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?

I like to shower every morning & wash my hair; if I don't shower it's because I'm ill (last weekend I had a fluey virus & felt too ill to move) or it shows that I'm getting depressed again.

I don't wash my face with water - I use a cream cleanser & then toner before moisturising.

It's obvious when someone doesn't wash often enough - I was trapped on a hot crowded bus the other day with such a person & could not stand the smell!

Last night I was really bad - I'm a bit low at present because I've got 16 pieces of work to do for my job & I'm not that academic.

So I fell asleep fully dressed without brushing my teeth... I'm still wearing the same clothes now! I'm planning to do some work in a minute then to have a nice refreshing shower.

Shower every evening.
Hair every couple of days (usually at gym)
Teeth brushed morning and night, with flossing and mouthwash at night)
Shave legs and arms every couple of days (day before gym!)
Change bedding once a fortnight but pyjamas every few days.
Underwear and tops are changed every day but trousers every few wears.

Teeth: morning, evening and after meals if I get the chance
Floss: rarely
Shower: generally every evening, especially if the bed is freshly changed or action is anticipated, and hose down of nether regions in the morning, or vice versa
hair wash 3 or 4 days - can't stand daily washed hair
clean knickers and socks daily
tops 1, 2 or 3 days, depending on material type, weather etc.
trousers, every few wears (not years!), depending on usage
bedding washed weekly
matress turned over monthly

If you ever use public transport and have avoided the scent of dirty hair; congratulations! I wish I could say the same. It isn't about being unperfumed, it's about a mustiness that overwhelms the nose and eyes.

Ex-dp had a flatmate who washed fortnightly and flatmate's girlfriend was the same. The whole flat stunk of stale sex and mucky hair. We had to stage an intervention. They both quoted the environmentally-friendly line/self-cleaning hair and 'better things to do' reasons but it was making people heave.

I regularly use public transport and have noticed a smell once or twice but I couldn't for the life of me tell you how long its been since that person had a wash but I really doubt its within a day as some are suggesting.

If I didn't shower each day I would smell. So that Person on the tube would be me.

It's not though as I don't have the shower shirker gene

I've been travelling on packed tubes/buses/metros to get to work my whole adult life, and while I agree you can often notice body odours, I have never ever noticed a specific 'dirty hair' smell. I notice greasy hair visually but have never noticed it with my nose.

Conditions of public transport during the rush hour are often so totally disugsting in terms of people crammed into packed spaces, no air conditioning, no fresh air, sweltering heats in the summer, that I'd be amazed if I DIDN'T smell sweat on a regular basis.

I have just been sitting next to a dirty-haired man in the library. There was grease, flecks of dandruff and general grime. And an unpleasant smell. A pity really. He is well-spoken and very polite but would do better with shampoo than with cooking oil .