Clean Body

Post Reply New Topic

people have always asked me if i brush my hair. I haveVery frizzy curly and thick hair and they always make fun of me for it. Its always getting tangled, so i'm scared to NOT brush my hair, because then the teasing would be worse.

I used to come to blows with my grandmother over hair brushing... I fully understand the bit about not seeing an immediate benefit. I get frustrated if I have to take time out from my work to go to the toilet. Why do I have to waste time with these things? I've more important things to do! I was sent out to get lunch the other day - something everyone else enjoys - a chance to get out of the office, a chance to daydream, whatever. I nearly throttled the girls behind the counter, cos they took too long. I suddenly realised that I wished time would just disapear when it came to useless things - the bits inbetween wanting and eating food etc. Personal hygene fits in that category too. Brushing my teeth, is time that could be spent sleeping, reading, sitting on the net, etc. (mind you, with age has come an appreciation of some essential things - like health). I used to work for days without sleep, sustained on cigarettes and coffee, because preparing and eating food would take me away from the 'serious' stuff. It can be really hard to break from what you want to do sometimes....

I'm going to lay the smackdown here and admit that I don't see much practical value in some things like mowing the lawn (hey, some weeds look really pretty to me -- I wouldn't mind having them grow all over). Why are things the way they are? So many questions.

I believe it is important to treat your body like a temple, figuratively, and eat right and sleep right and get proper physical exercise and stay out of unnecessary stress. I do think there is a lot in today's world that can distract from one's productivity, and a lot of room is left for efficiency.

I hate taking too long to eat. On a rare occasion, I will enjoy a banquet, but on a daily basis, it's just too much hassle. I'm with you there. Now, if only "fast food" was healthier... they got the timing thing down pat!

You think it may NOT matter. But hey, you're not the best perciever of other people's moods. Remember, Aspergers tends to make you poor judges of outside opinion and emotion...

If you look presentable, then that person, who doesn't know anything about you, will have a better initial opinion of you. And this will affect all your interactions with that person.

So why not put your best foot forward? It takes me 5 minutes to shower, a minute to do my hair ( A simple nice cut ), and a couple minutes to brush and apply deodorant/shave.

I've seen lots of smart, intelligent kids, who obviously are asperger in some way. But I can't bring myself to interact with them, because they smell, or their hair looks like a breeding ground for lice, etc...

It's not hard people. It WILL improve how other people percieve you. And don't rely on your own judgement on how your appearance affects people, it REALLY does.

I think you should accept the fact that he doesn't want to do personal hygene stuff. I understand how he's feeling because if I could, I'd quit brushing my teeth because it's a waste of time! How do you accept it? Allow him to avoid personal hygene until the entire world becomes annoyed!

What is this, Classy Eye for the Aspie Guy? Or Girl? Ha ha ha. Yeah, I agree... I appreciate good aesthetic grooming. It makes it a lot easier to get in touch with strangers and learn and develop your social skills. A person who looks like a slob, often feels like a slob, and is unquestionably treated like one. It's not about superficiality -- animals don't groom themselves for nothing! Cats are very clean animals, for example, and they know the benefits of cleanliness. Why is so important for mammals to have "shiny coats of fur"?

A little time spent each day (like the aforementioned 5 minutes) tidying up yourself goes a LONG way in the long run. You can have a staggering look and still be classy, as Albert Einstein and Donald Trump (and both of the crazy hair dept., for that matter) prove. But the only way to test it effectively is in the real world, and see how other people react.

Brushing your teeth may be a waste of time, but it's going to be an even bigger waste of time and money to get all your (remaining) teeth yanked out and get fitted for dentures, not to mention gum disease (gingivitis -- YUCK) and other nastiness.

Do what works for you, but if you're treated like crap and look like crap, reflect inwards and carefully consider why this might be the case!

Oh gawds, nothing is more off-putting than bad breath. Hey, if you just got done jogging, you've got a while before it really starts to stink. But don't brush in the morning, and no one wants to be around you all day.

"Like a breeze over a garbage scow"

I can't reccomend those sonicaire toothbrushes enough. Some models have a timer to let you know when you've brushed enough, and they really do remove plaque. Plus my gums are looking good.

When you don't take care of yourself, people assume the worst. Aspergers doesn't even cross their mind. They think "Schizo Nutjob".

One of my hobbies is wargaming, we have our own group of people following their obsessions. But if you don't bathe, don't brush, people will still not talk to you.

This ain't the 1100's anymore.

That's what they all say, but I do agree with part of that: going to the dentist is a MAJOR waste of time AND money.

The gingivitus part-- doesn't that only happen if you don't brush your teeth for, like, a LONG time?

If your gums bleed, you have mild gingivitis. Without brushing, you probably WILL get it between your 6month dentist visits. And it will never go away.

I quickly brush before heading to bed, and then I brush in the shower in the morning ( Hey, if your gonna drool toothpaste, do it someplace where it won't make a mess ).

Sonicare is well worth the dough. It DOES remove plaque, and with my inability to floss due to tight teeth ( small jaw ), it does improve gum health.

Inflamed gums from wearing braces for several years can cause bleeding gums, which can easily have nothing to do with gingivitis.

Simple methods of prevention can save you from long-term suffering. My dead Dad is an example of this: his whole side of the family are negligent in watching out for their health, and they're just "too proud" (in the worst of ways) to get checked out by doctors, because they wrongly assume they're so superior. My cruel Grandmother on my Dad's side, who is thankfully deceased, transmitted Hepatitis B to my Dad as a baby and we never found out it was too late, and by then, damage like this compounded by unhealthy eating habits and the *unsupportiveness* of most of the Wong side of the family (LOL) made his slow and suffering death inevitable.

I will never forget my Dad opening his eyes WIDE one last time before closing them forever. Before he died, I got to tell him about Asperger's Syndrome. I miss him infinitely and it makes me angry when I think of what could have be done and how this likely could have been prevented, or at least his life extended. But since that is the past, I now move into the future hoping not to end up like that one day myself and hoping I can point others to being well-informed and in good health, because let's face it: good health is underrated. What good is long life if life sucks?

There's one thing my Dad did right after being informed of major cavities: he brushed his teeth, and OFTEN! (yeah, electric toothbrush worked wonders for his tired hands)

I also have trouble with this. I rarely shave...it irritates me that men do not have to shave their body hair even though they have more of it, while we have to be practically hairless and smooth. Mainly, I can't stand the feelilng of a day's growth of hair, it is scratchy and painful. There is no way on earth I'm going to shave on a daily basis. Besides, why should it matter? If the sight of the hair is offensive, I'll forgo wearing sleeveless shirts.

Teeth- I usually intend to brush them.....but it doesn't always get done. I <b>hate</b> the taste of toothpaste. Yes, my teeth are a mess. If there is one sound I absolutely cannot stand, it is the sound of someone flossing their teeth. :shudder:

Deodorant- the scent is irritating...as is the wetness or greasiness of applying it... a lot of body and hair products have irritating scents. I wish they would make them unscented.

Bathing and showering- I actually like this is the water is the right temperature and if I am not cold when I get out.

I would try to find out why your friend dislikes these things. Does he simply overlook them (as I do my teeth) or does he have an aversion to the smell of the soap and other products? If it is the latter, perhaps you could take him out and locate some that he doesn't dislike?

Part of it for me, is establishing a routine for myself. In some areas, I am very very ordered, but in regard to personal hygiene, I have to make a concious effort and it is a lot of work.

Gingivitis does go away if you use Corsodyl mouth wash and toothpaste, I had gingivitis not because of poor dental hygiene as most believe but because I used the water abroad to rinse after brushing and flossing - I mistakenly thought it was ok if you don't swallow the water.

My teeth are in perfect health and I am almost forty, I rarely need treatment and that I have needed was due to age not poor brushing. Since being subjected to Corsodyl, which is nasty it has left me even more particular and I now use bottled water in foreign countries where the water isn't processed through strict purifying and such.

As for teen hygiene it isn't just an AS thing, my Nephew who is NT went through a two year period where my Sister-in-law was constantly nagging him to no avail - then he discovered girls, that did the trick in a way a Mother never could

My own AS fifteen year old went through this from around thirteen, now he showers daily but sometimes needs a gentle reminder to use deodorant - buying one that he likes the fragrance of has helped immensley. Just another two years before our AS youngest has his period of lax hygiene

chamoisee wrote:



I don't know where you are in the world but we do have unscented deodorants in the UK, one brand is Pure and Simple, another is Simple, they make soaps and other products for personal hygiene, and more recently the larger well known manufacturers have started to add unperfumed deodorant for sensitive skin to their brands. You may also try Clinique, they may well have an unscented deodorant. Hope this is useful?


Debs

I used to hardly ever bathe but maybe 2ce a month (if that), but now I am in the habit of bathing now at least 2 times a week, but I still don't care for shaving unless I have to.

Last edited by aspergian_mutant on 22 Feb 2005, 6:39 pm, edited 2 times in total.

It's common knowledge that AS people don't really like having showers and stuff..

To be honest I don't really like having them, but I want to be clean and hygenic so I have 1-2 a day anyway.

Maybe it's just because I procrastinate, would rather read a book than get up and have a shower immediatley.

too much hygiene is bad for you!

i only bath twice a week (although have a quick shower in the summer, if i'm disgustingly hot), wash my (very long) hair once a week. it doesn't need any more. and i rarely use soap on most of me. don't use commercial deodorant, either - i make my own with essential oils and bicarb of soda (bloody sprays, destroying the atmosphere).

i never smell. and as for all that "feminine" hair removal....... YUCK!! ! who on earth wants their armpits to look like a plucked chicken? anyway, the cultrual obsession with bald-bodied women is seriously icky - it's about men wanting women to be hairless ("glaborous", is the word), and women are only hairless when they are pre-pubescent girls. extremely dodgy, don't you think?


and no, i'm not a crustie

V