- Personal hygiene deals with the continued cleanliness of one’s body, clothing, and overall being in order to preserve and maintain your health. It is the state of well-being of the whole body. Personal hygiene also refers to the specific rules for the care of the skin, nails, hair, as well as the cleanliness of the home, clothing and footwear. It is one of the effective ways to protect ourselves from many illnesses.
How to Observe Personal Hygiene
- For you to be a clean person, you must develop the following habits:
- Bath regularly
- Clean your eyes, ears and nostrils regularly
- Clean your teeth properly and regularly
- Wash your hands with soap and water after work, play and toilet before you eat
- Wear clean clothes and underwear
- Cut your nails regularly
- Wash your hair regularly, oil and comb or plait it neatly.
Importance of Personal Hygiene
- Personal hygiene helps us to keep our body strong and healthy
- It helps to prevent diseases and illnesses commonly spread through viruses and bacteria.
- It also helps to give us good appearance
- It helps us to have better self-esteem, that is, when we take care of ourselves, we feel better about ourselves
- It gives us social and professional acceptance.
- Each person’s personal hygiene can play a direct role in the personal hygiene of others, and the overall state of our world’s well-being.
Consequences of Poor Hygiene
- Body odour: Poor hygiene often leads to offensive body odour. Body odour is produced from the apocrine glands which results from the interaction of sweat and bacteria. From unwashed sweat, bacteria increases and as time passes by, it results in a smell.
- Tooth decay: If you do not brush your teeth regularly (at least twice a day), you are likely to have tooth decay. This is because the small pieces of food which get caught between your teeth soon get rotten and attract germs. These germs attack the soft pulp cavities of the teeth as well as the gums.
- Bad breath (Mouth odour): This is another consequence of poor hygiene. You can get it from irregular flossing and brushing of teeth. The bacteria grow on food particles that get stuck in the teeth. When the bacteria digest this leftover, they produce an odour that associates with bad breath.
- Body lice: Poor hygiene leads to body lice which can be contracted through unwashed clothes and beddings.
- Urinary tract infection: Some infections are a result of bacteria that reside in the intestines. When these bacteria manage to reach the urethra, it moves to the bladder and kidneys which may result in pain, fever and urinary tract problems. Proper toilet habits are needed to avoid getting infected. Ensure to clean your hands with soap and water after using the toilet.
Poor hygiene also causes skin rashes or diseases
- There will be frequent stooling due to food contamination by bacteria, fungi or virus.
