8 important Personal Hygiene Practices to Include in Your Routine

Personal hygiene practices are a form of physical self-care activities that involve taking care of your body to maintain your health and prevent diseases. Personal hygiene also makes you feel and look great and this will eventually boost your self-esteem and increase your attractiveness to others. If you’re ready to take action, we’ve compiled a list of personal hygiene practices that you can include in your routines.

Personal Hygiene Practices #1: Wash your Hands

Washing your hands is the simplest yet most important form of personal hygiene. We use our hands to perform most (if not all) of our daily activities. It’s easy for germs and viruses to enter your body through your hands to your nose, mouth, skin scar, ears, and eyes. Washing your hands thoroughly with good soap for 30 seconds and drying them really well will kill these germs and thus you protect your body from those germs. During this process, make sure to run your palms, the back of your hand, fingers, between fingers, and fingernails. So when is a good time to practice this routine?

1. Before consuming any food with your hands
2. Before and after you go to the bathroom
3. After coming in contact with unclean surfaces (for example: using share equipment such as library keyboards and mouses, or handling trash)
4. For some additional myth/fact information visit this link.

Personal Hygiene Practices #2: Maintain Toilet Hygiene

Many germs and viruses can be picked up during your trip to the bathroom. It’s really important to maintain proper toilet hygiene to protect yourself from all kinds of possible diseases, of which some could be deadly. Whether at home or in a public restroom, you should always make sure to:

1. Wash your hands with soap before and after you use the toilet
2. Before flushing, close the lid
3. Always flush
4. Don’t use your phone inside, it’s very unhygienic
5. Clean your toilet regularly
6. Don’t get in contact with the toilet’s lid in public restrooms as it could be contaminated

Personal Hygiene Practices #3: Practice Oral Care

Dental treatment is very expensive and unpleasant especially when cavities and pain are involved. That’s why I cannot stress enough the importance of oral hygiene to avoid cavities in the future. However, you should still carry dental checkups at least every 6 months as it’s part of the routine. On the other hand, foul mouth odor is a direct consequence of not maintaining good oral hygiene. So here are a few things you need to avoid these problems.

1. Brush your teeth at least twice a day (after you wake up and before you sleep) for two minutes or more. If you feel motivated, it’s better to brush your teeth after every meal.
2. Floss your teeth to remove bacteria or any unwanted food particles between your teeth at least once a day.
3. Use mouthwash to clean the areas that cannot be reached using a toothbrush, this also reduces bad smell.
4. Drink water and have some sugarless gum for this lovely feeling of freshness.

Personal Hygiene Practices #4: Cut your Nails

This one might be hard for some but it’s totally worth it! Keep your fingernails and toenails trimmed and clean. If you don’t do this, you expose yourself to viruses and nail infections. Indeed, longer nails are very likely to accumulate germs and are very hard to maintain and clean. Keeping your nails at the proper length (not too short, not too long) makes it easier to clean and keeps you looking pretty and fresh and is an important part of personal hygiene practices. What else to do?

1. Keep your nails at an acceptable length and well-trimmed
2. Avoid biting your nails
3. Make sure to clean your fingernails when washing your hands

Personal Hygiene Practices #5: Adopt a Skincare Routine

It is known that our skin forms a natural barrier that protects us from various viruses and bacteria. That’s why showering frequently helps to care for your skin and keep it clean and healthy. It will also provide you with a satisfactory fresh feeling when you’re feeling down. Here are some of the things to consider when taking care of your skin:

1. Plan and adopt a skincare routine. It doesn’t have to be fancy! Just basic and quick.
2. Wash your face at least once a day
3. Wash your hands after touching any unclean surface
4. Don’t delay/procrastinate on showers
5. Avoid skin picking
6. Only use safe skin care products that do not irritate your skin

Personal Hygiene Practices #6: Have Daily Showers

It’s easy to procrastinate and skip showers when we’re too tired from work. Showers must be a daily activity because it prevents body odor, and skin irritation and is a great way to practice self-care. Having daily showers is one of the simplest personal hygiene practices. Here are some of the things to consider when having a shower:

1. Take daily showers, especially during the summer season
2. Morning showers help you wake up while evening showers help you feel fresh and relaxed
3. Wash your hair and then your body
4. Apply conditioner if needed
5. Make sure to clean your scalp, under your fingernails, under your toenails, behind your ears, the bottom and side of your feet, and your belly button. Most people usually forget about these.

Personal Hygiene Practices #8: Clean your Clothes Regularly

Imagine following all the previous body hygiene tips and skipping this one! Clothing and hygiene are closely related and we firmly believe that one cannot exist without the other. It might come as no surprise that already-worn clothes contain germs and can cause skin infections if not washed correctly. Always ensure to have your clothes regularly cleaned and fresh. The same applies to bed sheets and pillow covers, so make sure to clean them as well! Here are some tips you might find interesting to have nice and clean clothes:

1. Organize the clothes to wash (whites, socks, underwear, colored clothes) and have them ready in piles
2. Use a good quality detergent
3. Avoid overloading your machine and make sure to put the correct quantity of detergent.
4. Don’t leave your clothes in the washing machine for more than 30 minutes after it is done washing.
5. Always dry your clean clothes
6. Don’t forget to clean your washing machine at least one time every 2 months.

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