During your teen years, your sweat glands wake up and shout, “Hi there!” You’ll notice an increase in oil production on your skin and hair. Speaking of hair, you’ll see more growing everywhere.
Do you want to stay clean and acne-free? Follow the top 10 personal hygiene practices below.
1. Shower Each Day
Your body has two types of sweat glands — eccrine and apocrine. Your eccrine glands regulate your body temperature by producing sweat when you exert yourself. These glands explain why you work up a sweat at soccer practice but not when walking to and from class.
Your apocrine glands release proteins, and these puppies come to life during puberty. When the protein in your apocrine secretions mix with bacteria on your skin, you end up smelling like week-old socks. Therefore, showering each day is among the top 10 personal hygiene practices for teen girls.
2. Change Pads Frequently
If you leave your menstrual pad in place all day, you risk odor and infection, even if your flow is light. For maximum protection, change your pads at least once every six hours, and more often if you have a heavy flow.
If you go through more than one box of pads a month, consider asking your parent or guardian to take you to a gynecologist. You may suffer from uterine fibroids or polycystic ovarian syndrome, both of which can affect your future fertility.
3. Show Caution With Tampons
Many teens prefer tampons, finding them more hygienic — and less prone to destroying pants — than pads. However, leaving tampons in too long can cause toxic shock syndrome (TSS), a potentially deadly infection.
The danger doesn’t decrease if you opt for a menstrual cup. Any item inserted in the vagina for an extended period increases your risk of TSS. If you find heavy flow days leave you changing your pad every two hours, consider investing in period panties for added protection against leaks.
4. Use Natural Skin Care
When you reach puberty, you’ll probably get a few zits. Try not to stress too much or to wash your face obsessively. Cleansing your face too often strips it of oils — and your body will amp up sebum production to try to keep up. Instead, wash your face once in the morning and again at night. You should also wipe down after vigorous exercise.
Swipe left on products containing plastic micro-beads. Scientists say there is so much plastic in the ocean that shrimp have tiny particles in their stomachs. For exfoliating, stick to natural sugar or sea salt scrubs.
5. Research Your Hair Products
If you wanna rock a retro 80’s look, go for it — but be aware hair styling products can clog pores and cause breakouts. Alcohol in hair spray can dry skin, making your body amp up oil production in response. Oily products, like conditioner and scalp treatments, cause whiteheads and papules.
Seek out hair products labeled as non-comedogenic to reduce the risk of acne breakouts. Do you use spot treatment on pimples? Avoid products with benzoyl peroxide and sulfur, which lead to dry skin.
6. Don’t Overdo It
When it comes to diet and exercise, maintain a healthy balance. It’s okay to indulge in a greasy slice of pizza now and then. Your weight may fluctuate during adolescence due to hormone changes. However, you can remain stable if you exercise at least 30 minutes each day.
You should also monitor your caloric intake. Eating disorders most often develop during your teens, so seek medical help if you obsess over how much or what foods you eat.
7. Wear Clean Socks
Wearing clean socks belongs on the top 10 personal hygiene practices for teens list because feet can stink as much as armpits. Letting bacteria fester on unwashed socks gives your shoes that signature funk.
Always wear clean socks with close-toed shoes — especially such as when you’re at school). Try to go barefoot or wear flip-flops whenever possible.
8. Wash Your Gym Clothes
Bacteria flourishes on dirty laundry. When you’re younger, you can get away with washing gym clothes once every week or so. As you get older, however, you’ll need to wash apparel every time you sweat.
Washing your gym clothes will discourage bacterial growth. Each time you hit the treadmill, you’ll know you smell clean and fresh.
9. Try Natural Deodorants
During adolescence, you sweat more — and it smells riper. Invest in a quality deodorant, but exercise caution with antiperspirants. While these temporarily clog pores to reduce sweating, they can influence human hormones. Chances are you have enough hormonal issues without adding more!
Switch to a natural crystal deodorant. While this product needs time to build up, leaving you temporarily skunky, it’s free from harmful chemicals.
10. Pass on Smelly Baths
By all means, use scented lotions and add a few spritzes of body spray if it makes you feel feminine. However, you should pass on taking a bath in fragranced products, like bath bombs and salts.
Strong perfumes can trigger migraine and allergy symptoms in some people. Plus, body spray contains alcohol, meaning excess use can dry your skin and cause redness.
Keeping Clean: Top 10 Personal Hygiene Practices for Teens
You don’t need to invest in expensive products to stay clean during your teen years. By following the 10 personal hygiene practices above, you can smell fresh and look your best at any age.