Horrendous hygiene! how about you?

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I try to shower four times each week.

I use toothpaste that tastes like orange soda. I think it is called citrus zest.

I use toothpaste that tastes like orange soda. I think it is called citrus zest.

Definitely a huge issue with me. I use a children's fruit-flavored toothpaste, and it makes the process more pleasant.

I don't brush my teeth often, typically once a day or every other day at most, but I greatly dislike the feeling of plaque, and my mother had gotten dentures in her 40s because she didn't take care of hers. Showering is typically every other day-every three days. Not the greatest but when I was younger, once-a-month was the norm. I didn't really learn proper hygiene habits (that stuck, anyway) until 19 or so (when I began to live on my own). I think I'd feel a little more inclined to if I had access to a washing machine more regularly than I do, however; it's not so much the actual showering process that stifles me as much as the process of having to do laundry on others' terms (read: if I shower too often, it's that much MORE laundry, that much MORE time, with someone I detest...).

My hygiene isn't that great. Up to the point I moved out of my moms (at 22 years old), I had to be told to shower and brush my teeth. I'm not proud to say that since no one has been reminding me to brush my teeth, my oral health is really bad. I shower maybe 2-3 times a week. It just feels like a hassle.

Embarrassingly poor. It does differ depending on whether or not I am consistently leaving the house or not.

Long periods of solitude: Get around to bathing every 5 days or so, never brush teeth, and change clothes every 3 days.

Daily plans: Bathing every 2-3 days, brushing teeth 2-3 times a week, and changing daily.

I'm not sure whether it comes down to subconscious sensory issues or if it's just bad habits carried over from youth- habits formed through sensory issues. It just doesn't cross my mind until I look in the mirror before going out and think "Dear god! Somebody is going to think I've not bathed in a good two weeks." I have other "more important" priorities.

Last edited by calstar2 on 21 Aug 2014, 11:00 am, edited 1 time in total.

Up until about three years ago, I could never keep my hair from getting matted, nor did I understand why I should be using shampoo and conditioner. Now I can't stand having greasy hair, and I understand that the only way to keep my hair from tangling at night is to put it in pigtails, which I hate. I only just started using soap regularly recently.

Hey, OP here. Wow, I can't believe this thread is still getting replies after almost two years.
Here's me today: I usually take a shower + hairwash every 6 days (no sink wash-ups in between, I simply cannot be bothered, but I never have any body odor except for some pit stink which I use baby wipes for). I wear the same pair of pants several times and the same top also a few times. I wear the same pair of underwear for a full six days until my next shower (but I put in panty liners that I change everyday). I say personally, if I don't smell, I'm good haha.

I can't stand the smell or taste of mint, so I have to use fruity toothpaste.

Me too! I feel really disgusting.

It seems like the responses here are a lot higher in favor of poor hygiene than they would be if you asked NTs. Correlation doesn't necessarily mean it has to be a majority. If 10% of Aspies have poor hygiene, while only 1% of NTs do, that's a pretty strong correlation.

Mine used to be worse than anyone's in the thread so far, including the OP. For me with showering and teeth brushing, it was a lot about not wanting to be taken from what I was already comfortable doing at whatever time, not knowing when to do it, and not wanting to initiate the process, worrying about if it was okay to do so at whatever time. When I did want to do it, I would get on a schedule for like three days and go back to my normal ways. I might've showered and brushed my teeth on average once a month, rarely used deodorant, and worse the same clothes for days in a row. Now, I shower, brush my teeth, floss, use mouthwash, use deodorant, and wear clean clothes every day. If you had told me a year ago that a year later I'd be in the habit of doing all of that I never would've believed you.

That's excellent news!

I feel intolerably unclean both inside and out unless I shower at least twice a day. I am a terrible housekeeper though.

My hygiene's decent but I don't shave the best due to having a tremor disorder & a low vision disorder.

Mine is horrendous for a number of reasons:
1) Couldn't be bothered, really.
2) Too much hygiene is bad for you. Removing the natural acid mantle of the skin allows bacteria, viruses and contaminates to penetrate the skin. This is why people with hygiene OCD's get such bad infections - and why they've recently reviewed hand-washing techniques to exclude soap.
3) My skin is dry and very sensitive. Showering every day exacerbates the problem.
4) I hate everything about showering.
5) A cleanse using the oil-pulling method suits me better and keeps my skin healthy. I use olive oil and coconut oil with lemon juice added for natural deodorising. I wash my hair twice a week (in the sink, not the shower) with the coconut oil/lemon mix and baking soda.
6) Commercial hygiene products drive me insane with itching. I also can't stand the scent of many of these.
7) No one has ever commented negatively on my hygiene. I never smell bad and I try to keep my fingernails and teeth clean at least.

Not to sound gross, but I don't shower regularly. I don't like the feeling of deodorant bars, and the spray makes my nose and throat burn. I haven't brushed my teeth in years because my mom said that she'd tell me to brush them, only for me to go into the bathroom and forget what I was supposed to do. Seriously. With that said, I have bad teeth that are going to get pulled and replaced with dentures. I also find shaving my legs difficult because of poor motor skills and not being able to get the back of my legs. Plus, I have dry skin on my knees that the razor can cut easily.