Teen hygiene

Some young teens avoid the commonly accepted routines of personal care: regular showers, twice-a-day teeth brushing, clean socks and underwear. Although your child's body is maturing (she menstruates, she sweats, and her skin is oilier), she may decide that she doesn't want to shower more than twice a week. In fact, twice a week is the average for early teens. Some shower less often, particularly boys.

What are parents to do? As with most everything else during this phase of your child's life, accept that she can make more decisions on her own, and negotiate, don't demand. It's her changing body, after all. Offer to pick up a favourite shampoo. Stock up on deodorizing insoles, and when the TV room takes on the odour of smelly feet, suggest that your teen use them.

The aversion to soap and water is of relatively short duration in a teen's life. By the time they're fourteen or so, most girls would no more go out of the house with greasy hair than they would go to school with a bag over their head. Boys may avoid soap and water a little longer, but by about age sixteen, they no longer fight the daily shower. Share the following information with them.

Sweat glands
Sweat glands are activated during puberty, producing a substance that interacts with bacteria to cause body odour. Body odour occurs mostly in the underarms, around the genitals, and in the feet. Physical exertion and psychological stress can cause sweating. Lots of teenagers get clammy hands or break out in a sweat when they're nervous. Deodorants (designed to mask odour) and antiperspirants (designed to mask odour and prevent wetness) can help, although they're not a replacement for regular bathing, as some teens seem to think. Letting the body cool down after a hot shower before applying deodorant or antiperspirant will make either more effective.