Sometimes the most effective courses of action are the simplest. When it comes to health and disease prevention nothing beats the straightforward and no-nonsense principles of basic hygiene.

Unfortunately, our hectic lifestyles and busy schedules tend to cut into the time that we should invest in observing proper hygienic practices.  We take a quick shower in the morning and zip into the world, hardly taking a break to maybe was our hands or brush our teeth after a meal. “That can wait” or “I’ll do it later” is a common refrain.

Hygiene

refers to the set of practices associated with the preservation of health and healthy living.  It covers a wide assortment of areas such as personal hygiene, culinary hygiene, medical hygiene and household hygiene. For the purposes of this article, we will talk about personal hygiene, the first step to good health and well-being.

 

Hands:

PROPER HAND WASHING – doctors all over the world hail proper hand washing as the

single most effective way

to prevent the transmission of disease. It is upsetting to note that very few people practice proper hand washing techniques, instead they just run their hand under the faucet and forget about it.  Below is a diagram showing how simple it is to wash hands properly (click to enlarge).

 

NAIL CARE – our nails are made of tough protein called keratin.  They start growing from infancy and never stop. Since our hands touch everything, our nails also come into contact with many germs and bacteria, and these get trapped under long, untrimmed nails.  Remember to wash

under your nails

when washing your hands.

Trim your nails

with a nail clipper regularly and only grow your nails if you’re

sure

you can keep them clean.

 

 

Hair:

WASH YOUR HAIR – the

frequency of hair washing

can depend on your local weather (hot climates mean your scalp sweats more and produces more oil), hair type, and activities you perform. But remember that,

oil, dirt, dust and perspiration

all get stuck in our hair and scalp which can cause skin irritation and unpleasant odours.  Wash your hair regularly with

mild shampoo

, making sure to massage and clean the scalp as well. Make sure your

hair brushes and combs

are clean as well.

 

HAIR LENGTH – just like your nails, only grow your hair if you are sure you can take care of it and keep it clean and healthy.  Get

regular haircuts

every month or so to manage the length and keep the hair healthy.

 

 

Skin:

BATHING – a

bath

is the quickest and most efficient way to get clean all over. 

Bathe daily

and use a good soap with plenty of clean water.

Scrubbing

with a loofah or bath sponge also helps in getting rid of deep-seated dirt. Use a

clean towel

to dry yourself off. Do not share towels.

 

 

Teeth and Mouth:

PROPER BRUSHING – like hand washing, brushing teeth is also often overlooked. Most people run a brush across their teeth a couple of times and call it a day.  Below is a simple diagram that illustrate correct proper brushing:

Remember to floss regularly also and to change toothbrushes every 3 months.