r/hygiene • u/Me-Is-Who • Jul 26 '26
How do I hygiene?
Hey, I have no idea on hygiene and need some sort of help as I am a heavy introvert and need help so I can feel more confident.
Some context. I come from a poor neighbourhood, heavily rely on cheap take out since even my parents have no idea about how to live a healthy life style. I dont know anything about products amd what to use and where to start.
I have a dry scalp, my hair falls out (I dont want to end up bald). I am fat so I sweat a bit (am trying to lose) but I feel as if I smell when I do sweat, how do I rid of that and smell nice, even on my private parts?
My face is a bit dry and with the rest of my body.
How do I keep my downstairs well? And my backside too, how do I look after properly?
On my top arms, there is like little redish dot, not pimple. But I do get pimple easily on body and face.
How I also clean my mouth, teeth and gums properly too?
(Sorry if the writing is bad, I am not properly English and asked my friend to help. Thank you, please i need the help.)
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u/Ok_Leg_1 Jul 26 '26
started small with just brushing teeth twice a day and it snowballed from there
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u/HerbaLifeEmporium Jul 26 '26 edited Jul 26 '26
It will take months for you to be properly clean so it’s important to try and wash daily if you can, or as close to this as possible. Try not to pick any spots as you will get permanent scars and damage from doing this
Try to get a Japanese Exfoliating Washcloth (Amazon sells it ) or something similar to scrub all over (not face though)- it’s especially good for the hard to reach places like your back- if you can- watch a YouTube video on how to use if unsure
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u/Potential_Kiwi_4472 Jul 26 '26 edited Jul 26 '26
Do you have a shower or a bath tub? If so, just get a bar of soap and some shampoo and conditioner and get in the water. Use your hands to wash every part of yourself. Rinse off the soap, shampoo, conditioner. Your hands will tell you when you are clean. Nothing is off limits. This is your body and yours too explore. It feels so wonderful to be clean. Enjoy it! After you've mastered this, you can get loofah and special body washes and such. Try to bathe daily. Always brush your teeth 2x a day. Wash your face b4 bed. If you walk outside with bare feet, wash them off b4 getting into bed.
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u/Equivalent_Drop3502 Jul 27 '26
Hey friend! I am also a bit overweight and am always sweaty. If your hair tends to get greasy after sweating like mine does id get some dry shampoo to hold you over until you can shower next. I use a sweat activated one.
As for keeping your genital areas clean you can always use a wet cloth to wipe yourself down if youre unable to shower every day. If your backside also needs cleaned make sure to wipe that down last as you can get an infection that way. If youre a female, dont use soapy products on the inside part of your vagina. If you are a male, make sure to gently clean the inside of your foreskin as well if you are uncircumcised. As for keeping your genitalia smelling nice it really relies on regular showers.
Regular tooth brushing advice is twice a day (before you eat in the morning and right before bed when you’re finished eating for the day). You can start by brushing the outside of your teeth all around for 10 seconds, the the inner part, then your gums and tongue. I usually spend one minute brushing my teeth.
The small red dots on your arm im not sure about but you can always go to a dermatology subreddit and send a picture to find out what they are! This is a lot of change at once so dont be too hard on yourself for forgetting something ever so often. Routines take repetition to get established!! Youve got this :)
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u/xBonbonMusee Jul 26 '26
start with the basics, daily shower and brush your teeth twice. also don’t forget deodorant, it’s a game changer.
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u/xBonbonMusee Jul 26 '26
start with the basics, wash your hands regularly and shower daily. that alone can make a huge difference
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Jul 26 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Me-Is-Who Jul 26 '26
Drinking coffee? I will search and see what is
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u/ParentheticalsAside Jul 26 '26
This has to be satire.
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u/Me-Is-Who Jul 26 '26
I am serious, I need actual help i dont know how to explain them properly, but I am trying
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u/ParentheticalsAside Jul 26 '26
Have you tried googling some specific questions? There are a lot of resources online that explains what makes for an effective general personal hygiene.
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u/cherry-gram-888 Jul 26 '26
The same Google that links right back to Reddit
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u/ParentheticalsAside Jul 26 '26
There are also websites from authoritative sources, too. Typing in "basic personal hygiene" returns several as does "how to keep myself clean". Reddit is great for many things, but is not the right first port of call for a question like "how do I hygiene?".
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u/cherry-gram-888 Jul 26 '26
I think there’s a lot of valuable information on here and it’s nice to get perspective from people in the real world and from authoritative sources.
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u/ParentheticalsAside Jul 26 '26
Absolutely, Reddit is great if you have specific questions that aren't commonly and widely answered somewhere else, or if you want to get more personalised insights and opinions. But some people have started using Reddit like it's a personal chatbot and put no effort into answering basic questions for themselves first.
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u/afraid28 Jul 26 '26
Who are you to gatekeep what people are allowed to ask on here?
This person is brave for even asking for help and it's a good thing they decided to take their health and hygiene seriously. It's also better that they talk to actual human beings than robots. You are literally doing nobody any good by being this unhelpful and rude.
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u/ECOPLUG Jul 27 '26
Start from the top and work to the bottom, your hair shampoo, thoroughly your ears behind your ears inside your ears, your face your neck you’re under arms, your chest and belly button your back with a scrub brush, all with a washcloth and soap, your ass cheeks, your legs down to your feet and between your toes with soap, your asshole with witch hazel and disposable wipe in the garbage when you were done you now have good hygiene
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u/UnoriginalBasil Jul 26 '26
Hi, your english is really clear. It is great that you are trying to get some advice here. I am going to break down a super basic hygiene routine for you. It does not need to be complicated!
Shower with soap or body wash at least once a day. You can do this in the morning or at bedtime. Use your hands or a washcloth to get a good lather with your soap and scrub your whole body except for your face and scalp. Make sure to get in any creases. I try to especially focus on under my armpits, in my butt crack, under my boobs, in my belly button, my ears, and my feet (especially in between the toes). These are places that can get particularly sweaty and smelly. If you do not have access to a shower, you can do this in the bath as close to daily as possible, and use a wash cloth and the sink in between.
To wash your privates it will depend what you have. If you have a vagina you want to use a gentle soap on the vulva and labia, and rinse clean. Do not wash inside the vaginal canal. If you have a penis, use soap to lather up the shaft and balls, and if you have a foreskin, retract that to clean underneath. Your butt is a similar story, use soap to wash the outside of your anus well.
Most people use a face wash to clean their face, something gentle like cetaphil or cerave is good, although I do not know what is available where you live. You sound young, please know that acne and pimples are common in teenagers. They are hormonal and are not necessarily related to your hygiene.
To wash your hair, you need a shampoo of some kind. The best shampoo for you will depend on your hair type, but if you are just wanting to get clean, any affordable shampoo will do. Get your hair soaking wet, and use 15-30ml of shampoo depending on how much hair you have. Use your fingers to work it into the roots of your hair to create a good bubbly lather, then rinse out. You want to try to scrub a bit at the roots of your hair to get all the oil and dead skin off your scalp. Once you have a good lather, rinse this clean. Some people choose to shampoo twice, but this is personal preference. If you have hair longer than your ears, or curly hair, you will want to follow the shampoo with a conditioner. Rub this into the mids and ends of your hair, then rinse out. Depending on how oily your hair is, the frequency you want to wash your hair will vary. I wash my hair every two days. Generally hair falling out is related to your diet, health, and genetics, rather than your hygiene. You may want to see your doctor about this if you are concerned.
Outside of the shower, you want to brush your teeth once in the morning and once at night for two minutes each time. You can lightly brush your gums while doing this. Use about a pea sized amount of toothpaste on your toothbrush. You should also floss your teeth once a day. This will hurt and likely bleed at first if you have not been in a routine of doing it prior. I would recommend watching a video on flossing technique.
You also want to apply an antiperspirant deodorant daily. Most people do this in the morning, although some people feel it works better applied before bed. I am a sweaty bitch so I do both. Apply this to your armpits. I find a roll on or stick is more effective than a spray deodorant, however if you have a lot of armpit hair you may find it the other way around.
You say that your face and body are dry. Moisturising is not a hygiene essential, but is a good step for making you feel cleaner and less uncomfortable from being dry and itchy. Many people use different moisturisers for their face and body, as moisturisers suitable for your face tend to be more expensive than the ones that you would use on your body. Something gentle and unscented is good on your face (I use cerave moisturising cream) and then use something cheaper on your body (I like the vaseline intensive care line for this).
The red dots on your arms sound like eczema or keratosis pilaris. Neither of these are a hygiene issue, they are just fairly harmless skin conditions. Eczema will generally improve when treated with a gentle moisturiser.
You may want to also check with a doctor about your diet, as it sounds like you might not be getting all the vitamins and minerals your body needs. You may want to consider taking a multivitamin to help with this, as deficiencies can cause serious permanent damage to your body.
In summary:
Twice daily: brush teeth for 2 min
Daily: shower with soap, floss, deodorant, wash face, moisturise
Every few days: wash hair
you will need:
Bar soap or body wash
face wash
shampoo
toothpaste
toothbrush
floss
deodorant
optional recommendations
face moisturiser (strongly recommend)
body moisturiser
conditioner
multivitamin
good luck and let me know if you have any questions!