●Personal Hygiene

We may describe personal hygiene as the principle of maintaining cleanliness and grooming of the external body.It is in general looking after yourself.Keeping a high level of personal hygiene will be helpful to increase self-esteem and confidence whilst minimizing the chances of developing imperfections.

Humans have realized the importance of hygiene for a long time,and can control personal hygiene by the way of sustaining high standards.We may take the ancient Greeks as an example: they would spend a couple of hours on bathing,using fragrances and making-up,which could beautify themselves and be presentable to others.It is difficult to imagine a time when people did not care about their appearance and their bodies.These practices maybe started when Adam first took a bath and combed his hair before going on a date with Eve.Or perhaps they began when Eve put on some herbal make-up to make herself more attractive.No matter where they started,grooming and personal hygiene have become an essential part of everyone’s daily life.

Grooming practices include all the little things what people do to beautify them at a larger extent such as combing their hair and putting on make-up.You might think that the grooming and personal hygiene practices are the same in all modern societies.However,while most modern people agree that these things are important,people in different cultures take care of themselves in different ways.Most people have realized the importance of hygiene,and regard it as not only the basis of cleanliness and health but also a good way to keep one’s friends.

After all,doesn’t everybody take baths?Occidental generally take a bath—or more commonly,a shower—every day.Most Americans want to start the day fresh,so they take their showers in the morning,which is different to some cultures.Many Americans prefer to wash and style their own hair by themselves rather than go to a beauty parlor for a shampoo.So if Americans have a “bad hair style”,they can only blame themselves.Most people in America head for the beauty parlor or barber shop occasionally for a haircut,a perm or just some friendly conversation.

Occidental are famous for their very sensitive noses.It is unacceptable to have B.O.(body odor) in Occident.That is the reason why Occidental consider the use of deodorant or antiperspirant a must.Ladies often use a touch of perfume for a fresh scent,while men may splash on after-shave lotion or manly-smelling cologne.Another cultural no-no in Occident is bad breath.Occidental disgust to smell what other people ate for lunch—especially onions or garlic.Their solutions are mouthwash,breath mints and even brushing teeth after meals.

Physical differences between races result some of the cultural variations in grooming practices.For example,many Asian men have little facial hair,Occidental men have a lot.So most Occidental men spend some time each day shaving or grooming their facial hair.Occidental have beards and mustaches in common,though their popularity changes from generation to generation.Most Occidental men wearing facial hair try their best to keep it nicely trimmed.But Occidental women generally do not like to be hairy at all.Many of them frequently trim their legs and armpits.

Occidental put great importance for both grooming and personal hygiene.For some people,taking care of themselves has become almost a religion.As the old proverb goes,“Cleanliness is next to godliness.” Whether or not being clean and well-groomed brings one closer to God,it surely brings one closer to others.Occidental despise people who don’t take care of themselves,or who “let themselves go”.To Occidental,even if they don’t have much to work with,they have to make the best of what they have got.

Many implications derive from the failure to keep up a standard of hygiene.Not only is there an increased danger of getting an infection or illness,but also there are many social and psychological aspects that can be affected.

Personal hygiene is as it says,personal.Everybody develops their own habits and standards that they have been taught or that they have learnt from others.Personal hygiene is basically the endorsement and continuance of good health.There are many contributory factors that compose personal hygiene,and the main ones include washing,oral care,hair care,nail care,wound care,cleansing of personal utensils and preventing infection.

Consider the following ideas to keep yourself clean,in order to stay away from physical problems associated with poor hygiene:

■Hair Care

Washing Your Hair.Keeping your hair clean and maintaining it in a healthy and strong condition is very important.Washing your hair at least every other day is better for you to maintain your hair well and in good shape.If you wash it too frequently,your hair will become weak and dry,making it difficult to grow and keep strong.If you wash it too infrequently,it will become slimy and will also stunt its growth.

Washing your hair too frequently is also bad for it to absorb necessary nutrients required to keep it strong and healthy.Conditioning your hair is important to keeping the nutrients within your hair integral.Use a “leave-in” conditioner every time you wash your hair.The long-lasting conditioning agents will rebuild your hair every time you use it.

Cutting Your Hair.Having your hair cut frequently is critical to healthy hair.The longer you wait to get your hair cut,the more frail and brittle your hair will become,especially if it is longer.

The cycle of your haircut will be determined by the length of your hair.If your hair is in a very short style,you can get your hair cut every six weeks in order to keep it trim,neat and healthy.If you have longer hair,you can go as long as 10 weeks without a haircut,but you’d better get your hair cut at least every 10 weeks.This will help keep your hair strong,and will probably enable your hair to grow more quickly if you are trying to grow your hair,because you could get rid of the dead,dry ends and enable the healthy part to grow more effectively.

■Dental Care

Going to the Dentist.The mouth is the area of the body most prone to collecting harmful bacteria and generating infections.It is critical to visit your dentist at least every six months,in order to have and keep good oral hygiene.Sometimes your dentist may advise every four months,which is determined by how much tartar builds up on your teeth and how often you need to have it removed.In order to keep your teeth good without tartar build-up and tooth decay,make sure you visit your dentist as frequently as he/she suggests.This will ensure your mouth stay healthy and strong.

Flossing Your Teeth.Besides regular brushing,flossing is also helpful and critical.Flossing your teeth at least every two days,usually before you go to bed,will enable you to reduce plaque in the more difficult to reach places—between teeth and at the back of your molars.Flossing also help you to maintain your gums healthy and strong,and protect your mouth from a variety of diseases which will destroy your teeth.

Brushing Your Teeth.The best choice of a toothbrush is an electric one.Excellent electric toothbrushes are effective to clean your teeth and gums.No matter what type of toothbrush you use,you must brush your teeth at least two times every day,if not after every meal.This will be helpful to reduce the amount of bacteria causing tooth decay in your mouth,and it will help you keep a healthy,happy smile.

■Physical Care

Keeping Cleanliness.It is very important for you to take a bath or shower once daily to ensure your body stays clean.Cleaning your body is essential to let your skin rejuvenated itself.When you scrub your arms,legs,and torso,it will put away dead,dry skin and help your skin stay healthy and refreshed.

Washing Face.Washing your face at least once a day is essential to remove all dirt and grime that you have got in touch with during the course of the day.This also will help to reduce wrinkles and pimples on your face,which caused by clogged pores.You can use some kind of moisturizer to keep your face staying rejuvenated and fresh.

Shaving.In Occidental culture,there is an important point you must bear in mind that shaving is a critical part of cleanliness.For man,shaving the face enables it to stay cleaner and is a more acceptable hygienic practice,especially for those working in company.For women,shaving the legs and under arms can also keep the body cleaner and reduce the amount of bacteria.

Trimming Nails.It is also essential to keep your nails trimmed and in good shape.In order to get on the right track to trimming your fingernails and toenails,you can go to a professional to learn proper nail care.Proper trimming techniques will also help you stay away from hangnails and infected nail beds.

■Washing Hands

Before Meals.It’s important to have clean hands before you eat.Wash your hands with hot water and soap to avoid carrying bacteria on to your family and friends as you pass the bread!

Before Preparing Food.To avoid spreading bacteria to your food,you must wash your hands before you prepare food with hot,soapy water for at least 2 minutes,especially working with poultry or red meat.This will keep your food away from bacteria and ensure your food to be healthy.

After Preparing Food.Do the same as before preparing food.It will guarantee that you don’t take bacteria with you,avoiding any infection to you or to others.

After Restroom Use.After you use the restroom,wash your hands to ensure you don’t carry bacteria to other parts of the body or to other people.Be sure you wash your hands right away afterward—don’t touch your nose or mouth to avoid unnecessary illness.

It is not difficult to begin and maintain good hygienic habits.Starting with a few of these ideas will help you start on your way to developing good hygiene for both you and your family.

■Controlling Body Odor

Having body odor is considered as one of the most antisocial occurrences in modern time,but it is not necessarily a bad thing.So many women claim that the masculine scent is very attractive.In fact,it is component of sexuality and the scents that given off by us is partly what makes us attracted to each other.However,on the whole,suffering from excessive body odor can be an annoyance.Some sufferers are unconscious of that they have a problem and live blissfully unaware that they are offending people.At times it may be the responsibility of the family member or best friend to drop hints to try and raise awareness.

Keeping personal hygiene and washing frequently are the cheapest,easiest and fastest way of stopping the smell of body odor.It is also crucial that the skin is dried thoroughly in order not to provide a good place for bacteria to breed in.

Some people can manage to keep their body odor control by washing.Some individuals need simply to wash once a day,while others need to bathe more than twice a day.Keeping clothes fresh is another easy way of reducing odor.It is essential to have clean underwear and socks etc.Everyday,which is not only good for reduction of odor but good for reducing risks of infection or soreness.A scented detergent and fabric softener suitable for your skin is a simple way of releasing a pleasant smell.

Antiper spirant or deodorant are very useful for keeping excessive sweating of the under arms at bay.There are many varieties for you to choose from,such as unperfumed or for sensitive skin; try a variety until you find a brand suitable for you.Removing the excess hair helps to reduce the places on which bacteria can breed; shaving during the summer months can help you to feel refreshed and clean and reduce the chance of odors developing.

In the case of very severe sweating,after trying all other methods but failed,it is to undergo surgery.Through keyhole surgery,the surgeon permanently damages the nerves which are responsible for the sweat glands to reduce the amount of fluid.

Alternatively and rather radically,it would be to remove the sweat glands by using traditional surgical techniques.Because of an incision,it may cause pain and post-operative infections along with scarring.

Some doctors may support the use of a skin patch which contains agents helping to reduce the glands producing sweat,because any surgery carries risks,this procedure should not be undertaken carelessly and should be a last resort.With the development of the use of Botox,doctors have found that Botox is useful in the treatment of sweating,though it can only be used in the underarm area.Doctors inject the substance into the areas that have been recognized as those that are producing the most sweat.

Body odor is a very private issue and should be handled delicately.No one should be blamed just for he/she may produce excess sweat,but there are measures that can be taken to try and control this problem.