Why Personal Hygiene For Teenagers Is Important And How To Teach Them

Teaching teens about good hygiene tends to be one part teaching and many parts (gentle) reminders. While you've likely taught them many skills from early childhood on, some of these hygiene tasks are new, or need to be done independently for the first time.

It's also common for kids to grow less vigilant on personal hygiene when they hit middle and high school, especially once they're no longer under their parent's watchful eye while grooming. Here's a primer on which healthy hygiene habits to teach your teen and how to instill them into your child's daily routine.

Why Are Hygiene Habits Important?

Hygiene is essentially how we keep our bodies clean. Cleanliness practices serve two basic functions. Firstly, being clean helps us to be sanitary—maybe not completely free of germs, but mostly free of the germs that are harmful and could cause disease. Poor hygiene can lead to tooth decay, skin infections, and many other preventable illnesses.¹

Secondly, hygiene impacts social interactions. Other people, adults in particular, expect people to be clean. Good hygiene allows us to interact with other people more positively. It can be unpleasant to be in close contact with someone who has bad breath or body odor.

Proper hygiene demonstrates that you take care of and value yourself. Plus, it's respectful to others to present yourself in a tidy manner. Poor hygiene, on the other hand, can result in social rejection.¹

Where Teens Learn About Hygiene?

In many cases, our children learn how to behave by watching our example. Hygiene is no different. If you have a regular routine for keeping yourself clean, your teen will see this as normal behavior. However, it's also typical for tweens and teens to become laxer about their hygiene routines, so it's helpful for parents to be diligent in making sure their kids are keeping up with these daily habits.

If your child skips a day of teeth brushing or showering, it's not the end of the world. However, if this pattern slips into several days, ignoring these tasks might snowball into rarely doing them unless parents step in.¹

Peers also shape how teens behave. If your child's best friend tends to be especially clean or loads up on cologne, don't be surprised when your kid starts showering more frequently or comes home with a new body wash or perfume. Alternatively, if their friends don't seem especially concerned with maintaining optimal hygiene, then your child might become less inclined as well.

Many schools also instruct students about the importance of proper hygiene habits, such as showering regularly and wearing deodorant.

Typical Hygiene Guidelines

Every teen should:

• Brush teeth twice a day and, preferably, floss daily.

• Shower or bathe as needed, which often means every day or every other day.

• Trim nails, as needed.

• Use deodorant or antiperspirant as needed.

• Wash hair regularly.

• Wear clean socks and underwear every day.

Bathing and Deodorant

If your teen has oily skin or hair and/or participates in regular, vigorous athletics, a daily shower might be necessary. If their skin is dry, then bathing every few days is acceptable (too much bathing strips away the skin's natural protective oils). Different hair types will require different frequencies of shampooing, between every day to weekly.

Deodorant or antiperspirant is a personal choice in various ways. If your teen has an issue with sweating, an antiperspirant may be in order. Be careful of overusing antiperspirants, as they can block the sweat glands underneath the arms, leading to painful lumps that may need to be examined and treated by your pediatrician.²

If your teen showers daily and doesn't feel that deodorant is necessary, and you agree (just give them the sniff test), then it can be safely omitted. Some families are also concerned with the chemicals in deodorant and may opt for products with natural ingredients (or skip the step entirely).

Dental Hygiene

Good dental hygiene will help prevent a variety of ills. Brushing your teeth removes some of the common bacteria that can cause bad breath. Removing this bacteria also helps reduce the risk of various diseases and conditions, including gingivitis (infection of the gums) and cavities.

Flossing removes the bacteria and dirt that are trapped between the teeth. Those bacteria, if not removed, can get into the bloodstream and can even lead to heart disease, as well as to tooth decay and gingivitis (inflammation of the gums).

Research has shown that daily flossing might even increase life expectancy because it removes these dangerous bacteria. Your teen may not be thinking about living longer, but this research is a great reason for everyone to floss.

Shaving

Around puberty (or sometimes earlier), teens may decide to start shaving their legs, armpits, pubic areas, and faces. Instruct your child on proper techniques for safely using razors or electric razors. Being sure to use a clean razor and enough soap (or shaving cream) and water will reduce the likelihood of irritation. Whether or not to shave is a personal choice and not a reflection on cleanliness.

Grooming

There are lots of choices for teens to make around grooming. Some of these are optional, but others are more about health. You may need to talk to your teen about hairstyling, plucking eyebrows, trimming (or painting) nails, face-washing, acne treatment, and wearing makeup.

Teach them the basics of whichever grooming habits are applicable to them. Changing their clothes daily (or when dirty, sweaty, or stained) and doing laundry also plays into healthy hygiene. Keeping their room tidy and their bed made (and sheets clean) are good habits to get into as well.

Menstruation

For menstruating teens, be sure to instruct them on the proper use of hygiene products such as tampons, sanitary pads, or menstrual cups. Learning to track their period can also help them know when to expect their period—and avoid being unprepared for bleeding. Period panties are another option that can help them stay dry and clean, particularly if their cycles are sporadic.

First Aid

Learning about basic injury care is also part of healthy hygiene. So, make sure your child knows how to properly tend to a wound, including washing it with soap and water, using antibiotic ointment, and covering cuts with a sterile bandage. Knowing when to ask for help (or call the doctor) are also key.

Other Hygiene Issues

Contact lens care, keeping glasses clean, and any hygiene steps required for those with braces or retainers are also important areas to discuss with your child, as needed.

Another hygiene issue some teens have is nail-biting. Help your teen understand why this habit is unhealthy, including the hazard of ingesting germs from the fingers and potential damage to the nails and nail beds (which can get infected). Brainstorm strategies for helping them break the habit, such as using special flavored nail polish that tastes bad or using a code word to remind them to stop.