Poor hygiene not only makes us more susceptible to illness, but affects our social and professional lives.
Therefore maintaining hygiene is important if you want to preserve your physical and social livelihood.
But even the neatest clean freaks make these following common hygiene mistakes, which you should be mindful of avoiding:
Wearing shoes without socks
Wearing shoes without socks is supposed to be the fashion antithesis of sandals with socks, but it unfortunately has a downside.
“On average your feet will sweat half a pint a day; that’s a lot to be pouring out straight into your shoe without it being absorbed by a sock,” says Emma Stevenson from the College of Podiatry, England.
Not only will your feet stink, you’ll be prone to blisters and even fungal infections. If you really can’t stand socks, consider investing in some ‘invisible socks’. Stevenson also suggests putting dry tea bags in your shoes overnight to lap up any excess sweat.
Not cleaning your makeup brushes
You clean your face with makeup brushes, meaning all that dirt, dead skin cells, and bacteria have all piled into those fine bristles. Besides ruining your makeup job, uncleaned brushes can make your face more prone to breakouts, infections, and blemishes.
These consequences only get more dire when you share brushes with friends. It’s a friendly gesture…assuming you want higher risks of staph infections, pink eyes, and other facial problems.
Related: Why Do Scientists Want to Ban the Global Hazard known as Glitter?
Using Q-Tips to remove ear wax
It feels great, but you shouldn’t be cotton swabbing your ears with Q-Tips. They can damage the canal or ear drum, risking temporary or permanent hearing loss.
‘I need a solution to my ear wax though,’ you might be thinking, and the good news is you can just leave it alone. Dr. Robert Shmerling from the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center says a normal amount of wax is needed to moisturize and prevent contaminants from reaching your inner ear.
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