Hygene

Post Reply New Topic

My almost 18 year old daughter does not have the best hygene. She usually showers once a week (Sunday) and has to be reminded daily to brush her teeth, put on deodorant, etc. She will put on dirty clothes instead of clean ones, and on weekends will wear the same outfit Friday after school until Monday morning. She needs to be told to wash her hands, especially if they have been someplace where they probably shouldn't be.

Does anyone have any ideas on how we can get her to place a higher priority on hygene? This is one area in which she needs constant reminders. Is she too old to have a picture chart in the bathroom? How about a checklist of some sort? Please help.

I used to be like this growing up. I eventually taught myself to care about it, but it took awhile.

These days I'd be grossed out by myself if I had the same lack of hygiene schedule. I am pretty sure that a deficient hygiene regiment is at least in part responsible for my lack of social success in high school and before. I think a big part of the problem is a lack of self-awareness. If you could get this person to experience good hygiene practices, she may see how gross her former habits were and not go back.

Another issue is that the encouragement of good hygiene should be presented as a positive thing, not as something that she experiences resentment for because other people don't accept her. I used to resent other peoples' apparent lack of depth beyond clothes and hair, and this was a major impediment for me to connect with them. In retrospect, maybe I still wouldn't have connected with them, but at least I could have enjoyed the better feeling of being clean and neat.

Oh, and about the teeth. If you must choose an issue upon which to focus attention, it should be the teeth. That's the one part of the body that is damaged if you don't keep it clean! Make sure she flosses, if you can.

well, I know personalyl I can't go 3 days without showering (Thank you OCD!) but use the reward system, that is, she can't, say, eat dinner or food until she washes her hands.

Well I am 25, and hate to admit sometimes I forget things , how I deal with it,
I have charts, with pecs (well actually symbols, but same thing) included so when I am tired I can have the visual. Anyway, I have one for morning routine, and one for night/before bed, and they are taped to my bedroom door, along with many other charts. Also keep extra deoderant, breathmints, ect. in my car just incase I forget something on my way somewhere. Seems to work for me.

Mine can be lackluster...and also as a kid/teenager it was something that did not come very naturally to me.

One is never too old to use a tool to help overcome a difficulty. If what it takes is lists and graph charts to get your Daughter to perform the function of looking after her hygene, then use them.

I am 28 and I couldn't get along with checklists stuck up onto bedroom door, computer monitors, bathroom mirrors, car sun visors, fridge etc... Even have one in the shower so I remember to clean all the stuff that needs cleaning, then one on the bathroom mirror titled (after shower) which tells me to brush teeth, hair, put on deoderant etc...

alot of the times you just gotta do "whatever it takes." Of course, I'm fairly sure I have quite harsh executive dysfunction so... For tips on how to get stuff like that set up so it's utmost efficiency try: http://www.geocities.com/growingjoel/ef.html

Just take with grain of salt because that's for EVERYTHING. If you daughter only lacks hygene... just adapt for your needs.

Keeping a good hygiene is something that always seemed more like an instinct to me than something I had to learn. It's possibly the one thing which is the most natural to me, almost as easy as breathing. I always wash my hands after having been in contact with something in a public area before I touch something in my own home. When traveling I always visit the restrooms at the airport to wash my hands after having been dealing with paper money.

Thank you to everyone who answered my poll and gave advice on hygene. It is comforting to know that this is somewhat "normal"