GOOD PERSONAL HYGIENE

WHY SHOULD I MAINTAIN GOOD PERSONAL HYGIENE

Have you ever wondered what personal hygiene is? it’s something our teachers sing into our ears during our younger days in school. Our teachers tell us to wash our hands properly, trim our nails, brush, and bathe twice daily. The funny part of it is that we kind of stopped realizing why this is important as we grew older.

We’re burdened with a lot of responsibilities that we forget how important personal hygiene is. You might wear nice shoes, shirts, trousers, skirts, makeup, etc. But if you don’t take care of your hygiene, everything won’t make sense.

WHAT IS PERSONAL HYGIENE?

We can define hygiene as the science and practice of maintaining good health and preventing diseases through cleanliness.

Personal hygiene refers to self-hygiene practices to protect our health.

Examples of personal hygiene are;

1. Proper and daily washing of our underwear.
2. Hold a handkerchief in front of your mouth and mouth when you sneeze or cough.
3. Taking part in physical exercise. Physical exercise improves blood circulation.
4. Cleaning the ears frequently. Do not use any sharp objects to clean the ears it could damage the eardrums.
5. Rest properly. This is very necessary cause our body needs rest and could break down if it’s not given adequate rest.
6. Daily cleaning of bowels.
7. Do not smoke.
8. Proper cleaning of the house: we should ventilate the house for fresh air, sunlight, and oxygen.
9. Do not go to bed immediately after eating. Go to bed early.
10. Making use of deodorants/perfumes. And many more of which we would look at later in this article.

WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF PERSONAL HYGIENE?

1. Oral hygiene
2. Hair hygiene
3. Skin hygiene
4. Nails hygiene
5. Hand hygiene

ORAL HYGIENE

Healthy teeth and mouth are very important. You need to take good care of your mouth to avoid mouth odor. The whiter your teeth, the better people are going to think your hygiene is.

To good care of your oral health do these;

(a) Use a soft-bristled brush and replace it after 2-3 months.

(b) Brush your teeth twice daily for 2-4 minutes to get rid of plaque that gets collected on the teeth.

(c) After eating a meal, use mouthwash and gargle.

(d) Remove food particles trapped between your meal using a toothpick after every meal.

HAIR HYGIENE

Our hair is an important part of our body, so you need to know how to take good care of your hair. You won’t have your hair looking ugly and unkempt. To have healthy hair, you need to follow these;

(a) Wash your combs and brushes regularly. Don’t share your combs or brushes.

(b) Wash your hair with shampoo and conditioner at least twice a week.

(c) Don’t rub or scrub your hair too hard. This could damage your hair or injure your scalp.

(d) Scrub your scalp well to remove dirt.

SKIN HYGIENE

Skin is one important organ of our body we need to pay attention to. No one wants dull or ugly-looking skin. These could help.

(a) Bathe twice a day, using shower gels or soaps. Bathing twice daily is important to our hygiene. Every day of our lives we are exposed to all kinds of harmful bacteria and are prone to suffer from their effects if we don’t shower or bathe every day.

(b) Make use of good branded products on your skin. Avoid bleaching products.

(c) Use Deodrants, perfumes, or Antiperspirant to avoid body odor.

(d) Apply sunscreen/sunblock to prevent your skin from the harmful rays of the sun.

NAILS HYGIENE

Our nails could serve as shelter to germs if we don’t cut them regularly. Neatly trimmed nails are very important to our hygiene. Therefore, you must cut your nails regularly so that there won’t be any room for germs.

HAND HYGIENE

We expose our hands to different activities every day, activities which get our hands filled with harmful bacteria. That’s why we need to wash our hands thoroughly with soap and water. Hand washing is one way to prevent illnesses such as cough, cold, diarrhea, and so on because we contract all these through dirty hands.

When should you wash your hands?

(a) After using the toilet.

(b) After coughing/sneezing

(c) Before and after eating a meal.

(d) Before touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.

(e) After touching pets.

(f) After touching a sick person.

(g) After touching dirty surfaces or objects.

(h) After throwing out the garbage.

HOW TO WASH YOUR HANDS

(a) Place your hands under clean running water.

(b) Apply soap to cover the surfaces of your hands and wrists.

(c) Rub your hands together thoroughly, and scrub all the surfaces of your hands, fingernails, wrist, and fingertips.

(d) Scrub your hands for at least 20-30 seconds.

(e) Rinse your hands and wrist under clean running water.

(f) Dry your hands with a clean towel. Turn off the tap with a towel.

PERSONAL HYGIENE FOR MEN AND WOMEN

MEN

• Clean your butthole. Most men forget to wash their buttholes when taking their baths. Out of 10 men, just 3 wash their buttholes daily.
• Swap your towel at least once a week.
• Check your balls when taking a shower for any irregularities. This can be done easily when you’re washing that region lookout for bumps, redness, sores, blisters, or even warts.
• Wash and dry your groin properly. After taking a shower, dry your groin properly. If you don’t dry it properly, the moisture left could lead to the creation of bacteria and funguses.
• Brush your teeth twice daily to get rid of bad breath. Also, sanitize your toothbrush with hydrogen peroxide.
• Shave your armpits and pubic region regularly. Rinse your razor thoroughly with warm water to get rid of any leftover residue. Replace your razors frequently.
• Invest in Cologne.
• Change and wash your underwear daily. Do not pile your dirty underwear or wear them for more than a day.
• Get a haircut every two weeks. Maintain a fresh look, also shampoo and condition your hair.
• Get rid of the excess nose and ear hair.

WOMEN

• Avoid using gloves or sponges to wash your intimate areas.
• Trim your body hair.
• Wash the outside of your vagina every day.
• Change your towels every 2 to 3 days. Do not share your towels. Use a soft towel to dry your body after every shower.
• Do not douche.
• Wear cotton underwear. Cotton allows any excess moisture from sweat or discharge to evaporate, instead of becoming a breeding ground for bacteria.
• Shampoo and condition your hair 2-3 times a week.
• Make use of deodorants, perfumes, and perfume oil.
• Wear clean and comfortable clothes.
• Be careful when you use a public restroom. Get a pee sanitizer and spray it on the mouth of the water closet before sitting.
• Eat right. Remember, you’re what you eat.
• Wipe correctly. After bathing and urination, you must clean your vagina area from your vagina towards your anal region.
• Wear clean and comfortable clothes.
• Wash and change your underwear daily.

EFFECTS OF POOR PERSONAL HYGIENE

Poor personal hygiene can lead to various health problems. You may fall sick often and could spread the disease.

Some health problems because of having poor personal hygiene include

• Tooth decay
• Diarrhea
• Skin Infections
• Eye infections like trachoma and conjunctivitis are caused by dust and contamination.

HOW TO FOLLOW A HEALTHY PERSONAL HYGIENE ROUTINE

• Use signs; signs can jog your memory. If you forget to wash your hand anytime you come back from work, you can set a small sign in a place you’ll see it reminding you to wash your hands.
• Set a reminder; if you often forget to brush your teeth before bed, wash your hair, clip your nail, etc. You could set a reminder. This will ensure you remember to do these things even though you’re busy.

WHY YOU SHOULD MAINTAIN A PERSONAL HYGIENE?

1. Maintaining good personal hygiene prevents you from spreading infections to everyone around you.
2. It helps prevents infections and diseases that could weaken your immune system.
3. Hygiene saves you from shame, by preventing you from situations where people feel irritated due to foul smells oozing out of your body.
4. It enhances your appearance and makes you attractive.
5. It helps you maintain your skin pH levels, making it healthy and glowing.

As you’ve read in this article, your hygiene is important. Take your hygiene seriously to avoid getting sick and also spreading the diseases to your loved ones.

Thanks for reading.

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HAPPY WORLD HEALTH DAY???