That body odour thing...

[Sola]

This hit me as I read Simi's post from a long while ago:

...oyinbos generally smell.(

Is that really the case? Oyinbos smell? I thought that was the impression they had generally of us, especially when we are new in the country?

And do Naijas at home or abroad have body odour? I know with the sun and and blazing heat...

So what happens to the "smell" after living a while in this country? It magically disappears or people around get used to it?

 

[Gen Sani Abacha]

This hit me as I read Simi's post from a long while ago:
Is that really the case? Oyinbos smell? I thought that was the impression they had generally of us, especially when we are new in the country?

And do Naijas at home or abroad have body odour? I know with the sun and and blazing heat...

So what happens to the "smell" after living a while in this country? It magically disappears or people around get used to it?

People from different countries have their own unique smells, however, I put it down to the foods they eat, perspiration etc. After some time in a new environemnt, one does get used to those smells, if they're not too pungent.

 

[Candylecious]

I have zero tolerance for bad smells...I just don't get how folk be walking around all stank and what not, like common man, can't you smell yourself?? Everyone was fortunately blessed with a nose to use for helpful purposes like personal smell checks, not to use and sniff out which pesin house the sweet smelling ogbono soup dey emanate from. I just can't deal with grown men and women traipsing the place smelling like ripe goats!!!


Rant Over!!!

 

[Sola]

Candy, I have no sense of smell. Never had it. Always had to depend on others to smell stuff for me, and to be on the safe side, I always wear this deodorants that I have no idea what they smell like! See why I can't give you a rose now?

 

[sidney]

GSA is right!. Since being here I am now used to these smells here. I enter the Nigerian leg of a flight back home and I can't breathe! The smell of my own people suffocates me to the point I want to pass out.

Smells that I am sure I was used to before but now seem foreign and terrible!. .

It truly comes down to what you get used to over time.

 

[tunmi]

There's a person's own odor, sans deodorant and perfume, and there's one with. Every person has their own scent. One of my friends always smells good, actually it's two of them. One smells the way I imagine flowers to smell (except the flowers no dey smell). He's from the Caribbean somewhere and the other guy has some sort of perfume/spray on. He's African-American. But they both smell like that, all the time. Makes for awesome hugs really.

With Nigerians, there are some that hits you hard. I have smelled my uncle's strong perfume on so many Nigerians and it's the first thing that smacks me while walking past them. Some do stink, it's like is there no deodorant in Naija (there's a thread on Nairaland on this), but I remember that my mum always smelled good.

A Chinese friend of mine also has his own body scent. It's not a bad smell, it's just distinctive. Same goes for my Latino/White friend. They have distinctive scents.

 

[sidney]

There's a person's own odor, sans deodorant and perfume, and there's one with. Every person has their own scent. One of my friends always smells good, actually it's two of them. One smells the way I imagine flowers to smell (except the flowers no dey smell). He's from the Caribbean somewhere and the other guy has some sort of perfume/spray on. He's African-American. But they both smell like that, all the time. Makes for awesome hugs really.

With Nigerians, there are some that hits you hard. I have smelled my uncle's strong perfume on so many Nigerians and it's the first thing that smacks me while walking past them. Some do stink, it's like is there no deodorant in Naija (there's a thread on Nairaland on this), but I remember that my mum always smelled good.

A Chinese friend of mine also has his own body scent. It's not a bad smell, it's just distinctive. Same goes for my Latino/White friend. They have distinctive scents.

Food has a lot to do with it was well I believe. Like garlic comes out of the pours. What you eat could affect your odor as well.

 

[Village-Boi]

With Nigerians, there are some that hits you hard. I have smelled my uncle's strong perfume on so many Nigerians and it's the first thing that smacks me while walking past them.

Many naija people think you have to douse yourself with one whole bottle of perfume!

I like the way babies smell... not the diaper stuff... just them, them.

 

[tunmi]

oh I agree Sidney. The perfume thing...I smile to myself now when I smell it because it reminds me of home.

Babies have this interesting smell. Before they eat, they really smell pleasant and are really soft but as the day goes on, I can smell their burp/puke whatever you want to call it but it's still somehow adorable.

 

[chi]

some people don't even know they smell and it can be very embarrassing . There was a lady I worked with and she had a very strong odor usually I'll try to contain it but in her case I couldn't , I had to tell a close friend of hers to tell her that she smells

 

[ssergit]

Many naija people think you have to douse yourself with one whole bottle of perfume!

I like the way babies smell... not the diaper stuff... just them, them.

but its not the babies, its the baby products their mums use on them that smell sweetl. Have you been around a baby in the village with no mothercare and such products? U wont like the baby smell my dear.

 

[Gen Sani Abacha]

some people don't even know they smell and it can be very embarrassing . There was a lady I worked with and she had a very strong odor usually I'll try to contain it but in her case I couldn't , I had to tell a close friend of hers to tell her that she smells

Hahahahahaha....There was a former colleague of mine(oyinbo) who smelled quite badly. As the bobo didn't sit near me I wasn't aware of it, however some of the other dudes(all oyinbos) would complain about him...One even brought in a can of air freshener and would spray it all over the guy's desk and chair, whenever he wasn't around.

 

[ssergit]

Hahahahahaha....There was a former colleague of mine(oyinbo) who smelled quite badly. As the bobo didn't sit near me I wasn't aware of it, however some of the other dudes(all oyinbos) would complain about him...One even brought in a can of air freshener and would spray it all over the guy's desk and chair, whenever he wasn't around.

All they had to do was leave him a wrapped gift on his desk that would be a BODY ODOUR Killer!!! lololol and leave a small note 'dude, please help us reduce your stank!'

Shege Jagwa, I will do it O!
I have super sensitive nose and bad smells mess up my head and thinking and reduce my O2 intake!!! Kraa

 

[Village-Boi]

All they had to do was leave him a wrapped gift on his desk that would be a BODY ODOUR Killer!!! lololol and leave a small note 'dude, please help us reduce your stank!'

Shege Jagwa, I will do it O!
I have super sensitive nose and bad smells mess up my head and thinking and reduce my O2 intake!!! Kraa

Hahahaha you're naughty... I like!!

 

[blackpearl]

From experience men, Austrians take the cake in smell!!
And I do agree it is because of the type of food they eat. All this Wiener Wurst and Sauerkraut and other stuff bring out the prime smell out in them, especially in summer.
Now what beats me is when people ignorantly say that they don't shower in the morning because the showered the night before and a lot of my old colleges and work used to tell me that. I will be thinking Lord Jesus in this weather (with a 100 and something degrees you still not showering? Thats the devil o)

There is a difference in stinking and simply smelling. Now Sid is so right. Anytime i get to naija i mentally prepare myself cause it always feels like i am about to pas out.
I still remember a friend of mine back in university, she is Indian and she always had this spicey (as in fresh spices like curry and pepper etc) all over her. It used to irritate the heck out of me, especially with her long hair that smelled exactly the same way. But at some point i just got used to it and did not even recognize it no more.

 

[Candylecious]

Candy, I have no sense of smell. Never had it. Always had to depend on others to smell stuff for me, and to be on the safe side, I always wear this deodorants that I have no idea what they smell like! See why I can't give you a rose now?

LOL! But see you know where you have a bit of an issue and you are working around it. I bet you there are folks like you out there that have no sense of smell whatsoever and are using that as an excuse to assault other people's senses with their "au naturelle" movement.

I do agree that it could be the food...but I don't think I'd mind that so much. The one that gets my goat is the "I washed (or maybe didn't) wash my body, and I'm too cool for deodorant/body spray" stance that I see a lot of folk taking. As much as it could be food, but in my experience, it has mostly been about personal hygiene. If you've ever been unfortunate enough to share close living quarters with a sizable number of people, you'd be shocked by some people's grooming habits. Also people need to realize that the summer is a different time from the winter, the heat will bring the funk, so please change up the routine; take more showers, use stronger deodorants....just anything that keeps the stank at bay. I think this bothers me so much cos I have an extremely heightened sense of smell, I can smell everything! And boy, I can't even begin to explain how uncomfortable these bad smells make me; I can't concentrate, I can't think straight....ay dios mio!

 

[Papino]

@Candy,you hit the nail but hey,it might be harsh to analyse this from the perspective of limiting the universe to oneself.Much as it would be hard to explain,there is also the possibility that one is drenched with a stank unbeknown after visiting a particular place.There is an African restuarant i stopped going to over here because one comes out smelling like you bathed with Onugbu soup and ogiri. Imagine taking a break from a seminar only to return with you coleagues looking at you like;where the heck did go to? This instance goes a long way to buttress the fact that the food has something to do with the smell.
I am very conscious of smells and just like Blackpearl mentioned Austrians who are first cousins to Germans,i have seen the worst of smells.

 

[blackpearl]

@Candy,you hit the nail but hey,it might be harsh to analyse this from the perspective of limiting the universe to oneself.Much as it would be hard to explain,there is also the possibility that one is drenched with a stank unbeknown after visiting a particular place.There is an African restuarant i stopped going to over here because one comes out smelling like you bathed with Onugbu soup and ogiri. Imagine taking a break from a seminar only to return with you coleagues looking at you like;where the heck did go to? This instance goes a long way to buttress the fact that the food has something to do with the smell.
I am very conscious of smells and just like Blackpearl mentioned Austrians who are first cousins to Germans,i have seen the worst of smells.

I weak for Austrian people but I don't even know who smells worse o, turkish people or Austrians. This is not a way of talking down on any ethnicity in any kind of way. People do not get me wrong but living in Austria has opened me to various cultures. I know from experience that Turkish people smell their worst during Ramadan. It is like it ends with only washing their feet and face and tharrist. One of my former coworker was sacked because he smelled and they did give him 3 warning to buckle up with hygiene he didn't and he had to go. I dont understand why you wouldnt clean up, rub some nice cream on ya body and just smell fresh.

It's even a boost of confidence smelling nice!

Eniwe, make i no overyarn. i no fit shout abeg

 

[ssergit]

I think there are people that DON'T know that they stink!
For example, anyone with problem of smell would not even know if shit is poured on them!

I used to have a very good friend! Someone I know woulda given his hands for me sef, but.....to get close enough to hug dude would almost get me wheezing! [and I don't have asthma O]! Imagine that!

Ok, as good as it is to smell 'nice', there are also those that OVER SMELL! I mean, you are using a strong cologne! Why spray it steady for 5 minutes???? Seriously???? Na Shelltox??? Are you trying to kill people?????

My knowledge or perfumes is that they should WORK with your natural body odor [NOT the skanking one] to create a smell that is uniquely you! That is why same perf would create different final fragrance on different people!

So, I still gats probs with those that sometimes CAN'T make up their mind WHAT and HOW to smell!!

Ok, your hair mosturizer has its own fragrance! Your hand lotion smells different again. And you are using body mist! Your body lotion sef get another smell! Aha, the roll on! and finally.... your perfume/cologne etc. Hmmmmm......... I no do science O! But, chemical reactions and odors and all COMBINING on ONE WALKING HUMAN BODY! Can someone spell HE/SHE GOAT????? And an expensive GOAT at that!

Some peeps wonder why I don't hug them! Heck! I don't want to be left with itchy nose and possibly bout of sneezes AFTER!

 

[Supermom]

This makes me think of a lady in my gym...First all she comes fully made up...I don't gerrit..
She has this bad body odor and I'm thinking if you can take time to make up...you can at least try now..
Instead she sprays on some funny parfumerie that mixes with the body odor and the stench is suffocating to say the least...
I marked her and make sure, there's enough distance between us in the classes...I can't die...