Personal hygiene has been top of mind for many in the last couple of years. Here is an adult’s guide to complete personal hygiene around the home.
Personal hygiene is a fundamental block to good health and wellness. In recent years, with the pandemic arriving into our lives, the attention on personal hygiene has been even more emphasized.
It has become even more essential to protect your health and wellness through good personal hygiene habits. The benefits of proper hygiene routines also include boosting confidence and feeling good about yourself in your skin.
This is why we have come up with a complete guide for personal hygiene around the home for you to brush on practices we know we should be including.
Humans need to bathe regularly. Our skin is shedding dead cells and excreting oils from our sebaceous glands. The natural oils will attract dust and grime. This, along with the dead cells, will create an unhygienic layer of cakey grime.
Unwashed skin will also start to smell as the bacteria on your skin causes odor when you sweat.
This makes it essential to wash our skin regularly to get the grime and dead cells from our skin.
Use a gentle exfoliant moisturizing body wash or mild soap without harsh chemicals to wash your body regularly.
How regularly? That depends. Many experts recommend daily showers, but some people prefer to shower every other day.
Whatever you do, ensure you at least wash up the crevices and areas prone to attracting the most grime, sweat, and dirt. These areas include the pubic area, anus, the armpits, and any parts of your body exposed to the elements throughout the day.
If you work out daily, you should shower right after working out.
How long you need to bathe is relatively short. One can easily wash their entire body in under 5-10 minutes. Lather with soap, rinse, and repeat.
We need to also pay attention to our private parts as a part of a daily personal hygiene routine.
While wiping after you go number two is the convention in most colder countries, having a bidet toilet would be the best option to keep your bum clean.
You can even get a bidet attachment to add to your regular toilet to ensure you get some water splash action going on after every poop.
For the uncut gents, pull back the foreskin and clean underneath daily.
For the ladies, take a little time daily to ensure your private parts are clean, especially during that time of the month.
A good personal hygiene habit to adopt and stick to is to wash hands often. No, it is not just during a pandemic that one should be washing their hands often.
Hands are one of the most exposed parts of our bodies to other surfaces. There are literally billions of viruses and bacteria all around us on all surfaces.
While most of these pathogens are typically harmless, there is some awful stuff out there you don’t want to bring into your body or your loved one’s body.
So, be sure to wash your hands after high exposure moments. Here are some scenarios when you need to wash your hands:
Be sure to wash your hands with warm water and antibacterial soap; lather your hands and the area under your nails for at least 20 seconds on both hands before rinsing off.
While on hand hygiene, remember to trim your nails on your finger and toes regularly. Typically, a trim once a week should suffice.
Our recommendation is always to keep your nails nice and short, but if you are a fan of long nails, extra care must be taken to ensure the area under the nails is always kept clean and sanitary.
The area under the nails is also where many germs love to gather. So, pay extra attention when washing your fingers.
Moist and dirty feet are exactly what foot fungi love. It is essential to keep your feet dry and clean at all times. Also, the bottom of your feet is under a lot of strain and stress, carrying your weight all day.
So, be sure to exfoliate the skin to get the dead skin cells out. Also, pay attention to the cracks that are forming. Keep your feet moisturized but not too greasy.
Oral hygiene is a crucial part of overall personal hygiene. The inside of your mouth is where a lot of microbes reside. Some are good for you, while others can cause tooth decay and bad breath.
Ideally, you should brush your teeth after every meal, but if that is too much to maintain, be sure to brush your teeth at least twice a day – once in the morning (after breakfast) and once before going to bed at night.
You should also regularly floss your teeth – preferably daily.
Use an antibacterial mouth wash to rinse your mouth twice (or more) daily.
Be sure to get your teeth professionally cleaned by a dental hygienist twice a year and see your dentist at least once a year for a regular check-up.
Pay attention to your gums. Sore gums or bleeding gums are signs of major oral health issues like gingivitis or infections.
Yes, this requires a mention to itself. Covering your nose when sneezing or your mouth when coughing is not just a COVID protocol. It is something you should practice regularly – regardless of any outbreak of flu or viruses.
oughing and sneezing are how we spread pathogens into the air, and that can infect people around us.
Good and proper sleep is an essential part of staying healthy. Without adequate rest, your body will not be able to regenerate the cells it needs to function correctly. This is why we have included sleep hygiene in the personal hygiene section.
Be sure to get at least 8 hours of sleep daily and ensure it is as uninterrupted as possible.
Here are some steps you can take for better sleep hygiene:
Additionally, if you need some extra help, supplements like chamomile tea, ashwagandha, and melatonin can be perfectly safe sleep aids that will help you sleep better at night.
Like your skin, your scalp and hair will also need extra attention. This part is exposed to the elements a lot that can dry out your scalp and wreak havoc on your hair.
Be sure to massage some warm oil (such as olive oil or coconut oil) a couple of nights a week to your scalp to keep it well-nourished and keep dandruff off.
Shampoo your hair the morning after you have oiled your hair. Use a gentle paraben-free all-natural shampoo and conditioner when washing your hair.
Pay attention to your hair follicles, and if you experience itchiness, dryness, or redness, you should seek some help.
Brush your hair regularly and ensure they are properly styled before you head out the door to look your best.
Ensure you have clean clothes and shoes to wear every day. This is another essential part of looking your best. While some pieces of clothing can be worn a couple of times before washing, your intimate apparel should be only worn once after every wash. As for the rest of the clothing items, a simple rule is if your sweat has touched it, it needs washing.
There you have it; we have included a head-to-toe personal hygiene guide to keep your body in tip-top condition. Practicing these simple practices every day will keep you healthy and fresh and boost your confidence and mood.
If you see a loved one or a friend showing signs of bad personal hygiene like unkempt hair, unclean clothes, nails, or dirty hands and skin, please help them out and gently nudge them towards a better personal hygiene routine.
