Good personal hygiene is one of the most effective ways to protect ourselves, and others, from illness.
Proper grooming and healthy personal habits can also help you feel good about yourself.
Some of the changes you might experience during puberty may leave you feeling not very desirable. Oil secretions from your skin will increase, as will your sweat.
You might get pimples or greasy hair, or body odour from sweating.
The truth about sweat & BO
Sweating is a normal, healthy and necessary process. You have multiple systems working in your body: your heart is beating, your stomach is digesting, your brain is thinking, your muscles are helping you move. All these bodily processes are creating heat.
Your body temperature would reach a dangerous level and you would eventually die if your body couldn’t get rid of all the heat it’s producing. And that’s where sweating comes in.
You have sweat glands all over your body, but the ones that become active during puberty are in your armpits and genitals.
Sweat does not cause body odour. Body odour is caused by the reaction of your sweat with the bacteria that is already on your skin.
Everyone has body odour at some point in their life, but most people have found ways to keep it in check so that no one else notices.
Since underarm odour is so common, many people use a deodorant or antiperspirant.
There are many types of antiperspirants and deodorants available in supermarkets and pharmacies.
The best way to keep feeling and smelling fresh is to:
- take a bath or shower every day to wash away the bacteria and dirt on your skin
- use a deodorant or antiperspirant* every day after shower
- wear fresh underwear everyday
- change sanitary pads and tampons regularly
*Antiperspirants stop or reduce underarm sweating. Deodorants don’t prevent sweating, but rather cover up odour in your armpit.
