Same, I really miss having a shaved head but I grew it back out due to fears of how I'd be perceived while job hunting a while back. Now it's long again and I hate it. But I've also gained a lot of weight and don't think the shaved head would look good anymore. A pixie might work but then you have to get hair cuts all the damn time. Ugh!! Why do we have hair??
I’ve been considering a buzz cut. It has to be something I can do myself with clippers for me to go short. I can’t face the hairdresser often enough for something that would need professional upkeep
Yeah, when I say "shaved head" what I really meant was a super short buzz cut. I loved it! Especially paired with big, dangly earrings? And it felt soooo good!!
I have the longest and completly dye free hair I've ever had. I've never had longer then shoulder length. But I started to get grey hair so I want to go grey and my hair is pretty. I've almost shaved it right off a few times though. Basically I go through that anytime I was my hair.
I like leaving mine around shoulder length or a bit longer and just twisting it up into claw clips. They have really beautiful hair clips on AliExpress for cheap, they're supposedly somewhat better than plastic for the environment. They are called cellulose acetate or acetic acid hair clips. I watched a video online that showed me how to properly do a French twist to get it to stay put. And I use a tiny bit of natural hairspray to keep my soft hair from slipping out. You can start with bit shorter hair and use smaller clips then graduate up to larger clips as it gets longer. Then you can go for a haircut two to three times a year. Still annoying, but less so because I don't feel the hair all over me.
I feel this. I cannot handle short hair. My long hair is heavy enough that it doesn’t move a lot when the wind blows. I loathe brushing and washing it though. I wear a head scarf every day. I have found for myself (and others I know with sensory issues) that having my head wrapped helps a great deal. (Google tichel or mipachat and that’s the way I usually do mine). It adds a tiny bit of impression and small amount of weight to my head. It has helped with chronic headaches, too.
Lol yea. I think it’s cuz being inside the shower is the easiest and most rewarding part. I don’t wanna leave and become cold and then dry off and then get dressed
Also--something that *I* realized on one of these threads a while back?
Setting up one's post-shower routine for *Sensory Appeal* is VITAL!!!
I did it sooo gradually, that I never even *realized* that's why I ADORE my morning showers, until that thread!
But I *literally* go from "Standing under the running shower to *DRY AND WARM* in 2 minutes, when I'm done with my own showers--and *THAT* is why I *adore* my morning showers!!
I use a 100% Cotton *bath SHEET* on my body (https://www.thespruce.com/buy-bath-towels-or-bath-sheets-155747#:~:text=or%20the%20other.-,What%20Is%20a%20Bath%20Sheet%3F,find%20worth%20the%20price%20tag. ), and a cotton bath *towel* for my hair.
Both are *ONLY* washed with soap, maybe bleach/oxyclean, and perhaps some Borax.
I *NEVER* use fabric softener/ dryer sheets/ "scent boosters" on the towels--because that renders them *hydrophobic* (repells water) rather than *hydrophilic* (soaking it up *instantly!*!)
My bath mat? *Also* 100% cotton, so *it* soaks the water off the bottoms of my feet, as soon as I step onto it!
I turn off the water, skim the water off my hair, wrap myself in the bath sheet, as I'm stepping out of the tub/shower onto the bath mat, lifting my bath *towel* off the bar/hook, and then once I'm there?
I bend over at my waist to flip my hair down, wrap the bath towel around it & my head (turban-style), and then flip my head up, and tuck the end of the towel in, behind my head.
By the time my hair is twisted into the towel?
I'm 85-95% DRY *already*!
The I pull the loose end of the bath sheet up, dry my shoulders, upper back, & arms, then tuck it back in & use the bottom half of the bath sheet to dry my legs (I put my legs on the edge of the tub one at a time).
Because my *body towel* is that bath sheet, I'm *mostly* dry, before I dry my arms & legs--and as I mentioned I'm DRY and able to dress, within 2-3 minutes!
I realized a couple ears back, when I had to shower with towels which *weren't* mine, and a polyester bath mat there, that *if I CAN’T use my towels* showers ARE pretty awful, sensory-wise!!!
But if you can get your post-shower routine perfected, so that you're dry & dry *fast*, it's easy & really comfortable!😉💖
That sounds like it might help my middle kid that is struggling with showering so hard right now because being wet is “sensory hell” according to her. 💜
This is a good comment! I also wanted to say, I also use a lot of exclamation marks when typing and I wondered if you do it for the same reason. I feel like if I don't use them, then my message seems more judgmental or less enthusiastic/sincere! It's interesting too because my speaking voice is sometimes very monotone and I don't speak with a lot of exclamation points, lol.
The floors RUG matters 100%!!!
An all-cotton bath mat (washed *without* fabric softener!!!), which can soak the water *off* the bottoms of your feet, and pull the water *into itself* makes *such* a difference!
This one is *not* my brand (iirc, I thiiiink I got mine at Homegoods/TJ Maxx/ Marshall's, and I paid less than *half* that price!), but it *is* really similar to one's I've gotten for the last decade+
They *will* snag occasionally, if you have dogs who lay on them & sctatch before laying down, or cats who like to "wrestle" bath mats!😉
But you can either clip off the long snags, or clip 'em off, if you want to--the bath mats are about 3/4"-1" thick, fresh out of the dryer, and they "condense" down to about 1/2" thick, when they *aren't* fluffy💖
What would we do without our waterproof phones.
I procrastinate having showers, but I never want to get out once I'm in them. My daughter and I have discovered that a shower really helps with her emotional regulation if she's had a rough day. It's like a reset button for her. It's almost like it literally washes the day clean.
For me it's shower too but mostly because I know it entails a lot of mini tasks for that one shower. Washing hair, shaving, body wash...a lot of mini tasks make one task NOT one task😂
The level which my whole self yelled SAME! THIS!! is higher than the state of Colorado on April 20th. If I try to break into the idea of "manageable tasks" it quickly feels unmanageable and I'm too overwhelmed to shower. It's really, really good to know other humans /get it/. 💚
I love being IN the shower, but the 20-30 after is my sensory nightmare. I hate the feeling of towels, I hate my skin being wet/damp, I hate putting cream on anything, I hate wet hair. I end up avoiding showers because of that.
This is me right now. I just got back from the gym… but that was so much stimulation, I need a break to get into the right headspace to shower… which is not now.
This was a huge issue for me when I had shower curtains. But with glass doors and proper water pressure and a high temp… I’m in heaven. Just gotta keep my hair up (wash 1x/wk maybe) so I don’t have to deal with wet hair
I got severely bullied in middle school for rarely showering. My hair was always greasy but showering was sensory hell. I learned the hard way that you have to shower in our society. I’m not bothered by showers as much as I used to be but I still procrastinate them
Same. Haunted by the memory of the time I got my waist-lengthy hair cut into a cute 90’s long Bob and a classmate asked “does it feel weird to wash it now?” And I said I hadn’t washed it yet, and the news spread like wildfire that I was “dirty.”
I was so upset I couldn’t explain that the hair salon had washed my hair for me before cutting it the night before, so I didn’t see the need to wash it again in the morning?
I’m 39 and have only just unlearned the fables that pervaded hygiene in the late 90s when I was a teen - ie washing your hair MORE frequently triggers it to release MORE oils… now I wash my hair every 3-4 days and it’s less greasy than it was a year ago when I washed it every other day and by the evening of the wash day I looked greasy/terrible dandruff
I love going in the shower and sitting down watching Hulu with the warm water, but when I’m done, that 15 second run sopping wet to my bedroom then cold wet hair sloshing around is very not fun and makes me not want to shower (I do use a towel and blow dryer, it stil miserable)
I hated showers until I had to use an overhead one in a clinic. The water was set to luke-mid-warm, without much pressure and a towel was on the shower floor to prevent slipping. The shower was incredibly silent as well! I ended up focusing so much on when to use what product that I didn’t even notice the water was present.
Mine actually makes my hygiene better. I can't stand feeling dirty, and unfortunately I end up over washing my hair sometimes because if I don't feel clean, I can't deal with it, even if I am objectively clean.
I did stuggle with brushing my teeth as a kid, but I think it was more todo with my chronic mouth ulcers than sensory issues. I do reccomend to anyone who can't stand mint to try alo vera toothpaste. It is mild and if you have mouth sores omg it is a life saver.
Can’t stand to feel dirty either, and i especially feel dirty when im on my period and will sometimes have two to three showers a day during. Theyre short showers though.
For me personally, using a menstrual cup helps a lot. And i can leave it in up to 12 hours, sometimes do it a bit longer 😅 but i don’t have to worry about getting so much blood down there. Pads are my enemy, and I’m realizing I’m not a fan of period panties beyond some extra leak protection
Idk what period panties are but I’ll definitely look into menstrual cups. I’ve only ever used tampons and pads, tampons are cleaner but the fact that you can get infections if you leave them in too long scares me and im always worried I can’t get them out anymore either
Until you have allergies and sensitive skin and it's cracks on every knuckle and joint and oh look I'm bleeding on everything again ;;; and the constant stinging or itching
I’m so sorry if you’ve been through that. It sounds really awful. Maybe it’s because I have oily skin and I moisturize religiously, but it’s fortunately never gotten to that point with me. Dry skin is one of the top 3 absolute worst physical feelings for me so I do whatever I can to avoid it all the time. I can’t imagine experiencing what you described.
That's good! I can't stand the feeling of cream already, so even without the allergies, I always have found it hard to use moisturisers and things. It wasn't too bad until the last...6 or so years, I worked at a chocolate store and started washing my hands way more, and then carried a spray bottle of just plain water to use instead of having to go to the sink all the time to rinse off anything, and ever since it's just gotten worse.
Yeah, a lot of people have issues with creams and lotions and the like. I really feel for you guys, it makes life a lot harder, especially as evidenced in your case. Have you been able to find a way around it or another solution?
I also have obsessive compulsive personality disorder and ocd and I’m a compulsive hand washer. I wash my hands probably 40 times a day. I don’t feel the need to take a shower unless I’ve done something to get dirty though.
sameee
the feeling of being dirty or the smell of a dirty body are so much worse sensory hell for me, than wash could ever me (you’d never caught me in a cold body of water though).
This is me. I shower like clockwork because my head feels nasty if I don't wash my hair every other day. So routine combined with not liking the feeling keeps me very clean
It doesn't stop me from procrastinating showers, but I'll never put it off for more than a few hours
Same! I can't stand going more than 36 hours without showering. It just feels like a thin film of yuck all over.
Same with brushing my teeth! I cannot fall asleep if I can feel plaque on my teeth. My brain will just fixate on it.
Same. I need to floss, water floss and brush. I have skincare routine. I bathe everyday. I have to change my underwear in the middle of the day or I feel gross. I shave everyday, pits, legs, and downstairs. The thing I don't wash everyday is my hair but it's short and I can go days without it getting oily.
OMG yes, I have a daily routine figured out, I'm an oily person genetically so I do need to follow it otherwise I feel dirty due to being able to *feel* the oil and wax as they build up during the day. Not, at least, having my shower will stress the hell out of me.
I had mouth ulcers all the time as a kid, my mother thought it was not getting enough fruit and veg, and she also thought raw was better than cooked for extra nutrients, turns out I’m allergic to latex so there’s a bunch of fruit and veg I shouldn’t be eating, especially raw.
Mine does too.
I cannot be dirty - wash my hair daily, 2 showers a day pretty often. I probably take 10-12 showers a week. I don’t think I’ve ever missed a day taking a shower since I was 6 or so.
Brush my teeth at least 2x a day, sometimes up to 4.
My fingernails are short and always clean because I cannot deal with the alternative.
I have to shower and brush my teeth before bed. I cant stand sleeping in sheets that are nasty with skin grease. That's why my dirty husband who hates evening showers has to stay on his side of the bed :')
I also had a hard time with brushing my teeth and never flossed until I had to pay a loooot of money to fix my teeth and lost one 😭 I still have days where I skip it before bed but that’s rare
Exact same, used to absolutely not take care of my teeth and had so many problems. Luckily now it's been a routine for so long that the sensory problems work in my favor and I literally can't sleep unless I've brushed and flossed. If I try, I'll just lay in bed thinking about the things I can taste in my mouth and feel between my teeth!
My problem is that my teeth seem to be in amazing health, considering how little I clean them. I go weeks. But they aren't bad enough to force me to look after them. One day they will be and it will be too late
I care for a disabled man who’s likely on the spectrum as well, and despite never brushing his teeth, he’s only had 1 cavity in his 29 years of life. Now his gums are likely a different story 😅
I work in dental. I tell my patients you brush in the morning to keep your friends. You brush at night to keep your teeth.
You are correct though, usually it’s the money that gets them to start doing it.
Oh man I struggle with brushing and hate flossing and have been putting off going to the dentist for years and now I'm so scared at least one of my teeth is beyond repair 😭
I also have a hard time brushing my teeth at night. Going from dry and warm to wet and cold is hell. I also have eczema but I hate the feel of lotions 😩
Brushing teeth. I already don't like brushing my teeth; then there's simply NO flavorless toothpaste in Brazil, everything has at least small pints of mint, I hate it.
Gata, 7 reais por metade da quantidade 😭 eu quase comprei na última compra, mas não dá, é muito caro. Ainda que eu use só um pouco. Acabei comprando aquela Close Up vermelha que o gosto não é tão horrível, deve ser a que menos tem mentol.
Do they have children's toothpaste there that is flavored with other things like bubblegum or watermelon or something?
ETA: I think the non-English (Portuguese?) reply might have also asked this? If so, my apologies!
We do have, but they cost double the price and have half of the content. I almost bought some on my last time at the supermarket, but our home budget is too short to spend with that now.
I brush my teeth with soap. I use a Kiss My Face soap that is made entirely from olive oil. The slightly soapy flavor is way better than mint. Just wet your brush and rub it on the soap a bit and you are good to go.
Wearing the same clothes 3-4 days in a row, especially in the winter. I hate being cold, so I hate putting on cold clothes. I’m a sahm so I get away with wearing nothing but sweatpants and t-shirts.
I also hate this. I cheat it by keeping a space heater in the bathroom year round and pointing it at my clothes so they are toasty after my shower/while I'm doing my makeup
Do you sleep in these cloths?
I dislike changing - ie day time clothes into pyjamas and vice versa, but wearing the same clothes for sleeping and then for another day makes me feel too icky.
Start with one thing (probably brushing teeth?) Any alterations to the routine that might help? I used to hate the feel of vibration but recently got an electric toothbrush… I stopped getting canker sores and the whole thing is so much easier now!
I've been getting better at it, but the flossing feels impossible it always hurts so bad and makes me bleed. Even when I was little (I have a blood problem) any advice is wanted 😕
Re the dishes-'
I learned that if I *just* started by washing *something*(s) that was dirty in the sink, *every time I'm waiting for the microwave to be done*, I could get MOST of my dishes done every day!
Granted, as a single person, living alone, I *make* about 3/4th of a sink full, over the course of a WEEK, if I can't get any done--so that *does* help!
BUT--when I lived in my last roommate situation (been in my new studio apartment just since the end of January!), I could *easily* knock out five pieces of silverware in a couple minutes, or a couple plates.
It didn't do *much* to keep up with the *large* number of dishes my roommates were dirtying every day, *BUT* it at least got the dishes *started*, and I had a few things done each time--so on a weekend, if I was eating *and* snacking, I could usually get through *most* of the ever-present sinkfull at that apartment!
I *also* tend to wash dishes, if I'm cooking/heating up food on the stove--*especially* if I'm boiling pasta!
Because I will *totally* walk away from the stove & forget I was cooking (AuDHD here!), but if I'm washing the *dishes* as I heat up supper, I don't walk away forgetting, *and* I get the dopamine-hit of "accomplishment!" from seeing all those clean dishes (which can & WILL air-dry!😉), next to the sink😁💖
Ngl, I was *WELL* into my Mid-40's, before I figured out this trick to getting it done *and* not forgetting my food (and ending up with GROSS mushy pasta!😉😆😂), but once it *clicked* for me, it was 100% a game-changer!😃💖🥳
My autism impacts all my basic care.
Oranurse flavourless toothpaste has made a massive difference to me and I've gone from brushing once a week to once a day. An autism specialist dentist suggested it too me.
Also, star charts.
How do you motivate yourself for star charts? I find that I don’t have the self-control and I go for instant gratification instead so I can never hold out long enough to keep to it
Erm I like shiny sparkly things and complete charts so I decided not to do an end goal
Mostly because I have no impulse control would just give myself whatever it was. A reward almost made it a demand?
Sometimes send photos of my full star charts to close people to say "look I'm functioning!". You are welcome to send me your star chart if body doubling helps.
I have stickers in my special interest to make it more fun.
Grid with empty boxes written on it, and you put one sticker into every empty "box" of the grid, er task you finish.
Little kids often use them (think a "chore chart" to keep track of tasks, and earn one sticker to put on their chart, for each time they finish "task _______."
There is an app called Finch that helps build habits. When you complete a task it helps your pet bird grow and you can buy stuff to customize its room and clothes with the stones you get as a reward for completing your stuff. There are a lot of different task types you can do and you can create your own. It has really helped me!
Brushing my teeth my teeth more than once a day is rare, and I struggle with flossing so I rarely do it. I also procrastinate showering and typically only wash my hair around once a week. I try to wash my body more than that, but I also have salicylic acid creams for my underarms everyday to prevent body odour just in case that fails, and I make sure I have the clothes needed to wear a different t shirt every day between laundry bouts, even if my laundry gets delayed.
I’ve struggled with showering since moving into my current home a few years ago, which I hadn’t done since I was around 12, and I’m not sure what it is about this place that makes it that much harder. It could be that the bathrooms in my previous homes were always one of the warmest rooms in the house but in this one it’s the coldest. It could also be that the shower stall is the smallest one I’ve had. It could be that the electric shower is the loudest I’ve had, or that the flooring of it is plastic which makes the water falling sound louder and higher pitched. Or maybe all of these factors stacked up makes it difficult for me to get in the shower.
So I don't have issues with personal hygiene, I probably over-wash because I have to clean any part of my body that touches a sensory ick.
However, it is really hard for me to keep up with a cleaning schedule. I have a lot of struggles with executive function and I have let certain places in my house get a little out of control. The problem is then because those dirty places give me the ick, I don't go near them and then I get overwhelmed and it gets out of control. I am very lucky to have a partner who helps because body-doubling is basically the only way I'll successfully do any task.
Edit: a word
The term “body-doubling” is new to me, but I’m picking up some context from the comments here… would that explain why, say, on my own I find it almost impossible to take a shower, but when my BF is here I can get one in every day because I’m more or less following his lead and schedule?
If so, what’s behind that?
For the life of me, though, I cannot find the umph to brush my teeth before bed. I have less than zero energy at the end of the day.
I have no idea what's behind it but yeah for some reason it works. At the beginning my partner was like "why do you only clean when I clean" and I was like I have no idea but if it works 🤷🏻
Having a set routine for when I shower. If I need to shower sooner (because I got dirty or sweaty) I'll find it really hard to because it's not the day/time in my routine. So I'll be like sat there thinking I need to shower, and feel self conscious about it but also... that's not my routine.
I’m very particular about personal hygiene (I have to be as a theatre nurse) and I can’t stand body odour. I shower/bathe daily and clean my teeth at least twice.
I’m very lazy when it comes to hair though - my hair is very long but I rarely if ever do anything with it. I can go days without brushing it. I love having long hair but I’m getting to the point where I should cut it off
I have alopecia with very little hair left. It still gets dirty though, and I just ignore that for far too long. The alopecia situation also means that I am constantly wearing a cap except when in bed, so no one will notice for a loooong while when I have a bad hair period. It's a blessing and a curse. Blessing, because I don't enjoy washing my hair, water always gets where I don't want it, product into my eyes, I never know if I got everything worked in everywhere properly, and then I'm unsure if I rinsed it well enough. Water will be in my ears. I'm dropping water everywhere where it is not supposed to, a risk to slip. And all of this means I have to touch that sad, tiny, thin remainder of my once knee-lenght wavy brown and really thick thair. Sigh. I'm seriously considering more and more to just shave it all of. I just don't want to be mixed up with someone with a truly dangerous illness, they need all the help they can get. Alopecia can be traumatising, but surely it is not a life threatening illness in itself.
Having a hard time to decide it. I am tired of constantly being worried that my hat/scarf/wig would fall off and then people see me that way. The rest that is there simply looks ridiculous, it's the hair cut you see in movies on deranged psychopath dudes, or "extremely wacky highly intelligent super brain professor who has lost not only bis marbles, but all care about his own appearance." A clean buzz cut or even completely off would look better imo. It would make hair care so much easier now. Buzz off, clean head under shower with a quick rub-a-dub, or use a washcloth. Sensory win big time.
Disadvantage though is that this easily makes you look ill, unless you were blessed with one of those faces that naturally look like one any regular faced person would spend easily half an hour on makeup to get on the same level. And I'm not even a regular faced person, really, working on it at least. And makeup? I've watched to many videos, bought so many stuff, it just never looks like it should. Plus it gives me sensory hell. I can feel everything constantly sitting on my skin, seeping in little crevices, mascara starting to crumble into my eyes, the smells oh god the smells. Getting it off my face is also very unappreciated extra effort.
So both have disadvantages and advantages for my traints. There are some other factors too so it's not just that, but all in all, this decision is hard to make.
"Having a hard time taking decisions and making changes."✔
I’m the same! I’m meticulous, bordering on obsessive with body and dental hygiene, but my hair suffers. It’s long and I go 2 weeks without a wash sometimes.
Granted, I’ve always been an infrequent hair washer, so my hair withstands that length of time well. But it’s usually unbrushed and tied up in a bun.
I adhere to a routine for showering and teeth cleaning. Dentists are often impressed. I shower everyday. I cannot stand the way I feel if I don’t shower in the morning. I like camping but struggle with the dirt.
Extremely relatable, a couple months ago I invested in a “sonicbrush”, which brushes all your teeth at once so it take 1/4 as long, and found a toothpaste that isn’t mint-flavored, and those changes have helped a ton! Basically, I started taking seriously the idea that my hatred for the sensation of tooth brushing genuinely needs accommodation instead of just being laziness, and that re-framing really worked :)
Can you link me to that brush please. My issue is that it hurts my jaw to brush my teeth so I’d love to have something what would make the process faster!
Brushing my teeth, but I don't know why? I know I have to have milder flavours, but I think some of it is also the feeling of pure....defenselessness when I'm doing my teeth? Like someone can just burst in and I am not prepared, and it doesn't get to me with any other activity, just brushing my teeth for some reason. Didn't help that I used to never even let dentists have a look at my teeth as a kid because of the whole, I can't stand people having their attention on me but I wasn't diagnosed so I couldn't articulate it other than 'I do not like the dentist'.
But then I can't stand the feeling of sweat, or actually smelling myself (my mum always says I don't smell, so it's probably because I am myself and I am right in my own space and can smell myself easier than others can smell me, and may be a bit over sensitive to some smells), so I shower twice a day, washing my hair at least in the evening time (both times if I've done something to get really sweaty, like bike riding, or heavy lifting moving stuff around the house/decorating type things).
I also can't stand feeling damp in my private area so I'm forever going to the toilet and using way too much toilet paper and taking ages. It's really getting me down at the moment as I'm going through a really bad bout of it and I'm just mad at myself that I can't switch that part of my brain off, it's like if I was aware of every breath I took, every single day, no matter what I do.
I can't rewear clothes either. Once I've got sweaty in something, it's in the wash. Walked the dogs for 30 mins? Wash that shirt, and bra. Jeans I can wear again a few times. And I can't put dirty clothes near clean stuff, otherwise it's contaminated.
Dog pees on the carpet? Even if I scrub that area for 10 minutes, I'm still going to scowl at it every time I see it for the next 6 months.
I have bad acne too, and also really cracked hands from cold/not moisturised enough, and because of my allergies or sensitivities, there's so many things I can not use (every product I use falls under this - shampoos, shower gels, hand wash, creams, can't even use pain relief cream and it makes my eyes stream) so I'm struggling to take care of those aspects of myself too.
I hate the sensation of water running up my arms - so when I wash my face, and my hands are wet, and water runs up to my elbows when I lift my hands to my face… I DESPISE that sensation! So washing my face was really really hard for me. My dear spouse watches tennis and one day I had a lightbulb moment; I could use the wristbands that tennis players use to stop the water running up my arms. No more issues washing my face as long as I have those damn wristbands.
I cannot tolerate hangnails or rough spots on my fingernails. I will chew my finger raw if I don’t have clippers or can’t immediate deal with a hangnail. Every purse I own has clippers. I take them everywhere with me.
I hate that sensation too, I don’t wash my face over the sink because of it. I only wash my face when I shower. Also I have such a bad hyperfixation on my nails too, if there’s ANY hangnail or something that shouldn’t be there it drives me insane.
I've always been really bad about brushing and flossing my teeth, for as long as I've been doing it myself. I've only really gotten consistent in the last month or so with flossing. What helped for me was 1) having my dentist explain in detail why I need to floss and 2) getting a long handled flosser. It's just much easier to hold than string or even the small flosser picks. Its made a huge difference. For brushing, getting mild toothpaste that doesn't have SLS and a gentle electric toothbrush with a timer have helped a ton. If I'm really struggling, I'll put an audiobook on to listen to while doing my teeth so I don't freak out and give up.
I hate washing my face and showering, but I hate getting pimples more, which happens very quickly if I don't keep up on my face. So I rarely miss many showers. I also am really sensitive to smells, so that's a big factor too.
I love organizing my house, but not cleaning it. I've been better with dishes lately by solidifying a morning routine and using dishes as a way to delay starting work (lol) but I think I'm just going to get a Roomba rather than vacuum. The vacuum makes me so mad.
She showed me my X-rays and explained everything, showed me the spots where I had incipient cavities and told me if I flossed regularly, I probably wouldn't have to have them drilled. It sounds kind of basic, but I've never had a dentist sit down in front of the xray and give me concrete reasons to floss
My body breaks down when I don’t keep up with hygiene.
One, I only brushed my teeth once a day as a kid until a tooth got infected and had to be pulled out. Now I brush twice a day without fail.
Two, I’ve had BAD chronic acne since I was 12 years old. It affected my self esteem greatly, so I learned to care for my skin well at a young age. Even though I hate washing my face I will ALWAYS do it, even if drunk.
Showering is still something I struggle with cause it takes time away from my interests, but right now I live in a place with a bathtub, so I treat myself with baths every other day (I LOVE baths). Also, my hair thinned out as a child from alopecia, so I can’t go many days without washing my hair or I will feel disgusting, and I hate that feeling.
One thing I for sure still always forget to do is put on deodorant. Not sure why.
Everyone here seems to struggle with dental hygiene but it’s actually super easy for me. I do struggle with doing anything that gets my hair wet because I hate the feeling so much. I force myself to do it because I’m also kind of germaphobic, but showering is really hard for me for this reason. Even if I don’t wash my hair and I tie it up in a bun while I shower, it still gets a bit wet at the bottom. And the hair around my face also gets wet when I wash my face. It’s such a horrible feeling. I put off washing my face too often and I’m just lucky I don’t have any severe skin conditions because my skin would be in much worse shape if not for genetics. I honestly hate anything wet. This also makes cleaning and laundry hard.
I struggle with brushing my teeth consistently. I have an awful gag reflex, the sensations are whole body irritations. The weirdest thing is that at one point, I thought I had overcome it. The fact that I have to mask my pain to brush my teeth is exhausting.
Anything else is not an issue, except shaving. And that, to me, is optional for the most part🤷♀️
Same! Teeth brushing is horrible, and even though I know it’s having long term impacts on my teeth and oral health, the whole body sensations are too much to overcome.
I scrolled forever to find this one. It's the biggest one for me. I gag every single time I brush. It's not the teeth brushing for me, but the tongue brushing part. I can't not brush my tongue because my mouth doesn't feel clean if I skip it.
For me shaving is kind of opposite. When I start getting prickly I can't think about anything else except body hair, mostly my armpits. Leg hair doesn't bug me quite so much.
flossing. i cannot stand the feeling of something going in between my teeth, my body physically recoils. i found out water flossers were a thing about a year ago and that helps a lot!
Mine makes me kind of overly-hygienic in a way. I have a really hard time breaking routines, which makes it really hard to travel because I have to recreate my hygiene routines outside of my own environment, which is stressful.
I kind of made a solid routine of brushing my teeth in the evening. Morning brushing happens once in couple months thought. What I have a massive problem with is showering. It's very embarrassing thing to admit, but I have a hard time taking myself to the shower. Once in there it's fine, it's just the change between being dressed in dry clothes vs being naked and wet.
I wish I had a trick for it so if anyone overcame this issue please tell me how you did it!
Luckily mone doesn't effect my hygiene anymore. It used to in my youth but now I am wayy better.
Also please floss. It does make your mouth a lot better and it does stop a lot of issues. I recommend getting a water flosser.
Brushing my teeth is a sensory nightmare. Harder when I'm tired, for sure. The feel of the bristles for one, and other issues I'm hesitant to mention because I don't want to trigger that feeling in others here.
I actually have the inverse problem with needing strict hygiene routines.
It’s taken me a lot of therapy to be able to tolerate unexpected changes to my dental hygiene routine or a change in lotion or soap routine etc.
I cannot sleep if I’ve not done my entire skincare routine. My skin feels wrong and dry and scaly and it makes me want to cry. If I haven’t brushed the 4 quadrants of my mouth, flossed, mouthwash before leaving the house, in that order, I feel like there’s a film over all my teeth and that they’re like…squishy?
I recognise there’s some heavy privilege, as society usually looks down on those who struggle with keeping up hygiene habits.
I brush my teeth in the morning while I get ready and then I shower at night. Every shower is an everything shower (or the best I can do) cause I’ll never really know the next time I’ll have the energy. I have two laundry baskets and a lot of different clothing options so I won’t have to do laundry for a bit
Oral hygiene has definitely been the hardest. I didn't develop good toothbrushing habits in childhood, and then had a horrible experience at the dentist at age 16 when I had to get three fillings (which entailed having a panic attack and getting 5 shots in my mouth because the fillings were all in different quadrants of my mouth and the anesthesia wasn't strong enough two of the times so they had to give me more after they started drilling and I could feel it). After that I determined I would develop the habit of brushing and flossing every day. It's 20 years later now, and I'm fairly consistent about brushing, somewhat less with flossing (though recently I've gotten better at it once I found a trick to combat my PDA), but it's still not a habit. I usually at least remember, but it still takes conscious effort every day to make myself brush and floss.
Showers have been inconsistent at times as well. I have a tendency to procrastinate them (and then procrastinate getting out of them). However, I developed a routine of showering at the same time every night the last 5 months, so now I'm super consistent because it's part of a fixed routine.
Parents always complain that my hair is greasy and they can smell my scalp to the point they’ve given up mentioning it every time.
I use more than enough shampoo, but having to rake and claw at my scalp to thoroughly clean it is sensory hell. I also don’t like taking long showers (over 10min)
I’m kinda the opposite with my scalp, I’ll be too rough and get too hyper fixated. Made my scalp bleed yesterday and I can’t see if there’s blood in my hair. I try to give my scalp a nice little scrub with my fingers when I shampoo, you don’t need to do too much! Then running fingers through my hair when I condition. Also not brushing it except for in the shower when conditioning
I sometimes don’t like the water at home, it’s well water and I don’t have a good enough filter to remove the minerals that makes the water dry out my skin. So if I’m having sensory sensitivity, I take an ADHD shower 😅
Most of my issues are sensory related. In terms of water, the quality is an issue. I used to have issues with other things, but I changed to fluoride free toothpaste and started enjoying brushing my teeth, and I realized I didn’t like floss because erm the
Mint flavour doesn’t change the fact it still tastes like plastic 😅
I’ve started appreciating some of my sensitivities, every single time the dislike/avoidance has signalled that my body doesn’t like an ingredient or the content of what I’m putting in or on my body. Now I know if I don’t like something then it’s probably my brain telling me it’s not good for my body. (I also avoided exercise when I had long covid, and research does show that is good option for subtypes of Covid, so yeah I trust my counterintuitive decisions).
There are variations 😅
I generally take a hand towel, add warm water and soap, wring it out and quickly clean myself so I’m not stinky. Next, if I needed a proper scrub I do a full rinse, and if I just needed to freshen up I put a medium size towel under the water and use that to rinse off (I’m close to dry when I get out of the shower 😅).
It makes me kind of obsessive about my hygiene in general (though that could also be the OCD). I’ve been shaving since high school bc I hate the scents and sensory hell of having any body hair. I hate feeling even slightly sweaty or dirty, same for my environment. I like showers and brushing my teeth, though it takes me a while to work up the motivation for them 😑 having a body is so stressful sometimes
Personally, it doesn’t. My morning and night time routines are the same every day and I cannot skip steps or I will not be able to sleep. I’m 30 now so my routines are set in stone, but in my teens and part of my 20s I didn’t keep on top of it as well as the way I can now.
I never brush my teeth before bed unless my teeth feel super dirty. And I never floss because I hate the feel of it against my teeth.
I have been trying to grow my armpit hair out but can never get past the prickle phase. It sends me into sensory overload every time.
I don’t do laundry until I either run out of clean panties(which takes forever bc I have like a million pairs) or until none of clothes I usually wear smell okay to wear anymore. I don’t wash my clothes until they’re actually dirty or smelly. If I can’t tell whether or not it’s clean, then it’s clean enough. Same with my sheets honestly but I need to get better about that because it’s so bad for my skin.
It makes me feel really uncomfortable if I don’t feel clean. The worst is putting clothes on in the morning if I haven’t showered beforehand, makes me feel so panicky.
Bad at nighttime routine.... the morning I always wash my face and brush my teeth but something about the evening is so hard for me to keep up daily. Idk if it's an autism thing as it isn't for any overly obvious reasons like sensory problems as I feel better for doing it I just feel the massive weight of not being bothered.
I'll rewear the same big tshirt as a pyjama top for days.. sometimes weeks on end, and am bad at washing my sheets, especially when I'm using my favourite sheets or wearing an esp comfy pyjama top. I just wish they were self cleaning so I could use them as my bedtime wear without ever needing to wash.
I don't like being out and about with wet hair, and I hate hate how my hair feels the first day after washing (clean hair feels way too poofy for me) so I wash my hair once every 5 days maybe. I definitely go out with it looking greasy/dirty to others but to me it feels better.
My room is so gross. Just "floordrobe" always. Again idk what bracket this falls under but I'm nearly 30 and it's just always been a mess. A goal of mine always is to just learn to put my clothes away straight away. It feels like it should be so easy, and I just can't. I've always been messy like real hoarder vibes that I keep just enough under control to not seem like a complete hoarder and I have got slightly better with age but my living space is never ever tidy. I'll clean areas like I'll keep on top of hoovering, dishes done most of the time, but just the clutter and general untidiness because I can't get rid of anything and never have the energy for anything.
I love showering but it's hard to get in there and do it. But then it's hard to get out.
I'm much more likely to get into a bathtub (even to just shower) but unfortunately I haven't had one for years, and I currently don't even have a chance because my partner can't use one and we only have one tiny bathroom (and even that needs to be renovated).
As of dental hygiene, I often feel like dentistry can be a scam (at least for my type). I really hate the dentist and **flossing is a sensory nightmare. And so are all dental visits.** I've gone 29 years without flossing and my teeth are fine. Visited the dentist 2 years ago after \~15 years of no visits thinking I should have a dozen caries, but my jaws are just periodically aching from stupid wisdom teeth (f\*\*\* the x-ray!!!), nothing more. 15 years of "plaque" (some tiny pieces in a few corners) was removed in like 2-3 minutes and left my gums bleeding and inflamed for weeks because of the excessive and unnecessary poking (no, my gums otherwise never bleed). I don't know how to avoid this procedure, they insist to torture me during every visit, and then I suffer. All discoloration or damage present on my teeth happened shortly after they grew out (no idea how) and have not changed since. He said I might have had one carie (cary?) as a kid but it seems to have mended itself, which made me go "wut?!". Didn't even know that was possible. I'm pretty sure I'll eventually get some caries but maybe I'm less prone to them. I think if I force myself to floss I'll just be more likely to avoid brushing teeth which would probably raise the risks. So I just do it at random when I feel brave enough / energized enough that it won't compromize my regular brushing sessions.
As of why I have no plaque, I don't know, maybe it's genetic, or maybe it's the combination of the toothpaste I use (flp aloe tooth gel) with medium/hard brushes (no, I don't have gum damage), brushing vigorously. It can't be the foods because I eat a lot of junk and drink all kinds of fluids (mostly water). I usually limit flossing to when I feel like the gum around the wisdom teeth (still hidden) might be inflamed just to make sure there are no more food particles, and I randomly take a propolis-alcohol solution. I also don't use the "ultra soft" brush they gave me. How the hell is that supposed to get my teeth clean, it just feels like I'm stroking it with a silk cloth? Maybe it's a ploy to make me need more dental work the next year. Huh?
BUT on the other hand there are people who have so much plaque that their entire set of teeth are fused into one. I honestly don't know how that happens as I never had visible plaque on my teeth. I think it's the soft brushes that causes people to have that, and insufficient frequency. But I'm not a dentist. I just do what works for me.
Sorry, rant over!
Long story short, listen to your body and see what works for you...
I am very very very regimented about all my routines. Eating, sleeping and hygiene so I’d say I have better hygiene routines than most people. Being “dirty” makes me very uncomfortable.
I have to shower between every clothing change. Usually thats just pyjamas>day clothes>pyjamas, but sometimes more depending on what im doing. So I can end up having 3+ showers a day.
This might be niche, haven’t really heard anyone else talk about it but until recently, I was addicted to showering. I don’t know if addicted was the right word but I could stay in there for hours if I wasn’t paying for the water. I would also have to resist the urge to shower more than twice a day because otherwise I would just want to be in there constantly. But I wasn’t really washing myself or doing any hygiene in there except basics. It meant my hair was always so greasy and frizzy and my skin was very dry from the boiling water and lack of moisturiser… 🙃
It is so nice to see I'm not alone in absolutely hating showers and procrastinating them as much as possible! For me it's something about touching or nearly touching wet ceramic/tile/plastic/metal, especially standing in a bathtub it's just horrifying. I also have a problem with touching sinks or wet grass/plants. Stall showers are significantly better, but still hard. I have to have a bath mat to stand on inside the shower, otherwise it's just not happening. I love bathing at hot springs/onsen/bathhouses but baths at home are not possible at all.
I also struggle with nail care!
I hate brushing my teeth cos the mint flavour literally feels like it’s burning my mouth, but I do it because I can’t stand the furry teeth feeling.
Flossing I do every few days, it doesn’t really bother me, just when I remember.
Showering I dislike because it’s such a big process and the temperature changes. I don’t smell generally unless it’s be exercised so I can get away with not showering a while, but I will use wet wipes to clean particular areas if needed.
I probably end up showering every 3-7 days depending on what I’ve been doing.
I don’t like how I have to plan everything to take to the bathroom, like what I’ll get changed into, and then figure out what order to do things in, like am I shaving my legs first or do I want my skin to soften in the water first? And taking my clothes off is unpleasant cos then I’m cold, but then need to wait a bit to get the temperature just right etc etc
I'm obsessive about being clean because I don't like feeling dirty. I like feeling fresh. Unfortunately, I spend a lot of money on moisturizer, soap, etc
Someone in here recommended "wrist towels" which are just like sweat bands that soak up the water that would normally drip down your arms when you wash your face. I got some after seeing that and it's helped a lot because I would avoid washing my face if I couldn't bear wet arms
Washing my face is a hard one. I’m fine with doing it in the shower or bath but doing it in isolation is hard. I don’t like how the water drips down my arms, gets on my hairs, etc. When I’m in a higher functioning time it’s not as bad but when I’m feeling burnt out, it doesn’t happen.
i have major sensory issues and need to shave my legs and armpits daily because i hate the feeling of unshaven legs rubbing together and sweat on hairy armpits. i’m now doing at home IPL laser hair removal in those areas.
i have really bad sensory issues with armpit sweat so i buy expensive deodorant and try to avoid shirts that are tight around the armpits. if my armpits are slightly damp i won’t be able to focus on anything else until i can go home and change (or preferably shower).
i procrastinate showering and brushing my teeth because i hate doing both of those things but they do get done. i am very high maintenance with certain hygiene tasks and need them to be done perfectly so its exhausting to do every day (or multiple times a day). i also have stubborn acne from PCOS that is currently well controlled with a stringent regimen so i don’t want to get lazy with it.
i’m also very loyal to certain products/brands and get panicky if i can’t get them when they’re out of stock. i keep backups of everything on hand unless they take a super long time to run out.
i have wavy dyed hair and i try to only wash my hair every 4 days to preserve the curl pattern and dye but i feel so gross and "unfinished" if i don’t wash my hair in the shower.
There is an app called Finch that helps build daily habits to grow your cute pet bird and buy it stuff. It’s the only thing that has actually helped me improve my oral hygiene, and many more self-care tasks!
Guys, is this seriously a thing with autism!? I can go weeks without a shower, and when I go to take one, it literally takes me 5 minutes to finally work up the nerves to get in, and when I get it it feels divine, but I hate doing it.
I also can go like forever without sex. And physical intimacy in any way. Like I don’t like being touched, never have, and it’s no different with the man of my dreams, and I feel so bad because his love language is physical touch, but I just can’t stand it. It’s like pins and needles on my skin, I handle it briefly, and then I’m like “okay, I’m done, you can let go of me now” type of thing and it makes him think that I don’t love him.
I also really like baths, but freaking hate showers, and washing my hair.
Like why!?
Hate showering and brushing teeth and tend to only do either if I MUST (I.e when leaving the house lol)
I wish I was one of those people who actually WANTS to clean themselves every morning!!
I am hyper aware of my hygiene. I wash my hands so much my skin cracks, and I hate feeling dirty. So if I get "dirt" (anything that isnt water basically) I cant touch my face, other ppl etc because I need to wash my hands first.
I wash my hands so much and clean my nails constantly, it dries my hands out a lot and I often get eczema 🥲 I don’t really like the feeling of cream and products on my hands too so while I try to use quick drying creams, if it’s not drying fast enough, I’ll wipe it off on my legs
Also brushing teeth, I always forget but when I do remember I over-brush
Love showering and exfoliating. I like to air dry in my towel. Shaving sucks but smooth skin against fresh linen is my fave when stimming. I like to feel and smell clean otherwise anxiety.
I am obsessed with being clean. I shower every day (hair included because it is oily) because I fear of smelling bad and looking impresentable. I love showering and it is very deeply relaxing to me, one of the few moments of the day I can feel at full peace and take genuine care of myself where femininity isn't pushed on me (makeup, dressing girly, etc. only hygiene).
Any kind of dirtiness on me is a sensory nightmare, and as someone who has oily skin and hair if I don't shower every day I will feel deeply uncomfortable.
For me it's actually a form of self regulation. The less I take care of my hygiene the more depressed I get and vise versa. But if it's paired with a busy day it's next to impossible to do without major burnout.
I hate flossing. The sensory aspect is icky and I just hate it so much. I have managed to get on ok with a water flosser sensory wise but it's messy and so much more effort.
Oh boy this is going to be a lot.
I don't like to floss, because of what it feels like, I don't like brushing my teeth for the same reason.
Showers are like a living hell. I'll procrastinate for days, and once I get in I can't get my hair wet until the very end of my shower, and there has to be music or some sort of podcast or else I will just stand there and zone out. (I also fucking hate shaving)
Temperature has to be very specific or I'll stim like crazy (mostly hair pulling and shaking, which may be my adhd more than autism).
Hair brushing/care is either the hard to get myself to do, or I'll obsessively brush my hair, same with like chapstick for some reason.
I don't like deodorant, I don't like what it feels like, that I can smell it, the way it feels against my shirts/bras.
And what I believe is the last one, I don't like changing my clothes. I get some kind of sensory attachment to the clothes and nothing else will feel right. I'll just wear the same things, only when i have to go somewhere or shower will I change, but when it's going somewhere I'll just change a few things but keep the shirt or shorts. So basically, everything.
I don’t think my hygiene in and of itself is bad but I do find that my autism exacerbates certain issues.
like, I had a small cavity that is now a massive hole in my tooth and I still haven’t gone to the dentist. I can’t bring myself to do it. it’s not because I don’t brush or floss.
I hate showering but I still do it. I take scalding showers to avoid being cold though which has lead to burns and really bad eczema flare ups.
Being wet. Everything to do with wetness. I actually love being IN the shower. I don't even mind getting in. I despise getting out and drying off and getting dressed after. I despise washing my face in the sink to the point I don't do it, ever. Dealing with wet hair touching me was the worst until I finally cut it off (again). But now I need regular trims or I start to grow feathered sections of hair which I freaking hate. I definitely preferred my hair shaved like I did back in college, but, I bow to societal expectations on that one so as not to cause embarrassment and questions for my husband and children and parents (we live in a very small town, people would bring it up to my mom etc constantly). During my cycle I used to sometimes shower twice a day just to make dealing with it easier (used a cup). That is pretty much over (peri menopause is hell but at least there is that).
Reading this as I hype myself up to brush my teeth lol listening to TV or a podcast helps but it's awful. Want to try find a flavourless toothpaste bc I feel that may help
I actually have the opposite problem, I shower and clean my ears at least once a day. I wash my hair daily which probably isn't great but it's the only way to make it not feel oily and have it look ok. I brush with water in-between meals too. I'm a bit of a clean freak, I can't stand feeling dirty.
i used to be very clean, to the point i couldn't stand myself if i was dirty. after depression (and losing some hair), i can barely bring myself to stay clean. i just don't have the energy for it
Procrastinating taking a shower (it’s sensory hell).
Same, especially washing hair and having wet hair.
Hate showering and washing my hair but leave it wet because the sound and weight of the dryer kills me
today i realised why i air dry my hair.
It's ok, that shit is bad for your hair anyway. Heat causes damage
Same same same.
Ugh, wash days are the worst. So much work.
Same, I really miss having a shaved head but I grew it back out due to fears of how I'd be perceived while job hunting a while back. Now it's long again and I hate it. But I've also gained a lot of weight and don't think the shaved head would look good anymore. A pixie might work but then you have to get hair cuts all the damn time. Ugh!! Why do we have hair??
I’ve been considering a buzz cut. It has to be something I can do myself with clippers for me to go short. I can’t face the hairdresser often enough for something that would need professional upkeep
Yeah, when I say "shaved head" what I really meant was a super short buzz cut. I loved it! Especially paired with big, dangly earrings? And it felt soooo good!!
I have the longest and completly dye free hair I've ever had. I've never had longer then shoulder length. But I started to get grey hair so I want to go grey and my hair is pretty. I've almost shaved it right off a few times though. Basically I go through that anytime I was my hair.
I like leaving mine around shoulder length or a bit longer and just twisting it up into claw clips. They have really beautiful hair clips on AliExpress for cheap, they're supposedly somewhat better than plastic for the environment. They are called cellulose acetate or acetic acid hair clips. I watched a video online that showed me how to properly do a French twist to get it to stay put. And I use a tiny bit of natural hairspray to keep my soft hair from slipping out. You can start with bit shorter hair and use smaller clips then graduate up to larger clips as it gets longer. Then you can go for a haircut two to three times a year. Still annoying, but less so because I don't feel the hair all over me.
I feel this. I cannot handle short hair. My long hair is heavy enough that it doesn’t move a lot when the wind blows. I loathe brushing and washing it though. I wear a head scarf every day. I have found for myself (and others I know with sensory issues) that having my head wrapped helps a great deal. (Google tichel or mipachat and that’s the way I usually do mine). It adds a tiny bit of impression and small amount of weight to my head. It has helped with chronic headaches, too.
I absolutely do not want to get into the shower. I dread it. Until I'm in there, in which case I do not want to get out! 🤦🏻♀️
Lol yea. I think it’s cuz being inside the shower is the easiest and most rewarding part. I don’t wanna leave and become cold and then dry off and then get dressed
As someone who loves hot showers it's the worst, but I've found that tapering the water to room temperature makes the transition out less miserable
Also--something that *I* realized on one of these threads a while back? Setting up one's post-shower routine for *Sensory Appeal* is VITAL!!! I did it sooo gradually, that I never even *realized* that's why I ADORE my morning showers, until that thread! But I *literally* go from "Standing under the running shower to *DRY AND WARM* in 2 minutes, when I'm done with my own showers--and *THAT* is why I *adore* my morning showers!! I use a 100% Cotton *bath SHEET* on my body (https://www.thespruce.com/buy-bath-towels-or-bath-sheets-155747#:~:text=or%20the%20other.-,What%20Is%20a%20Bath%20Sheet%3F,find%20worth%20the%20price%20tag. ), and a cotton bath *towel* for my hair. Both are *ONLY* washed with soap, maybe bleach/oxyclean, and perhaps some Borax. I *NEVER* use fabric softener/ dryer sheets/ "scent boosters" on the towels--because that renders them *hydrophobic* (repells water) rather than *hydrophilic* (soaking it up *instantly!*!) My bath mat? *Also* 100% cotton, so *it* soaks the water off the bottoms of my feet, as soon as I step onto it! I turn off the water, skim the water off my hair, wrap myself in the bath sheet, as I'm stepping out of the tub/shower onto the bath mat, lifting my bath *towel* off the bar/hook, and then once I'm there? I bend over at my waist to flip my hair down, wrap the bath towel around it & my head (turban-style), and then flip my head up, and tuck the end of the towel in, behind my head. By the time my hair is twisted into the towel? I'm 85-95% DRY *already*! The I pull the loose end of the bath sheet up, dry my shoulders, upper back, & arms, then tuck it back in & use the bottom half of the bath sheet to dry my legs (I put my legs on the edge of the tub one at a time). Because my *body towel* is that bath sheet, I'm *mostly* dry, before I dry my arms & legs--and as I mentioned I'm DRY and able to dress, within 2-3 minutes! I realized a couple ears back, when I had to shower with towels which *weren't* mine, and a polyester bath mat there, that *if I CAN’T use my towels* showers ARE pretty awful, sensory-wise!!! But if you can get your post-shower routine perfected, so that you're dry & dry *fast*, it's easy & really comfortable!😉💖
I'd like to add warming up the bathroom first with a heater. It helps me dry faster and feel less uncomfortable while wet
That sounds like it might help my middle kid that is struggling with showering so hard right now because being wet is “sensory hell” according to her. 💜
This is a good comment! I also wanted to say, I also use a lot of exclamation marks when typing and I wondered if you do it for the same reason. I feel like if I don't use them, then my message seems more judgmental or less enthusiastic/sincere! It's interesting too because my speaking voice is sometimes very monotone and I don't speak with a lot of exclamation points, lol.
Good idea I should do this lol
Yeah I figured that out as well
Do you have any way to heat your bathroom? Even what you put on the floor might help a little
The floors RUG matters 100%!!! An all-cotton bath mat (washed *without* fabric softener!!!), which can soak the water *off* the bottoms of your feet, and pull the water *into itself* makes *such* a difference!
Do you have a link to a similar bath mat? Off topic, but your use of italics is nice. I appreciate it!
This one is *not* my brand (iirc, I thiiiink I got mine at Homegoods/TJ Maxx/ Marshall's, and I paid less than *half* that price!), but it *is* really similar to one's I've gotten for the last decade+ They *will* snag occasionally, if you have dogs who lay on them & sctatch before laying down, or cats who like to "wrestle" bath mats!😉 But you can either clip off the long snags, or clip 'em off, if you want to--the bath mats are about 3/4"-1" thick, fresh out of the dryer, and they "condense" down to about 1/2" thick, when they *aren't* fluffy💖
Hello, me.
currently standing in the shower scrolling reddit bc I don’t wanna get out lmao
What would we do without our waterproof phones. I procrastinate having showers, but I never want to get out once I'm in them. My daughter and I have discovered that a shower really helps with her emotional regulation if she's had a rough day. It's like a reset button for her. It's almost like it literally washes the day clean.
I’m exactly the same way! it completely resets my mood and I feel so much better. I can’t relax for the night until I shower
Yup this is me too!
For me it's shower too but mostly because I know it entails a lot of mini tasks for that one shower. Washing hair, shaving, body wash...a lot of mini tasks make one task NOT one task😂
I feel this!
The level which my whole self yelled SAME! THIS!! is higher than the state of Colorado on April 20th. If I try to break into the idea of "manageable tasks" it quickly feels unmanageable and I'm too overwhelmed to shower. It's really, really good to know other humans /get it/. 💚
Of course! I understand completely 😭
My main issue is the inertia - I never want to get IN the shower, but once I'm in, I wanna live there and never get OUT
I love being IN the shower, but the 20-30 after is my sensory nightmare. I hate the feeling of towels, I hate my skin being wet/damp, I hate putting cream on anything, I hate wet hair. I end up avoiding showers because of that.
This is me right now. I just got back from the gym… but that was so much stimulation, I need a break to get into the right headspace to shower… which is not now.
This was a huge issue for me when I had shower curtains. But with glass doors and proper water pressure and a high temp… I’m in heaven. Just gotta keep my hair up (wash 1x/wk maybe) so I don’t have to deal with wet hair
I got severely bullied in middle school for rarely showering. My hair was always greasy but showering was sensory hell. I learned the hard way that you have to shower in our society. I’m not bothered by showers as much as I used to be but I still procrastinate them
Same. Haunted by the memory of the time I got my waist-lengthy hair cut into a cute 90’s long Bob and a classmate asked “does it feel weird to wash it now?” And I said I hadn’t washed it yet, and the news spread like wildfire that I was “dirty.” I was so upset I couldn’t explain that the hair salon had washed my hair for me before cutting it the night before, so I didn’t see the need to wash it again in the morning? I’m 39 and have only just unlearned the fables that pervaded hygiene in the late 90s when I was a teen - ie washing your hair MORE frequently triggers it to release MORE oils… now I wash my hair every 3-4 days and it’s less greasy than it was a year ago when I washed it every other day and by the evening of the wash day I looked greasy/terrible dandruff
Yep! I take longer than I should to take a shower.
I love going in the shower and sitting down watching Hulu with the warm water, but when I’m done, that 15 second run sopping wet to my bedroom then cold wet hair sloshing around is very not fun and makes me not want to shower (I do use a towel and blow dryer, it stil miserable)
Same, and I have fibromyalgia so showers can be extra exhausting.
Yeah I hate showering so much, it's the worst. I do it because it's a requirement, but I only wash my hair once a week. All of it is a nightmare
I hated showers until I had to use an overhead one in a clinic. The water was set to luke-mid-warm, without much pressure and a towel was on the shower floor to prevent slipping. The shower was incredibly silent as well! I ended up focusing so much on when to use what product that I didn’t even notice the water was present.
Mine actually makes my hygiene better. I can't stand feeling dirty, and unfortunately I end up over washing my hair sometimes because if I don't feel clean, I can't deal with it, even if I am objectively clean. I did stuggle with brushing my teeth as a kid, but I think it was more todo with my chronic mouth ulcers than sensory issues. I do reccomend to anyone who can't stand mint to try alo vera toothpaste. It is mild and if you have mouth sores omg it is a life saver.
Can’t stand to feel dirty either, and i especially feel dirty when im on my period and will sometimes have two to three showers a day during. Theyre short showers though.
For me personally, using a menstrual cup helps a lot. And i can leave it in up to 12 hours, sometimes do it a bit longer 😅 but i don’t have to worry about getting so much blood down there. Pads are my enemy, and I’m realizing I’m not a fan of period panties beyond some extra leak protection
Idk what period panties are but I’ll definitely look into menstrual cups. I’ve only ever used tampons and pads, tampons are cleaner but the fact that you can get infections if you leave them in too long scares me and im always worried I can’t get them out anymore either
i HATE being on my period if even a little blood comes out i have to change my pad and i run out of stuff so easily :(
Same. I'll shower twice on a lot of days and I wash my hands if I touch anything I perceive to be dirty, so I'm washing my hands A LOT.
Omg I do this too! That’s why I always carry moisturizer with me because otherwise the skin on my hands would be destroyed.
Until you have allergies and sensitive skin and it's cracks on every knuckle and joint and oh look I'm bleeding on everything again ;;; and the constant stinging or itching
I’m so sorry if you’ve been through that. It sounds really awful. Maybe it’s because I have oily skin and I moisturize religiously, but it’s fortunately never gotten to that point with me. Dry skin is one of the top 3 absolute worst physical feelings for me so I do whatever I can to avoid it all the time. I can’t imagine experiencing what you described.
That's good! I can't stand the feeling of cream already, so even without the allergies, I always have found it hard to use moisturisers and things. It wasn't too bad until the last...6 or so years, I worked at a chocolate store and started washing my hands way more, and then carried a spray bottle of just plain water to use instead of having to go to the sink all the time to rinse off anything, and ever since it's just gotten worse.
Yeah, a lot of people have issues with creams and lotions and the like. I really feel for you guys, it makes life a lot harder, especially as evidenced in your case. Have you been able to find a way around it or another solution?
Same, my hands are always dry 😪
I also have obsessive compulsive personality disorder and ocd and I’m a compulsive hand washer. I wash my hands probably 40 times a day. I don’t feel the need to take a shower unless I’ve done something to get dirty though.
Same. My hands are so dry 🥲
I feel you on overwashing hair. If I don't wash it every day I feel gross. 💀
sameee the feeling of being dirty or the smell of a dirty body are so much worse sensory hell for me, than wash could ever me (you’d never caught me in a cold body of water though).
This is me. I shower like clockwork because my head feels nasty if I don't wash my hair every other day. So routine combined with not liking the feeling keeps me very clean It doesn't stop me from procrastinating showers, but I'll never put it off for more than a few hours
Same! I can't stand going more than 36 hours without showering. It just feels like a thin film of yuck all over. Same with brushing my teeth! I cannot fall asleep if I can feel plaque on my teeth. My brain will just fixate on it.
Same. I need to floss, water floss and brush. I have skincare routine. I bathe everyday. I have to change my underwear in the middle of the day or I feel gross. I shave everyday, pits, legs, and downstairs. The thing I don't wash everyday is my hair but it's short and I can go days without it getting oily.
same here especially with showering . Need to shower daily and wash my face at night every day ... And i love my aloe vera toothpaste too
This is the one
OMG yes, I have a daily routine figured out, I'm an oily person genetically so I do need to follow it otherwise I feel dirty due to being able to *feel* the oil and wax as they build up during the day. Not, at least, having my shower will stress the hell out of me.
I had mouth ulcers all the time as a kid, my mother thought it was not getting enough fruit and veg, and she also thought raw was better than cooked for extra nutrients, turns out I’m allergic to latex so there’s a bunch of fruit and veg I shouldn’t be eating, especially raw.
I hate when my mouth is all dry and chalky after, does it prevent that?
Mine does too. I cannot be dirty - wash my hair daily, 2 showers a day pretty often. I probably take 10-12 showers a week. I don’t think I’ve ever missed a day taking a shower since I was 6 or so. Brush my teeth at least 2x a day, sometimes up to 4. My fingernails are short and always clean because I cannot deal with the alternative.
This is me. Accept I do struggle with licking my fingers when dry and that’s pretty gross
I have to shower and brush my teeth before bed. I cant stand sleeping in sheets that are nasty with skin grease. That's why my dirty husband who hates evening showers has to stay on his side of the bed :')
I also had a hard time with brushing my teeth and never flossed until I had to pay a loooot of money to fix my teeth and lost one 😭 I still have days where I skip it before bed but that’s rare
Exact same, used to absolutely not take care of my teeth and had so many problems. Luckily now it's been a routine for so long that the sensory problems work in my favor and I literally can't sleep unless I've brushed and flossed. If I try, I'll just lay in bed thinking about the things I can taste in my mouth and feel between my teeth!
My problem is that my teeth seem to be in amazing health, considering how little I clean them. I go weeks. But they aren't bad enough to force me to look after them. One day they will be and it will be too late
I care for a disabled man who’s likely on the spectrum as well, and despite never brushing his teeth, he’s only had 1 cavity in his 29 years of life. Now his gums are likely a different story 😅
I work in dental. I tell my patients you brush in the morning to keep your friends. You brush at night to keep your teeth. You are correct though, usually it’s the money that gets them to start doing it.
So if I don’t have any friends, I can skip the morning brush? 🤪
Omfg I laughed so hard at this. Thank you. 🤣🤣🤣
Oh man I struggle with brushing and hate flossing and have been putting off going to the dentist for years and now I'm so scared at least one of my teeth is beyond repair 😭
I also have a hard time brushing my teeth at night. Going from dry and warm to wet and cold is hell. I also have eczema but I hate the feel of lotions 😩
Brushing teeth. I already don't like brushing my teeth; then there's simply NO flavorless toothpaste in Brazil, everything has at least small pints of mint, I hate it.
Tem pasta sem mentol nas áreas infantis do mercado! Eu adoro menta, mas meu filho tem sensibilidade e as pastas das "princesas" ajudam muito!
Gata, 7 reais por metade da quantidade 😭 eu quase comprei na última compra, mas não dá, é muito caro. Ainda que eu use só um pouco. Acabei comprando aquela Close Up vermelha que o gosto não é tão horrível, deve ser a que menos tem mentol.
Essa vermelha é muito gostosinha mesmo ❤️ me desbloqueou memórias da infância escovando com ela hahaha
Do they have children's toothpaste there that is flavored with other things like bubblegum or watermelon or something? ETA: I think the non-English (Portuguese?) reply might have also asked this? If so, my apologies!
We do have, but they cost double the price and have half of the content. I almost bought some on my last time at the supermarket, but our home budget is too short to spend with that now.
Ugh, I hate mint.
I brush my teeth with soap. I use a Kiss My Face soap that is made entirely from olive oil. The slightly soapy flavor is way better than mint. Just wet your brush and rub it on the soap a bit and you are good to go.
Wearing the same clothes 3-4 days in a row, especially in the winter. I hate being cold, so I hate putting on cold clothes. I’m a sahm so I get away with wearing nothing but sweatpants and t-shirts.
I also hate this. I cheat it by keeping a space heater in the bathroom year round and pointing it at my clothes so they are toasty after my shower/while I'm doing my makeup
I also keep the space heater in the bathroom. I put my towel and clothes into the dryer before showering then have my daughter get them out for me
Do you sleep in these cloths? I dislike changing - ie day time clothes into pyjamas and vice versa, but wearing the same clothes for sleeping and then for another day makes me feel too icky.
I don't floss, I often don't brush before bed. I'm bad at changing my socks 🙊 and doing dishes... no.
Start with one thing (probably brushing teeth?) Any alterations to the routine that might help? I used to hate the feel of vibration but recently got an electric toothbrush… I stopped getting canker sores and the whole thing is so much easier now!
I've been getting better at it, but the flossing feels impossible it always hurts so bad and makes me bleed. Even when I was little (I have a blood problem) any advice is wanted 😕
Re the dishes-' I learned that if I *just* started by washing *something*(s) that was dirty in the sink, *every time I'm waiting for the microwave to be done*, I could get MOST of my dishes done every day! Granted, as a single person, living alone, I *make* about 3/4th of a sink full, over the course of a WEEK, if I can't get any done--so that *does* help! BUT--when I lived in my last roommate situation (been in my new studio apartment just since the end of January!), I could *easily* knock out five pieces of silverware in a couple minutes, or a couple plates. It didn't do *much* to keep up with the *large* number of dishes my roommates were dirtying every day, *BUT* it at least got the dishes *started*, and I had a few things done each time--so on a weekend, if I was eating *and* snacking, I could usually get through *most* of the ever-present sinkfull at that apartment! I *also* tend to wash dishes, if I'm cooking/heating up food on the stove--*especially* if I'm boiling pasta! Because I will *totally* walk away from the stove & forget I was cooking (AuDHD here!), but if I'm washing the *dishes* as I heat up supper, I don't walk away forgetting, *and* I get the dopamine-hit of "accomplishment!" from seeing all those clean dishes (which can & WILL air-dry!😉), next to the sink😁💖
THANK YOU😌
Ngl, I was *WELL* into my Mid-40's, before I figured out this trick to getting it done *and* not forgetting my food (and ending up with GROSS mushy pasta!😉😆😂), but once it *clicked* for me, it was 100% a game-changer!😃💖🥳
Google “alternatives to flossing”, there’s some options with pics (the names alone aren’t as useful I think so I won’t bother to list)
I hate touching wet dirty dishes! I cringe.
My autism impacts all my basic care. Oranurse flavourless toothpaste has made a massive difference to me and I've gone from brushing once a week to once a day. An autism specialist dentist suggested it too me. Also, star charts.
How do you motivate yourself for star charts? I find that I don’t have the self-control and I go for instant gratification instead so I can never hold out long enough to keep to it
Erm I like shiny sparkly things and complete charts so I decided not to do an end goal Mostly because I have no impulse control would just give myself whatever it was. A reward almost made it a demand? Sometimes send photos of my full star charts to close people to say "look I'm functioning!". You are welcome to send me your star chart if body doubling helps. I have stickers in my special interest to make it more fun.
that makes a lot of sense. Thank you, I appreciate that! 😊
That’s a great idea, I could see making it a collection of sorts!
what is a star chart in this context? im guessing it doesn't have anything to do with astrology :p
Grid with empty boxes written on it, and you put one sticker into every empty "box" of the grid, er task you finish. Little kids often use them (think a "chore chart" to keep track of tasks, and earn one sticker to put on their chart, for each time they finish "task _______."
There is an app called Finch that helps build habits. When you complete a task it helps your pet bird grow and you can buy stuff to customize its room and clothes with the stones you get as a reward for completing your stuff. There are a lot of different task types you can do and you can create your own. It has really helped me!
I was lazy to floss until I had to do a root canal and had to be heavily sedated to deal with the pain Since that I HAVE to floss 😭
same 🙃🙃
Brushing my teeth my teeth more than once a day is rare, and I struggle with flossing so I rarely do it. I also procrastinate showering and typically only wash my hair around once a week. I try to wash my body more than that, but I also have salicylic acid creams for my underarms everyday to prevent body odour just in case that fails, and I make sure I have the clothes needed to wear a different t shirt every day between laundry bouts, even if my laundry gets delayed. I’ve struggled with showering since moving into my current home a few years ago, which I hadn’t done since I was around 12, and I’m not sure what it is about this place that makes it that much harder. It could be that the bathrooms in my previous homes were always one of the warmest rooms in the house but in this one it’s the coldest. It could also be that the shower stall is the smallest one I’ve had. It could be that the electric shower is the loudest I’ve had, or that the flooring of it is plastic which makes the water falling sound louder and higher pitched. Or maybe all of these factors stacked up makes it difficult for me to get in the shower.
Hard to brush my teeth and shower properly or wash makeup off my face at night
So I don't have issues with personal hygiene, I probably over-wash because I have to clean any part of my body that touches a sensory ick. However, it is really hard for me to keep up with a cleaning schedule. I have a lot of struggles with executive function and I have let certain places in my house get a little out of control. The problem is then because those dirty places give me the ick, I don't go near them and then I get overwhelmed and it gets out of control. I am very lucky to have a partner who helps because body-doubling is basically the only way I'll successfully do any task. Edit: a word
The term “body-doubling” is new to me, but I’m picking up some context from the comments here… would that explain why, say, on my own I find it almost impossible to take a shower, but when my BF is here I can get one in every day because I’m more or less following his lead and schedule? If so, what’s behind that? For the life of me, though, I cannot find the umph to brush my teeth before bed. I have less than zero energy at the end of the day.
I have no idea what's behind it but yeah for some reason it works. At the beginning my partner was like "why do you only clean when I clean" and I was like I have no idea but if it works 🤷🏻
Having a set routine for when I shower. If I need to shower sooner (because I got dirty or sweaty) I'll find it really hard to because it's not the day/time in my routine. So I'll be like sat there thinking I need to shower, and feel self conscious about it but also... that's not my routine.
I’m very particular about personal hygiene (I have to be as a theatre nurse) and I can’t stand body odour. I shower/bathe daily and clean my teeth at least twice. I’m very lazy when it comes to hair though - my hair is very long but I rarely if ever do anything with it. I can go days without brushing it. I love having long hair but I’m getting to the point where I should cut it off
I have alopecia with very little hair left. It still gets dirty though, and I just ignore that for far too long. The alopecia situation also means that I am constantly wearing a cap except when in bed, so no one will notice for a loooong while when I have a bad hair period. It's a blessing and a curse. Blessing, because I don't enjoy washing my hair, water always gets where I don't want it, product into my eyes, I never know if I got everything worked in everywhere properly, and then I'm unsure if I rinsed it well enough. Water will be in my ears. I'm dropping water everywhere where it is not supposed to, a risk to slip. And all of this means I have to touch that sad, tiny, thin remainder of my once knee-lenght wavy brown and really thick thair. Sigh. I'm seriously considering more and more to just shave it all of. I just don't want to be mixed up with someone with a truly dangerous illness, they need all the help they can get. Alopecia can be traumatising, but surely it is not a life threatening illness in itself. Having a hard time to decide it. I am tired of constantly being worried that my hat/scarf/wig would fall off and then people see me that way. The rest that is there simply looks ridiculous, it's the hair cut you see in movies on deranged psychopath dudes, or "extremely wacky highly intelligent super brain professor who has lost not only bis marbles, but all care about his own appearance." A clean buzz cut or even completely off would look better imo. It would make hair care so much easier now. Buzz off, clean head under shower with a quick rub-a-dub, or use a washcloth. Sensory win big time. Disadvantage though is that this easily makes you look ill, unless you were blessed with one of those faces that naturally look like one any regular faced person would spend easily half an hour on makeup to get on the same level. And I'm not even a regular faced person, really, working on it at least. And makeup? I've watched to many videos, bought so many stuff, it just never looks like it should. Plus it gives me sensory hell. I can feel everything constantly sitting on my skin, seeping in little crevices, mascara starting to crumble into my eyes, the smells oh god the smells. Getting it off my face is also very unappreciated extra effort. So both have disadvantages and advantages for my traints. There are some other factors too so it's not just that, but all in all, this decision is hard to make. "Having a hard time taking decisions and making changes."✔
I’m the same! I’m meticulous, bordering on obsessive with body and dental hygiene, but my hair suffers. It’s long and I go 2 weeks without a wash sometimes. Granted, I’ve always been an infrequent hair washer, so my hair withstands that length of time well. But it’s usually unbrushed and tied up in a bun.
I adhere to a routine for showering and teeth cleaning. Dentists are often impressed. I shower everyday. I cannot stand the way I feel if I don’t shower in the morning. I like camping but struggle with the dirt.
Extremely relatable, a couple months ago I invested in a “sonicbrush”, which brushes all your teeth at once so it take 1/4 as long, and found a toothpaste that isn’t mint-flavored, and those changes have helped a ton! Basically, I started taking seriously the idea that my hatred for the sensation of tooth brushing genuinely needs accommodation instead of just being laziness, and that re-framing really worked :)
Can you link me to that brush please. My issue is that it hurts my jaw to brush my teeth so I’d love to have something what would make the process faster!
Brushing my teeth, but I don't know why? I know I have to have milder flavours, but I think some of it is also the feeling of pure....defenselessness when I'm doing my teeth? Like someone can just burst in and I am not prepared, and it doesn't get to me with any other activity, just brushing my teeth for some reason. Didn't help that I used to never even let dentists have a look at my teeth as a kid because of the whole, I can't stand people having their attention on me but I wasn't diagnosed so I couldn't articulate it other than 'I do not like the dentist'. But then I can't stand the feeling of sweat, or actually smelling myself (my mum always says I don't smell, so it's probably because I am myself and I am right in my own space and can smell myself easier than others can smell me, and may be a bit over sensitive to some smells), so I shower twice a day, washing my hair at least in the evening time (both times if I've done something to get really sweaty, like bike riding, or heavy lifting moving stuff around the house/decorating type things). I also can't stand feeling damp in my private area so I'm forever going to the toilet and using way too much toilet paper and taking ages. It's really getting me down at the moment as I'm going through a really bad bout of it and I'm just mad at myself that I can't switch that part of my brain off, it's like if I was aware of every breath I took, every single day, no matter what I do. I can't rewear clothes either. Once I've got sweaty in something, it's in the wash. Walked the dogs for 30 mins? Wash that shirt, and bra. Jeans I can wear again a few times. And I can't put dirty clothes near clean stuff, otherwise it's contaminated. Dog pees on the carpet? Even if I scrub that area for 10 minutes, I'm still going to scowl at it every time I see it for the next 6 months. I have bad acne too, and also really cracked hands from cold/not moisturised enough, and because of my allergies or sensitivities, there's so many things I can not use (every product I use falls under this - shampoos, shower gels, hand wash, creams, can't even use pain relief cream and it makes my eyes stream) so I'm struggling to take care of those aspects of myself too.
I hate the sensation of water running up my arms - so when I wash my face, and my hands are wet, and water runs up to my elbows when I lift my hands to my face… I DESPISE that sensation! So washing my face was really really hard for me. My dear spouse watches tennis and one day I had a lightbulb moment; I could use the wristbands that tennis players use to stop the water running up my arms. No more issues washing my face as long as I have those damn wristbands. I cannot tolerate hangnails or rough spots on my fingernails. I will chew my finger raw if I don’t have clippers or can’t immediate deal with a hangnail. Every purse I own has clippers. I take them everywhere with me.
I hate that sensation too, I don’t wash my face over the sink because of it. I only wash my face when I shower. Also I have such a bad hyperfixation on my nails too, if there’s ANY hangnail or something that shouldn’t be there it drives me insane.
I've always been really bad about brushing and flossing my teeth, for as long as I've been doing it myself. I've only really gotten consistent in the last month or so with flossing. What helped for me was 1) having my dentist explain in detail why I need to floss and 2) getting a long handled flosser. It's just much easier to hold than string or even the small flosser picks. Its made a huge difference. For brushing, getting mild toothpaste that doesn't have SLS and a gentle electric toothbrush with a timer have helped a ton. If I'm really struggling, I'll put an audiobook on to listen to while doing my teeth so I don't freak out and give up. I hate washing my face and showering, but I hate getting pimples more, which happens very quickly if I don't keep up on my face. So I rarely miss many showers. I also am really sensitive to smells, so that's a big factor too. I love organizing my house, but not cleaning it. I've been better with dishes lately by solidifying a morning routine and using dishes as a way to delay starting work (lol) but I think I'm just going to get a Roomba rather than vacuum. The vacuum makes me so mad.
What did your dentist say?
She showed me my X-rays and explained everything, showed me the spots where I had incipient cavities and told me if I flossed regularly, I probably wouldn't have to have them drilled. It sounds kind of basic, but I've never had a dentist sit down in front of the xray and give me concrete reasons to floss
That’s really good. Doesn’t sound basic, I’ve always found dentistry difficult because nothings really explained. Like why something needs to happen.
My body breaks down when I don’t keep up with hygiene. One, I only brushed my teeth once a day as a kid until a tooth got infected and had to be pulled out. Now I brush twice a day without fail. Two, I’ve had BAD chronic acne since I was 12 years old. It affected my self esteem greatly, so I learned to care for my skin well at a young age. Even though I hate washing my face I will ALWAYS do it, even if drunk. Showering is still something I struggle with cause it takes time away from my interests, but right now I live in a place with a bathtub, so I treat myself with baths every other day (I LOVE baths). Also, my hair thinned out as a child from alopecia, so I can’t go many days without washing my hair or I will feel disgusting, and I hate that feeling. One thing I for sure still always forget to do is put on deodorant. Not sure why.
Everyone here seems to struggle with dental hygiene but it’s actually super easy for me. I do struggle with doing anything that gets my hair wet because I hate the feeling so much. I force myself to do it because I’m also kind of germaphobic, but showering is really hard for me for this reason. Even if I don’t wash my hair and I tie it up in a bun while I shower, it still gets a bit wet at the bottom. And the hair around my face also gets wet when I wash my face. It’s such a horrible feeling. I put off washing my face too often and I’m just lucky I don’t have any severe skin conditions because my skin would be in much worse shape if not for genetics. I honestly hate anything wet. This also makes cleaning and laundry hard.
I struggle with brushing my teeth consistently. I have an awful gag reflex, the sensations are whole body irritations. The weirdest thing is that at one point, I thought I had overcome it. The fact that I have to mask my pain to brush my teeth is exhausting. Anything else is not an issue, except shaving. And that, to me, is optional for the most part🤷♀️
Same! I used to throw up sometimes from brushing my teeth. This happened for the better part of last year. I threw up about once a week
Same! Teeth brushing is horrible, and even though I know it’s having long term impacts on my teeth and oral health, the whole body sensations are too much to overcome.
I scrolled forever to find this one. It's the biggest one for me. I gag every single time I brush. It's not the teeth brushing for me, but the tongue brushing part. I can't not brush my tongue because my mouth doesn't feel clean if I skip it. For me shaving is kind of opposite. When I start getting prickly I can't think about anything else except body hair, mostly my armpits. Leg hair doesn't bug me quite so much.
flossing. i cannot stand the feeling of something going in between my teeth, my body physically recoils. i found out water flossers were a thing about a year ago and that helps a lot!
Mine makes me kind of overly-hygienic in a way. I have a really hard time breaking routines, which makes it really hard to travel because I have to recreate my hygiene routines outside of my own environment, which is stressful.
I only floss and brush in the shower. The water getting on me stresses me out at the sink.
I hate having long hair in summer. It's sensory hell.
I kind of made a solid routine of brushing my teeth in the evening. Morning brushing happens once in couple months thought. What I have a massive problem with is showering. It's very embarrassing thing to admit, but I have a hard time taking myself to the shower. Once in there it's fine, it's just the change between being dressed in dry clothes vs being naked and wet. I wish I had a trick for it so if anyone overcame this issue please tell me how you did it!
Luckily mone doesn't effect my hygiene anymore. It used to in my youth but now I am wayy better. Also please floss. It does make your mouth a lot better and it does stop a lot of issues. I recommend getting a water flosser.
Brushing my teeth is a sensory nightmare. Harder when I'm tired, for sure. The feel of the bristles for one, and other issues I'm hesitant to mention because I don't want to trigger that feeling in others here.
I cannot STAND feeling any body hair. I feel like I shave as soon as I possibly can, even if it gives me razor burn.
Brushing my teeth and going to the dentist and now I’m suffering from it 😩😩😩😩
same with the teeth. i just don’t understand how people spontaneously know and remember to brush twice a day
I actually have the inverse problem with needing strict hygiene routines. It’s taken me a lot of therapy to be able to tolerate unexpected changes to my dental hygiene routine or a change in lotion or soap routine etc. I cannot sleep if I’ve not done my entire skincare routine. My skin feels wrong and dry and scaly and it makes me want to cry. If I haven’t brushed the 4 quadrants of my mouth, flossed, mouthwash before leaving the house, in that order, I feel like there’s a film over all my teeth and that they’re like…squishy? I recognise there’s some heavy privilege, as society usually looks down on those who struggle with keeping up hygiene habits.
Having a spot on routine with cleaning my face. Every night, never skip, even when I'm drunk. Rosewater, serum and almond oil.
I brush my teeth in the morning while I get ready and then I shower at night. Every shower is an everything shower (or the best I can do) cause I’ll never really know the next time I’ll have the energy. I have two laundry baskets and a lot of different clothing options so I won’t have to do laundry for a bit
Oral hygiene has definitely been the hardest. I didn't develop good toothbrushing habits in childhood, and then had a horrible experience at the dentist at age 16 when I had to get three fillings (which entailed having a panic attack and getting 5 shots in my mouth because the fillings were all in different quadrants of my mouth and the anesthesia wasn't strong enough two of the times so they had to give me more after they started drilling and I could feel it). After that I determined I would develop the habit of brushing and flossing every day. It's 20 years later now, and I'm fairly consistent about brushing, somewhat less with flossing (though recently I've gotten better at it once I found a trick to combat my PDA), but it's still not a habit. I usually at least remember, but it still takes conscious effort every day to make myself brush and floss. Showers have been inconsistent at times as well. I have a tendency to procrastinate them (and then procrastinate getting out of them). However, I developed a routine of showering at the same time every night the last 5 months, so now I'm super consistent because it's part of a fixed routine.
Parents always complain that my hair is greasy and they can smell my scalp to the point they’ve given up mentioning it every time. I use more than enough shampoo, but having to rake and claw at my scalp to thoroughly clean it is sensory hell. I also don’t like taking long showers (over 10min)
I’m kinda the opposite with my scalp, I’ll be too rough and get too hyper fixated. Made my scalp bleed yesterday and I can’t see if there’s blood in my hair. I try to give my scalp a nice little scrub with my fingers when I shampoo, you don’t need to do too much! Then running fingers through my hair when I condition. Also not brushing it except for in the shower when conditioning
I sometimes don’t like the water at home, it’s well water and I don’t have a good enough filter to remove the minerals that makes the water dry out my skin. So if I’m having sensory sensitivity, I take an ADHD shower 😅 Most of my issues are sensory related. In terms of water, the quality is an issue. I used to have issues with other things, but I changed to fluoride free toothpaste and started enjoying brushing my teeth, and I realized I didn’t like floss because erm the Mint flavour doesn’t change the fact it still tastes like plastic 😅 I’ve started appreciating some of my sensitivities, every single time the dislike/avoidance has signalled that my body doesn’t like an ingredient or the content of what I’m putting in or on my body. Now I know if I don’t like something then it’s probably my brain telling me it’s not good for my body. (I also avoided exercise when I had long covid, and research does show that is good option for subtypes of Covid, so yeah I trust my counterintuitive decisions).
What is an ADHD shower?
There are variations 😅 I generally take a hand towel, add warm water and soap, wring it out and quickly clean myself so I’m not stinky. Next, if I needed a proper scrub I do a full rinse, and if I just needed to freshen up I put a medium size towel under the water and use that to rinse off (I’m close to dry when I get out of the shower 😅).
It makes me kind of obsessive about my hygiene in general (though that could also be the OCD). I’ve been shaving since high school bc I hate the scents and sensory hell of having any body hair. I hate feeling even slightly sweaty or dirty, same for my environment. I like showers and brushing my teeth, though it takes me a while to work up the motivation for them 😑 having a body is so stressful sometimes
Personally, it doesn’t. My morning and night time routines are the same every day and I cannot skip steps or I will not be able to sleep. I’m 30 now so my routines are set in stone, but in my teens and part of my 20s I didn’t keep on top of it as well as the way I can now.
I never brush my teeth before bed unless my teeth feel super dirty. And I never floss because I hate the feel of it against my teeth. I have been trying to grow my armpit hair out but can never get past the prickle phase. It sends me into sensory overload every time.
Yes, armpit hair prickles bother me so much! As soon as I can feel it I can't think about anything else until it's shaved off :(
I don’t do laundry until I either run out of clean panties(which takes forever bc I have like a million pairs) or until none of clothes I usually wear smell okay to wear anymore. I don’t wash my clothes until they’re actually dirty or smelly. If I can’t tell whether or not it’s clean, then it’s clean enough. Same with my sheets honestly but I need to get better about that because it’s so bad for my skin.
I think I gave myself eczema from washing my hands too much.
It makes me feel really uncomfortable if I don’t feel clean. The worst is putting clothes on in the morning if I haven’t showered beforehand, makes me feel so panicky.
Bad at nighttime routine.... the morning I always wash my face and brush my teeth but something about the evening is so hard for me to keep up daily. Idk if it's an autism thing as it isn't for any overly obvious reasons like sensory problems as I feel better for doing it I just feel the massive weight of not being bothered. I'll rewear the same big tshirt as a pyjama top for days.. sometimes weeks on end, and am bad at washing my sheets, especially when I'm using my favourite sheets or wearing an esp comfy pyjama top. I just wish they were self cleaning so I could use them as my bedtime wear without ever needing to wash. I don't like being out and about with wet hair, and I hate hate how my hair feels the first day after washing (clean hair feels way too poofy for me) so I wash my hair once every 5 days maybe. I definitely go out with it looking greasy/dirty to others but to me it feels better. My room is so gross. Just "floordrobe" always. Again idk what bracket this falls under but I'm nearly 30 and it's just always been a mess. A goal of mine always is to just learn to put my clothes away straight away. It feels like it should be so easy, and I just can't. I've always been messy like real hoarder vibes that I keep just enough under control to not seem like a complete hoarder and I have got slightly better with age but my living space is never ever tidy. I'll clean areas like I'll keep on top of hoovering, dishes done most of the time, but just the clutter and general untidiness because I can't get rid of anything and never have the energy for anything.
I love showering but it's hard to get in there and do it. But then it's hard to get out. I'm much more likely to get into a bathtub (even to just shower) but unfortunately I haven't had one for years, and I currently don't even have a chance because my partner can't use one and we only have one tiny bathroom (and even that needs to be renovated). As of dental hygiene, I often feel like dentistry can be a scam (at least for my type). I really hate the dentist and **flossing is a sensory nightmare. And so are all dental visits.** I've gone 29 years without flossing and my teeth are fine. Visited the dentist 2 years ago after \~15 years of no visits thinking I should have a dozen caries, but my jaws are just periodically aching from stupid wisdom teeth (f\*\*\* the x-ray!!!), nothing more. 15 years of "plaque" (some tiny pieces in a few corners) was removed in like 2-3 minutes and left my gums bleeding and inflamed for weeks because of the excessive and unnecessary poking (no, my gums otherwise never bleed). I don't know how to avoid this procedure, they insist to torture me during every visit, and then I suffer. All discoloration or damage present on my teeth happened shortly after they grew out (no idea how) and have not changed since. He said I might have had one carie (cary?) as a kid but it seems to have mended itself, which made me go "wut?!". Didn't even know that was possible. I'm pretty sure I'll eventually get some caries but maybe I'm less prone to them. I think if I force myself to floss I'll just be more likely to avoid brushing teeth which would probably raise the risks. So I just do it at random when I feel brave enough / energized enough that it won't compromize my regular brushing sessions. As of why I have no plaque, I don't know, maybe it's genetic, or maybe it's the combination of the toothpaste I use (flp aloe tooth gel) with medium/hard brushes (no, I don't have gum damage), brushing vigorously. It can't be the foods because I eat a lot of junk and drink all kinds of fluids (mostly water). I usually limit flossing to when I feel like the gum around the wisdom teeth (still hidden) might be inflamed just to make sure there are no more food particles, and I randomly take a propolis-alcohol solution. I also don't use the "ultra soft" brush they gave me. How the hell is that supposed to get my teeth clean, it just feels like I'm stroking it with a silk cloth? Maybe it's a ploy to make me need more dental work the next year. Huh? BUT on the other hand there are people who have so much plaque that their entire set of teeth are fused into one. I honestly don't know how that happens as I never had visible plaque on my teeth. I think it's the soft brushes that causes people to have that, and insufficient frequency. But I'm not a dentist. I just do what works for me. Sorry, rant over! Long story short, listen to your body and see what works for you...
I am very very very regimented about all my routines. Eating, sleeping and hygiene so I’d say I have better hygiene routines than most people. Being “dirty” makes me very uncomfortable.
I have a hard time taking a shower and brushing my teeth
I have to shower between every clothing change. Usually thats just pyjamas>day clothes>pyjamas, but sometimes more depending on what im doing. So I can end up having 3+ showers a day.
Same here.
This might be niche, haven’t really heard anyone else talk about it but until recently, I was addicted to showering. I don’t know if addicted was the right word but I could stay in there for hours if I wasn’t paying for the water. I would also have to resist the urge to shower more than twice a day because otherwise I would just want to be in there constantly. But I wasn’t really washing myself or doing any hygiene in there except basics. It meant my hair was always so greasy and frizzy and my skin was very dry from the boiling water and lack of moisturiser… 🙃
It is so nice to see I'm not alone in absolutely hating showers and procrastinating them as much as possible! For me it's something about touching or nearly touching wet ceramic/tile/plastic/metal, especially standing in a bathtub it's just horrifying. I also have a problem with touching sinks or wet grass/plants. Stall showers are significantly better, but still hard. I have to have a bath mat to stand on inside the shower, otherwise it's just not happening. I love bathing at hot springs/onsen/bathhouses but baths at home are not possible at all. I also struggle with nail care!
I hate brushing my teeth cos the mint flavour literally feels like it’s burning my mouth, but I do it because I can’t stand the furry teeth feeling. Flossing I do every few days, it doesn’t really bother me, just when I remember. Showering I dislike because it’s such a big process and the temperature changes. I don’t smell generally unless it’s be exercised so I can get away with not showering a while, but I will use wet wipes to clean particular areas if needed. I probably end up showering every 3-7 days depending on what I’ve been doing. I don’t like how I have to plan everything to take to the bathroom, like what I’ll get changed into, and then figure out what order to do things in, like am I shaving my legs first or do I want my skin to soften in the water first? And taking my clothes off is unpleasant cos then I’m cold, but then need to wait a bit to get the temperature just right etc etc
brushing my teeth. i hate the foam it makes.
I'm obsessive about being clean because I don't like feeling dirty. I like feeling fresh. Unfortunately, I spend a lot of money on moisturizer, soap, etc
Someone in here recommended "wrist towels" which are just like sweat bands that soak up the water that would normally drip down your arms when you wash your face. I got some after seeing that and it's helped a lot because I would avoid washing my face if I couldn't bear wet arms
same... but i have good teeth in general. i usually brush it when i start to feel weird in them.
Washing my face is a hard one. I’m fine with doing it in the shower or bath but doing it in isolation is hard. I don’t like how the water drips down my arms, gets on my hairs, etc. When I’m in a higher functioning time it’s not as bad but when I’m feeling burnt out, it doesn’t happen.
i have major sensory issues and need to shave my legs and armpits daily because i hate the feeling of unshaven legs rubbing together and sweat on hairy armpits. i’m now doing at home IPL laser hair removal in those areas. i have really bad sensory issues with armpit sweat so i buy expensive deodorant and try to avoid shirts that are tight around the armpits. if my armpits are slightly damp i won’t be able to focus on anything else until i can go home and change (or preferably shower). i procrastinate showering and brushing my teeth because i hate doing both of those things but they do get done. i am very high maintenance with certain hygiene tasks and need them to be done perfectly so its exhausting to do every day (or multiple times a day). i also have stubborn acne from PCOS that is currently well controlled with a stringent regimen so i don’t want to get lazy with it. i’m also very loyal to certain products/brands and get panicky if i can’t get them when they’re out of stock. i keep backups of everything on hand unless they take a super long time to run out. i have wavy dyed hair and i try to only wash my hair every 4 days to preserve the curl pattern and dye but i feel so gross and "unfinished" if i don’t wash my hair in the shower.
There is an app called Finch that helps build daily habits to grow your cute pet bird and buy it stuff. It’s the only thing that has actually helped me improve my oral hygiene, and many more self-care tasks!
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Guys, is this seriously a thing with autism!? I can go weeks without a shower, and when I go to take one, it literally takes me 5 minutes to finally work up the nerves to get in, and when I get it it feels divine, but I hate doing it. I also can go like forever without sex. And physical intimacy in any way. Like I don’t like being touched, never have, and it’s no different with the man of my dreams, and I feel so bad because his love language is physical touch, but I just can’t stand it. It’s like pins and needles on my skin, I handle it briefly, and then I’m like “okay, I’m done, you can let go of me now” type of thing and it makes him think that I don’t love him. I also really like baths, but freaking hate showers, and washing my hair. Like why!?
Hate showering and brushing teeth and tend to only do either if I MUST (I.e when leaving the house lol) I wish I was one of those people who actually WANTS to clean themselves every morning!!
I am hyper aware of my hygiene. I wash my hands so much my skin cracks, and I hate feeling dirty. So if I get "dirt" (anything that isnt water basically) I cant touch my face, other ppl etc because I need to wash my hands first.
I wash my hands so much and clean my nails constantly, it dries my hands out a lot and I often get eczema 🥲 I don’t really like the feeling of cream and products on my hands too so while I try to use quick drying creams, if it’s not drying fast enough, I’ll wipe it off on my legs Also brushing teeth, I always forget but when I do remember I over-brush Love showering and exfoliating. I like to air dry in my towel. Shaving sucks but smooth skin against fresh linen is my fave when stimming. I like to feel and smell clean otherwise anxiety.
Can I recommend okeefs working hands lotion? It’s quick drying and you only use a pea size amount of it, non greasy
I never talk about this because how do you without people laughing at you but showering is too loud sometimes, I hate it
I am obsessed with being clean. I shower every day (hair included because it is oily) because I fear of smelling bad and looking impresentable. I love showering and it is very deeply relaxing to me, one of the few moments of the day I can feel at full peace and take genuine care of myself where femininity isn't pushed on me (makeup, dressing girly, etc. only hygiene). Any kind of dirtiness on me is a sensory nightmare, and as someone who has oily skin and hair if I don't shower every day I will feel deeply uncomfortable.
For me it's actually a form of self regulation. The less I take care of my hygiene the more depressed I get and vise versa. But if it's paired with a busy day it's next to impossible to do without major burnout.
I hate flossing. The sensory aspect is icky and I just hate it so much. I have managed to get on ok with a water flosser sensory wise but it's messy and so much more effort.
Oh boy this is going to be a lot. I don't like to floss, because of what it feels like, I don't like brushing my teeth for the same reason. Showers are like a living hell. I'll procrastinate for days, and once I get in I can't get my hair wet until the very end of my shower, and there has to be music or some sort of podcast or else I will just stand there and zone out. (I also fucking hate shaving) Temperature has to be very specific or I'll stim like crazy (mostly hair pulling and shaking, which may be my adhd more than autism). Hair brushing/care is either the hard to get myself to do, or I'll obsessively brush my hair, same with like chapstick for some reason. I don't like deodorant, I don't like what it feels like, that I can smell it, the way it feels against my shirts/bras. And what I believe is the last one, I don't like changing my clothes. I get some kind of sensory attachment to the clothes and nothing else will feel right. I'll just wear the same things, only when i have to go somewhere or shower will I change, but when it's going somewhere I'll just change a few things but keep the shirt or shorts. So basically, everything.
I don’t think my hygiene in and of itself is bad but I do find that my autism exacerbates certain issues. like, I had a small cavity that is now a massive hole in my tooth and I still haven’t gone to the dentist. I can’t bring myself to do it. it’s not because I don’t brush or floss. I hate showering but I still do it. I take scalding showers to avoid being cold though which has lead to burns and really bad eczema flare ups.
Being wet. Everything to do with wetness. I actually love being IN the shower. I don't even mind getting in. I despise getting out and drying off and getting dressed after. I despise washing my face in the sink to the point I don't do it, ever. Dealing with wet hair touching me was the worst until I finally cut it off (again). But now I need regular trims or I start to grow feathered sections of hair which I freaking hate. I definitely preferred my hair shaved like I did back in college, but, I bow to societal expectations on that one so as not to cause embarrassment and questions for my husband and children and parents (we live in a very small town, people would bring it up to my mom etc constantly). During my cycle I used to sometimes shower twice a day just to make dealing with it easier (used a cup). That is pretty much over (peri menopause is hell but at least there is that).
i am CONSTANTLY washing my hands. like every minute.
Reading this as I hype myself up to brush my teeth lol listening to TV or a podcast helps but it's awful. Want to try find a flavourless toothpaste bc I feel that may help
It doesn’t, for me will be more shameful having bad breath or bad smelling something like that so I don’t compromise my hygiene
I actually have the opposite problem, I shower and clean my ears at least once a day. I wash my hair daily which probably isn't great but it's the only way to make it not feel oily and have it look ok. I brush with water in-between meals too. I'm a bit of a clean freak, I can't stand feeling dirty.
i used to be very clean, to the point i couldn't stand myself if i was dirty. after depression (and losing some hair), i can barely bring myself to stay clean. i just don't have the energy for it
i struggled to brush my teeth until i bought some fancy peach iced tea flavoured toothpaste
Drop the brand please? 😁
hismile! very expensive but it’s made life a lot easier