The concept of “hygiene” has recently made a major impact on our lives and society in general. If the outbreak of the infamous COVID-19 in 2020 has taught us anything, it is the importance of practicing good personal hygiene at all times.
However, hygiene is not something that we should only consider during a global pandemic; it is something that we should practice always by incorporating it into our lifestyle. That also means investing in some quality hygiene products – some that can even last a lifetime. In this post, let’s take a look at all the essential hygiene products that all adults should possess.
But first, let’s dive a little into why hygiene should be an innate part of our daily lives.
Importance of hygiene
Most of us have been taught from a young age that it is important to maintain hygiene and cleanliness. The old adage “cleanliness is next to godliness” is something we have heard from our parents after outdoor playtime or whenever we would object to bath time as kids. But as we grow up, we often seem to forget this age-old proverb.
Hygiene is important for a plethora of reasons, including health, social, psychological, and even sexual reasons.
Health
As we age, our immune system gets weaker, and that is a universally acknowledged truth. Unfortunately, our unhealthy lifestyle may actually contribute to our poor health and declining immune systems.
Not keeping our bodies clean with regular showers can increase the chances of us catching diseases by allowing germs to breed on our bodies. Eww, right?
Similarly, not clipping our nails or washing our hands can cause germs to enter our bodies through our mouth, nose, or even our eyes. Not just that, we might actually be spreading those to our loved ones – family, friends, and coworkers alike.
That said, it’s not difficult to adopt good hygiene habits quickly d! Following some best practices of hygiene, we can keep our immune system strong.
Social
Let’s face it, at any point in our lives, we’ve all sat beside a friend or coworker whom we like dearly, but there’s just one problem – they stink, literally!
Body odor and bad breath can both be deal-breakers. This can turn out to be a real problem in a professional setting, such as an important business meeting!
Unfortunately, humans are programmed as such that they cannot identify their own BO or other bad smells emanating from them. So to ensure that you aren’t the cause of such an embarrassing nuisance for those around you, you need to clean yourself properly and do everything in your capacity to maintain good personal hygiene.
Mental & psychological
One thing most mature adults can agree to is that mental peace is something that we have all struggled with. Good personal hygiene can lead to a positive body image, which contributes towards better mental health and a sense of wellbeing.
Besides, being well-groomed and clean can make us feel confident about ourselves and instills self-confidence, and puts us in an overall positive psychological frame.
Sexual
Regardless of whether you have a dedicated partner or not, personal hygiene can go a long way when it comes to your sex life. Without going into the details of it, let’s just say, how you groom yourself can affect how much people are attracted to you.
Besides, an unkempt and shabby appearance can actually be a turn-off for your partner(s)!
What products can help your personal hygiene practice?
Now that we know why maintaining good personal hygiene is necessary, let’s jump into what products can actually help us with that. But bear in mind that these are not just common products that you use every day for hygiene. We have compiled a list of necessary products that are “upgrades” to your regular hygiene products – meaning that these products are superior when it comes to actually help you with your personal hygiene and cleanliness.
1. Vegan soap
Hygiene begins at the largest organ of our body, the skin. Vegan soap is a good choice to include in your basket of hygiene products because its benefits are plenty.
Vegan soaps are made with natural ingredients such as coconut oil and are not harsh on your skin. Coconut oil is known for its antibacterial properties. The scent of vegan soaps is usually natural so that eliminates the chances of artificial scents and synthetic compounds irritating your skin
And to answer the most burning question on your mind, yes, vegan soaps work just as well as normal soaps, if not better!
2. Mineral-enriched deodorant
An important aspect of personal hygiene is deodorant as it keeps unwanted body odor away. However, the dilemma of products that leave us smelling so refreshed is the fact that products we use on our skin can get absorbed into your bloodstream.
So, when looking for the perfect deodorant, inspecting the ingredients is a must. Many mass-produced deodorants are likely to contain harmful components such as parabens which are linked to breast cancer.
But there’s good news for you – if you use a mineral-enriched deodorant, you will be picking a product where the ingredients were selected with your health in mind. As you use a mineral-enriched deodorant you will have the added benefit of healthful minerals being absorbed into your body with every use instead of harmful chemicals.
3. Foot balm
Calluses and cracks on the foot occur from the pressure put on the foot, shoes, and even dry skin. The main reason why these cracks are bad for our health is that they can become the breeding ground for bacteria and cause infections.
Also, think about the conditions feet are subjected to every day, if they are not padding on the dirty surface of the floor, they are closed in shoes for hours on end with sweat and no air.
These conditions alone create the perfect scenario for a fungal infection on your feet. Thus, your feet are also an important part of your personal hygiene.
The best way to take care of your feet is with foot balms. They are specifically made to take care of the calluses, moisturise your skin, and rejuvenate the tough skin of your feet. Moreover, foot balms with SPF will also protect the skin from UV rays.
The best part about foot balms is that there are many different types to pick from. So if you are suffering from a specific problem such as a fungal infection instead of just having calluses, there are different types of specialised balms available for you.
4. Tooth oil
Oral hygiene means taking care of our teeth, getting rid of bad breath, and also preventing bacteria in our mouth from entering our body. Most of us are brushing our teeth twice a day, flossing, and using mouthwash already. But, how can you step up your oral hygiene routine??
Tooth oils can take your hygiene game to another level. Tooth oil promotes proper mouth and gum health and can prevent cavities. Even normal oils from your pantry such as coconut oil have antibacterial properties that make this possible.
5. Dry shampoo
Understanding the health of your hair and deciding what is good for it is a tricky business. Contrary to popular belief, washing your hair less is actually better for your hair in the long run.
The reason is, washing your hair frequently strips it of its natural oils and shampoo can damage it even more. This causes your scalp to produce more oil which in turn, leaves you with an oily scalp only two days after you last washed your hair with shampoo.
To end this vicious cycle, try dry shampoo. Using dry shampoo limits the number of washes your hair needs and can regulate the oil produced as well.
The dry shampoo leaves your hair smelling and feeling clean and for the long run, you will have a less oily scalp.
6. Menstrual cup
Menstrual cups are praised for their benefits to the environment, but what you might not know is that they are actually more hygienic than their alternatives.
The nature of the menstrual cup prevents fluids from being exposed, they contain the fluid. This means that menstrual cups are less likely to exude a bad odour.
Those of us who have to deal with feminine hygiene products monthly know all too well about developing itchy skin from wearing pads too long. The truth is, pads tend to interfere with our pH and bacterial balance as it tends to soak everything up which can lead to dry and irritated skin for women.
Menstrual cups are the first innovation in female menstrual hygiene which has tackled many of the age-old problems and has proven to be a cleaner, more hygienic, and healthier alternative.
7. Hospital-grade hand sanitiser
In your average routine when you are out and about, you are bound to come across contaminated surfaces such as tables and doorknobs. It is impossible to wash your hand after every encounter with a dirty surface. To tackle this, sanitisers are used as they can be used on the go and the results are instantaneous.
However, ordinary sanitisers have limitations on their effectiveness so while they might disinfect your hands, they will still not be entirely free of microbes and bacteria. Hospital-grade sanitisers, on the other hand, are a lot more effective.
8. Organic face wipes
Face wipes are in general used to clean our faces on the go, for gentle exfoliation, and to even remove makeup. It surely is an important aspect of your makeup hygiene, but what sets organic face wipes apart from them?
Organic face wipes are a step up from regular ones because they use natural ingredients such as aloe vera. Aloe vera itself has very concentrated antibacterial qualities which will ensure cleaner skin.
Moreover, they do not carry any artificial scent so it reduces the chances of the delicate skin on your face becoming irritated.
Regular face wipes usually contain harsh chemicals that can be harmful to your skin if you use them regularly. Organic face wipes, on the other hand, are safe for regular use.
9. Bidet toilet / smart toilet
Let’s get real – bidet toilets are probably one of the best things humans have invented, especially when it comes to keeping your, err, bottom clean.
A vast majority of us are used to using toilet paper after we respond to nature’s call. But unfortunately, that doesn’t really “clean” you.
Imagine this – you’ve stepped out of your home wearing your new pair of business-casual shoes and accidentally step on some dog poop that your neighbor’s dog just happened to drop in front of your house. What would you do? Would you just wipe your shoe with tissue paper, or use water and soap to properly clean your nice new pair of shoes? We can bet it’s the latter!
How about if you are a parent and you are cleaning up after your baby and the stuff gets on your hand. Would you just wipe your hands? No, right?
So when it comes to the precious body parts that we use to eliminate, why do we just wipe them with toilet paper? In some parts of the world, people have been using water for ages to clean up after they have used the loo. That’s because if we don’t clean properly, over time harmful bacteria and germs can cause skin irritation and even infections such as urinary tract infection (UTI).
This concept of using water to clean up after using the toilet is becoming more popular in the west nowadays.
And that’s where a bidet comes in. A bidet, simply put, is a toilet that allows you to clean yourself with water after you’re done with your toilet. It does so by spraying the necessary amount of water to clean you up. And thus, it helps with your personal hygiene by making sure that you are actually clean. Not just that, by using bidets you can reduce the amount of toilet paper you use, thus helping save the environment too.
Nowadays, bidets have gotten even better with innovative technology. For example, a smart toilet can help you adjust the temperature of the water and the angle at which you want it to be sprayed, alongside other handy features.
There are different types of bidets, such as a bidet toilet suite and a bidet toilet seat. Bidet suite is the whole fixture of the bidet that can replace your existing toilet at home; if used properly, they can last for many years.
However, that may not be a realistic option for everyone. In that case, you can opt for a bidet toilet seat, which basically works like an “add-on” to your existing toilet at home. But don’t be fooled; even though bidet toilet seats are cheaper, they have many functionalities. You can attach it to the toilet you have at home and simply convert your regular toilet into a smart toilet!
Thus, you can use the water from a bidet for a more hygienic end to your daily nature’s call.
Final thoughts
As mentioned earlier, hygiene is not something that we should worry ourselves with only during deadly pandemics. It’s a way of life that needs to be incorporated into our everyday life.
A well-groomed appearance and fresh-smelling clean body can not just add to our personality and confidence in a social setting, but also lead to a boosted immune system and better health.
Gone are the days of using harmful, mass-produced deodorants and soaps. It’s time for us to step up our hygiene game and use superior quality products that are good for us. So, note down the products we’ve discussed so far, and make sure to get them in your quest for a clean and hygienic future!
