - might get your skin raptured and infected, causing more harm than good. its never 'good' to scrub too hard.

 

[stoned]

Cronxeh ? we two are real men unlike those weaklings who must shower obsessivelly each and every day.
Bacteria is Good !

 

[Danger]

The Empress Josephine was addicted to musk. She used so much that story has it you can still smell it in the walls.

Okay, so the next time I want to woo a French empress, I'll rub a musk ox under my arms.

she is more prone to be attracted to a man with scissors lodged in his temple and a bat jammed up his ass while he is on fire.

Is that a fruit bat or a Louisville Slugger?

Most armpit odor is just bacterial by-products. There might be pheromones secreted too, but it's not what causes the odor.

Yeah, I know that the noticeable odour is bacteria ****; I was referring to the subliminal chemicals that directly impact the limbic system without being consciously noticed.

The thing that I find weird about cologne or after-shave is that women and men don't find the same scents attractive. For men, pumpkin pie is the most reactive one, on average. I can't remember what the female one is. Now, I'm not about to wear something that I don't like myself, and if it's something that I do like, then the women probably won't. So I don't bother. I just leave a little trace of my aloe shaving cream on (smear it around while partially rinsing).

It was a program on Discovery or some channel like that, right?

Naw... I don't get cable, remember? It was an episode of 'The Sex Files' dealing with bodily fluids.

its better to have certain bacteria on your skin, as they will protect you in case of some virus/chemical attack by simply being there

That's one reason that I boycott antibacterial soaps. I have a very good working relationship with my bacteria. I don't try to kill them, and they kill things that are trying to make me sick. All that those stupid high-tech cleansers do is erode your immune system.

 

[stoned]

The only one I personally know of was my uncle who was killed in France in 1917. He spent several weeks in the same trench. When they were pretty sure that they weren't going to get shot at for a few minutes, they'd take their helmets off and use them as basins to shave and wash their asses. :

you are absolutelly right, soldiers in WW1 and other conflicts went thru hell.
my grandpa was in trenches fighting on the German side, he was wounded few times.he told simmilar stories about personnal hygiene while fighting there.

 

[Huckleberry]

More people were killed by the flu virus in one year than all of the people that died in World War I. http://www.stanford.edu/group/virus/uda/ Would proper hygeine have saved many of those lives?

However, if she is menstruating or menopausal, she is more prone to be attracted to a man with scissors lodged in his temple and a bat jammed up his ass while he is on fire.

Where did they find guys willing to participate in this experiment? Must be the same ones that they advertise in the papers for smoking pot experiments. Get 'em high and then sodomize them and light them on fire. I think I smell die hard feminists nearby.

No way! Smell your own! *hands Huck Irish Spring soap* Even better, just take a shower to be on the safe side. Need any help washing your back?
Today 01:50 AM

Yes please.

Time for bed for me. I think tomorrow I'll see if I can dig up any info on human pheremones and how the sense of smell functions. I'm kind of curious.

 

[Danger]

my grandpa was in trenches fighting on the German side, he was wounded few times.he told simmilar stories about personnal hygiene while fighting there.

You never know; they might have been fighting each other. The thing about my uncle was that he was shot in the leg. After the next movement, the British medics did a sweep of the field and missed him. A German soldier about 17 or 18 years old (who could very well be the one who shot him) found him, picked him up, and carried him to an Allied field hospital. Needless to say, that involved his surrendering. Not an easy thing for someone to do, particularly given the false propoganda as to how we treated prisoners. Unfortunately, Bruce had already developed gangrene and died of that. If penicillin had existed at the time, he would have been fine.

More people were killed by the flu virus in one year than all of the people that died in World War I.

I'm sure that if my uncle was still alive, he would be sad to hear that, but it has nothing to do with the question which you originally asked.

 

[Moonbear]

Yes please.

Time for bed for me.

Okay, one down. Who's next for the shower?

 

[hypatia]

I wouldn't even worry about bacteria, its the fungus that will get ya.
I shower every other day, useing french hard milled soap, or natural peppermint soap.
And yes you do get use to your own smell, so you don't think you stink, when in fact you do. Your body sweats off at least a pint of fluids a day, even in your sleep.

 

[arildno]

My B.O. is excessively strong, so that I need to shower at least twice a day (along with use of deodrant) to remain reasonably "fresh".

While I enjoy showering, it is rather bothersome since, on occasional days, I can't get a decent second shower.

 

[Astronuc]

Bacteria is Good !

Oh, yeah?

Watch out for Necrotizing Fasciitis, a rare bacterial infection that can destroy skin and the soft tissues beneath it, including fat and the tissue covering the muscles (fascia). Because these tissues often die rapidly, a person with necrotizing fasciitis is sometimes said to be infected with "flesh-eating" bacteria, especially Streptococcus pyrogenes.

 

[BobG]

More people were killed by the flu virus in one year than all of the people that died in World War I. http://www.stanford.edu/group/virus/uda/ Would proper hygeine have saved many of those lives?

Where did they find guys willing to participate in this experiment? Must be the same ones that they advertise in the papers for smoking pot experiments. Get 'em high and then sodomize them and light them on fire. I think I smell die hard feminists nearby.
Yes please.

A little hygeine goes a long way towards improving people's ability to both avoid and to withstand a lot of diseases (although I have the same poor opinion of anti-bacterial soaps - it's equivalent to doctors handing out a dose of penecillin for every childhood cold just to shut the mother up).

You can find guys willing to participate in any experiment. They got volunteers from an Army base up in Alaska to test mosquito repellents. The volunteers had to sit out in the woods wearing mosquito repellent and then the researchers would count the mosquito bites. Repellents with DEET scored best - only about 4 bites per hour. The poor guys wearing the placebo got about 1089 mosquito bites per hour. Those (the placebo wearers) are probably the ones that volunteered for Evo's experiment.

In fact, I'd make one exception to good hygeine. When I was in Alaska I didn't like to shower because it tended to wash off the mosquito repellent ... for minutes at a time! Of course, that did tend to solve the 'cologne' problem - everyone, male or female, all smelled like mosquito repellent.

 

[Echo 6 Sierra]

I just took my annual shower.

OMG...I just threw up a little in my mouth...

I've gone aboot a week w/o washing, except for the goods, and for fun we would sit in the glow of a heat tab bonfire and use our bayonettes to scrape the gook off ourselves, but, as astronuc advised, had to reapply the deet (govt. bug juice) to the freshly scraped areas. We were finally hipped to deet laundry additive. It was alright for chiggers-n-such but some would get a "tinny-oyster" taste in their mouth almost like if you used DMSO.

 

[SOS2008]

its better to have certain bacteria on your skin, as they will protect you in case of some virus/chemical attack by simply being there.

Cronxeh? we two are real men unlike those weaklings who must shower obsessivelly each and every day. Bacteria is Good !

That's one reason that I boycott antibacterial soaps. I have a very good working relationship with my bacteria. I don't try to kill them, and they kill things that are trying to make me sick. All that those stupid high-tech cleansers do is erode your immune.

Um, Dirt Theory is my theory - 'k'?

The thing that I find weird about cologne or after-shave is that women and men don't find the same scents attractive.

Right. So what you do is let your woman pick out a cologne for you.

 

[Evo]

Ok, I'll admit that my one weakness is Grey Flannel cologne for men. I cannot resist a man that wears it.

So, what does everyone smell like? I know body chemistry affects scent, but it will give us some idea. I currently wear "Body" by Victoria's Secret.

 

[SOS2008]

I think tomorrow I'll see if I can dig up any info on human pheremones and how the sense of smell functions. I'm kind of curious.

There are some fragrances that supposedly use pheromones as an ingredient.

I don't know what that guy used, but it was definitely an aphrodisiac. I asked him, but he wouldn't tell me.

Ok, I'll admit that my one weakness is Grey Flannel cologne for men. I cannot resist a man that wears it.

I don't know what that guy used, but it was definitely an aphrodisiac. I asked him, but he wouldn't tell me.

Hmm, maybe you have been a victim of this ingredient...

 

[SOS2008]

I think tomorrow I'll see if I can dig up any info on human pheremones and how the sense of smell functions. I'm kind of curious.

There are some fragrances that supposedly use pheromones as an ingredient.

I don't know what that guy used, but it was definitely an aphrodisiac. I asked him, but he wouldn't tell me.

Ok, I'll admit that my one weakness is Grey Flannel cologne for men. I cannot resist a man that wears it.

Hmm, maybe you have been a victim of this ingredient...

 

[Evo]

There are some fragrances that supposedly use pheromones as an ingredient.

Hmm, maybe you have been a victim of this ingredient...

Maybe, I couldn't get how he smelled out of my mind. I just wanted to be around him to sniff him. My attraction to him had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that he owned a bank, an oil company, and a silver mine in South America, was cute and in his thirties and lived an Indiana Jones type lifestyle. He was a great dancer too.

 

[Danger]

There are some fragrances that supposedly use pheromones as an ingredient.
Hmm, maybe you have been a victim of this ingredient...

Hey! Quit hogging all the posts!

 

[Huckleberry]

Found some interesting stuff on the sense of smell. I'll site it here for anyone who is interested.
http://www.macalester.edu/~psych/whathap/UBNRP/Smell/smell.html

The olfactory tract travels first to the "primitive regions" of the cortex, and then moves onto the thalamus and neocortex, where the information is interpreted. What is interesting about this is that sight and hearing are processed by a relay center in the cerebral hemisphere before reaching most areas of the brain. Smell, on the other hand, has a direct route to many parts of the brain. This is because the sense of smell is evolutionarily older than sight or hearing. Sight and hearing are closely connected with higher functioning, whereas smell is associated with emotion and sexual behavior, as is discussed in more detail on this web site.

Much is still unknown concerning the nasal cavity. For instance, the shape of the nasal cavity varies from person to person. For some unknown reason, the exit space from the back of the nasal cavity is larger in women than in men. Also, the olfactory membrane is pigmented. No one knows why, but we do know that the pigmentation does play a role in olfaction, because albino animals lack a sense of smell. (Stoddart &Whitfield, 1984)

Does this mean that men and women may interpret smell differently? (A rose by any other name would smell as sweet...)

In order for pheromones to be detected, a special organ, called the vomeronasal organ must be present. This organ is composed of a pair of small pits on the membranous skin inside the nostrils. Recently there has been controversy as to whether or not this organ exists in humans (Lawton 1997). Several scientists have identified what they believe to be the human vomeronasal organ, located near the bottom of the septal wall dividing the nose (Wright 1994). However, other researchers claim that this organ is not present in human adults even though it is present in human fetuses and virtually all other animal species (Lawton 1997). To see a picture of the vomeronasal organ click here.

Other scientists who believe that they isolated human pheromones from a sample of human skin tested the human vomeronasal organ (VNO) to see if it is functional. They designed a special electrode that could be inserted into the pits of the VNO which could detect any electrical activity that would be assumed to occur following a chemical interaction. The electrode was first tested in the olfactory cleft and responses were recorded for substances such as mint and clove oil. When the suspected pheromones were tested, no responses were recorded for the olfactory cleft. But when the electrode was placed in the VNO, responses were recorded, suggesting that neurons in the VNO were firing in response to the suspected pheromones (Wright 1994). Hormone levels in the blood also changed, suggesting that the VNO is somehow connected to the brain (Medical Industry Today 1996). The responses varied among male and female subjects, which would be expected as in the animal world, pheromones usually have an effect on only one sex. The behavioral effects are still unproven as the uncomfortable experimental apparatus makes it difficult to tell if one feels significantly different (Wright 1994).

To be or not to be. That is the question.

Evidence for attraction based on our immune system?

Sounds odd, but it seems to be true. Researchers studying the immune systems of mice found that female mice would choose a mate whose MHC genes were the least similar to her own. MHC stands for major histocompatibility complex. These genes code for special protein markers that are attached to the surface of cells and help the body recognize whether a cell belongs to an organism or if it is an invader such as a bacteria or virus. If a cell or bacteria is identified as an invader, the body’s immune system mounts a defense to kill the intruder. Different MHC molecules are good at recognizing different invaders. By a choosing a mate whose MHC molecules are different, the female mouse is ensuring that her offspring will have a wide variety of MHC molecules that which can identify a large array of invaders and thus promote survival (Furlow 1996).
Research done on human females shows that they too prefer men whose MHC genes are the least similar to their own (Richardson 1996). In an experiment, men were given an unscented T-shirt and were asked to wear it for two nights in a row. During this time they were not to use deodorants or scented soaps. Women were then presented with six shirts - three from men with similar MHC genes, and three from men with different MHC genes from their own. The results showed that the women preferred the scents of men whose MHC genes were different from their own. The scent of men with similar MHC genes often remind the women of a relative’s odor, such as a brother or father while the smells of MHC dissimilar men would often remind them of a past or current boyfriend. This suggests that body odor might have influenced past and current decisions on who to date.

Lots of interesting stuff at this link. Maybe Someone will give a professional opinion on all this?

 

[Evo]

Found some interesting stuff on the sense of smell. I'll site it here for anyone who is interested.
http://www.macalester.edu/~psych/whathap/UBNRP/Smell/smell.html

Thanks Huckleberry, very interesting.

 

[SOS2008]

Maybe, I couldn't get how he smelled out of my mind. I just wanted to be around him to sniff him. My attraction to him had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that he owned a bank, an oil company, and a silver mine in South America, was cute and in his thirties and lived an Indiana Jones type lifestyle. He was a great dancer too.

I'll take it he didn't look like he had scissors in his temple, and... Hey, this guy AND the other guy who was attacked by models? I think I need to move from this desolate place.

 

[stoned]

Ha ! now I know why women are just crazy about horses .

 

[SOS2008]

Research done on human females shows that they too prefer men whose MHC genes are the least similar to their own (Richardson 1996). In an experiment, men were given an unscented T-shirt and were asked to wear it for two nights in a row. During this time they were not to use deodorants or scented soaps. Women were then presented with six shirts - three from men with similar MHC genes, and three from men with different MHC genes from their own. The results showed that the women preferred the scents of men whose MHC genes were different from their own. The scent of men with similar MHC genes often remind the women of a relative’s odor, such as a brother or father while the smells of MHC dissimilar men would often remind them of a past or current boyfriend. This suggests that body odor might have influenced past and current decisions on who to date.

That was the program I saw--thank you!

 

[Huckleberry]

Ha ! now I know why women are just crazy about horses .

Um, I don't get it.?

That was the program I saw--thank you!

I've seen this show on television as well. I'm still not not absolutely convinced from the study. It would be nice if they explained how the genes produce the scent and how a person can differentiate it from being the same or different than their relatives. Without that I consider their conclusion mostly conjecture. Maybe they have done this research and I just haven't read it yet.

 

[stoned]

just to let you know guys, I was forced to take shower today because I could not sleep all dirty like pig. and my roomate was kinda giving me that strange look and stuff. I managed 8 days only