Here's Why Your Black Leggings Might Smell

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Whether you wear black leggings as part of your wardrobe, or you wear them primarily for sports and working out, you might be familiar with a pretty annoying problem many girls face: crotch smell. It's a ~weird~ smell that can be hard to get out of your pants, and might even make you eventually throw them out. Seriously, there's an entire Reddit thread around it. It's a fact of life for stretchy pants wearers, and it's nothing to be embarrassed about.

And now we know why this happens. Refinery29 interviewed professor Rachel McQueen of the University of Alberta, a textile expert, on the crotch odor subject.

"There is so little known about the science of it," McQueen told R29. "The mechanism of odor from humans is so complex. There might be research going on in-house (at textile manufacturers), but it's all quite confidential." Apparently, most research is focused on underarm odor. This isn't surprising. It seems like anything that has to do with the vagina takes a million years to develop. Men on the other hand, have underarm odor as well.

Here's why this might be happening to you:

Your legggings are polyester​. A lot of the leggings are made of polyester. They seem great because they whisk away sweat (or any other liquid) and feel dry all the time. But this also makes the material harder to get clean in the washing machine.

You love black leggings. McQueen tells Refinery29 that she's not sure why she has the most complaints of crotch smells from women who wear black leggings. "We've had at least two or three people that have mentioned black clothing. Maybe it's something in the dye," she says.

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So, what can you do about?

Try wool pants. I know, wool to workout sounds totally crazy. But fine merino wool is great. I personally have a pair that I'm obsessed with. (No smells!) Unlike polyester​ or even rayon, wool repels sweat, but won't keep odors inside the fabric. But McQueen says more research is needed to back up the science behind it. "That is very much a hypothesis," she tells R29. "I haven't had sufficient amounts of funding to explore these research questions."

Clean with bacteria killers. Instead of just throwing your pants in an overstuffed washing machine (is that just me?), first, spray the leggings with vinegar or tea tree oil, which will help pull out bacteria and odor.

And remember, it doesn't mean you're dirty or you smell bad. It's just one of the ~super fun~ things about being a woman. Chances are, you're the only one that smells them, so it's nothing to stress over. Though if you feel like the odor is especially strong or abnormal, check with your gyno.

Via