“Any practice or activity that you engage in to keep things healthy and clean is referred to as hygiene”. Washing your hands, coughing into your elbow, and cleaning your house regularly are all examples of good hygiene.
“Hygieia” was the Greek goddess of health, cleanliness, and sanitation, so it’s easy to see where the word hygiene derives. Brushing and flossing your teeth are examples of good oral hygiene and working in a clean kitchen promotes food hygiene. If you practice good personal hygiene, such as washing your hands frequently, you have a better chance of staying healthy during flu season – and at any other time.
What are the types of hygiene?
Hygiene comes in all kinds, for almost every aspect of life. Following are the major types of hygiene:
- Personal hygiene.
- Environmental hygiene.
- Domestic hygiene.
- Hygiene.
In this article, we are discussing what is personal hygiene? and why is it important?
Personal Hygiene
Personal hygiene refers to the cleanliness of one’s body and clothing, as well as proper living habits, a healthy diet, rest, and exercise. It entails keeping all aspects of one’s physical body clean and healthy. It is an essential component of both physical and mental health. When people practice poor personal hygiene, their bodies provide an ideal environment for germ growth, leaving them vulnerable to infection.
Personal hygiene’s main goal is to improve or enhance personal standards of cleanliness within people’s living conditions. Personal hygiene practices include bathing, washing clothes, washing hands, proper toilet use, caring for the teeth, nails, and feet, personal grooming, maintaining proper spitting, sneezing, or coughing habits, and instilling clean habits at a young age
On a public scale, people avoid people who have poor personal hygiene, resulting in isolation and loneliness.
Personal Hygiene Classifications
Personal hygiene can be classified into several categories. For those looking to establish a personal hygiene routine, the following list is a good place to start:
Dental Hygiene
Dental hygiene entails more than just keeping your teeth white. A good dental hygiene routine can aid in the prevention of problems such as gum disease and cavities. It can also help to prevent bad breath.
Body Hygiene
The human body is covered in millions of sweat glands. When bacteria degrade sweat, a smell or body odor is produced. Washing the body helps to prevent skin irritation and removes bacteria that cause body odor. Washing one’s hair removes oil and keeps one’s appearance clean and fresh.
Nail Hygiene
Fingernails can collect dirt and germs, aiding in the spread of bacteria. Because dirt and germs accumulate more easily under longer nails, keeping them short can help reduce the risk of infection spread.
How Can We Maintain Good Personal Hygiene?
Personal Hygiene is very important for our health and wellbeing. Following are some ways by which we can maintain our hygiene.
Maintaining a healthy dental cleaning routine
Dental hygiene is very important because all we intake, we take orally. We need to brush our teeth daily use good mouthwash and fluoride-containing toothpaste. Flossing is also a very important step in your dental hygiene. You should also visit your dentist every six months for deep cleaning of your teeth and mouth.

Hand Washing
Hand washing is also very important to keep our hands clean and to maintain our good health Wet your hands with clean, running water, then turn off the water and apply soap to them. Lather your hands by rubbing them together with the soap, making sure to get the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails. Scrub the hands for at least 20 seconds. An interesting way to measure your hand washing time is by humming “Happy Birthday” twice. Rinse your hands thoroughly with clean, running water. Dry your hands with a clean towel or let them air dry.

Showering Daily
It is best to shower or bathe once a day, using soap and water to remove dead skin cells, oil, and bacteria. People should pay special attention to sweaty areas such as the underarms, between the toes, and the ankle.
They should also shampoo their hair at least once a week, and more if necessary. Applying deodorant after you’ve completely dried off can help prevent body odor.
Importance of Good Personal Hygiene
Personal hygiene is essential for both health and social reasons. It entails keeping your hands, head, and body clean to prevent germs and illnesses from spreading. Personal hygiene benefits both your health and the lives of those around you.
Personal habits have social benefits that must be considered. Because it involves washing your body and caring for yourself daily, it reduces the chances of bad hygiene and, as a result, any chances of embarrassment at work or school.

Poverty and a lack of access to safe drinking water can both hurt a person’s hygiene. A person’s mental health can also have an impact on how they care for themselves. People suffering from conditions such as psychotic disorder, severe depression, or a drug or alcohol use disorder may find it difficult to maintain a personal hygiene routine.
