If The Room Smells Like Your Armpits, We Have a Problem!

Namibia has entered that familiar season when the sun appears to take its personal frustrations out on us.

The temperature rises, shirts become optional in some places, deodorant suddenly becomes a luxury item and some fellow men begin walking around as though bathing is a constitutional right that can be exercised only when convenient.

Gentlemen, this is not a personality trait.

It is hygiene.

There is nothing wrong with sweating. In Namibia, particularly during the hotter months, sweating is practically part of the uniform.

The problem begins when sweat, dirt and several days of questionable decision-making combine to produce an odour powerful enough to announce your arrival before you enter the room.

And no, spraying half a bottle of perfume over an unwashed body does not solve the problem.

It simply creates a more complicated chemical situation.

Good personal hygiene should not be treated as something men suddenly remember when they have a date, a job interview or an important function. It should be part of everyday life.

A proper bath or shower, clean clothes, deodorant, washed hair, clean feet, trimmed nails and fresh breath are basic requirements.

They are not signs that a man is weak. They are signs that he understands that other human beings have noses.

The hot season makes this even more important.

Namibia’s heat means sweat accumulates quickly, particularly around the armpits, groin, feet and other areas where moisture tends to remain.

If you are spending the day walking around, working outdoors, travelling in crowded taxis or sitting in an office without adequate ventilation, personal hygiene becomes even more important.

And please, gentlemen, wash your clothes.

Wearing the same shirt three days in a row because “it still looks clean” is not the scientific standard we should be using. Clothes can absorb sweat and body odour even when stains are not visible.

Underwear and socks, especially, are not designed for extended diplomatic negotiations.

Then there is the issue of feet.

If you remove your shoes in a room and everyone suddenly develops an urgent need to open a window, that is not coincidence.

Wash your feet properly. Dry them thoroughly. Change your socks. Air your shoes out. Your colleagues should not need to know what you had for lunch simply because you took off your shoes.

There is also another fairly obvious incentive for maintaining good hygiene: women like a clean, good-smelling man.

This should not be controversial.

You can have the best haircut, expensive clothes, a good car and enough confidence to introduce yourself to every woman at the party. But if your personal hygiene is poor, all those investments can collapse within seconds.

The girls will run away.

Not because women are unreasonable, but because nobody wants to stand close to someone who smells as though he has been negotiating with soap and losing.

Good hygiene also improves confidence. There is a noticeable difference between walking into a room knowing that you are clean, fresh and presentable and spending the entire evening wondering whether people can smell you.

When you smell good, your clothes are clean and your appearance is neat, you carry yourself differently. Hygiene is, therefore, not merely about impressing other people. It is also about respecting yourself.

My fellow men should also remember that hygiene extends beyond the obvious. Brush your teeth at least twice a day, clean your tongue, keep your nails short and clean, wash your hands regularly and pay attention to your skin.

If you have persistent body odour despite good hygiene, excessive sweating or a skin problem, speak to a healthcare professional rather than attempting to solve everything with industrial quantities of fragrance.

And let us retire the idea that caring about cleanliness somehow makes a man less masculine.

There is nothing masculine about smelling terrible.

Real confidence does not require you to overpower a room with body odour. It is perfectly possible to be rugged, masculine and clean at the same time.

So, as the heat intensifies, take the hint from the weather.

Drink water. Wear breathable clothing. Shower regularly. Use deodorant. Wash your clothes. Change your underwear and socks. Keep your shoes clean. Brush your teeth.

And, for the sake of everyone sitting next to you in the taxi, please use soap.

Your friends and colleagues will appreciate it.

And, quite possibly, that woman you have been trying to impress will appreciate it too.

Salute, gents!

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