Last week we talked about home hygiene and hope it was very useful to us. However, this week, we shall be looking at body hygiene.

Just like home hygiene, many people believe personal hygiene is meant for women alone but it is for both. Women love men that are neat but some of them settle for any because neat men are scarce and they also believe they can change them as time goes on. Many are lucky while some have to live with it since they are already in marriage.

When you move around town, anywhere in the world, you will come across men and women well-dressed because looking good is good business. Many people have gotten endorsement from modelling through good looking but when you go closer to some of them, you will be shocked and disappointed with what you will see.

Repetition of Underwears
Recently, Your sincerely shared hotel apartment with a well-respected friend and of course, you change your clothes freely because you are all men but when this guy removed his trousers, what I saw was unbelievable, an old and torn boxer (underwear). To make matters worse, this guy repeated the underwear without washing it.

This write-up is to correct and not to condemn anybody. It is not right to repeat underwear or what some people call pants either as a man or woman. It can lead to rashes around the private parts. It is pardonable to repeat clothes depending on the type of materials because some are not good for repetition too but it is not advisable to repeat your underwear. Even if it is one you have, you can wash it regularly to avoid diseases but it is advisable to have more than one at least to prolong the lifespan of that particular one otherwise pressure will make it to get torn on time.

Bathing without sponge and soap
Remember, our concentration is on men. Another mistake I noticed, is that some men don’t make use of sponges to bathe. They believe sponge is meant for women. Using sponge will help you scrub the dirt out. The funniest part is that people that do dirt-related jobs don’t like to use sponge to bathe. Check out people who don’t use sponges, some of them have enzymes or rashes on their bodies.

I have also come across people who don’t use soap to bathe. They see it as a waste of money while those who use it, make use of any soap they see whether it is for washing clothes or plates, they don’t care. I have seen where somebody used detergent to bathe. His excuse was, “Soap is soap.” Bathing at night is also very good, I learnt this from my wife and whenever I bathe, I get refreshed.

Usage of roll-on, spray or perfume
When some people pass by or stay around you, you will perceive odour from their body, it is either they don’t bath well or their clothes are dirty and they repeated it without washing but some naturally have body odour which can be managed.

When you tell somebody to use roll-on or body spray for their armpits, they see you as a womaniser. Some people only use perfume when they are going for occasions. The essence of using roll-on is, when you sweat, it doesn’t smell bad. Of course, naturally, sweat smells but when you use roll-on, body spray or perfume, it neutralizes the smell but I don’t fancy men spraying perfume every minute or when they want to change environment like women.

Shaving of private parts
Another thing that can make one to smell bad is when you don’t shave your private parts. I have seen well-respected individuals leave their armpits unshaved. It is not healthy. The armpits and private parts must be shaved otherwise it will generate bad smell especially from under. Check out when you shave and you pull your underwear and when you don’t, the answer is as good as mine.

When you don’t shave, it is like leaving grasses or trees or flowers unkempt in your compound, but the moment you trim them, you start feeling fresh air, likewise when you shave especially your private parts.

Brushing of teeth
Brushing of the teeth is very important, if not to prevent toothache but to avoid mouth odour. It is embarrassing to see people leave or cover their noses when you are around. However, Toothbrush should not be used for long, it should be changed every two months, a dentist will advise better.

Meanwhile, some believe chewing stick brushes better, it is a big lie, they are trying to justify why they should not buy toothbrush and toothpaste. In those days, we used to claim that grounded-charcoal or broken ceramic wash better than toothpaste, but those were poverty mentality.

Brushing also requires some techniques. When brushing, don’t be in a hurry to drop the brush, you need to brush your tongue, inner chicks, upper teeth, by the time you pour out the dirt, you will be shocked that they are even dirtier than the teeth we always concentrate on. Your dentist will teach you more on how to brush your teeth but your tongue is very important. Brushing twice a day – morning and evening is not a bad idea.

Maintenance of your bears and hair
Many men now keep bears but many don’t keep them clean or neat. Late Oliver de Coque said he spends a lot of money to keep his bear neat. Some people don’t know that they have to trim their bears, apply hair cream and comb it regularly likewise their hair. Even if you don’t like rubbing cream on your skin, it is compulsory for your hair and bears so that the hair don’t become hard and twisted like that os a mad man.

Wearing shoes without socks
Some men don’t like wearing socks or stockings for reasons best known to them but it is a wrong move. If you don’t wear socks, your shoes especially leather will smell because your legs sweat and that sweat will go into the shoes and whether you dry the shoes or not, as time goes on, it will smell and it can also cause rashes for your toes or legs.

Wearing only one shoe
It is advisable to have more than one. If you can’t afford a new one, you can get good second-hand shoes instead of mounting pressure on one. A friend who squatted with me some years back came back home one day and smell enveloped the room. I thought it was smell that blows once in a while. The following day, I perceived the same and when I asked him, he said it was his shoes. It is not that this guy cannot buy another one, he can even afford to buy more than 10 but because he was stingy to himself, he was managing one shoes that the life is almost gone, already bend. Having more than one shoes is recommended to avoid bad smell because even if you wear socks, as long as that one is not given space, it will smell, it is just a matter of time.

Your job is not an excuse to be dirty
Lastly, some people believe that because of the nature of their jobs, they should be dirty. I remember when I worked as a bus conductor, when it was time to collect money, they refused because according to them, I don’t look like one. The fact that you are a bus conductor, a mechanic, vulcaniser, refuse disposer and others do not give you an excuse to be dirty. Most of the aforementioned people wear dirty clothes/overalls always, many of them don’t wash them, they will tell you it is their workshop clothes.

The annoying aspect is that these guys will use their dirty uniforms to sit inside your car and mess up the whole place with bad odour, oil and grease but that is not to say there are no neat ones. Some of them will board vehicle with you, instead of changing to clean clothes, they will enter with their unwashed, smelling uniforms. You can mistake a mechanic, vulcaniser and others for mad people because there is no difference between the two. The mad man doesn’t bathe and always in his dirty state likewise the mechanic but it is not supposed to be. At this juncture, we need to advise our mechanics to repackage, mine is very neat that is why when I give him my car, I don’t worry whether he will dirty it.

And some of them don’t bathe after the day’s work – sweating under the sun, with their dirty overall clothes. You will see them using detergent to wash their hands and hair; and when you tell them to go home and bathe, they will say they are clean already, this is where our Madams should come in. They should tell their husbands to bathe when they get home and make use of sponge and soap otherwise the house will not only smell but the bedsheets would turn black because of the engine oil, grease and others not properly washed. This also applies to others whether you sit in an air conditioned office or not, night bath refreshes you for the next day’s work. Have a wonderful week ahead.

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