Tag: Personal Hygiene

  • Practice Daily Personal Hygiene for Better Health

    To stay clean and healthy, it’s important to maintain good personal hygiene habits. Practicing daily hygiene is crucial for protecting yourself from bacteria and diseases, and more importantly, for keeping your loved ones safe and healthy too. Without proper care for your body, you’ll face the risk of an unhealthy lifestyle. And you won’t feel too pleasant nor happy. There are different types of hygienic practices which include bathing or showering, covering your mouth when coughing or sneezing, washing clothes, washing hands, and more. I will cover five in this post and discuss their advantages, which should be everyone’s priorities. 

    Bathing & Showering: 

    Though bathing and showering serve different purposes, they are both beneficial to your personal hygiene. The difference between a bath and shower is that a bath focuses on the body being soaked in a bathtub of water while a shower focuses on standing under a spray of water. Baths are great if you are looking into relaxing your muscles, especially your mind. In addition to, exfoliating skin. In a study mentioned by Kathryn Watson on Healthline, participants who took warm baths experienced improvements in their wellbeing. Moreover, showers are significantly better for cleansing your body. With the use of soap and shampoo they help you stay fresh and clean by removing dirt, bacteria and dead skin cells from your body and hair. Showering with cold water has been shown to have a positive impact on stress, depression and swelling. And showering with hot water can also aid in the relaxation of muscles and stiff joints.

    Cover Mouth When Coughing or Sneezing/Washing hands:

    Covering your mouth with a tissue when coughing or sneezing is important to avoid the spread of germs. And protect those around you. Being sick is no fun! Furthermore, the CDC recommends coughing or sneezing into your elbows if you don’t have a tissue with you. Don’t forget to wash your hands after coughing or sneezing or use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% of alcohol (CDC, 2023). Always wash your hands with soap, especially before and after eating and during bathroom use. 

    Washing Clothes: 

    Last but not least, washing clothes is important for personal hygiene for various reasons. Clothes can become exposed with bacteria, dirt, and sweat, for instance. So, setting a habit to wash your clothes once a week (during weekends/whenever you have time) or after use is a good practice to maintain hygiene. You know, wearing clean clothes is a mood booster of confidence and comfortability. 

    Good personal hygiene is critical for a healthier lifestyle and happier you!

    Sources:

    1. Bath vs. Shower: Which Gets You Cleaner and Which Has More Benefits? (healthline.com) 
    2. https://www.cdc.gov/hygiene/personal-hygiene/index.html
    3. https://www.healthline.com/health/personal-hygiene#effects-of-poor-hygiene
  • Personal Hygiene: The Key to Health and Beauty

    Personal hygiene is one of the basic requirements for good health and beauty that acts like a shield from numerous diseases and sicknesses. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2022), consistent body cleaning is one of the most effective ways of preventing disease transmission. One of the best ways of minimizing the risk of frequent diarrhea, colds, flu, and even COVID-19 is to wash hands often. People ignore that simple act of hand washing, yet it is vital to one’s health.

    Personal hygiene entails more than just cleanliness. This includes handwashing after using the toilet, continuous oral hygiene and covering the sneeze or cough. If these hygienic measures are overlooked, they may result in respiratory infections, skin conditions, and deadly illnesses such as COVID-19 and gastroenteritis. Additionally, Holland (2018) observes that good personal hygiene affects physical health and how individuals view themselves and their social interactions, leading to improved self-esteem.

    Regular bathing remains one of the most essential aspects of personal hygiene, as it helps fight body lice and other infections. It is important to thoroughly clean all body parts, especially with appropriate products like soaps or hypoallergenic washes for sensitive areas (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, (2022). Finally, controlling body smell is also one form of hygienic management, which involves bathing or showering regularly, drying the skin well and using deodorants/antiperspirants when necessary. Taken together, one person’s appearance and health are determined.

    Personal hygiene plays a major role in health and beauty care, summing up all said. It goes beyond vanity and looks after well-being and self-confidence. Good health is rooted in personal hygiene, equally vital for an overall beauty regime. This practice improves one’s general wellness, as it boosts health and aids in developing confidence in one’s skin.

  • Menstrual Hygiene, A Fundamental Subject

    Personal hygiene can be an uncomfortable topic to talk about. We’re all human and we all have a personal responsibility to keep up with our own personal hygiene. One personal hygiene topic that may appear especially uncomfortable to talk about is menstrual hygiene. Talking about personal hygiene is how we educate ourselves and others on the topic. It is how we avoid facing negative consequences of poor hygiene and continue to keep up with it. Women should have the liberty to speak freely about menstrual health and hygiene.

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website has great information on how to keep up with your personal hygiene during your menstrual cycle. When it comes to applying and wearing a menstrual product, Whether it’s a pad, tampon, cup, or underwear, remember to follow the instructions and wash and replace the items as recommended! Unscented products will be your best friend during this time. This goes for toilet paper, pads, and tampons as scented products can cause irritation and pH imbalance. Believe it or not, what you wear also impacts your menstrual hygiene. Cotton and lightweight clothing is recommended as tight clothing and underwear can cause unwanted bacterial growth.  Hydration is key on any day but it is also key during your menstrual cycle! It is also important to know that the vagina is self-cleaning. Using soap or other cleaning products on your genital area can cause potential infections such as yeast infections and bacterial vaginosis. Although infections caused by improper menstrual hygiene can be treated, its best to avoid them altogether!

    Other Items to Consider

    Whenever certain things seem unusual, it’s best to act! For example, experiencing extreme pain or unusually heavy flows is reason enough for you to either visit an ER or make an appointment with your primary healthcare provider. Remember to take it easy during these days! I like to stock up on my favorite snacks, dark chocolate, and teas. I usually keep a heating pad handy as well.