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It's easy to observe good hygiene and stay healthy with these simple grooming tips
Good hygiene habits are easy to maintain if you make them a regular part of your daily routine. So what can you do to keep yourself looking great and smelling of roses?
Crowning glory
Let's start at the top.  If every day is a bad hair day,  you need to rethink your hair routine.
Did you know that washing only your hair  while neglecting your scalp just strips oil from the hair,  leaving  it dull, coarse and unmanageable?
Follow these top tips from the American Academy of Dermatology for  fabulous-looking hair every day
Use a  conditioner that contains protein to increase hair strength
Handle hair as little as possible; in particular, don't brush it too much
Use '2-in-1' shampoos that remove oil from the scalp and clean the hair, then use separate conditioner  if  your hair is damaged or chemically treated
If you use hairspray, choose one which contains sunscreen to  prevent protein breakdown and stop hair  colour  fading
Bright smiles
Regular teeth brushing and yearly dental check-ups are vital if you want to keep those pearly whites healthy and strong.
Brushing your teeth at least twice a day helps  minimise the amount of bacteria in your mouth which can lead to tooth decay.
The Oral Health Survey conducted by Hong Kong's Department of Health showed that although most adults brushed their teeth twice a day, 99 per cent  still showed signs of gum disease.
Clearly   brushing  alone  isn't enough to keep problems at bay and we need to floss.
According to the survey, only 24 per cent of adults floss every day. Flossing helps  reduce plaque in those difficult-to-reach places like between your teeth, gum margins and at the back of your molars. Make flossing  part of your bedtime routine.
Smelling of roses
Have you ever  walked into a classroom and wished you had a surgical mask on? Body odour affects many teens. It's natural to sweat - it's  how your body cools you down.
Although sweat itself doesn't smell, when it mixes  with bacteria,  the smell can leave you gasping for air.
To keep body odour at bay, take a bath or shower once  a day and exfoliate your body  once a week to get rid of  dead, dry skin.
Teenage girls should shave their legs and underarms, while boys should shave facial hair to reduce the area of skin where bacteria can grow.
Zapping zits
Acne is common in teens - nearly eight out of 10 teens  experience it - it's a normal part of growing up.
The best way to avoid  breakouts is to keep your face clean in the first place.  Teenage skin produces  a lot of oil, so it's important to wash morning and night with warm water and a mild cleanser to prevent pores from clogging up.
Don't forget to  apply an oil-free  moisturiser with sunscreen afterwards.
If you do  get a  spot,  don't squeeze or pick it with your fingernails -  this pushes the bacteria even deeper into the skin and causes the skin to become more inflamed.
If you do have acne, over-the-counter  products containing salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide will help clear it up and prevent  further spots.
Hand-washing - a habit for life
Washing your hands is  one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of communicable diseases, such as flu and colds. Touching your eyes and nose with hands contaminated with germs is a common route of infection.
Contaminated hands are also great vehicles for spreading germs to other people and objects.
The Department of Health says, hands should be washed:
Before touching the eyes, nose and mouth
Before eating or handling food
After using the toilet
After coughing or sneezing
After touching things like escalator handrails, elevator control panels or door knobs
After changing nappies or similar items when looking after young children or the sick
Visit the Centre for Health Protections website at www.chp.gov.hk for more information about proper hand-washing techniques.
Frequency of dental check-ups among 2,047 adults interviewed in Behavioural Risk Factors Survey, Department of Health, 2006
Frequency (Percentage)
No dental check-ups (55.8%)
1 or more a year (38.8%)
Once every 2 years (4.3%)
Once every 3 years (0.9%)
Less than one every 3 years (?0.1%)
Can't remember (0.2%)



As clean as  a whistle