3 Good Personal Hygiene Tips For Body Care

Let’s face it, school is not always the most favourite event in some teenagers’ lives, especially when poor hygiene influences their self-esteem and subjects them to ridicule by their peers.

Hygiene matters. A great deal. After all, good hygiene is essential for promoting good health. So it was a great idea to kickstart the year with a personal hygiene talk for the students – sharing with them the whys, the whats and the hows.

If you too want to be a good role model to the rest of your peers, then you should read on and remember to put the tips into immediate practice.

There are many aspects of personal hygiene – the most common ones being hair care, oral care, face care, body care and hand-feet care.

In this blog article, I am going to focus specifically on body care. After all, it’s no secret that out of the five aspects of personal hygiene – our body covers the largest surface.

Tip #1: Change Out Of Sweaty, Dirty Clothes After PE Lesson

Perspiring is our body’s way of regulating its temperature, flushing out toxins and balancing its salt levels. Our skin is the second most important organ of elimination after our kidneys. It’s healthy to sweat, but you certainly don’t want to smell.

In Singapore’s hot and humid weather, it’s hard not to perspire. But that should not stop us from practising good personal hygiene for our body.

Most, if not all, schools have mandatory physical education (PE) lessons. While some PE lessons are held indoors (either in the hall or sheltered areas), others are conducted in the open (think open field, grass lawn or basketball court).

Imagine going back to the classroom in a sweat-soaked PE T-shirt and shorts…I really shudder to think of that scenario.

If it’s not bad enough for one such scenario, let’s multiply that effect by 40 times by imagining a class of close to 40 students huddled in one classroom.

It is not only unhygienic for our skin to be in constant contact with sweat, dirt and impurities; it is worse to have to endure the stench that emits from the sweat.

Here’s what you can do: A practical and easy-to-implement tip would be to change out of the sweaty, dirty PE clothes after the physical activity lesson is over.

We all appreciate learning in a clean environment. And our body too will appreciate having a set of nice-smelling clothes to wear. So too will you be able to concentrate better in class.

Tip #2: Use A Deodorant Or Anti-Perspirant

Just like how earlier civilisations tried to overpower natural odour with sweet fragrances (typical examples would be Egyptians who created perfumes before 2000B.C; and ancient Romans who applied aromatics to their bodies), popular body care brands today too have come up with body care products to help combat body odour. The most commonly available ones which we can buy off the shelves are deodorants and anti-perspirants.

When there is increased body moisture retention on the skin and more bacteria growth, the smell (body odour) becomes even stronger. That’s when deodorants and anti-perspirants come in handy.

Personally, I will choose an anti-perspirant over a deodorant.

A deodorant helps reduce smell. But an anti-perspirant inhibits perspiration. To put it simply, a deodorant is more reactive whereas an anti-perspirant is more proactive. Besides, every anti-perspirant is also a deodorant.

I always believe in one mantra – that good hygiene and effective products must serve its purpose yet be easy to use.

Always choose an anti-perspirant that provides all day comfort and does not have an over-powering scent. For girls, a fruity scent would be nice. For boys, go for a woody scent.

Popular brands like Nivea have introduced three types of anti-perspirants – they are the easy-to-apply glide-on sticks, roll-ons and sprays. The decision you have to make is which one to choose. I like the anti-perspirant spray as it is more convenient and lighter to carry around.

Tip #3: Consume The Right Foods

You may think it strange how consuming the right foods can help contribute to good body hygiene. Well, it’s indirectly related.

My own research has shown that consuming the right foods has a significant effect to help reduce body odour. And since we have to eat everyday, why not choose to eat healthy?

As a strong advocate of vegetables, I would suggest you incorporate foods that are rich in chlorophyll in your diet. You will never go wrong with green leafy vegetables like spinach, lettuce and kale.

Consuming green leafy vegetables has a powerful deodorizing effect. If you recall your science class, chlorophyll is vital for photosynthesis which allows plants to absorb energy from light.

If I were you, I will also consume foods that have anti-odour properties as they help you naturally smell good. All of our herbs (some examples include basil, lemongrass, mint etc) fall under this category, together with my all-time-favourite bean sprouts.

Good personal hygiene is for everyone. It boosts our self-confidence and increases our perceived value among our peers. I would definitely want to smell good and look great. And the easiest way to good personal hygiene is practising good body care.