I was hoping there could be a forum dedicated to hygiene at some point
But, since there isnt, Id like to start a little thread here.

Id like to go over common hygienic problems and methods of correcting them, and cost managing it all.

Areas of interest
Teeth - whitening, straightening, gum health, breath, flossing

Skin - Overall skin health, acne, product, shaving

Hair - scalp health, product, styling

Hands - nail care, prevention of bad habits (face touching, nail biting)





So maybe we can all share tips, not just random insight, but actual helpfull tips, tried and tested.

Then, I hope to compile all of this information into one easy to navigate thread.

Ill start with Acne. Being plagued by this since mid-middleschool, I have lots of experience.

I can say that after a certain point, it is in internal problem, I even started taking acutane (which is amazing, but SO bad for you), I only lasted a month cause they kept stopping my SPAM due to negative blood tests. Anyways, it is possible to obtain clear skin without the use of prescription drugs.

For myself, and I know at least 4 others, DAIRY products are the bane of our skins existence. The way I figured this out was by getting into weightlifting, decided to give up all dairy cause it causes phlegm and arnold says its for babies! So i switched to soy (careful with soy though) but anyways, I didnt notice it at first, but my skin gradually started clearing, I had totally clear skin for the first time in like 6 years! My girlfriend (soon to be crappy wife) would beg me to rub my back because I had the softest skin ever.

1 So, try no dairy products!

I remember reading an article about fish oils and eating fish 1-3 times a week helping with acne. I cant confirm this, because when I go healthy basically everything I do changes, but lets figure the fish in the diet correlation to acne out...

2 More fish (maybe)---side not: you should eat fish at least once a week anyways, just for your general health


This one is major, and majorly hard, but STOP TOUCING YOUR FACE, all you are doing is spreading oil and rubbing dirt into more pores, I know its hard, especially when you are really oily. A witch hazel, always makes my skin feel so much more calm, which helps me not touch the face!


3 Stop! Touching! Your! Face! (try witch hazel)


Proper washing and drying techniques are very important. I personally use two different kinds of face wash (they arent the best because I am broke at the moment, but they do the job). I use one creamier, benzoil paroxide wash, with a cool penetrating feeling to it. I always run my face under a really hot shower for at least one minute, more if I can. As hot as I can take it really. Then you really have to scrub that face, but try not to aggrivate your facial hair. Really get every single area on your face, I recommend getting at least one facial just to learn how they do it. Then I use this green tea shit I found at trader joes, it has this nice litlte sting to it and it leaves me with this squeeky clean feeling, also with really hot water. THEN immediately after I am done rinsing, I run cold water over my face, which closes the pores.

4. proper, detail oriented cleansing with products that suit you

At night, when I can afford it I use this sulfury smelling "resurfacing cream" which feels kind of like im putting grease on my face (not that bad) but it works fricken wonders man, its by cosmedix (really great product, and an esthitician will happily specialize one of their lines to suit your needs----get more then one opinion because a lot of the time they have limited supply and just try and sell the shit they have no matter your skin type---so use those free consultations!

5. night time SPAM


Your face has this little layer of fat over it, i guess you can call it that. And when you wash your face it removes this layer of fat, so try to resist the urge to overwash, it may help momentarily but in the long run it will probably make your acne worse!

6. No over washing

Try not to pick at your face, but if you are going to do it, at least dont do it with your dirty fingernails, it will probably just spread your acne more. Learn to do it correctly!


7. Dont pick your face!

moisturizing is very important, you do not want try skin cells clogging your pores!

8. learn to moisturize

There are many more "tips" and keep in mind that everyone has different skin, but the more you know...the better chance you have. Here is a website dedicated to acne, no matter how severe or minor your problem, these tips can be used for general skin care also, and what woman isnt attracted to healthy looking, radiant skin?


http://www.acne.org/
http://www.acneguide.com/acus_basics/what_to_avoid.html
http://www.ezilon.com/information/article_15673.shtml

(this is just a streaming rough draft) I wanted to get some input and then polish it into a more friendly, usable form.

Cheers,
Twitch

Oh yah, my acne always lessons when I get a tan, it helps so much for some reason, but thats not for everyone, and tanning is bad for your skin, but it looks soo good hehe

Just for the record I certainly agree with the tips above! Now on to shaving...as a good rule of thumb I like a clean shave. Although it's good to experiment when sarging with a day of growth, or maybe even two days of growth. Learn what styles work best for you and your appearance, and get female opinions on it. Try facial hair, and no facial hair.

Tip on keeping a mustache or beard. Keep it trimmed and neat! If you aren't sure how to do this go to a local stylist have them do it, and have them explain to you methods and good clippers to use.

_________________
Been around the world twice, Talked to everyone once...

Defently true about all of the acne tips.Using Proactiv works wonders..but it is fairly expensive.And as you said DO NOT TOUCH YOUR FACE WITH YOUR OILY HANDS.Also i find washing your hands with soap before you wash your face..and washing them after you wash your face






Megastream
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My collected tips. It's all pretty obvious, but it took me long enough to pay attention to this kind of thing:

* Carry a roll on or spray on anti perspirant with you at all times. It can be a life saver. Actually, I'm thinking more and more I need a man bag or something like that... so a tangential question: how do people transport their gear around?

* You can check whether you smell by sniffing your own arm pits. Try to do it relatively discreetly, e.g. stretch your arms above your head and turn your head to one side as you take a big breath in.

* If I know I'm going to be doing something which is going to make me sweat and I won't be able to get home before hand I'll take a spare shirt along. If I notice that I smell then I'll change my shirt and re-apply ap/deodo. Most of the smell seems to be on the shirt, so this is almost as good as a shower.