Personal hygiene encompasses various practices designed to keep individuals clean and healthy, such as taking care of skin, hair, nails and teeth as well as cleaning surfaces such as doorknobs and toilet seats regularly.
Young women must establish proper hygiene habits early. This can be achieved through learning from experts and role models as well as trying out various routines.
Vaginal hygiene
As with maintaining healthy teeth and hands, women must also take great care to keep their vulva/vagina clean. Luckily, this task is straightforward; the vulva is self-cleaning organ whose natural flora helps balance pH. Unfortunately, soap or douche products may disrupt this delicate equilibrium.
To wash your genitals effectively, warm water with some type of moisturizer (such as shea butter) is the optimal way. Soap can irritate skin, leading to unnecessary dryness.
Make sure that you wear breathable undergarment such as cotton, as lycra and spandex can trap bacteria around the vulva area. Finally, it is best to avoid douching by only washing outside areas such as pubic mound, inner labia and clitoris; more frequent cleansings may lead to irritation of skin and cause itching; gentle cleanser such as an aqueous cream cleanser or diprobase will offer safe cleansing options.
Washing your hands
Handwashing regularly is essential to protecting against illnesses like the flu, common cold, strep throat and intestinal infections. It’s especially essential after using the restroom and before eating.
Germs are everywhere and using your hands as an intermediary means for transporting them can help them get to where they need to go (e.g. your eyes, nose or mouth), potentially making you sick. By regularly washing with soap and water you can help eliminate germs from surfaces you touch as well as protect against illness-causing germs that could make you ill.
As soon as your hands are wet with clean running water, apply soap. Rub your hands together to form a lather before using your scrubbers on palms, fingers, backs of hands and under fingernails for at least 20 seconds, roughly equivalent to singing “Happy Birthday” twice. Rinse well under running water before drying them completely with paper towel or cloth.
Brushing your teeth
Brushing your teeth daily is essential to good oral health, helping prevent gingivitis, gum disease and tooth decay while strengthening and beautifying natural teeth. Brushing also keeps them looking their best!
Keep your teeth in good condition by brushing at least twice daily for two minutes each time, with each session lasting two minutes and including brushing the tongue to eliminate bacteria and improve breath quality.
Additionally, ensure your arms and legs are frequently washed after sweating, using deodorants or antiperspirants to mask odours or reduce sweating. Wash your hair frequently to remove oils and dirt. Finally, trim nails regularly so as to limit spreading germs to other parts of the body through touching.
Washing your face
Keep your face looking its best by washing it regularly and properly to keep it clean. Washing helps remove makeup, dirt and oil build-up while exfoliating dead skin cells and unclogging pores.
experts advise using gentle face cleansers instead of bar soaps and to avoid hot water when washing your face twice daily.
Washing your face daily can also help reduce the appearance of dark circles under your eyes and help prevent breakouts, while increasing its radiance.
Not only should you wash and moisturize your face regularly, but you should also use sunscreen. Be mindful of your skin type when selecting a cleanser; otherwise heavy fragranced or chemical additive products could potentially have adverse reactions that show themselves on your complexion. Your body can tell when products contain harsh ingredients by how it reacts.
