7 Hygiene Tips for Plus Size Women

Plus size women are often treated differently than other women. They are judged differently and accepted in the society based on how less their size is. The truth is there’s is no big deal about being a plus size woman. And medically speaking, except you are overweight obese (with a BMI above 26 – 30), then there is an issue. Today you will learn about some basic hygiene tips for plus size women.

This article does not suggest that plus size women are not healthy. In fact, they are plus size women who live healthier lifestyles than most men and women.

Although medical studies have shown that obesity makes a person more likely to have heart disease, sleep apnea, diabetes, and other issues, that doesn’t mean that a person who weighs more carries additional health risks. The likelihood of getting any of this diseases made up of a combination of factors besides weight. So, I would like to clear it that this article does not suggest that plus size women are not healthy. We are discussing the hygiene tips for plus size women.

But why hygiene tips for plus size women?

Irrespective of your weight or size you need to always maintain good personal hygiene. However, as a plus sized woman, you need to pay more attention to your personal hygiene, because their is more body mass and more things to do. There is also a notion that plus size people smell (which is not true at all), so you need to be more conscious of your personal hygiene and learn the extra but simple tricks for maintaining good hygiene as a plus size woman.

7 Hygiene Tips for Plus Size Women

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Below are some effective hygiene tips for plus size women

1. Shave your underarm hair regularly

Underarm air tends to hold onto smells, and may even be oozing out offensive odor if not cleaned on a regular basis.

Fortunately, there are a lot of ways to keep mustiness caused by underarm hair at bay; you can remove it at home using – a Razor, Hair Removal Creams, Lemon, and Honey, to mention but a few.

i. How to remove underarm using Razor

Equipment/Ingredients needed: Sharp Razor, clean Towel, Shaving cream, and Coconut oil.

Direction:

• Get into a mild-hot shower for a few minutes
• Go out of the shower for 1 minute and gently rub your armpit with a coarse towel to exfoliate it
• Go back into the shower with the razor blade and begin to shave the underarm hair with our arms raised above the head. 
• Once you are finished shaving, shower with cold water or better still rinse your armpits with cold water. 
• After that, use your towel to dry your armpits
• For better results, you can moisturize with cucumber juice or coconut oil.

ii. How to Remove Underarm Hair Using Hair Removal Creams

Equipment/Ingredients needed: Hair Removal (depilatory) Cream and a Clean Towel

Direction: 

• Thoroughly wash your armpits and pat them dry with your towel
• Apply the depilatory cream and leave it for about 2 minutes
• To remove the cream, use the depilatory spatula it is packaged with and scrape toward the downward direction
• After that, get cool water and wash your armpits, then dry with the towel.

iii. How to remove armpit hair using Lemon And Honey 

Equipment/Ingredients needed: Honey [3 tablespoons], Lemon juice [1 teaspoon], and a clean Towel.

Direction: 

• Mix the ingredients together until they become smooth
• Wash your armpits and dry using a towel
• After that, apply the smooth paste to your armpit and leave it there for close to 15 minutes
• Lastly, dip a towel in warm water and use it to wipe off the mixture

2. Regularly take Cool Showers

When there’s excess heat, your body tends to harbor more bacteria, and this may further trigger unfriendly odours. This is why experts often recommend rinsing the body with cool water immediately after taking a hot shower. When you do so, it can help close your pores so as to make them uneasy to clog, and this, in turn, shields against harmful bacteria and promotes healthy skin.

3. Keep your vagina clean 

Every vagina has its own distinct scent, and this varies from person to person depending on your clothing’s material, eating lifestyle, hydration level, among others. To promote healthy and nice-smelling vagina, consider the following expert tips:

i. Keep it clean and dry

Not all fabrics are ideal for your vagina. Cotton fabrics are considered ideal as they are breathable, promote cool skin, and prevent bacterial growth and infections. 

On the other hand, using fabrics like satin retain moisture and limits airflow, which may further result in irritation as well as friction. It also promotes the growth of yeast and harmful bacteria, which can ultimately trigger infections. 

Aside from satin, other fabrics that may induce infections include sweaty workout clothing, wet swimsuits, to name but a few.

ii. Avoid douching 

Your vagina has a way of taking care of itself. It has the capability of auto cleansing itself, and by nature, it releases some substances to help eliminate germs and bacteria from the body. Therefore, shun douching or making use of harsh cleaners and soaps as they can alter your natural pH balance, trigger irritation, or even clear good bacteria from your female organ.

Another reason to shun douching is that it only tries to hide the smell, rather than solving the root cause of the problem. For instance, people with a common vaginal infection called ‘bacterial vaginosis’ can cause the vagina to smell like a rotten fish. Douching your vagina for this purpose can never eliminate the infection. You should rather use warm water and mild soap to the vulva or better still seek the advice of your physician.

iii. Eat right

A healthy vagina isn’t just a matter of cleaning it regularly. You have to combine it with a healthy diet. There are some foods that contain “good-for-you” bacteria that can help boost the overall health of your vagina. Typical examples are – yogurt with live cultures, cranberry, to name but a few.

iv. Use fresh towels

Improper handling or cleaning of your towel and washcloths are unhealthy as such a habit can attract bacteria and thus expose you to myriads of infections. Therefore, make sure you wash and replace your towel as well as washcloths immediately after you use them.

v. Stay clean at all times

Although this may sound simple, but the truth is that it can help improve the overall health of your vagina. Use a toilet paper to wipe your vaginal area [from front to back] until there is no any residue on the paper anymore. This is a great way to inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria that may result in infections. Also, change your panty liners regularly and be sure to always change your sanitary pads and tampons on a regular basis during menstruations. 

4. Proper foot care

Here are some hygiene tips for your feet:

i. Wear shoes that fit properly. Wearing too-tight shoes can result in long-term foot problems, so make sure you wear the right shoe size to shield yourself against such.

ii. Choose breathable footwear. To maintain healthy feet, wear shoes that give room for fresh air to circulate down there. Also, if you have sweaty feet, you wear shoes that are made with mesh fabrics to allow for maximum air.

iii. Avoid sharing footgear: sharing footgear and socks with others may expose you to certain fungal infections, therefore be sure to wear only your own footgear at all times.

iv. Cut your toenails properly. Cut your nails regularly and never be tempted to trim it too close to the skin. This may result in pain and discomfort. 

5. Switch your pillowcase every couple of days to avoid acne.

Every day you use your pillowcase, it builds up bed bugs, dust mites, oils, dirt, and sweat, meaning that it is capable of harboring bacteria that can trigger acne, blackheads, illness, allergies, or damage your skin. This is why most experts often recommend washing your pillowcase with soap and hot water every two days [at max] to protect against health complications linked with a dirty pillowcase.

6. Clean your bellybutton

The belly button is one of the body parts that most people ignore when taking a bath. However, it will interest you to know that having a dirty belly button is inimical to your health and can expose you to myriads of health conditions, including Yeast infection, Omphaloliths, bad smell, etc. To prevent the aforementioned, clean your bellybutton at least once every week. 

7. Shower at night before going to bed. 

The importance of taking a shower at night before going to bed can never be overemphasized. To start with, taking a shower at this hour of the day can help reduce the risk of acne, get rid of the residue off your body, improve your sleep quality, promote healthier skin, to name but a few.

OTHER HYGIENE TIPS FOR PLUS-SIZE WOMEN

• Clip your fingernails to avoid bacterial infection, fungal infection, food poisoning, self-induced injury, inward nail growth, and the likes.
• Scrape your tongue and floss regularly to prevent bad breath.
• Wash your mouth with hydrogen peroxide and saline water for excellent oral health.
• Wash between your toes to prevent infections.
• Keep your pelvic region shaved to shield against infections
• Change your underwear regularly 
• Avoid wearing a tight bra
• Wash after every sexual intercourse.

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Collins Nwokolo

Collins Nwokolo is a human physiologist, writer and health enthusiast. He loves writing helpful articles on health and fitness, which he enjoys sharing with everyone.