Hygiene-Let’s pull ourselves together

Reza Rants-Hygiene

(Some strong language in this video, if this bothers you…don’t watch)

I have noticed something in the past 10 years. People are looking crazy. Really. Do you remember watching old-fashioned movies and seeing pictures of your relatives back in the day? They looked good. Period. They may have had 2 or 3 pair of shoes and a couple of changes of clothes but they looked crisp and smelled good. This wasn’t easy to do btw because they had fewer conveniences than what we have in this day in age. Clothes may or may not have been washed in a machine and a lot of times clothes were hung out to dry. Then, you had to iron your clothes after taking them off the line. Super labor intensive.

So, I wonder how did we go from this:

To this:

ok-This picture was from Denver’s 2012 Zombie Crawl

But, I got your attention. People used to look amazing on basically a daily basis. I think I know why it tapered off, we got busier and it takes time to look good. But, I can’t tell you how many times a relative “clean” looking person has sat next to me on the bus and they smelled FOUL! They haven’t brushed their teeth, they are eating foods that can’t be good for them because they’re off-gasing and all I want to do is switch seats (or run away) but I can’t because the bus is full. Or, have you looked at someone and thought…when was the last time you washed your clothing? I am talking about hygiene because if you’re in the process of changing your life, then everything is up for examination, everything. I have found out a couple of things about myself that I didn’t want to admit:

1.) The deeper into the financial hole that I got, the messier my home got. It’s wasn’t filthy btw. But, there was a level of slightly o.c.d. cleaning that I used to do on a regular basis that I wasn’t doing during that time. I am happy to report that I am getting back into that habit and I am  a hell of a lot happier when I leave and return home

2.) Fitness was lost in the mix. I love, love, love being active. But, I failed to keep up with my fitness as I became more and more overwhelmed by my situation. This resulted in a weight gain of 25 pounds in the past 5 years, as well as, the loss of a beloved stress reliever. I am currently working on ways to seamlessly incorporate fitness back into my life. I love dance and have decided to take some dance classes again, as well as going to the gym.

3.) My appearance-I used to LOVE dressing up for the day. There is a reason why I called this blog “The Shop My Closet Project!”. When you think about it, when you dress it’s almost as if you’re playing a role for the day. Worker, happy hour participant, mom, dad, fitness addict, theater goer. I love dressing with an intention for the day. But, the deeper in the hole I got the sloppier I got. I was clean, but I wasn’t showing myself at my best.  I didn’t feel good about myself…and it showed. This probably affected: my chance to be promoted, dating situations, and of course my self-esteem…so, that affected everything else.

I am hoping that none of these issues are a problem for you. But, in my time reading personal finance blogs I’ve noticed that fitness, cleanliness, and self-esteem seem to be topics that pop up quite frequently. I have also noticed that as people have turned their finances around they would report success in other areas of their life such as-losing weight, getting rid of clutter, etc.

1.) Drink a lot of water-flush your system out.

2.) Wash your clothes! Geez. I don’t think it’s bad to wear a pair of pants more than once because you love the planet, but, if you think your stuff is starting to smell…then, it does.

3.) Brush your teeth. Use some Crest whitening strips or some whitening toothpaste

4.) Simple manicures. You don’t even have to paint your nails with color. Just keep them cut short if and filed evenly. Put some topcoat on and keep it simple. But, if you like to paint your nails with color then freshen up your manicure once it starts to chip.

5.) Iron…or, hang up your clothes super fast after taking them out of the dryer so that they don’t wrinkle.

6.) Deodorant is your friend (and ours!)

7.) Dark jeans dress up a casual look

8.) A little perfume (or cologne) never hurts
9.) For the love of all that’s holy-No more pants hanging past your butt. Why does that continue to be so popular? Especially, when your pants are hanging so low that you can’t walk.
10.) Comb and wash your hair-why is this so hard? There is even dry shampoo for people who are in a hurry.
11.) Feel good about yourself! Remember, we believe what you project.

A simple, but well put together casual look