Anyone have a hard time with cleaning habits?

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iheartmegahitt
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02 Sep 2011, 7:16 pm

I mean like, with shaving your legs and under arms, keeping fresh... down there... those things. It's always a big challenge for me because going through puberty wasn't a big deal but dealing with the hairy legs, down there and whatever... it always seems harder because well... I'm not really sure. I mean I always feel like I'm used to just washing my hair and body... but I don't always like to shave my legs or underarms.

Other times, I think its because I don't really like the feeling of water clinging to my skin. It's just this weird feeling I have. I like swimming and being IN the water but once I get out, its like... I have to be completely dry because I don't like having things sticking to me like... clothing or whatever.

But besides that, are their any aspie women who have trouble with self-cleaning such as... down there... and also with shaving and all that other stuff? If not, how do you manage to put it into schedule to do these things without having any fuss or challenges along the way?

The thing is that I think it was hard for my mom explaining these things to me. I mean being autistic, it was hard going through puberty and dealing with everything at once. I didn't have any issues with it but I think my mom had a hard time with explaining it.


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DenaCR
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02 Sep 2011, 9:10 pm

Yes, I feel the same as you. I still have trouble with it. Luckily, my husband does not care either way. What I found to be helpful is to go to the gym regularly. That way, I feel as if I need a shower when I get home. Shaving my legs is something that can be done nearly any time, but I have issues with the razor, so I try only once every two weeks. Underarms, I can't help you there. I'm too sensitive for that. I find cutting the hair down below is better than shaving. You can still be clean without being bare there. Any shaving I do is done together so that I am on a schedule, and I put it into my Google Calendar. I hope that helps?



mb1984
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03 Sep 2011, 8:27 am

My mom had trouble teaching me as well. I remember being well into puberty and I still needed her to wash my hair for me.
I also have difficulty with shaving and other self care. The easiest thing for me, is I found using Vagisil at the beginning of my shower. It keeps me fresher and feeling cleaner when I have not shaved or trimmed down there. I'm sensitive to smells, and so if I use it at the beginning, the shampoo and soap afterwards will take the smell of Vagisil off my hands.
As for the water clinging, have you ever tried a Sham-Wow or similar product? They suck the water right up, and it may help for that clinging feeling.


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Meera
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03 Sep 2011, 11:31 am

Hmm I'm almost obessive with cleaning. I cant stand feeling dirty. I also shave everything and thread my eyebrows. I can't stand plucking or xing my eyebrows but threading is painless for me.



necroluciferia
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03 Sep 2011, 1:07 pm

I have never been one for shaving my legs or under-arms. It's not that I have any sensory issue surrounding it but I just never saw the point to it. My mother used to hassle me to shave when she saw I had hairy armpits but it just made me angry. I think I hate the cultural expectation that women should be completely hairless and child-like in order to be deemed attractive.

I've always had a problem regularly brushing my teeth, I have no idea why but when I sink into depression it is the first part of my routine to go.

Aside from that I really can't stand feeling dirty. I love having baths and grooming myself and making myself smell nice.



kotshka
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04 Sep 2011, 1:46 pm

I love showers and baths, and keeping clean in that respect is no problem for me. I do have trouble with frequent yeast infections, though, and I can't figure out why. I know I'm really sensitive to chemicals so I try to use scent-free soaps and whatnot, and I clean the area regularly, but I always seem to have some sort of infection. I finally have full-coverage health insurance now, so I guess I need to make an appointment with a gynecologist and find out what the deal is. I'm open to advice.

Regarding shaving, it's a nightmare. I have super-ultra-sensitive skin. I have a Venus razor and I buy new blades regularly (very expensive), but I can't force myself to shave more than once per week because of the horrible razor rash I get - and that rash lasts for over a week even if I don't shave again for a while. This is even with lots of shaving cream and using moisturizer regularly. If anyone has any tips for this, I'd be grateful. The only part of my body I try to shave more often is underarms, and that only if I think someone might see them - certainly if I'm wearing a sleeveless top or something with very short sleeves. But I'm on the lookout for a relationship right now, so it seems necessary.

The only other thing I have trouble with is brushing my teeth. I force myself to do it every morning and so far I've only had a few small cavities, but the feeling of the bristles on my teeth is like nails on a chalkboard for me. Even listening to my flatmate brush his teeth makes me cringe. Ugh, I feel sick just typing about it!

But even though some parts of my hygienic routine are unpleasant, I always do them as a courtesy to those around me. I remember kids in school who had yellow teeth or smelled like BO all the time, who always insisted that there was "no point" in showering or brushing every day, and I don't want to be one of them. I even wear perfume a lot of the time - sprayed only on the back of my neck, though, to avoid allergic reactions.



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05 Sep 2011, 5:06 am

kotshka wrote:
Regarding shaving, it's a nightmare. I have super-ultra-sensitive skin. I have a Venus razor and I buy new blades regularly (very expensive), but I can't force myself to shave more than once per week because of the horrible razor rash I get - and that rash lasts for over a week even if I don't shave again for a while. This is even with lots of shaving cream and using moisturizer regularly. If anyone has any tips for this, I'd be grateful.


Have you tried exfoliating the area before shaving and shaving with the hair growth instead of against? Also, spraying perfume on the shaved area worked really well for me. It stings like nobody's business, but it desinfects the area and no rash! I suppose rubbing alcohol would work as well.

I have few problems with personal grooming and hygiene. I'm too afraid of being mocked for hairy legs or bushy eyebrows to let my routine slip. I admit it's shallow, but I'm hypersensitive to that kind of teasing. Also, I like the feeling of being clean and smooth, not just for my boyfriend, but for me, too.



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05 Sep 2011, 8:08 pm

Sometimes, I forget to shave when I need to but I eventually end up doing it. Other than that, I have no problem with cleaning habits as I can't stand being dirty.



iheartmegahitt
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05 Sep 2011, 8:33 pm

necroluciferia wrote:
I have never been one for shaving my legs or under-arms. It's not that I have any sensory issue surrounding it but I just never saw the point to it. My mother used to hassle me to shave when she saw I had hairy armpits but it just made me angry. I think I hate the cultural expectation that women should be completely hairless and child-like in order to be deemed attractive.

I've always had a problem regularly brushing my teeth, I have no idea why but when I sink into depression it is the first part of my routine to go.

Aside from that I really can't stand feeling dirty. I love having baths and grooming myself and making myself smell nice.


Well for me, I often don't even bother shaving them. I have a hard time shaving the back of my legs and my knees have delicate skin so shaving them as well causes the skin to break and bleed. I hate being dirty too... I mean its like I could be only two days away from a shower and I already feel like I have this bad smell. So I have to take a bath.

But what I mean is being fresh down there... it always seems like I can never clean enough to also be fresh down there.


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psayles56
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15 Nov 2011, 12:26 pm

Meera wrote:
Hmm I'm almost obessive with cleaning. I cant stand feeling dirty. I also shave everything and thread my eyebrows. I can't stand plucking or xing my eyebrows but threading is painless for me.


I feel the same. I can't stand feeling dirty. I shave almost my entire body. I pluck my eyebrows. I would like to get them professionally done but then I would have to spend money that I don't even have and I would have to go talk to someone in a salon or something. So that probably won't happen. I thought this was going to be about cleaning. Like cleaning your house, apartment, etc. I have trouble vacuuming because I don't like the noise. I also have trouble doing other things.



psayles56
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15 Nov 2011, 12:34 pm

kotshka wrote:
I love showers and baths, and keeping clean in that respect is no problem for me. I do have trouble with frequent yeast infections, though, and I can't figure out why. I know I'm really sensitive to chemicals so I try to use scent-free soaps and whatnot, and I clean the area regularly, but I always seem to have some sort of infection. I finally have full-coverage health insurance now, so I guess I need to make an appointment with a gynecologist and find out what the deal is. I'm open to advice.

Regarding shaving, it's a nightmare. I have super-ultra-sensitive skin. I have a Venus razor and I buy new blades regularly (very expensive), but I can't force myself to shave more than once per week because of the horrible razor rash I get - and that rash lasts for over a week even if I don't shave again for a while. This is even with lots of shaving cream and using moisturizer regularly. If anyone has any tips for this, I'd be grateful. The only part of my body I try to shave more often is underarms, and that only if I think someone might see them - certainly if I'm wearing a sleeveless top or something with very short sleeves. But I'm on the lookout for a relationship right now, so it seems necessary.

The only other thing I have trouble with is brushing my teeth. I force myself to do it every morning and so far I've only had a few small cavities, but the feeling of the bristles on my teeth is like nails on a chalkboard for me. Even listening to my flatmate brush his teeth makes me cringe. Ugh, I feel sick just typing about it!

But even though some parts of my hygienic routine are unpleasant, I always do them as a courtesy to those around me. I remember kids in school who had yellow teeth or smelled like BO all the time, who always insisted that there was "no point" in showering or brushing every day, and I don't want to be one of them. I even wear perfume a lot of the time - sprayed only on the back of my neck, though, to avoid allergic reactions.



I can relate when it comes to the yeast infections but not brushing your teeth. I am obsessed with brushing my teeth. I always feel like I haven't brushed them enough. When I was younger my father would always tell me your teeth kind of look yellow and stuff like that and it always made me NOT want my teeth to be yellow. I never think my teeth are white enough even though they seem to be pretty white.



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15 Nov 2011, 1:20 pm

I have a hard time. I feel like washing my hair and showering today but for various reasons I just haven't done it yet. Many days it doesn't even occur to me to bother doing it.

I don't shave any more. I just trim a little down there with a small pair of manicure scissors if it's getting too long.



psayles56
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15 Nov 2011, 1:25 pm

hanyo wrote:
I have a hard time. I feel like washing my hair and showering today but for various reasons I just haven't done it yet. Many days it doesn't even occur to me to bother doing it.

I don't shave any more. I just trim a little down there with a small pair of manicure scissors if it's getting too long.


I shower everyday it just takes me a while to get going. I have been up since 9am and it is now almost 1:30pm and I still haven't showered. Haha. Wow I was going to shower at 1:30 and it is 1:25. I guess I will get going.



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15 Nov 2011, 2:33 pm

I don't shave my legs. Ever.

I try to remember to trim down there, but it's not a priority.

I do shave under my arms pretty religiously. It's part of the shower routine. Wet hair, shampoo, rinse. Apply conditioner. Wash body, shave pits, rinse all. Wash face. Get out.

Making myself put down what I'm doing and go take a shower-- that's another story. I have to work at it.

At least I'm better about cleaning house. It's not something I enjoy but looking at all the chaos makes my eyes hurt. Makes me feel claustrophobic. So, I have motivation to clean.


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15 Nov 2011, 7:43 pm

I never had an issue with shaving.. I shaved my eyebrows off when I was in kindergarten.

Anyway, at times I can let leg hair/underarm hair grow if it's been a few days since my shower, or if the last shower I hopped in an out giving the hair time to grow more.. so the hair is grown out more so than some people's at times.

I pretty much have a routine though in the shower. Shave legs, shave underarms, wash hair. It's pretty much the same every time. (Oh but sometimes I can be in showers a really long time.. I may be thinking/day dreaming about something and end up in their for an hour or more. This makes my legs itch like crazy after shaving.)



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16 Nov 2011, 2:41 am

I use Veet in shower depiliatory cream. Wipe it on my legs and underarms using the soft sponge and by the time the shower water is hot all the hair just comes off with a washer. I shower every day (and most days wash my hair) but I only have to get rid of the leg and underarm hair once a week. The best thing for me is that each time I use the cream, less hair grows back! Yay!! I don't have any hair growing on the back of my calves at all anymore.