Keeping up good hygiene during puberty - Tips for teens
We all learn from a very young age some basic hygiene like washing your hands when you are done in the bathroom, bath every day and brush your teeth.
You have to have good hygiene habits throughout your life, but ones you are going through puberty, there are a few thing that will need extra attention.
You have maybe noticed that when you sweat for now reason, you have a body odour or your hair gets oily easily. This is all normal and part of being a teenager.
Looks like I can wring out my hair and use the oil to fry some chips
During puberty your body starts producing a lot of different hormones and the same hormones causing pimples are the ones responsible for that nasty oily hair.
Each strand of hair has an oil gland that keep the hair moisturized, but during puberty this gland becomes more active and hence more oil is secreted onto your hair.
Washing your hair every day or every other day can help with this problem. Just wash your hair as normal, do not scrub it too hard, that will not remove the oil, it will only irritate your scalp and damage your hair.
You can also find special products for oily hair at the shop which will help this problem. If you style your hair, also make sure that you do not use products with extra added oil.
For extra tips on how to keep your hair from becoming too oily, have a look at this https://www.bustle.com/articles/64507-8-ways-to-make-your-hair-less-greasy-because-nobody-wants-to-waste-time-worrying-over
What is that smell?
You have always had sweat glands, but now with puberty, the sweat glands are becoming active. Not only will you sweat but it will also secrete chemicals that will mix with the sweat and gives you a strong body odour.
This smell can be under your arms, on your feet or genitals.
The best way to get rid of odours are to bath or shower every day and use an anti-bacterial soap that will get rid of the bacteria that makes the smell worse. You have to wear clean clothes and underwear every day.
It is good to use deodorant, but it is better to use an anti-perspirant which will not only cover up the odour but also help to keep the sweating part at bay. Read the instructions on the bottle to see when do they suggest you use it - mornings or evenings.
Read about natural ways in which you can get rid of odours http://www.stylecraze.com/articles/how-to-get-rid-of-underarm-odor-naturally/#gref
I see some pimples
That terrible pimple popping up overnight is really interfering with your social life... Getting pimples during puberty is normal, but that does not mean you must not do anything about it,
Wash your face regularly and make sure you have some ointment you can put on it that will dry the pimple out.
Do not scratch and squeeze the pimples. You will make it worse and can end up with some nasty scars on your face.
If your pimples are not getting any better with the washing and ointment you can ask your doctors help for special pills that will dry it up.
To shave or not to shave
You will start seeing body hair growing in different places and if you want to start shaving it is your decision. Girls will shave their legs and under arm hair to be more hygienic and to keep sweat and smells to a minimum, but keep in mind that shaving is not only time consuming, but it will also make the hair harder and thicker when it comes out again.
There are many other options that you can take in consideration instead of shaving https://www.influenster.com/article/5-alternatives-to-shaving
If you do start shaving, remember the following
- shaving cream works better than soap
- go slow that you do not cut yourself
- girls must avoid shaving their faces, the hair will grow back darker and more stubbly (rather use a special product for the face by bleaching the hair or removing it)
- guys must think twice about shaving their chests - it can become very itchy (rather try another method like waxing)
You can also try the option of permanently removing body hair through electrolysis.
Some tips for the boys on how to shave for the first time
Going through bodily changes are never easy, but you can make it easier on yourself if you do not have to worry about things like sweat and oily hair. So keep up the good hygiene
