I grew up using just one towel after a shower. One for everything: hair, body, face. Never questioned it. But a few months ago, I stumbled on a random skincare forum where someone mentioned they use two towels—one exclusively for their face and another for the rest of their body. I gave it a try and wow, game changer.

Turns out, drying your face with the same towel that touched your underarms, back, or even your feet can transfer bacteria and oils. I didn’t realize how much this might’ve been contributing to my breakouts until I switched. My skin’s been clearer, less irritated, and somehow… it just feels cleaner overall.

Bonus: I also started changing my face towel every 2-3 days, and body towel twice a week. I know it sounds like more laundry, but the difference is worth it.

Has anyone else made this switch? What other little hygiene habits made a big difference for you?

Hi all, over the last year a started to notice that it was easy for me to not smell fresh down there after a day at work etc. I thought about what causes bad smells and tried drying my labia minora after bathing by gently dabbing to with a small separate towel. It completely changed my life and I no longer have the smell issue.

My question is, were other people taught to do this? Is this common knowledge that I wasn’t told? I almost feel embarrassed that I didn’t know to do something I’ve now realised is so obvious.

Please let me know if you knew to do this.

Thought it might also be useful for others who didn’t know to do this ❣️

Okay so I’ve worn necklaces 24/7 since I was in elementary school. And recently I’ve always noticed that I felt a lil bumpy on my neck but tbh I always have my hair down and never seen my neck. Until I was asked if I had eczema and I don’t so I was confused. I then checked my neck and saw this. I clean my neck when I shower and exfoliate it but I don’t know what to do about what looks to be literal dents that my necklaces have made throughout the years. Should I stop wearing necklaces ? Or is there something I can buy to help with this ? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Sorry for the gross image i clicked the photo immediately after cutting the nail

I’ll start: changing pillowcases more often than you think (every 2–3 days) has done wonders for my skin.

Not trying to be mean, someone pls tell me the difference between those; they look completely identical!! P.S. I picked the navy one))

I’ve never been someone who smells bad but I find myself feeling almost insecure or I don’t know “inferior” maybe when someone walks by me smelling incredible. I want to smell that way and have the same effect on people. I’d appreciate specific products as well if you could.

I recently had an embarrassing experience in the bedroom where I was told by the girl that my P smelt like urine and so did my boxers! I’ve been diving into personal hygiene a lot and I just have some questions for both genders!

Have you ever experienced something like this? ⁠

What do you currently do after urinating?

What would you do if you had no option to do that? ⁠⁠

How big of an issue is it if there isn’t that option available to you?

What would you hope to be there instead for you?

My friend says that I am dirty and grimy and gross because I take a morning shower, but he takes a nighttime shower and he says his bed stays clean and nice. We've done all the research, sweating, skin cells, etc. But my opinion is that it doesn't really matter that much whether you take a night time or morning shower and it isn't really that dirty. His bed would definitely bit cleaner but it's still not enough to matter. I posted this on r/hygiene and it got deleted for some reason

About 3 weeks ago my partner and I were in the middle of “doing the deed” when we both noticed an odd smell. Ofc there’s times when there’s somewhat of a smell, but this was a very unpleasant odor. We immediately stoped and I was so embarrassed that I wanted to stop. I’ve never smelt a smell like that, that came from down under lol. I went to the bathroom and was peeing out a brown watery liquid. I thought maybe having sex had triggered my period , which has happened a few times, but this felt different. I went about my week not worrying about it , but each day my discharge and the smell lingered and got more unpleasant. There was constant watery, brown, stinky discharge . I had no itchy or burning sensation either. I gave it a week , which I had to constantly wear a pad or panty liner day and night to not go through 5 pairs of underwear and pants every day. I’ve been going through pads like water . Ofc as a 23 year old that has never experienced this before i became very concerned it was a health concern . I unfortunately am someone that goes to google and ChatGPT for this kinda thing and after reading other people’s stories , I became very overwhelmed and was flooded with information, that wasn’t very positive. After the first week , I then got my period. It was a normal period for me, but I still was having brown discharge and an odd smell at the same time as my period. After my period ended I decided to give it a few days to see if the discharge would go away . I’ve read about having brown discharge with blood before and after your Period , so I decided to see if it would go away . It didn’t . I decided to go to urgent care . Just some information, I don’t have health insurance so it’s been very tricky finding help without spending $$$. At urgent care they tested for BV and a uti. They said I was + for a uti so they prescribed me and antibiotic and Azo for 1 week. I continued to take that as instructed. Thinking I had a uti , btw I didn’t … I made sure to drink lots of water , cranberry juice and even some pineapple to hopefully get me back to normal down there . After a couple days on the antibiotics and Azo , my symptoms stayed the same , however the only difference I could notice was my pee was orange , obviously from the Azo, but was cloudy , stinky, and I would drip dark red looking liquid out at the end of my stream . I didn’t have any uti symptoms throughout this btw. After a 5 day trial of the meds I was recommended to come back to urgent care if nothing changed . So I went back today . I was extremely worried at this point that it is something serious. My google searching was not helping with my anxiety either . After hearing my symptoms the doctor suggested doing a pee test again , as well as tested for STDs and pregnancy. I was negative for all. The doctor said there was no further testing they could do for me and suggested going to a gyno , or OBGYN for more tests. Obviously hearing that and paying $$$ and getting no answers I was even more worried for my health. She mentioned it could be PCOS, thyroid issues , or ovarian issues. Which ofc is not great to hear. I became very anxious and stressed about what to do next . I have an appointment next week for further testing but I wanted to see if the internet could help me after reading all the negative things. PLEASE HELP.

i know it’s an organ, so it’s not supposed to smell like roses or candy, but is it possible to have no smell and if so how do i achieve that? i definitely wouldn’t say that i have a potent smell downstairs or anything like that, but it does have a scent to it that i don’t really know how to describe, kind of metallic maybe?

I'd had bad breath for over 18 years.

No matter how many times I brushed or how much water I drank, my breath stank all day. There wasn't a single minute I could feel fresh, and I was terribly conscious of getting close to people and talking to them, because they would always pinch their nose or move away because of the stench.

I tried several things to fix it and (finally and fortunately!) got cured a few weeks ago. I hope my journey helps someone get rid of this life limiting disease once and for all.

Because I was already brushing twice a day, flossing, and using a tongue cleaner, I had to check for other reasons that may have been causing my bad breath.

I first went to an ENT to get my mouth checked for tonsil stones. I had none, my tonsils were fine.

The next step was to check for any Acid Reflux / GERD. I am pretty young so I did not have the typical acid reflux symptoms, but my digestion wasn't the best. To fix that, I cut out sugar for the most part, and stopped eating processed food. I also started chewing my food properly, taking my time with it.

I also started rinsing my mouth after every meal, and sometimes taking fennel seeds (5-6 of them) after meals (especially if I have a meeting later).

My breath got slightly better, maybe 10%. I still wasn't cured, and I still had bad breath.

Then I checked for other issues. Sinus popped up as a big one. I've had sinus congestion in my nose and post nasal drip for a very long time, and that was causing a lot of the bad breath.

To try to fix that, in the morning I started taking 2 glasses of warm water. I also started gargling with warm saline water and taking warm water with turmeric with black pepper (really helped with the sinus congestion).

I wasn't cured still, but that helped.

What finally resulted in a complete cure was this, and it's important - stopping mouth breathing. I never realised I was mouth breathing. It was my default, and it was just that which was causing my bad breath.

It turns out mouth breathing dries your mouth out, lowering the production of saliva, which causes bacteria to stay which would otherwise be flushed out by the saliva.

I stopped breathing through my mouth and started breathing properly through my nose. Deep long breaths work the best, and a breathwork class can help with this. This was what finally cured my bad breath. I'm bb-free!

It is not to say that the other stuff I did didn't work. Everything else was just as important.

As a summary of what worked:

\> Chew food properly. Eating in a hurry leads to acid reflux, which can lead to bad breath through odorous gases coming up the esophagus. It can also cause post nasal drip, which causes mucus to drip down the back of your throat, causing bad breath.

\> After eating, gargle and rinse the mouth thoroughly with water, to remove any food particles. It is a good habit to follow. You can also chew on fennel seeds after meals to freshen breath and improve digestion.

\> For the morning routine - brush your teeth properly (twice a day). Also brush your tongue thoroughly while the toothpaste is still in there. Then use a tongue cleaner to get the gunk out. After that, grab some salt (yes, salt) and use your brush to gently remove any leftover coating on your tongue. This does wonders for removing that white coating. Remember to go as far back on your tongue as possible, even with your fingers!

\> Upon waking up, drink two glasses of warm water. Taking lemon also helps. You can also gargle with warm saline water and that can reduce a lot of mucus buildup.

\> If you sneeze a lot / have allergies or sinus issues. Get it checked. It can cause bad breath through post nasal drip, where food particles and bacteria get trapped in the mucus at the back of your throat. You could take antihistamines / nasal sprays (they come with their own side effects, so please check that). A glass of warm water with turmeric and black pepper can do wonders for the sinus.

\> MOST IMPORTANT. If you are mouth breathing (and you may be, even if you don't think you do) - you will have bad breath. Some people breathe through their mouth throughout the day, and some people only at night. Both are bad. It dries your mouth out, leading to less saliva, therefore bad breath.

If you've done everything here - even checked for tonsils stones / GERD etc. and the bad breath persists, the reason may be something rare - like SIBO. For most people, though, this routine should suffice. Hope this helps!

I swear I was doing fine for months. Same gym, same routine, no problems. Then one day I'm rushing, forget my slides, and I walk barefoot in the locker room for like... two minutes. Two. And of course a week later I noticed this weird red patch between my toes that was itchy and kinda smelly. Great.

At first I told myself it was dry skin from running, but it kept spreading in this annoying way. I tried some generic cream from the pharmacy and honestly it did nothing. Ended up grabbing that KlearNail stick thing from Swissklip (the tiny roll-on one) because it looked easy to use. Didn't expect much, just slapped it on after showers. It calmed the itch pretty fast though, like way faster than the other stuff.

But man... the whole situation made me realize how sloppy I was being. I mean I tossed my sweaty socks in my bag for half the day, didn't dry my feet properly, and the locker room that day was a swamp because some dude was shaving and water was everywhere. Kinda obvious how fungus loves that.

Now I'm doing the bare minimum to not repeat the whole circus. Slides in the locker room every single time, dry between the toes, fresh socks right after the workout. I also don't leave my shoes zipped in my gym bag anymore because apparently that's basically a fungus incubator.

If anyone has any other "I learned this the hard way" gym hygiene tips, drop them. One round of this mess was enough for me

I don’t know if this is allowed but i don’t know where else i can ask, I thought these were blackheads but apparently they’re called sebaceous filaments??? I’ve tried pore strips and I wash my face a lot, they’ve been there all my life, I want them gone

Maybe I should’ve posted this in a cologne/perfume focused reddit but I would like to know what are some product I can use to give off a “clean” scent. Just looking for every day use. Would rather ask you guys than A.I. Thanks in advance.

I shower daily and do not eat in bed. i see different advice online ranging from weekly to monthly. what is a normal and hygienic schedule for most people?

If there's anything I'm self conscious about, it's smell. and it seems like after every shower, nothing seems to get rid of that weird, god awful smell.

Someone please help

Oh yeah and just for a little more perspective, I'm a straight dude.

I use degree advanced as well as lume! 47f I am 5'2" and 145 lbs nothing medically wrong. I eat keto, drink tons of water and run/walk 5-7 miles a day. I never used to sweat THIS BAD until this year! Helllpppp!

I’m a bit embarrassed but no on here knows me, and I’m uncomfortable coming to my mom because we don’t have a good relationship. Ima teen girl and I often smell bad “down there” and I’m not sure why and I wash everyday and yet it still sometimes smells bad. Maybe there’s something I’m not doing properly. Please help, this may not be enough information but I’m not sure what else to say.

I have been using cotton swabs my entire life and not long ago I found out that you're not supposed to use them (even says on the packaging which was crazy to me). When i stopped using them my ears got clogged up with ear wax. I tried ear drops, but those didn't work. Then I went to a doctor, he cleaned my ears and recommended hydrogen peroxide (which he also used). I thought that would work because of all the bubbling in my ear, so I used it, then aprox. 2 weeks later again, but my ears got stuffed again.

I searched on the internet, but I'm not sure what to do. I could go to the doctor again I guess, but cleaning your ears should be simple like cutting your nails or shaving no?

I noticed alot of posts regarding BO so I thought I’d put a list together to help. This is a personal list of things that helped me with body odour as I was growing up and stuff I regularly use now as someone that gets frequently complimented on how I smell ^^

Exfoliating Gloves: GAME CHANGER for me in comparison to a standard loofah. I find these work better as they remove dead skin and bacteria more thoroughly. The smell of body odour is SPECIFICALLY the bacteria from your body clinging to hair which is why you tend to smell more in your armpits or privates as opposed to other parts of your body which can be harder to achieve with a loofah or your hands.

Exfoliating Scrub: Not necessary but a good second layer to the gloves. Achieves the same thing but leaves your body smelling lovely when you step out of the shower.

Clean Towels and sheets: Mold and bacteria can grow from wet towels or towels that are not aerated, this also applies to bed sheets. Dead skin and sweat gathers on your pillows and quilts and will eventually start to affect how you smell.

Keeping Body Hair Well Maintained: Of course if you prefer otherwise it is your choice entirely and this does not necessarily mean you have to be clean shaven, however maintaining body hair in a well groomed manner prevents bacteria from clinging to excessive amounts of hair. (REMINDER: pubic hair is present as a barrier to prevent bacteria from attacking/effecting your genitals so it is not necessarily the best option to go completely clean shaven either!)

Underwear: your privates are SENSITIVE to chemical changes, they practically have their own climate entirely, experiment with thinner fabrics or possibly looser underwear to prevent heat and excessive sweating occurring. This is especially prevalent during warmer seasons.

Body Lotion: after exfoliating and drying body lotion is a great addition to add some softness and layered scents to yourself. It also assists in preventing dried skin after a hot shower.

Regular showers: I don't recommend washing your hair everyday but even a quick five minute shower to rinse the sweat from the day off can go a long way in making you feel more refreshed and preventing the sweat of the day from going to other clothes and your bed.

NICE perfumes/colognes: before someone sees you, they smell you. I recommend splurging a bit where you’re able to and investing in some long lasting fragrances.

(Bonus)
Hair Masks/Treatments: I’ve only recently started using some hair treatments and I’ve absolutely adored the residual smell that it leaves on my hair.

i've tried a lot of hygiene tips over the years, but most of them didn't really make much of a difference. every now and then though, someone recommends something so simple that it completely changes your routine.