Personal Hygiene for Teenage Girl
Personal hygiene for teenage girl
What is personal hygiene?
Personal hygiene is the process of maintaining the cleanliness of one’s body and clothing to preserve overall health and well-being. It includes different activities related to the following general areas of self-care: washing or bathing, cleansing oneself after using the toilet; taking proper care of the mouth; grooming, dressing, and keeping the clothes clean.
Who is a teenage girl?
A teenager is someone between the age span of thirteen (13) to nineteen (19) years, they are called teens because their age number ends with teen, and mostly said the word “teenager” is often associated with adolescent. A teenage girl is a young girl in her adolescent stage. Therefore personal hygiene for teenage girls talks about how a young adolescent girl coming of age takes care of her personal sanitation. Most importantly, a girl is usually in her prime time – in terms of body development and beauty – during her teenage years. You don’t want sweet sixteen looking all dirty and socially awkward, do you?
How a teenage girl can maintain her personal hygiene
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During puberty, a girl’s hormones go into overdrive. Puberty can be a sensitive time, and many teenage girls are embarrassed to ask for help. Although the changes in puberty can come as a shock to every girl, it should be noted that everyone goes through puberty at different times and in different ways.
Menstrual hygiene: This particular stage is crucial to a girl child, teaching menstrual hygiene to a teenage girls encompasses guiding them to track their period, making use of their menstrual products such as sanitary pads, tampons, etc., and how to properly dispose of them safely after use. It is to enlighten them on how to react to menstrual pains because the body differs. The proper effect should also be made on what to eat and foods to avoid during the menstrual period.
Body hygiene: Maintaining proper body hygiene will allow a girl to get rid of the unpleasant smells and dirt off her body, allowing the skin to breathe. Preference may dictate how often you wish to shower or wash your body but you benefit from a rinse at least once per day. A girl should make watching and taking care of her body a paramount thing. For examples
1. Skincare
the stage of puberty makes the skin of teenagers get oiler. Oily skin attracts dust and dirt and this serves as an abode of germs. It might lead to several skin diseases such as acne, skin rash, dermatitis, etc. Therefore, it is essential for a teen to develop proper skincare by washing face with mild soap or facial cleanser and water. It is advisable to have a separate soap for the face as it is a delicate part of the body. If any skin disease persists, they should consult a dermatologist.
2. Nail care
fingernails are an ideal staying place for germs. It is very easy to transfer these germs into the mouth while eating with your hands. At this stage, some teenagers tend to keep and grow their nails, style them into different shapes and design them. Also, the nails can cause germs to get into the mouth, eyes, nose, or skin. So, it is necessary for them to maintain nail hygiene. A good way of doing that is by doing a weekly clipping, this will help get rid of dirt and reduce the possibility of unhealthy nails.
3. Hair care
Maintain a routine and wash your hair once or twice a week. Massage the shampoo into the scalp to get rid of the dead cells, excessive oil, and dirt. Then, rinse it off with warm water. Note that hot water can damage your hair structure. Use a conditioner once a week to maintain the smoothness.
4. Clean clothes and shoes
5. Food hygiene
A teenage girl should be careful of the sort of food she eats to avoid food-borne diseases. A girl should avoid groceries and junks food. Food Safety is the handling, preparing, and storing of food or drinks in a way that best reduces the risk of becoming sick from food-borne disease. The purpose of food hygiene is to prevent food from becoming contaminated and causing food poisoning. Unclean food can reduce or can bring about a decrease in the growth of the girl child.
Asides from the general health benefits of food hygiene, it is best if a teenage girl avoids food substances that can add unnecessary weight to her body. Not only does it reduce their mobility, but it also poses serious threats to their body physiology in general both in their teenage years and when they mature.
Importance of Personal Hygiene for Teenage Girl
- Personal hygiene for teenage girls is sacrosanct for good health, just like it is for everyone else. To begin, maintaining cleanliness helps to avoid exposure to infections and diseases.
- It helps the girl child to be comfortable while being around people. It could mean boosting her confidence, and self-esteem and instilling in her the act of living a healthy lifestyle. This also helps her prepare and adjust to the social norms of adulthood.
- The need for personal hygiene is important for the girl child because adolescence is the time when new changes such as the growth of body hair and constant increase in body odor. It is proper hygiene that helps them to keep their private parts clean and avoid body smell.
- If the girl child maintains good personal hygiene, it helps her stay focused and disciplined on the goals that she has set for herself.
The negative effects of Poor Personal Hygiene on a Teenage Girl
- Body odor: When your sweat and the bacteria produced from your apocrine glands interact, it produces body odor. So the more there’s unwashed sweat, the more the bacteria increases and the odor gets even worse. But it all starts with poor personal hygiene.
- Bad breath: Bad breath is another negative effect of poor hygiene that impacts your oral health.
- Skin rashes/diseases
- Negative impact on your social life – Nobody, not even a person’s mother would love to associate with someone who has all the above.
Finally, despite the fact that civilization has leveled the playing ground for hygiene assessment in both boys and girls, there is still the inherent belief that teenage girls have to appear cleaner and more hygienic. And as they say, how you look, is how you will be addressed. This is especially true for teenage female children. Cleanliness and proper dressing are the bedrock for social interaction, and it would do teenage girls much good if they can leverage it.
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