HEALTH

Your Bod

Bathroom mistakes you're probs making (and how to clean up your act)

 

Bathrooms are a total breeding ground for bad habits. A lot of super personal stuff goes on in there (and it’s not likely that you’re talking about it with your girls), so chances are you might be developing some pretty nasty bathroom behavior. To save you from having to bring it up with your buds -or worse, your Mom! - we’ve rounded up some of the most common mistakes girls make in the bathroom (and their solutions).

Putting hair on the shower wall

What we do: It’s such a simple mistake- you’re shampooing your hair and some gets stuck on your hand (ugh), so you decide to put it on the wall. You tell yourself that you’ll remember to clean it up before you leave, but next thing ya know, you’re wrapped in your towel and headed down the hall.

What we should do: If you know this is something that you’re likely to do, set a tissue outside your shower as a reminder to clean your hair up immediately. That way, you won’t freak out the person who showers after you or cause grody drain buildup. 

Waiting for someone to leave before you do your business. 

What we do: It doesn’t really matter how badly we have to go-if someone else is there, most of us try to sit as silently as possible in our stall and wait for the other person to leave before we continue. No, it doesn’t make sense, but for some reason, it’s an activity that seems too private and personal to let anyone else overhear. (You just better hope that the person next to you isn’t trying the same thing.)

What we should do: Just go. We all do it, and as embarrassing it feels, it’s not like the person the next stall over is going to think you’re some kind of gross freak for doing something perfectly natural. Besides, sometimes holding it in can cause constipation and – in rare cases - serious bowel problems.

Wiping the wrong way

What we do: A lot of girls think that the way you clean yourself after using the bathroom is a matter of personal preference. Hint: it shouldn’t be.

What we should do: Always, always, always go front to back. Going the other way can cause a transfer of bacteria and lead to infections down there.

Wearing the same pad for an entire day

What we do: This is an easy trap to fall into. It may be the end of your cycle, or changing your pad frequently grosses you out, or you just plain don’t feel like it. We’ve all done it, but most of us don’t take the time to consider what that marathon pad-sesh actually does to our body (like constricting airflow and letting bacteria grow more easily).

What we should do: Seriously- change it. Not only can you get an infection, but your pad might begin to smell after awhile, and then you’ll have a whole other problem on your hands. It’s easier to just keep it clean and switch it out every 4-6 hours.

So will you be switching up how ya do things in the bathroom? Share in the comments below.

We want to hear from you! Send us your weirdest body questions here (seriously, we'll answer anything!) and it just might get featured.

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by Alexa Matthews | 1/1/2018
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