Have you ever been hit by a pungent odour on the train? Perhaps you’ve walked into a public bathroom, and walked straight out because you’d rather be busting than smelling that? Personal hygiene may not be sexy, and for some, it may not even be fun. But like taxes and sleep, it is an essential element of life. Yet it’s also super easy to not do it as well as we’d like.

For those of you interested in personal hygiene (read: this should be just about everyone), this article will provide you with everything you need to know. We’ll explore what personal hygiene actually means, as well as why it’s so important. We’ll also touch on what products you should buy to best maintain your personal hygiene, as well as the broader implications of personal hygiene for individuals and society. Finally, we’ll cover some personal hygiene essentials, including how to maintain the best possible personal hygiene in the workplace, how to help kids maintain their personal hygiene, and also female hygiene best practices.

What is personal hygiene?

Personal hygiene is defined as how you personally care for your body and its own cleanliness and wellbeing. Hygiene practices that help maintain personal hygiene include bathing, washing your hands, brushing your teeth, cleaning yourself properly after going to the toilet (for example, by using a bidet), as well as many other practices.

Personal hygiene is critical because every day, your body comes into contact with germs and viruses, many of which can make you unwell. But personal hygiene is also important for a number of other reasons. Good personal hygiene can also make you feel better about yourself, as well as feel good about your appearance. In a social context, good personal hygiene is also important as it ensures your appearance (and odour) is socially acceptable and professional in nature.

There are many unsightly side effects of bad personal hygiene that can lead to illnesses, poor health, and unwanted disadvantages, both at work and in your personal relationships.

Firstly, if you do not keep up a regular washing schedule, you are at risk of developing body odour, as well as greasy skin and hair. These issues can quickly lead to other issues, including acne and dreadlocked hair. A messy and unkept appearance, especially it if includes body odour, can make other people in your life feel uncomfortable, and can adversely affect your career.

Washing your hands regularly is another important personal hygiene habit and one that has serious consequences. If you do not regularly wash your hands, you are at risk of developing a number of viruses, including stomach viruses, but also COVID-19.

Another personal hygiene habit that cannot be overlooked is brushing your teeth. Not brushing your teeth can lead to many dental issues, including the buildup of plaque, which can later lead to tooth and bone decay, and can increase your risk of heart disease.

Finally, good toilet hygiene is essential, including washing properly using a smart toilet or bidet. Bad toilet hygiene can lead to many unsightly issues, including urinary tract infections or even kidney infections.

Poor personal hygiene can lead to a number of embarrassing and debilitating issues, including scabies, lice, diarrhea, athlete’s foot, and ringworm, among others.

Types of personal hygiene and appropriate products for each type

Personal hygiene encompasses many different elements of hygiene, however, there are a number of key categories that you, personally, need to take care of. Here are the main categories and how best to care for yourself, including recommendations for products to use:

1. Toilet hygiene

When we go to the toilet, we’re getting rid of our body’s waste material and yep, you guessed it – that waste material is often full of germs. If we don’t use proper toilet hygiene, we risk spreading those germs around.

Proper toilet hygiene involves two main practices. Firstly, you need to care for your groin. To do so, you need to:

• Always wipe from front to back (when using toilet paper). This will stop bacteria spreading from your bottom into your genital area.
• Always thoroughly wipe away any poo – keep wiping until the area is completely clean.
• Consider using a smart toilet or bidet. Doing so will ensure a much more hygienic outcome as you will be able to wash with water, as opposed to using toilet paper, which can spread bacteria.

Outside of your chosen toileting experience, it’s also important to always wash your groin area with gentle soap, avoiding any harsh soaps as they may change the pH balance of your groin area. If you’re uncircumcised, you should also always wash and dry under your foreskin.

The second critical practice when going to the toilet is washing your hands – this will be covered below.

Some great products that can help ensure your toilet and groin area hygiene are optimal include:

• Vaginal wipes
• A bidet or smart toilet.

2. Hand-washing hygiene

One of the easiest ways for germs to enter your body is through your mouth, nose, eyes or ears, so the best way to combat viruses is to wash your hands. Ideally, you should wash your hands before preparing food, after going to the toilet, if you sneeze, after riding on public transport, after you change a baby’s nappy, and generally any other situation where you would be touching someone or something that may contain germs.

When washing your hands, ensure that you:

• Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds
• Use soap, and lather up
• Thoroughly wet the front and back of your hands.

Some great products that can help maintain your hand hygiene include:

• Antibacterial soap
• Hand sanitiser.

3. Nail hygiene

Dirt and other unsightly germs that you may not be able to see can hide underneath your nails. For this reason, you should always keep your nails short. If they are longer, though, you should brush under them with a nail brush to rinse away any dirt.

One particularly bad habit when it comes to nail hygiene is biting your nails. Doing so spreads germs from your nails into your mouth. If you’ve fallen victim to this habit, you should try remedies including using bitter nail polish.

Some great products that can assist with nail hygiene include:

• Nail scissors
• Nail files
• A nail brush
• Bitter nail polish (for nail biters only).

4. Teeth hygiene

Teeth hygiene is important not just for the look of your teeth, but also for their overall health. Proper teeth hygiene helps prevent gum disease, as well as cavities.

For optimal teeth hygiene, try the following:

• Brush at least twice a day, for at least two minutes
• Floss between your teeth daily
• Use an antibacterial mouthwash
• Regularly visit the dentist (ideally every 6 months).

Some great products that can assist with dental hygiene include:

• An electric toothbrush
• Dental floss

5. Bathing hygiene

Taking regular baths and washing your skin and hair is important for a number of hygiene reasons, including preventing acne and other skin irritations.

In order to clean and hair thoroughly, make sure that you:

• Wash with soap and water, paying particular attention to sensitive areas, including your feet, groin and behind your ears
• If you have oily skin, invest in speciality products
• Use shampoo and conditioner on your hair (not a mixed product) and ensure you lather up for a few minutes, and rinse well.

Some great products that can help you bathe more effectively include:

• Antibacterial soap
• Speciality vagina wash
• Shampoo and conditioner.
• Speciality products for oily skin.

6. Hygiene when you’re sick

Hygiene, when you’re sick, is particularly important to protect those around you. If you’re not feeling well, ensure that you cover your nose and mouth when sneezing or coughing. Depending on what illness you believe you have, it may also be appropriate to isolate yourself.

Regularly wash your hands when you’re unwell, and try to avoid touching or using utensils or items others will regularly use, or if you must do, ensure you wash your hands first.

If you’re unwell, the following products may help prevent you from passing on the illness to others:

• A face mask
• Hand sanitiser
• Antibacterial soap.

Personal hygiene in the workplace

Whether you like it or not, how you present yourself at work does matter. Personal hygiene in the workplace is incredibly important as how you appear to others affects how they perceive you. Bad personal hygiene is associated with poor job outcomes (including at the interview stage) and can adversely affect your career.

Although good hygiene at work can be difficult to define, it typically includes:

• Cleaning up after yourself, including cleaning any dishes you use
• Regularly washing your workstation
• Washing your mugs and cups daily
• Using hand sanitiser
• Not sneezing or coughing without covering your nose or mouth
• Paying attention to personal grooming, including regularly washing your hair, bathing, washing your hands, and applying deodorant.

Feminine hygiene

Females do have a little more to worry about in the hygiene department than males, owing to the fact that they are responsible for creating little humans!  

And while it may be a taboo subject, female hygiene, and in particular, vaginal hygiene is important, and poor hygiene in this area can affect everything from your sex drive to your fertility. Here are some tips for women to maintain optimal feminine hygiene.

Keep your undies dry

It might seem like common sense, but it’s incredibly important to wipe your vagina after going to the toilet. If you don’t, bad odours can develop, but more importantly, you put yourself at risk of vaginal infections.

Although it’s important to wipe, though, it’s similarly important to not wipe too much. Excessive use of products such as talcum powder can cause itchiness and vaginal dryness. Instead of wiping, consider using a bidet to clean yourself after going to the toilet.

Change your sanitary pads every 4-6 hours

Regardless of your menstrual flow, you should always try to change your menstrual protection every 4-6 hours (if you have a heavier flow, you should try to change it every 3-4 hours). After you remove your protection, you should also always wipe the area around your vagina.

Menstrual products that aren’t changed regularly enough can cause a bad odour and infections. Also, if you’re using reusable products, ensure they are washed and dried properly.

Avoid using soap on your vagina

Washing your vagina is important, but because of its delicate pH balance, it’s more important to wash it with water, for example, by using a bidet. Harsh or scented soaps, and especially ones that use harmful chemicals such as glycerol, perfumes, and antiseptics, can affect the balance of pH in your vaginal and can lead to the growth of bacteria.

Wash yourself properly after sex

Washing your vagina after sex is important so as to clean away both bodily fluids, as well as particles from condoms. Not doing so can cause infections.

After sex, clean your vaginal with water to prevent urinary tract infections. It’s also important to try and avoid douching if you can. Douching flushes water up the vagina to clean secretions and involves the use of certain chemicals that can interfere with vaginal pH.

Wipe the right way

Using toilet paper when going to the toilet can be problematic for more than a few reasons. If you don’t wipe from front to back (the vagina to the anus), you can drag harmful bacteria to the vagina, which can cause anything from mild infections to kidney infections.

The best way to wipe is to significantly reduce the amount of time you have to spend doing it! Invest in a bidet to help reduce constant wiping and for a more thorough clean.

Final thoughts

Regardless of who you are, personal hygiene is incredibly important, for your health, your relationships, and your career. Invest in doing it right and you’ll feel healthier and happier for the rest of your life.