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What Are the Best Tips for Personal Hygiene for Girls?

Amanda R. Bell
Amanda R. Bell

Puberty can sneak up on a girl, and going from taking care of a child's body to a young woman's can make for a rough transition. Some of the best tips for personal hygiene for girls are to learn about the basics of taking care of her body, including washing her body, taking care of her teeth, and preventing body odor, and then making these basics part of a daily routine. It can also be helpful to talk about hygiene with a trusted female adult.

Although everyone’s body requires varying levels of care, there are some basics of personal hygiene for girls. Showering or bathing regularly, and cleaning herself thoroughly, is one of the most important parts. While routine showering or bathing is necessary, it is also important to bathe or shower after exercising, playing sports, or otherwise getting sweaty, even if she has already bathed or showered that day.

Wearing deodorant can help reduce body odor and is usually considered part of good personal hygiene.
Wearing deodorant can help reduce body odor and is usually considered part of good personal hygiene.

Remembering to brush one's teeth is another basic part of personally hygiene for girls. In general, teeth should be brushed in the morning and before bed or after every meal, and she should floss once a day. Taking care of the mouth is the best way to prevent bad breath, cavities, and other health issues down the road.

Regularly applying deodorant after bathing or showering is often essential for preventing body odor, even if she washes herself regularly, and is therefore one of the best tips for personal hygiene for girls. For young women who do not have issues with sweating, a regular deodorant may work best. Despite this, it is generally recommended that using a combination antiperspirant/deodorant product is best especially for very active girls.

Brushing teeth at least twice a day is an important personal hygiene tip.
Brushing teeth at least twice a day is an important personal hygiene tip.

When girls reach puberty and begin to menstruate, they often have new concerns about personal hygiene. A girl may need to talk to her mother or a medical professional or other trusted female adult if she needs to know how to use feminine hygiene products, like tampons or pads, correctly. For most girls, using these products correctly, washing daily with warm water and mild soap, and wearing clean clothing are all that is required for good hygiene.

Girls need to be taught how to use tampons and sanitary napkins.
Girls need to be taught how to use tampons and sanitary napkins.

Eventually, girls go from relying on their parents or caregivers to take care of their personal hygiene to needing to care for themselves on their own. This, added to all of the growing responsibilities and changes in one’s life, can make it difficult to maintain hygiene. For many young women, it can be helpful to view brushing teeth, showering, or applying deodorant as a task or chore similar to all of the other responsibilities she has. This can help to shift hygiene from an afterthought to a normal part of life. Setting aside specific times during the day, such as first thing in the morning and right before bed, to take care of the body can be helpful in making personal hygiene for girls part of a daily routine.

Girls should bathe or shower daily and use shampoo to promote good personal hygiene.
Girls should bathe or shower daily and use shampoo to promote good personal hygiene.

Learning to take care of the body can be much more difficult than many people believe, and it is common for adults to forget that a young woman may not know how to use a razor, understand the difference between antiperspirant and deodorant, or know what type of female products that she should use. One of the best tips for personal hygiene for girls is to simply ask many questions, even ones that may seem unnecessary. In most cases, a trusted female adult is the best person to ask, as she will likely understand what a younger girl is going through and be able to provide plenty of advice.

Discussion Comments

MrsPramm

@Fa5t3r - With that said, I would also advise parents to butt out if they are worried about something optional, like shaving your legs or whatever. If your girl knows that's an option and chooses not to do it then it's none of your business.

Teenage girls in particular can be inadvertently shamed by well meaning parents who think they know what's best. I remember my father used to try and get me to wear makeup and try various things to help me clear up my skin when I was a teenager and it made me feel like he thought I was ugly.

I know now he didn't think that, and he was just trying to help me overcome a problem he suffered from himself as a teenager, but at the time it just made me miserable and made me try things I probably wouldn't have otherwise tried to fix my skin (which often only made it worse).

Fa5t3r

@croydon - I also think it's important to be honest with your kids if there is a problem. Don't just ignore it because you don't want to hurt their feelings or embarrass them.

It's going to be a lot worse for your girl if she starts losing friends or being bullied because she's "the smelly one" since she doesn't use deodorant. A frank talk with her about how she's hitting puberty and needs to change her habits is a lot kinder than leaving it up to the schoolyard to give her an education.

croydon

I really think the most important thing here is to be completely open and scientific about advice. Don't just tell them they need to brush their teeth, explain exactly what happens if they don't. Throw in some advice about forming habits while you're at it. Basically you need to repeat something regularly for weeks before it becomes a permanent part of your routine.

You might want to touch on the fact that personal hygiene is for the benefit of the self and for others as well. You wash because it stops you from getting skin infections and other diseases as well as preventing others from having to smell you all day.

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    • Wearing deodorant can help reduce body odor and is usually considered part of good personal hygiene.
      By: karam miri
      Wearing deodorant can help reduce body odor and is usually considered part of good personal hygiene.
    • Brushing teeth at least twice a day is an important personal hygiene tip.
      By: Ljupco Smokovski
      Brushing teeth at least twice a day is an important personal hygiene tip.
    • Girls need to be taught how to use tampons and sanitary napkins.
      By: matka_Wariatka
      Girls need to be taught how to use tampons and sanitary napkins.
    • Girls should bathe or shower daily and use shampoo to promote good personal hygiene.
      By: EuToch
      Girls should bathe or shower daily and use shampoo to promote good personal hygiene.
    • Girls may enjoy scented soaps.
      By: red2000
      Girls may enjoy scented soaps.
    • Washing hands regularly with soap is an important part of personal hygiene.
      By: xy
      Washing hands regularly with soap is an important part of personal hygiene.
    • Girls should brush their hair regularly to keep oils from building up.
      By: bedov
      Girls should brush their hair regularly to keep oils from building up.