Horrendous hygiene! how about you?

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I have contamination fears due to OCD so I have three showers a day and my hands are red from repeatedly washing them with antibacterial soap. I am extreme with hygiene.

I had worse issues as a child/teen. But all through my working life I was fairly scrupulous about hygiene. Now that I'm retired and don't go out that much I'm not as scrupulous, but if I start to think I look or smell bad, I do something about it, and I really would like to keep as many of my teeth as I can.

hanyo wrote:

I think I take longer to feel dirty than other people.

Same here!

I hate brushing my teeth and I hate having strip washes under my arms, but I still do these things because I am afraid to go out smelling.

I don't mind having baths (or showers in the summer).

I try my best to keep up; I even shave EVERY. FREAKING. DAY. Even my armpits.

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For those who take multiple showers/baths per day, do you use a fresh towel to dry off each time? Do you put on fresh clothes after the shower/bath?

I prefer to use a fresh towel with every shower. I like to take two or three showers or baths per day, but rarely have the time. If I get dirty or dusty enough to take the extra showers, I do. If I took three showers or baths a day, I'd either have to buy more towels or wash them every other day. Even with more towels, there would still be the question of how many towels I could wash in one load.

Mine isn't great now, but it's better than it used to be.

I look back now, and suspect that part of the reason I was so unpopular in high school was because I took a bath/shower MAYBE once a month. I'm sure I smelled horrible, but at the time I wasn't aware of it. Even as an adult, until fairly recently, I was bad about bathing. My main issue with it isn't that I don't care. I DO care, and I feel really good after a good hot shower. But it's more of a sensitivity thing -- I absolutely HATE the way it feels for the first drops of water to hit my dry skin. The way it runs down my body and around my scalp creeps me out. Once I get completely wet, I'm OK and actually enjoy it.

I'm up to bathing about once a week, which isn't TERRIBLE, because I'm not very active so don't get too funky. And I change my undies and wear deodorant regularly. My hair is dry and curly, so the extra oil that accumulates after a few days actually HELPS it look better, so I can go a little longer between hair washings than some people.

Brushing my teeth isn't an issue, though. I have really good teeth, and HATE funky gross teeth. I think this comes from the fact that since I have problems with eye contact, I look at everybody's mouths instead and as such notice their teeth. I live in an rural area where people have really BAD teeth, so that keeps me motivated to brush regularly, and floss when I think I need to,

As a child I had terrible hygiene because of sensory issues. Toothpaste burned my tongue horribly and I was very sensitive to cold, so I hated undressing for the bathtub and sitting there in a chilly soup of soap scum. In adolescence my sensory issues mitigated themselves (and gel toothpaste was invented) but it took until age 13 to get into the habit of regular washing.

In my case, hygiene was never an issue because I get self-conscious about body odor, so I shower at least once a day, and more if I've been to the gym. I actually got out of the habit of washing my hair every day when I was told that it was why my hair was dry, so now I wash it every couple of days, and my hair has gotten healthier as a result. I brush my teeth twice a day, and floss once a day, and in addition to my daily deodorant, I use Certain Dri several nights a week as even the thought of my pits sweating makes me self-conscious that my deodorant will suddenly fail.

I shower every two to four days, but even then only because my mother makes me. Otherwise I'd make do with a weekly wash at the sink. I also never brush my teeth. Having things in my mouth makes me feel like I'm going to be sick, so I absolutely loathe having the toothbrush in my mouth. I do change my underwear and shirt every day, but I'll wear the same pair of trousers for a few days.

With brushing my teeth besides forgetting to do it a lot I don't like the taste of mint and most toothpastes are mint flavored.

I brush my teeth once a day, shower when I need to (which can be as little as once / twice a week - more if I run) and shave when I can be bothered.

I brush my teeth when they feel like they need to be brushed or if I anticipate kissing someone in the near future. I shower regularly (up to 4 or 5 times a day when stressed) but only because it's one of my stimming activities because it provides white noise and privacy to rock in.

I wear the same clothes until they have visible stains or noticeable smell, I only wash my hair when it's visibly greasy, etc. I know how not to offend people but when I'm on my own for extended periods of time I don't care at all.