To ask about basic personal hygiene?

[SteptoeAndDaughter]

I'm in my 40s and yet somehow don't feel like I've ever got a handle on this.

What times/how often do you brush & floss?

Shower?

Wash your face?

I know there are no 'right' answers to these questions but I'm trying to figure out what it means to be well-groomed and to look after myself properly. Feeling a bit lost. What does it mean to you?

[expatinscotland]

Some people must have enormous water bills.

[Suzannewithaplan]

?Body odor varies (in type and intensity) from person to person.
The same applies for the ability to detect odors. ?

[Suzannewithaplan]

I notice 'dirty hair' smell more often than I used to, is that due to increased prevalence or my increased sensitivity to it?

[earthereandeverywhere]

I shower once a day as a general rule. Whenever I'm attempting gym bunnyhood this can be twice if I don't exercise first thing in the morning, but have managed to avoid this for a while Or if I am going out in the evening and want to feel fresh. The second shower would be very businesslike short one though - not a relaxing leisurely one.

If I am unwell and not leaving the house apart from to get a pint of milk etc (I have a medical condition that causes fatigue) I might not shower that day, but by the next day will really want one and would have to be very sick not to.

Whenever my anxiety and depression was at its worst, I'd really want a shower after skipping a day, because I knew I would feel better if I was clean, but it made me so anxious that I would have a glass of wine to give me the balls to do it. It sounds bizarre but it made me feel very threatened to be naked under the water, and it was very lonely making at a time when I already felt so isolated and panicky.

[GreatAuntDinah]

i used to work with the general public and you could always tell the ones who didnt wash daily

How on earth did you know their shower habits? did you ask?

[MrsBeeZed]

2x daily for all of the above

[stopgap]

I shower once or twice a day, never floss (found that a Clarisonic toothbrush and Listerine negates the need to) brush teeth twice a day, and wash face only at night, but moisturise and eye cream twice a day.

[GallicIsCharlie]

Thanks, earthere and Royalsighness. I feel it's reassuring to know that a lot of people get this with depression. We don't need one more thing to beat ourselves up about, or feel like a freak. And it's helpful for others to understand it's a fear, not some passive-aggressive finger to them and their noses.

[GetLow]

I'Ve found that upping my personal grooming has been something that has really helped me in managing my depression (along with lots of other things, obviously! - exercise, psychotherapy, a creative class).

I went through a major bout of depressive illness last year. Although I always still showered or bathed twice daily, I sometimes skipped tooth brushing at night, never flossed, rarely shaved my legs/pits or used body lotion etc. I treated myself quite badly, really, because I felt so bad.

I've been making a real effort to care for myself more recently. Those small little acts, and the quite soothing effect of morning and evening routines, have definitely contributed to me feeling better. I dont mean to sound glib. Its not therapy/meds, but just upping my hygiene and grooming gives me time each day to really concentrate on looking after myself in small ways.

[GallicIsCharlie]

Although I always still showered or bathed twice daily, I sometimes skipped tooth brushing at night ... I don't mean to sound glib

I'm really pleased your self-care strategies work so well for you! But, if a scrub with baby wipes is good self-care for someone in the bottom of a depressive hole, then it's good enough. "I've done what's necessary" is a much more helpful thought than "She's depressed and showers 2x daily, I must be appalling!"
As I'm sure you can see.

[wink1970]

I shower twice a day, and do all the teeth/floss/moisturiser stuff twice a day as well.

Don't shave anything as I have a home laser, so that's a quick run over once a fortnight (and most of the hair has given up trying to grow back now).

On the negative side, though, I wear jeans all week unless they get dirty, and though I change the t-shirt underneath every day, I often wear jumpers 2 or 3 days when working from home.

I can tell if I'm a fugue as my showers get shorter and more perfunctory, so it's interesting to read some of the associations on here.

[Ilovefluffysheep]

I'm intrigued by people who can't smell themselves. I seem to be getting sweatier armpits as I get older, and can smell them as soon as they get whiffy. In fact I'm really paranoid about it.

Have just bought a new deoderant to try today after previous one that was working well suddenly stopped working.

My inlaws don't shower that much (no idea how much though) and often wear clothes quite a few times before washing them, and I can definitely tell.

I hate going more than a day without a hair wash, and I'm one of those people who really needs to wash their hair every day or else it goes horribly greasy. Since its got long enough to put up I do try and leave it to every other day, and its just about passable in a pony tail but doesn't look great by the end of the second day.

I was in hospital last year, and although given a bed bath every day felt horribly dirty. Was such a relief when I was finally well enough to get in the shower on day 8!

[expatinscotland]

I'm going through menopause and need to wash hair daily, use Dri-Color anti-p +, perfume. But unless someone is honking, I still don't smell all this unwashed hair. I think some people need to see a doctor about how sensitive their sense of smell is.

[Letmeeatcakecakecake]

Shower whenever I've worked out or am going out. I use body wash on arm pits, water everywhere else.

Only wash hair if my head has been sweaty, I will use dry shampoo as long as I can possibly get away with.

Never ever ever wash face, only ever with water as my skin is unbearably sensitive.

Use deodorant and roll on every day, rarely use moisturiser (I tend to put avocado oil in the bath so this moisturises all over)

Brush my teeth every morning and when I'm going out. Never floss (my bad) but visit dentist and hygienist every 8 months or so!

Wax armpits/arms/ eyebrows every 3 weeks

Wax legs and full Hollywood every 5 weeks

Trim and file nails and apply fresh gel polish every 3 weeks

Trim and file toe nails and apply gel polish roughly every 6 weeks

Clean pants every day, sometimes twice a day, same with socks

Clean leggings after every wear, as with top.

jeans and jumpers I'll wear for two days if they're not dirty.

[wink1970]

Just picking up on the smelly hair part of this thread - I have noticed more of it recently.

I put it down to the growth of 'dry shampoo' which, lets face it, is just talc and does not clean the hair so much as mop up (and embed in the hair) excess oil.

[Squtternutbaush]

When people refer to smelly hair and the scent of people who don't wash daily, what do you actually smell?

Is it because you can't smell general toiletry scents I.e shampoo, soap, deoderant?

[Shinyshoes2]

Shower most days, especially if I'm going to work, if I'm having a lazy day indoors I don't bother , so roughly 6 out of 7 days showering
Brush teeth morning and at bedtime
Deodorant daily, I normally have to have another spray around early evening
Wash hair once a week
Moisturise face perhaps 5/7 days
Change bra every 3 days
Change knickers and socks daily
Change top everyday, trousers I can normally get 3 days wear

[riverboat1]

A guy I work with is always a bit whiffy. Not really bad but nearly always noticeable.

He's way nicer than some other always-fragrant people I work with, and I just don't think its that bad that he smells a bit. Clients like him too and he gets lots of good feedback and personal requests, so though I imagine they've noticed it can't bother most of them too much.

Some posts on here act like its so totally shameful and inconsiderate to not be totally freshly washed and laundered all the time. I think there are many more worse characteristics in people to worry about.

I generally shower every day but refuse to get worked up about the sporadic days where I don't, or the fact that my sheets only get changed every three weeks or whatever. I only wash my hair twice a week, if that means it smells slightly musty or whatever in between washes I couldn't give a damn.

[Suzannewithaplan]

smelly hair smell?

I'd describe it as the human equivalent of wet dog smell

[Only1scoop]

I wash my hair every 2-3 days and it's starts to honk if left any longer

[Squtternutbaush]

My sense of smell must be crap as I've never smelt anyone's hair, unless its overpowering shampoo stink ironically.

[Squtternutbaush]

That sounded like passive aggressive bollocks there, it honestly wasn't supposed too! I genuinely don't notice smells unless its fragranced and a lot of the time I find them really overpowering

[vienna1981]

Dirty hair smells of grease, sweat and general dirt. Fusty and generally not nice. Stale tobacco smoke doesn't help either .