Kids Take Hygiene Seriously When You Explain Why

Sweat, hormones, and summer heat can turn “go take a shower” into a daily battle, and I don’t want our kids learning hygiene through embarrassment. We’re talking about child hygiene as a real life skill: how to explain body odor and bacteria in a simple way, how to build routines that stick, and how to mentor instead of just correct. When kids understand the why, hygiene stops feeling like a punishment and starts feeling like self-respect. 

We get specific about when to start (and how to supervise without hovering), what changes during puberty, and why hair growth and cycles can make odor stronger. I also share practical hygiene tools that help at any age: soap and water over shortcuts, deodorant that actually lasts, oral care upgrades like tongue scrapers and flossers, and the often-missed basics of bathroom hygiene. For teens, we dig into face washing, acne, moisturizer, and why removing makeup at night matters. 

We also cover how to teach hygiene without shame. That means calm language, no teasing, and using our own stories so the lesson lands at eye level. We talk about modeling routines, using simple charts for younger kids, and including hair washing as part of total body care. Finally, we zoom out to whole-body wellness with a conversation about internal health and digestion, because feeling “clean” is not only external. 

Subscribe to Mom to Mentor, share this with a parent who needs it, and leave a review so more moms can find the show. What hygiene habit are you ready to teach with more patience and more clarity?

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As Mom's we are more than nurturers we are Mentors to our children.

Transcript

Welcome And Summer Hygiene Reality

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hey ladies, welcome back to the Mom to Mentor podcast, where I remind every mother listening that we are more than nurturers. We are mentors. Hey, summer is here and it's hot. What does that mean? It means our existing body odors will be enhanced due to the heat. So today I'm stepping into a topic that seems simple on the surface, but shapes our children in powerful ways, which is hygiene. Hygiene isn't just about staying clean, it's about teaching our children how to care for themselves, how to show up in the world with confidence, and how to build habits that follow them into adulthood. And if you're anything like me, you have realized those moments, uh, kids don't just figure it out. They learn because we teach them, guide them, and model it for them. So today we're gonna talk about when to start, what to teach, how to introduce hygiene in a way that builds responsibility without shame.

Teach The Why Behind Clean

SPEAKER_00 1:25

Whether you're raising little ones, tweens, or teens, this episode will help you mentor them through one of the most important life skills they'll ever learn. Why does hygiene matter? Yeah. Hygiene, again, is a life skill, it's not a chore. That means you need to get in and wash yourself and understand what your body is capable of producing as it relates to smells and why you need to clean, you know, honestly, and even for myself growing up, I told my kids, go take a shower, go brush your teeth. Okay, and they did that, but I never explained to them why. Yeah, because although later on in life I didn't have to tell them, they did it on their own. Out part of it was out of repetition because we had um a standard in my home of you know, a routine that they had to follow in the specifically in the evening, you know, go take your shower, go brush your teeth. That that was typical, but I never got into the weeds to say, hey, the reason you have to do this is because bacteria grows on your body, and as you get older, the the smells get stronger, the odors get stronger if you don't take care of them, unfortunately. And so today, moms, again, I just want to reiterate with you just don't tell your child to go take a shower or go take a bath or go brush your teeth. Let's get in the weeds. Yeah, let's get down with understanding, first of all, how your body starts to develop these odors, right? And why they need to be addressed. Because if we don't get in the weeds and explain it, they'll just go through the routine. Yeah, but once you understand why you need to do this, you're gonna be able or explain to your kids why they need to do this when they do become an adult. Then at that point, it's no longer, oh, I just need to take a shower. No, I need to take a shower because bacteria is growing on my body, and so I'm also gonna talk about maintaining uh internally as well, because we we talk about externally use soap and water, yep, but then there's also uh internal cleanse you need to consider, and not just for you, mom, but for your kids as well. So we'll talk or I'll talk a little bit about that as well. So, why does hygiene matter? It affects confidence and social comfort. People will remember your smell, and I I'm gonna take that to another level and say they'll remember your odor when it's bad, right? So smell is good and bad. You know, you hear or smell someone cooking as oh, that smells good, or it might not smell so good, depending on what it is. But odor, you can get away from that. That's straight negative. It's an unpleasant smell. There's no gray area there. Hygiene is part of self-respect and identity because people are gonna remember you based on your smell or your odor, your own aha moment about why teaching hygiene early matters, and it does. So I'm gonna get into the weeds where it's age appropriate that we start talking through these things, and even you, mom, and and you may be just like me, because you know, I was just taught go take a shower, go take a bath. Back in the day, baths were very popular versus showers today, but back in the day, go take a bath, right? You if someone's telling go take a bath, then there's a good chance that you got some odors coming off of you that are not pleasant.

When To Start And Build Independence

SPEAKER_00 6:09

So, when should you start teaching hygiene? Again, um as soon as my kids knew better, so it was like maybe five, six years old, if not before that, um, especially to allow them to start doing it on their own. And I would watch them to make sure that they were getting the critical areas. Um, but it was around five or six, I gave them that leeway, and then ultimately I backed off and said, you should know what to do now, because I've made sure that you got those critical areas and brushing your teeth as well. Again, stayed there, monitored, and all of that is fine. And you may be practicing that same skill set um with helping your children navigate their body and keeping it clean. But if we're not explaining why, yeah, we're we're just doing a routine, just doing a routine, and it may not be a priority for some because we don't teach it appropriately. Yeah, I'm gonna walk around here with all this bacteria on me, and that's no big deal because we don't call it what it is. We just say you smell, go wash, and in my back in my day, uh we used to use the word funky, musty, ooh, we. And uh even today I hear some people telling kids you smell like outside. And again, smelling like outside is not a good thing. So there are different ways people share that someone does not smell or is carrying an odor, right? Um, you know, I've also heard the term you're ripe. And my mom, when she used to wash my hair and everything, and how she knew it was time to wash my hair, is she was like, Oh, your hair done soured. And again, I was like, Oh, sour? What's that mean? Oh, it's stained, you know, sweating outside playing all day. Yeah, it's it's it smells, so it's an odor. But we have to call it what it is, yeah, and make sure our kids are aware that if they don't properly clean themselves, then it's going to lead to an unpleasant odor. So again, when should you start teaching hygiene? Uh early introduction, toddlers watching and copying. Again, I put my kids in the tub and monitor, show them how to do it. Um, building independence in early childhood. Again, I would say a year or so after um giving them that overview. Then I would step back and say, hey, go do it yourself. This is how you do it. Here's the soap, why you need soap. It's it's different than just getting in the shower and letting the run the water run over you versus you actually putting some soap there. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Soap is important. And I know um a lot of these big companies now are introducing body sprays. What? Instead of you getting in the tub, here's a body spray that you uh spray in those critical areas, and it's like, well, how does that work? Because isn't that just mingling the odor with another smell that could potentially make it even worse? Anyway, that is something I personally don't support. Uh, soap and water is is what we should be using. Yeah. And we should use it regularly. And especially if your children are active, they've been outside, they're in sports, they're doing different things or different activities, then we want to encourage them to wash that bacteria off of them daily. And I've even heard some people say, I take a shower in the morning and at night. Well, that's your business, right? I don't know what you're into. Um, and and if odors are emanating as a result of your activities that require you to take one in the morning and at night, hey, that's your business. And you know, some people sweat while they sleep. So I can understand why you may need to take another shower uh in the morning. I I get it, but that's none of my business. However long you choose to shower, that that's that's on you. But the key is showering is important to make sure the bacteria on your body gets washed away. And we all have it. We all have it. So by teaching your children early, it's reinfor reinforcing habits in elementary years, and then Lord have mercy, once they head for puberty, yeah.

Puberty, Cycles, And Stronger Odors

SPEAKER_00 11:54

Um uh-huh, you really gonna have to uh make sure your kids understand what that means. And once you have that conversation with them about puberty, because now hair is starting to grow in different places on their body, and that's even gonna hold, and that's gonna hold even more bacteria, yeah. And that's why you might need to spend an extra five minutes in the shower when you go through puberty because of the fact that you are developing, you are getting uh growing hair in various areas of your body that require additional time with washing. And then certainly our young girls, um, as they're starting their cycles, you definitely need to spend more time, mom, explaining uh what hygiene means in that area, and a lot of times that gets overlooked, unfortunately. So our young girls don't know what it means to go and do their appropriate adjustments when it comes to their cycle so that they can remain fresh. But again, that's where you start early and you keep going. You you you keep going until they out your house. And seriously, and even in adulthood, you know, they may not even smell themselves sometimes. I'm told that, you know, the first person to smell you is you. Yeah, that's what I'm told. But sometimes it's not always the case. So if you're noticing something, if you're noticing some behaviors that are getting overlooked, then hey, you can remind your child about that, you know, because if they're starting into or if they're taking medicines, things like that, then yeah, some of those odors can begin just from taking a certain type of medicine.

Hygiene Tools For Mouth And Body

SPEAKER_00 14:08

You know, I like coffee and I drink it every day. I have to have my coffee, but I also get coffee breath, and that's not always a good thing. And I think one of the best inventions out there is the tongue scraper. I think it's awesome. And I've all often asked, where have you been all my coffee life? Because that is a part of my regular morning routine, is to clean my tongue. Yeah. And then I go ahead and gargle and I brush and I gargle again to make sure I have fresh breath, even though I may not be interacting with anyone, but I'll feel it. I'll have that coffee taste still kind of hanging around. But these are the kinds of things that we have to get in tune with to understand that this may leave a lasting impression and not always positive, right? That how many people have you encountered with that they say hello? And you like, oh no. I mean, and and I probably had a few of those days myself, right? And even now, um, my mouth has a tendency to get a little dry. So I keep mints on me, especially if I'm going to a public event or I'm interacting with people because I don't know. It it may creep up on me and I may think things are fine until I say hello, and then they look like, oh no. Yeah, um, talk to you later. And unfortunately, that that's life. And so it's nothing to be ashamed of. And I'll talk a little bit about that in a moment. All right, so let's talk about some of the tools that related to hygiene uh that we need to make sure our children know about. Now, I just talked about the tongue scraper. Um, you can introduce that early. I uh there's nothing wrong with it. There's no um issue with you sharing that with your children early, especially if they're eating different things um that may leave odor. Um, you would definitely want them to clean their tongue. It's important. So definitely get a tongue scraper. They should automatically know what soap does and why they need to use it. They should have their toothbrush. Now, you know, one thing I did find out electric toothbrushes are amazing. Again, where have they been all my life? I love it. And you also should teach them how to floss. Um, they have little um back in the day, and even now I guess they use the string, but you don't have to resort to the string anymore. There are other little tool flossing tools you can use to get in between your teeth that are a little more sturdy, and you don't have to pull back and forth wrapping the string around the finger to get the same results. So look into getting um those little uh tooth flossers, um, and they're real reasonable, and you can go to the Dollar Tree and get them for 20 to 30 for a dollar. But these are things you want to introduce to your kids because if you use the traditional flossing method, yeah, that they may get discouraged and say, you know what, I ain't got time to pull the string off, and how much should I pull? And then you'll have strings all over, but yeah, that might become a little complicated, so you might want to go ahead and invest in those uh additional flossing tools so that they'll have it. Now they still may leave them lying around, but it's better than string, in my opinion. In my opinion, all right. So towels, uh, that's a basic tool, um, wash towel, uh, sponges, all of that, whatever it is uh to use to make sure your body gets clean and dry. Yeah. We talked about mouthwash, we talked about tongues, tongue scraper, or I talked about the mouthwash and the tongue scrap the tongue scraper, um, body care tools, uh, lotion. You should introduce your children to lotion. Why is that important? Because your skin gets dry after getting out of the shower, and maybe not so much as you're young, but definitely as we get older, um, our skin becomes a little drier. So get some a good brand of lotion and learn how to put it on right after you get out of the shower. Now, me personally, as I am older, I use oils. Um, I like baby oil. And then there's a couple of other oils that I use um when I get out the shower to make sure my skin stays soft, because again, lotion alone just does not work for me anymore. So that's why I'm into oil. Um, matter of fact, um, I use castor oil on my legs um because again, with the dryness and everything, and it's my legs have a tendency uh to become very dry. So I use castor oil on my legs and then um other baby oil um on my body because again, lotion alone just doesn't work for me anymore. But anyway, with the kids, you want to introduce lotion and even for you, mom. And it's not this is not just for kids, but for you. If you're not lotioning or oiling up when you get out the shower, um, you're gonna see your skin look later look like ew, yuck, why am I so dry? But if you take this tip, and the good news is baby oil is not that expensive, it's not so you can go grab your bottle um and get your spray bottle, put a little bit in there, and just spray yourself after you take your shower. That's what I do. Um, again, deodorant. Here's the thing: all deodorants are not uh like I'll say that again. All deodorants are not a like. You have to find the one that works best for you that's going to last. Yeah, if your deodorant isn't lasting, it's time to throw that away and get you one that does last. Now, I'm not gonna promote anyone because everybody's different and how their body accepts uh deodorant, so I'm not gonna go there. But know that if after three hours you start smelling something and you looking around and you find out it's you, it's time to switch your deodorant. Mm-hmm. That's right. Um Bathroom tools. Again, toilet paper is a given, but are you effectively teaching your child how to wipe themselves after they go to the bathroom? Are you effectively wiping yourself after you go to the bathroom? Yeah. And I know men probably don't only need to worry about it in certain circumstances. Well we women, um, as we urinate and things like that, we we need to be um successfully taken care of down there after we go to the restroom. And if we're not properly doing that, guess what? You're going to start having those odors. And people don't, you're gonna walk by and people are gonna like, oh, what was that? That's probably because you didn't properly wipe yourself after you went to the restroom. Yeah, yeah, unfortunately. But here's the good news: if you haven't been doing it, you can start now. You can start changing these behaviors now. Yeah, you don't have to wait to until tomorrow. You can start right now. Right now. All right.

Teen Skin, Makeup, And Face Washing

SPEAKER_00 23:19

Uh, let's see, for your teen children, uh, again, they should be washing their face. Um, especially this is when you start getting the acne issues, and part of those acne issues come from because we're not washing our face or properly washing our faces, yeah. So as a result, that all builds up and then boom blah blah blah blah boom. Here's a pimple and here's a white head. Then you got to pop it, and yeah, I know that's nasty, but anyway, you have to start washing your face, and you can use a specialized cleanser. I know some people use regular soap um to wash their face, but here's what I recommend. And this is what I use, and this is what I've also shared with my daughter to use, and that is uh facial cloths that you buy and you pull those out because number one, everybody's water is different, and depending on what's routing through that water, you're putting that on your face, which could cause you to also have breakouts because of what's in the water. But if you use specialized cleansing cloths, that's going to help maintain your skin and prevent those breakouts. And then for our young ladies, you want to go ahead and get a good moisturizer and apply that daily, apply it daily, and again, I'm not going to recommend which moisturizer to get. Do your research. Now, I I get um my cleansing cloths, wash my face with it real good, and then I moisturize, and I'm good for the rest of the day. Now, if you wear makeup, ladies, then you want to take that off at night. You want to take your makeup off at night, and I learned the hard way. I used to sleep in my makeup, and when I woke up, yeah, I was one big pimple, and my makeup was uh, yeah, that's all, yeah, it's a whole nother story, but I had to learn the hard way, I had to learn the hard way, and I don't want you to have to go through what I went through, but take your makeup off at night, yeah. Go ahead, take that same cleansing cloth, do that same regimen as you do in the morning, and then go ahead and apply your moisturizer as you go to sleep. Now, I understand that, and this may be for us older folk, but you know, they have a morning moisturizer and a night moisturizer. I don't know why, um, but I just use one, and I'm not gonna tell you who it is, so don't ask me. I just use one, so you just need to find a good moisturizer. Now, if you find yourself breaking out as a result of that moisturizer, then of course you're gonna have to adjust that. So you're gonna want to look for side effects, right? Because it's not a one size fits all, but I do recommend you get a good moisturizer. And the other thing, ladies, when you use a good moisturizer, guess what? You have to you don't have to use as much makeup, your foundation doesn't have to be extremely thick, your powder doesn't have to be extremely thick. You can do a dab here and a little powder there, and you're good to go. Because your skin is already flawless if you have the right moisturizer, and because you will want to keep that authentic, that natural appeal, especially if you're trying to date uh or attract um Mr. Man, right? You're moving on, you're trying to date and get out there, and uh you would want your skin to be flawless, and you can do this by simply finding the right moisturizer, all right. Uh also in the teens, um, you again with their young girls, you want to educate them about their monthly cycle that they go through, introduce them to that, what it means. Um, I've heard so many horror stories about young ladies not being taught about the menstrual cycle, and they don't know what to do, where to go, who to talk to. And many have said, oh, this is a curse on me. Why is this happening? And not knowing that this is normal. This is normal. So we or you should educate your child about what it means to go through that, because not only are they gonna have that cycle, they're going to go through that whole attitude issue, PMS before it actually comes, they're gonna be irritable, bloated, and all these things. So, moms, please have that conversation with your daughters. Don't let the schools do this. Please don't let the schools do this. Take the opportunity to learn how to talk to your daughter about what their body is gonna go through, and that is okay. Please make sure you add that part. You're gonna go through this, it's normal, it's okay. And that's gonna take a lot of fear out of them when this time comes. Yeah, yeah. Let's let's not set our young ladies up for, oh my god, I'm a I'm a bad person. Some I must be a bad person because this keeps happening to me. I don't know what's going on with my body. Am I going crazy? And that's what some girls feel like when they're not educated. Yeah. All right, I'm gonna stay there. Let me move on.

Hygiene Kits And Shame-Free Talk

SPEAKER_00 30:07

Uh, you can also create hygiene kits for your kids, you know, or some of the basics. And uh as a way of reminding them you need to do this because somehow or another, and I don't know about your kids, but my kids had a tendency to get amnesia when it came to things, right? But if you get a little uh plastic bag, put deodorant or toothbrush, um, the mouthwash, just like if you're going on vacation, you might need to make that up for them as a reminder. These are the things that you need to do before you leave this house or when you get out of the tub. Okay. Uh now, how to teach hygiene without shame. So keep the conversations calm and matter of fact, right? Avoid teasing or calling out your kids. So please don't be like, ooh, you funky, go go get in a tub, or your breath stink, go brush your teeth, or you know, just don't be so direct. You can just say, it's it's time for you to um hit the shower, right? Or have you taken your shower today? Uh uh what life would be like after you take a shower. You know, again, at the beginning of this episode, I talked about my mom and her washing my hair. She would um again say, Oh, uh, yeah, your your hair done soured. She didn't say it's stained, she said your hair soured. Um, so I guess that's the polite way of uh telling me it's time to have my hair washed. But just be gentle, uh, moms, because this is critical um when it comes to hygiene. Uh, because if you smell it and if you're critical of them, then they're gonna develop a complex when they go in public and they're around others because they're gonna be like, well, mom said I stank, so I wonder if I stank now. Yeah. Versus, you know what, um, go take a shower or and and make sure you put plenty of deodorant on. Uh, focus on confidence, not criticism. Use simple explanations about germs and bacteria and how their body changes. Uh, share a quick moment where you learn the importance of taking care of your own body. Yeah, so use yourself as an example because that really is what brings it down to eye level. Yeah, because otherwise, you know, if you're talking in general terms, hey, you should do this because of this, um, yeah, they're going to be like, they're probably gonna glaze over because it's high level. But when you but when you start talking about your own experience, now it's gonna hit. Now they're gonna keep their eyes wide open and like, oh, you did? Really? Oh, you encountered that? Because now it's at eye level. Now they're saying, oh, mom went through this. Okay, I understand now, and this is what you did to resolve that. So, yes, you can start off at the general level, but bring it down to eye level of the personal experience you encountered and how you overcame that. So, again, introducing hygiene and tweens, make it a conversation, not a correction. Yep. Give them ownership, choosing their own products, right? You can start off with, okay, I'm gonna get this deodorant, I'm gonna get this lotion, I'm gonna get this body wash, da-da-da-da-da. Now, as they get older, give them that opportunity to pick their own. Yeah. Because you're because eventually they're leaving your home anyway. So they're gonna have to be able to pick their own body washes, yeah. And now, um, with men, they have body washes as well. That's just for men, right? So, which is interesting. So, what's different about their body wash than the woman's body wash? Something to think about. But allow your son to go and pick out uh his body wash. And if he's shaving, um, and if he's using shaving cream and all of that, those are also conversations that have to be had. Um, they also have their own deodorant. Um, I understand that's a little stronger than a woman's deodorant, I guess, because we perspire differently. But those are things you're going to have to have a conversation with your child about. And if you don't do it, mom, then pair your son up with a man that has gone through, a man that you can trust, that has gone through what it means when it comes to hygiene. Because we can't effectively explain it to them. Like a man can't come and talk to their daughter about her cycle and what hygiene means there. He can't do it. He can talk to through things, but if he hasn't experienced it, then it's not gonna go anywhere. Same thing with moms and sons. I could tell my son until I'm blue in the face, well, you need to do this, this, and this, right? But I'm not a man. So he's gonna encounter different things with his body that I would not have encountered. So I have to pair him up with the man to have that conversation. And then I'll go back and ask, how did that conversation go? Anything else I should know. But that's how you would approach it with boys or or your sons. All right, so teach the science behind odor, sweat, and hormones. Already talked about that, right? Because our bodies change and they continue to change as long as we are living. Uh, keep routines simple and realistic. Don't give them a whole bunch of products and say use every one of them. Tell them the basics and the why. The why. And again, it's one word bacteria. One word, bacteria. Our bodies collect bacteria, and we have to get rid of it, and we get rid of it by washing our bodies on a regular basis. All right, and then make sure it's a gentle reminder and not nagging. And again, make it personal, mom, that this is what I went through and this is how I handled it.

Modeling Routines Plus Hair Care

SPEAKER_00 37:45

So, modeling good hygiene, kids learn by watching. So when they're younger and they really don't know any better, you know, if they see you in the shower, then they should be seeing you washing critical areas. Now, am I advocating you put your child in there? No, but if they're young enough, they're they're already kind of absorbing that, right? Of what's happening. Uh, let them see your routines. Yeah, that um that really is the better way of teaching hygiene. And then saying, do you have any questions? And then elaborate. Because otherwise, if we get into talking too much, they'll glaze over. Let them see your hygiene routine. Um, again, mention a time when modeling worked better than lecturing. Basically, what I just said. Turn hygiene into a habit, morning and evening routines. Um, create visual visual charts for younger kids. Consistency over perfection. So you don't get it right all the time. You may have forgotten, but you did try to go through the process. You did go through and take your shower. Um, celebrate small wins. You know, one thing I noticed as I was doing my research about this is it didn't talk about washing hair. And anywhere you have hair, bacteria grows. And I often wondered when I was in school, they always had um a special presentation around lice and how to get rid of lice. And for folks that may not know, those are little uh eggs that grow in your hair um when it's dirty, right? So it's it's a parasite, and so you have to do special techniques and they have special light shampoo. But I'm wondering if our kids were taught how to wash their hair back then, would there have been a lice crisis? Hmm. So here's a question for you. Do you wash your child's hair? Do you have shampoo and conditioner at home? Or are you just kind of like life goes on? Just make sure you wash your body. But what about the hair? Now, with my son, I was able to just take him to the barbershop. And when I couldn't afford to take him to the barbershop, I learned how to cut his hair. So that minimized all that growth. Now, I never shampooed his hair because I cut it off. But now that I think about it, maybe I should have afterwards. I don't know. But with my daughter, there was regular maintenance, there was regular washing of her hair, there was a routine established with me doing her hair. And then as she got older, I had to change technique, right? Introducing uh curling irons and flat irons and all of that stuff. But for the most part, you know, I braided her hair. I'm I'm African American, so braiding her hair um would last. I have to worry about, especially when she's in school and we're trying to get out of the house. You know, I don't have to sit and try to comb it, brush it, and do this, all in all, for her to get home and it'd be all over her head anyway. So I always braided her hair so that it would be good to go. Now, when I was growing up, my mom used to take an old uh pair of stockings, cut it, tie it in a knot, and put it on my hair to keep it together. So she called it a stocking cap. And many of us African-American women, we we still use something to cover our hair today. But you have to have a regular routine with washing your child's hair. Yes, mom. Yes. Now, my ch my daughter, um, I laid her on the sink and had her head laid down um in the sink bowl um because she was so short, small. And back then it was easier. Um, but as she got older, she was able to sit in a chair and hold her head back into the sink, just like they do at the salons. That's right. Um, but I had to do that um with her and got the soap, got the the conditioner, and then um there were several steps I had to go through. But again, and I see so many folks today doing dreads. And and and again, if you have dreads, then then I'm sorry if this might offend you, but they just do not seem clean to me. To me, it's inviting uh additional germs and bacteria when you have dreadlocks. That's just me though. Um, when it's all matted and you can't get in there, uh if your fingers can't get in there, then uh how are you gonna know what else is in there? Because there's some smaller parasites and and lice that could get in there and grow. Anyway, I'm not gonna spend a lot of time there, but again, as I was doing the research on hygiene, I noticed that it didn't talk about how to teach your child about washing their hair or how to teach you how to wash your child's hair. Yeah, because you don't have to take them to the salon. You don't. My mom didn't take me to the salon. I didn't start going to the salon. I only went to, well, I was up in age. I was maybe 15 or 16. And the first time I went to a salon, my aunt took me because she didn't do hair. But she knew my hair needed to be done. And I was staying with her out of town. And so again, my mom always did my hair. And so there was no need to go to a salon. But ladies, let's not depend on a salon because it costs. And as single moms, we're watching our pennies. And you can go buy a large bottle of shampoo and a large bottle of conditioner and wash your child's hair. Now, my understanding, um our Caucasian or our white folks, they have to wash their hair daily to keep or every other day to keep the oil out. Whereas African Americans, we don't have to wash our hair that often because we're trying to keep the oil in. I remember when my mom used to oil my scalp to keep the oil in, to keep my hair from getting brittle. So that is a crucial part to this whole hygiene concept, is that washing the hair is critical. It is absolutely critical because the hair, wherever there is hair on your body, that is the propensity to grow bacteria that's gonna lead to something else. Now, I also talked about um external cleansing, you know, hair, your body, etc.

Internal Cleanse And Gut Health

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But are you also doing an internal cleanse? Hmm, yeah. We eat and drink things and put things in our body that don't process well, and so it hangs out in there. And I think the appropriate word may be constipation, where your body is not releasing that bacteria, because once it gets into your intestines, that's what happens. It turns into bacteria, and that's where you get um when you pass gas that that foul odor. It's like, ew, what is that? What did I eat? Well, that's because it's sitting in your intestines, it's not moving. So, ladies, invest in a probiotic, something to help keep your internal system clean, because it's just as important as your external. You know why? Because if you're not doing that internal cleanse, guess what? That's how you start getting sick, your stomach starts hurting, you're starting to feel nausea, you get a headache, all because of that bacteria that's growing in your intestines. Yeah. So, yeah, you may want to invest in a laxative, or you know, when my kids were growing up, apple juice always made them go. So I kept apple juice in the house to help them keep their internal organs cleaned. Yeah, because it's just as important as our external cleanliness or our hygiene, because again, you're gonna face some challenges with your hygiene if you're not maintaining them appropriately. Now, when I was growing up, my mom was real old school, and in order for us, or she kept our internal system or our internal intestines clean by giving us a tablespoon of castor oil. Yep, that's right. She would sit the bottle on the stove to heat it up, and that would be to thin it out. She would cut um an orange in quarters, and then she would give us, or how about me? I'll just stick with me. I can't talk for my brothers and sisters, but I'm sure she did it with them as well if she did it with me. But I can only talk about my experience. So she would give me a tablespoon of castor oil, then she would give me uh an orange to um kind of kill the taste, didn't work, it did not work, but anyway, she would give me uh an orange, and not long after that, yeah, let's just say uh there was no playing outside that day, there was not a whole lot of um activities going on uh that day outside of the bathroom. But that's what she did once a month. Once a month, she would uh give me a tablespoon of castor oil. And you know, um later on in life I asked her about it, and I was like, ew, you used to give me that yucky castor oil. And she said, but you never were sick, were you? I said, Oh, okay. Uh to change the subject. Yep, she clapped back. So again, ladies, I don't recommend castor oil uh for you to give your kids or even for you, but I do recommend you do some type of internal cleanse, not just for you, but for your kids. And as I mentioned before, I kept apple juice in my house, and um that's what helped my kids. I promise you, that's what helped them. So, again, ladies, we don't want to um miss out on just uh the external, or we don't just want to focus on external, we want to also focus on our internal cleanse.

Closing Mindset And Next Steps

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Now, as I wrap up today's conversation or this episode, I want you to remember this. Teaching hygiene isn't just about clean hands or fresh clothes, it's about raising children who understand how to care for themselves, respect their bodies, and walk into the world with confidence. Now these small daily habits become the building blocks of responsibility, self-worth, and independence. And the beautiful part is we get to guide them. Yeah, we we don't have to wait for a hygiene class to happen at school or at church or at another institution. This lies with us, mom. Yeah, so we can continue to correct and grow along the way. So it's not a one size fits all, a one and done. This is an ongoing process. Now, as we guide them, we're not guiding them with shame, not with pressure, but with patience, honesty, and love. So whether you're teaching a toddler how to wash their hands or reminding a queen about deodorant, know this. You're not just managing a routine, you're mentoring a life. Yeah. All right, ladies, I know this one was long and I did not give you that disclaimer at the beginning, but I hope you found value. I hope that you take this away and say, you know what, I'm gonna be a better mom. I'm gonna step up and really start educating my child. And anything that I don't know, I'm gonna go find it. I'm gonna go find it. I'm not gonna wait till somebody tells me or my child comes and tells me, I'm gonna be that best mentor, the best mom I know how to be. And it starts with education. That's right. The more you know, the more you grow. Yeah. And I wish, I wish if I could turn things around when I was raising my children, I wish I was more of an educator than just a corrector. Yeah, moms, do better than me. Like I told my kids as a single mom, and as they're getting older and can potentially become sexually active, do better than me. You know what our household was like as a single mom. Do better than me. Don't put another child through that. Don't do it. And thankfully, I'm not a grandma yet. I'm not a grandma yet, and I'm okay with that. Because if they can't effectively take care of a child and train a child, I'm okay with not being a grandma. Yeah. And so many people out here, when when are you gonna have that baby? When you're gonna put some beans in the oven. Yeah. Not if they're not ready. If they can't educate, if they're like me, and and can't come and and explain to their child or their children about life. No, don't force them to bring a child into this world. That's just like giving somebody car keys and they don't know how to drive. Yeah. There's gonna be a lot of accidents along the way. So don't put them in that situation. All right. Oh, y'all see me getting uh heated here. All right, thank you for joining Mom to Mentor today. Hope you found value. If you did, tell another mom, tell another parent. And again, it's getting hot. So explain to your child what good hygiene means and do it respectfully. And if you'd like to leave me some feedback, go to my YouTube page, go to sing a mom's united podcast.com, go to my blog, leave me some feedback there. Um, there's several ways you can um just let me know how my episodes are going and if you find value. If you find value. All right, you have a great day.