How Body Odor Got Cancelled

When I graduated from nursing school I became very empathetic towards my patients. Working 12 hour shifts a few days in a row, I developed close relationships with my patients. One thing I always picked up on and tried to reassure my clients with was the odor elephant in the room. You know the big pink odor elephant that every nurse has gotten a whiff of from their patient. Whether turning them or taking them off of a bedpan, helping them from the bathroom or assisting them walking down the hallway. They knew it was there and so did I. It's impossible to not be aware of personal odor. Heck there were 12 and 16 hour shifts where I failed the smell test. My deodorant may have said 48 hour protection, I just wish it would have worked the first 12.

So when I noticed their smell and my patient noticed their smell, I would offer a quick wash up, wipes or deodorant ( when we had it) to help ease the uneasiness. I mean it's not uncommon to have a bit of body odor after staying in a hospital for a few days anyways. This sort of leads up to the "how" and "why" of SHILDZ.

 Even as a middle schooler I loved science fair projects. Never won anything, or placed but I loved the idea of having a problem and thinking of solutions. I loved the science behind it. The scientist in me just wanted to find a solution so my patients could have one less thing to worry about and focus on getting better.

 I became a bit hyper-focused on odor and odor-relief. I wanted to know what caused it and what could stop it. I tried many "so-called" solutions. Many products masked the odor. I wanted to find something that stopped the odor before it even started. I wanted to know what causes the odor in the first place.

 So I went to the doctor and brought up my concerns about my deodorant. I was brushed off and told stress, foods and body chemistry were the causes- and that was that. Not a real solution.

 One day a co-worker wanted me to talk to another peer about a strong oniony odor that was left behind every time this person went into the bathroom. I remember not wanting to go into the bathroom after this person for that same reason, for the fear of someone thinking the trail of odor was caused by me. I knew it wasn't an infection but body odor. I had smelled the odor before on many people, on many women. So I decided to delve into causes of body odors aside from the typical " food caused it" answers.

 I started to research terms like bromhidrosis, types of skin bacteria and hygiene remedies. I started going to the gym wearing different deodorants and sniffed around for familiar scents of body odor. I began to smell a trend.

Then one day I had a crazy thought. What if I really could stop the odor before it started. So I needed to find out what exactly caused the different types of odor. I found out that children typically are odor free due to inactivity of certain sweat glands. When they hit puberty though, all hell breaks lose. The type of sweat released from the late onset of the Apocrine Glands react with the natural bacteria on the skin creating strong vapors with distinct odor characteristics.

So then I thought, "well if bacteria are part of the cause, could an antibacterial ointment be a solution?" The scientist in me again used myself as a guinea pig and I applied an antibacterial ointment where I noticed odor after getting all sweaty at the gym. It worked! No smell! But.... rubbing antibacterial ointment on your body for odor control was not a real solution and could be dangerous and counterintuitive. So...it was back to the drawing board. Antibacterial- related products killed or stopped the bacteria on my skin causing body odor. Now the hunt was on to find a natural antibacterial solution.

I ordered a book called Essential Oil Safety: A Guide for Health Care Professionals, by Robert Tisserand. I began to research types of oils with antibacterial properties began making formulations and trying them out...on myself and others ( no animals). It took me a while and a lot of trial and error, but I was able to come up with the perfect formula to create a deodorizing cream that can be applied to body surfaces that carry odor, externally.

 SHILDZ was an answer to body odor issues and questions that my patients, peers and I faced daily. It's gratifying to get out of the shower and know your clean and have washed away the cause of odors. But we all know that it's just a matter of time before the smellies creep back in. Luckily, I developed something that was natural and works to stop body odor where it starts.

I knew I had to share with the world, SHILDZ. The layering deodorizing cream.