Personal hygiene is a funny topic, isn't it?! For starters, it's PERSONAL!
BUT when someone is a bit pongy, or downright super stinky, that's on the nose for everyone around them, and should we have to put up with it?
What about when it's a child? We call it neglect.
When it's an elderly person? Again, we believe it's lack of care.
But as adults, fully capable of taking care of ourselves, most of us want to keep good hygiene habits, so we're pleasant to sit next to!
Now, more than ever, personal hygiene MUST be a part of our daily routine. Not just because of the pandemic issues and the regular hand sanitising, but because there are germs and viruses everywhere, always, and so it's important to think about what we touch, putting our fingers in our mouths or on our face, and how we scrub-a-dub-dub, without getting rid of the GOOD bacteria! Oh boy, there's such a minefield of (mis)information out there, so we've decided to keep it simple, explain it in lay-persons terms, and we encourage you to share this (particularly if you've got a slightly-pongy friend who needs a hint! 😉😜
According to healthdirect, good personal hygiene protects you from getting infectious diseases, colds and flu. Given these testing times, and given that we all want to be as healthy as possible, and keep our immunity strong, here are a few top tips to keep us fresh, fabulous and hygienic!
(1) Take a bath daily
Do you ever get too busy that you skip a rinse off? Think you'll leave a scrub for the next day? Get too tired so fall into bed without a shower, but then wake up late so you don't get time to bath in the morning? I'm sure we've all been guilty of it at some point!
Busy schedules can mean some things get missed ... BUT cleanliness is vitally important for so many reasons!
Family Medicine provider, Amy Zack, MD, stated that: "One benefit (of taking a bath) is cleanliness. Bathing cleans your skin, helping you avoid irritation, inflammation and sores caused by dead skin cell accumulation. The bacterial and fungal load from contact in your environment can also accumulate, increasing the risk of infection.”
Additionally, bathing, soaking or showering also soothes our muscles and joints, refreshes our mind, and ensures a fresh start (or end) to the day. In fact, bathing has been linked to improved mental health. This is because taking a warm shower can reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety. The body’s reaction to being warm naturally relaxes your muscles and thoughts. Because of this mechanism, the risk of depressive symptoms is lower following a shower.
So, we know we NEED to bathe, now we need to think about what products we're using! It's imperative that we use all-natural bathing products to ensure good hygiene!
LUCKY YOU FOUND US! Our Natural Lemon Myrtle Soap does not strip the skin of natural oils, leaving the skin with the distinctive fresh natural aroma of lemon myrtle. Our Natural Lemon Myrtle Shampoo has the additional benefits of an organic aloe vera base, other natural oils and herbal extracts that gently cleans the scalp and hair without stripping natural oils. The last but certainly not the least, our Natural Lemon Myrtle Conditioner - boosted with vitamins, minerals, Lemon Myrtle and other herbal extracts, this Conditioner is suitable for all hair types and helps repair dry and treated hair without stripping natural oils.
(2) Wash your hands with soap and water before and after touching anything
Well that's all very well and good, but what about the times when we don't have access to soap and water? For example, when we're setting up a marketing stall in the early morning, and we've been handling everything you can imagine, and once we've finished, we've got to start servicing excited customers and have no time to WASH?!!! We've got that sorted! Believe it or not, it's our FOAMING FACE CLEANSER! Yes, you read that right! Just a small squirt into the hands, and rub them together until it disappears. Hands will feel FABULOUS, no residue, no washing required ... you'll be blown away by this super trick that we've been using for years! Buy yours here. (Don't be fooled by the name, and yes, you'll also love using this as a face cleanser!!!)
Oh, and let's not forget our Natural Lemon Myrtle Hand Sanitiser Gel. Just pump twice into your hands and rub hands and fingers together until dry. It kills 99.9% of germs and bacteria. It's amazing, we know this because we use it ourselves, and our customers give us incredible feedback all the time! 
Oh, and just in case you were wondering WHY those hands need washing? Handwashing removes germs from hands. This helps prevent infections because: People frequently touch their eyes, nose, and mouth without even realising it. Germs can get into the body through the eyes, nose and mouth and make us sick. We have a huge range of soap bars, which you can check out here.
(3) Brush your teeth twice a day
If you've ever smelt someone's pongy breath close up, you'll know why cleaning your teeth is important. If you've ever seen someone with rotten teeth, you'll also know good oral hygiene is important. And if you've ever had an awful toothache before, you'll know for sure that it's very IMPORTANT that you brush your teeth after every meal or at least twice a day.
Healthline tells us that brushing your teeth twice daily for 2 minutes each time can reduce your risk of cavities, gum disease, and other oral health conditions. Prevent cavities from building up or worst, gum disease! BUT not all toothpasts are considered equal, and what we put ON our toothbrush, is as important as how often that toothbrush makes it into our mouths! Be sure to use a toothpaste that's naturally-made with no Sodium Lauryl Sulphates, Parabens, Aluminium, Fluoride or artificial sweetener. Try our Natural Lemon Myrtle Toothpaste in 150g (you can also buy it in bulk - our CDU 12 Tubes, so you can SAVE!!!)
(4) Wear clean clothes & sleep in clean sheets
An important part of good personal hygiene is wearing clean clothes, and slipping into clean sheets at night. This doesn't mean you need to wash them every day, but you'll agree - there's nothing quite as glorious as getting into bed when you've just changed your sheets! If you want that smell of clean sheets every day, try our Natural Lemon Myrtle Linen Mist - it's enriched with essential vitamins, so your linen will feel fresh and fabulous, and your mind will benefit as well. Get yours here!
Regular washing of clothes and bedding, helps to remove any bacteria, dirt, fleas, dust mites (including their carcasses and fecal matter), body oils, sweat and other irritants or infection. Washing of clothes and bedding can help reduce the incidence of infectious diseases, such as diarrhoea, respiratory infections, scabies and other skin infections. Housing for Health has some good info on the matter!
Here are some conditions that you may get if you have poor personal hygiene:
- Tooth decay
- Tinea or athlete's foot
- Gastroenteritis
- Colds and flu
- Staph infections
- Viruses or COVID19
- Diarrhoea
Watch this video for some insight on the link between hygiene and mental health:
Keep your family safe and protected against germs and viruses. Practice personal hygiene every day, and only trust all-natural skin and home care products that are not tested on animals like Lemon Myrtle Fragrances.
If you want to stock our products or you know a brick and mortar store in your area that you wish would stock our products, get in touch with us via email at info@lemonmyrtlefragrances.com.au or give Cassi a call at +61 2 9686 3158.