I have a friend who is a very sweet and caring girl, but she has very bad breath and body odor. I have been friends with her 12+ years. I would never dare insult her, or hurt her feelings on purpose. Her feelings are very easily hurt. When I offer her mints or gum, she says no thanks.
Any ideas (please no rudeness)?
2007-10-14 10:34:23 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Etiquette
Wow, this one is never an easy conversation, and I applaud your caring enough about your friend to ask this question.
I am in HR management, and as you can probably guess, frequently have the "hygiene talk" so I'll give you a couple of methods I use that minimize the damage on the person being told:
1) Start out by telling her that if there were concerns others had expressed about you, that you would want to know. Then just lead into it by telling her nicely that sometimes her breath is not fresh...and so on. Keep emphasizing to her that you are doing this as a friend...it's okay to feel VERY nervous while you are telling her this.
2) Some medications and medical conditions can cause a person to have bad breath, body odor, or both. I have chronic sinus problems (at least since living here in the Ohio River Valley) and this can cause my breath to be less than pleasent in the mornings. I have invested in a tongue cleaner, which has helped A LOT with the problem. You might want to recommend that she sees a doctor/dentist to resolve the problem if it might be the result of an underlying condition.
3) If you are really uncomfortable telling her, maybe the news might come better from a family member that she is especially close to...this is a good option if you have a fairly close relationship with her mom or sister...the news tends to be taken a bit better if delivered by someone from the same gender for some reason.
Finally, good luck with talking to your friend about her problem.
2007-10-14 10:49:58 · answer #1 · answered by Maria 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Maybe you could look up some websites or magazine articles dealing with hygiene issues and show them to her in a way that makes it look like you just discovered something you didn't know. Kinda pave the way for a conversation about bad breath and body odors. You don't need to actually tell her that hers are offensive, but just talking about hygiene in general might give her some ideas about improving hers.
Keep in mind that there may be a reason, beyond her control, for her breath or even her body odor. Most of the time it's just ignorance and youth, but sometimes there is a real medical reason for such things.
2007-10-14 17:50:46 · answer #2 · answered by EvilWoman0913 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
well offering mints was what i was going to say. once in a while just mention how great one of the product that you use is
ie. "oh my gosh i just got this new deodorant (insert deodorant name here!!) it smells really great. I have problems with BO and it really helps." telling her that you also have problems with your scent may help her open up and that may lead to an easier conversation about this topic. don't bring in up to often or it will hurt her feelings. every other month or so is plenty. if she doesnt repond very quickly just let it go. Which is more important your friendship or her scent??
2007-10-14 18:20:35 · answer #3 · answered by : ) 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Start reading a magazine and turn the page on personal hygiene and then turn to her and say 'have you tried this new deodorant smell, Im thinking of getting it'
Make it sound casual.
2007-10-14 17:55:53 · answer #4 · answered by Autumn 2012 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
pull her to the side and tell her in a nice way.
2007-10-14 21:28:22 · answer #5 · answered by mad_1240 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋