Personal hygiene practices can play an essential role in keeping you healthy by protecting against bacteria and viruses that could make you sick. It’s essential to regularly wash your hands, brush your teeth, change underwear and clean vulva for best results.
Remember, poor hygiene can be linked with mental illness and drug/alcohol misuse. Encourage others to practice good hygiene and spread awareness.
Washing your hands
Handwashing is one of the cornerstones of personal hygiene for women, helping prevent germs that could make you or others sick from spreading further. Therefore, it’s crucial that women regularly wash their hands after using the restroom and prior to eating – and particularly after caring for someone sick themselves or caring for those that are.
To clean your hands properly, begin by wetting them with clean running water (warm or cold). Apply soap and scrub for 20 seconds with each hand – being careful to scrub behind each fingernail as well. Rinse thoroughly after 20 seconds before drying them with paper or cloth towels before reapplying lotion as needed for moisturized hands.
Brushing your teeth
Daily you come in contact with millions of germs that cling to your skin, hair and nails. Practices such as hand washing and tooth brushing help protect you against becoming sick by keeping away germs that could make their way onto you and making you vulnerable to illnesses like influenza.
An effective daily dental routine starts with two minutes of brushing twice daily to eliminate plaque, the sticky mix of bacteria that sticks stubbornly to teeth and gums, leading to tooth decay, bad breath, gum disease and hardened tartar that requires the expertise of a dentist or hygienist for removal.
Women should trim their fingernails regularly to prevent germs from being spread into mouth and other body openings through fingernail-snapping, and use deodorants to reduce armpit odour. Good personal hygiene practices for women also involve taking good care in regards to nails, skin and genital areas as well as washing soiled clothing frequently and keeping it dry while using period products (tampons/pads).
Changing your underwear
Underwear plays an essential part in maintaining personal hygiene. Wearing tight or poorly fitting underwear could cause friction that leads to irritation and infection; you should change it daily so bacteria and sweat don’t build up in this sensitive area.
Wear cotton underwear that breathes, rather than synthetic fabrics that trap heat and moisture – synthetic fabrics create the ideal environment for bacteria growth! Change tampons every four to eight hours in order to avoid infection as well as leakage issues.
Before disposing of your tampons or pads, always wrap them in toilet paper to reduce odours. Also keep a supply in your purse or backpack just in case you get an unexpected period while out and about.
Cleaning your vulva
The female genitalia comprises multiple parts; these include pubic mount, inner and outer labia and clitoris. Vulva and vagina are self-cleaning organs that contain complex colonies of good bacteria; regular soap use or douches can disrupt this balance and leave vulnerable areas open to infection.
Although some vaginal odor is normal, excessive or persistent smell should not occur. If you detect an odd change in its scent, speak to your OB-GYN immediately.
To maintain proper vulva hygiene, shower or bathe daily using only mild soap and warm water. Avoid scented soaps which may irritate the skin; do not douche as this disrupts normal pH balance in your vulva and encourages bad bacteria overgrowth; also do not insert lubricant directly into vagina or use dildoes/sex toys as these introduce foreign bacteria and can make maintaining hygiene harder; additionally douching or steaming may increase infections risk significantly.
