Personal hygiene is one of few things you have complete control of as you move through middle school and into high school. Your elementary days are long gone. The days of only worrying about washing your hands and a quick brush of the teeth are gone. You are approaching puberty faster than a speeding car and there are no brakes. You are hitting puberty at a time when we are living with COVID-19. It is OK. Let me tell you of four easy steps that will make middle school life easy for you on the personal hygiene front.
But before I do that let me tell you some of the reasons personal hygiene is important in every day life. Personal hygiene is the cleaning of and caring of your body. Keeping your body clean is vital to combat illness. Promoting your cleanliness will help prevent illness for you and those you come into contact with daily. Good personal hygiene will help improve you self-image and self-esteem. Personal hygiene has never been more important than it is in today’s society.
These 4 types of personal hygiene make the transition to middle school easier.
Skincare
Skin of preteens and teens in most cases get oilier as the move into puberty. The oily skin traps dust and dirt and serves a breeding ground for bacteria and germs. Common teenager skin problems that come with oily skin is acne and blackheads.
SOLUTION: Teenagers should establish a regular routine of washing their face with mild soap and water every night before bed.
Nailcare/Handcare
Your nailcare does not have to be as like the picture, but you need to take care of cleaning your nails regularly. Fingernails are the prime breeding ground for germs. The germs are easily transferred to the mouth while eating. During Covid-19 we have been told to not touch our mouth, eyes, or nose because hands and fingernails carry germs.
SOLUTION: Wash hands regularly with antibacterial soap and water for 20 seconds at a time. Regular soap is fine if that is all that is available. The extra mile can be using a nail brush to get the extra dirt out from under the nails.
Oral Care
Bad breathe is huge problem in middle school. Kids need to make a routine of brushing their teeth at a minimum of twice a day. Once in the morning and once in the evening. These should be part of a daily personal hygiene routine. Poor tooth brushing can also lead to tooth decay.
SOLUTION: Brush and floss teeth twice a day in the morning and evening. At school rinse mouth with water or mouthwash after any meal. Keeping breath mints with you can help after you eat foods that cause bad breath.
Bathing
Body odor develops due to onset of puberty and the development of sweat glands. Odors often happens in the armpits and the genital area because we keep those area covered allowing an avenue for bacteria to grow. The bacteria we have on our body feeds of the sweat causing body odor.
SOLUTION: Taking a shower or bath once a day or after activity that causes you to sweat will help eliminate sweat and unwanted odor causing bacteria. Use of an antiperspirant (deoderant) to control sweat can be done first thing in the morning. Most deoderants last for 12 hours.
No matter what your child says. AXE body spray is not deoderant. Only one spray is needed. It acts like cologne but cheaper. Kids feel a need to use the whole bottle at one time. Also, perfume, cologne, hairspray, and makeup are not necessary personal hygiene products. They are extras.
Talking to your child at the onset of puberty makes it easier to deal with an often times difficult time in a child’s life. Puberty is not easy, but having good personal hygiene habits are good for the rest of your child life. Reinforce those habits now and your child will have an easy middle school experience as far as their personal hygiene goes. Who know they might gain self confidence and build their self esteem due to healthy hygiene habits started early on.
coachjD
Adventures of a Middle School Physical Education Teacher and his hobbies 