Don't Fret the Sweat with Unilever

Kids are pretty busy and on the go from the time they get up in the morning. They get ready for school, spend all day in the school building, go through gym class, and sometimes have after school sports. They come home, and sometimes have evening events going on. This is a very active lifestyle, and with their changing body going through puberty, the body odors can get extreme. We as parents are constantly pleading with our kids to shower everyday, and sometimes requesting a second shower. Many teenagers are resistant to showers at this age, for some reason, but it is so important to instill good hygiene habits early on in their life. Recent research shows that kids now enter puberty earlier than ever, leaving tweens increasingly self-conscious about their appearance and identity, and making it all the more important to start a dialogue with your child to provide them with the necessary support to keep their confidence high.
To ensure parents have the tools they need to maintain their tween's confidence during the difficult transition from child to teenager, Unilever – the maker of Degree, Dove and Suave deodorants – has aligned with a roster of community partners and assembled a panel of experts to develop the educational website and resource DontFretTheSweat.com. Tweens face many sweat-inducing moments, but Unilever hopes to show parents that they can talk to their tweens about how the right deodorant can keep them free from odor, embarrassment and discomfort along the way.
I have always tried to be very open with my communication between my children. Now with my oldest entering the tween years, I want to keep those lines of communication very open and honest. I have noticed, within the last year and a half, that his body is definitely changing. He is needing a daily shower, and sometimes I ask him to take two. I want him to practice good cleanliness hygiene and take care of himself. I am constantly reminding him to shower, brush teeth, brush hair, etc. I want him to feel good about himself, and with taking care of his body, he will feel better about himself. Peers can be pretty cruel with words, and helping our child make good choices may help them avoid ridicule about their bodies. My oldest son is eleven and a half. He has been using deodorant since he was nine years old. He has always been a little ahead of the curve with his growth and development. With noticing his body changing and body odors changing, we introduced deodorant to him. I was giving him a hug and noticed that the smells were more strong and his hair scents changed. With careful thinking, I told him his body was changing into manhood. With manhood comes new responsibilities, like using deodorant, a shaver, etc. He was pretty accepting of the new product to use, even though I still remind him to use it daily.
Recently, Unilever released the Tween Confidence Index, which suggests that tween confidence is short-lived but can be safe-guarded by maintaining strong communication between tweens and parents. With this and more resources available at DontFretTheSweat.com, Unilever hopes to show parents that they can talk to their tweens about how the right deodorant can keep them free from odor, embarrassment and discomfort along the way. Check out the website for some great tips and articles about your teen's changes and deodorants.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Unilever and received the items necessary to facilitate my review. In addition, Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.