smelling good or just smelly?

Yesterday we got really fresh and clean. Today let's think about the stuff you can put on after you're clean to smell and look even better... or not. Most children don't use any body products like lotion, deodorant, hair gels, body sprays and perfumes or colognes. Middle school has tons of kids who love to experiment with all these products and we know they sometimes try all of them on the same day. Wow. That's a lot of smelly stuff on one person.
Hey everyone, after your body is clean and dry use deodorant + antiperspirant under your arms. They both come in one thing. Lots of people like the stick that you just rub under there 2 or 3 times. Up/down. Up/down. That should cover it for one day. Of course there are also spray and gel deodorants, too. The deodorant part keeps us from getting stinky and the antiperspirant stops the sweaty pits. Now if you play hard, get really hot, and run a lot you're going to get sweaty and stinky no matter how much stuff is on your pits. That's where the soap and water come in again.
Body sprays smell good. For boys I'm thinking about Axe and Tag type sprays. Girls can get hundreds of good smelling sprays and some have tiny bits of glitter. This product goes on the skin near the neck or the front of your shirt. Hold it kind of far away from your skin so it's not really a blast but a gentle mist. Don't go spraying the entire body because the smell will be too strong. Your room should not have a cloud of body spray floating around when you're done.
News Flash!! Face lotion may be used by boys! There are gentle lotions that keep the skin on our faces fresh all day. They can stop pimples from popping out. They often include sun screen. They smell nice but not too pink, if you know what I mean. If you use face wash, and I'm talking to boys and girls here, there's probably a daily moisturizer to help control breakouts. Try it and see how your skin feels. Put the lotion on your finger tips then make little spots of it on your face. Use the finger tips to rub it over your whole face.
Wait. Before you go, check for globs and rub them away with the back of your hand or a tissue.
Smile and have a great day.

how to be fresh and clean for school

Clean feels good and smells good, too. Start with your skin. All of your skin. And use soap not just water. Some people use body wash which looks like shampoo but is for the skin. As you hit that wacky time of puberty, your skin will begin to change. In fact, your whole body will do strange and unusual things during these years. Don't worry. You can work with these changes when you know what to expect. Expect pimples and new hair where there wasn't any hair before. Oh, and those private areas will be changing, too. It's all part of moving from child to adult and it takes a long time.

Ok, now that your body is clean, work gently on your face. If your skin is beginning to get pimples, use an acne clearing face wash. Most of these products have a chemical called salicylic acid which slows the dead skin cells from clumping up and clogging pores. Start with the mild kind (not extra strength) to be sure you don't get a rash. If your skin feels really tight after using the face wash, it's probably too strong for you. It's also available in a small tube and you just put little dabs of it on any pimples you have.
Now up to the top of your body. Wash your hair to remove dirt and oil. Use shampoo not just water. Rinse out all the shampoo which takes the dirt off of your hair with it.

Check your finger nails for dirt and get rid of it. We don't carry dirt in our finger nails in middle school people. It may have been ok in elementary grades because of playgrounds and mud pies. No more nail mud for you. Hey, check your toes for dirt while you're at it.

On to the teeth. Do you have braces? Well it doesn't matter. Get your teeth clean every day. At least once a day brush each tooth carefully with toothpaste not just the ones in front. Learn how to floss between your teeth, too. If your toothbrush looks scruffy with bent and twisted bristles please get a new one which will do a much better job of cleaning. Think of trying to write with and unsharpened pencil. You can't brush with an unbrushy flat brush. One more thing, rinse your mouth and make sure you're not walking around with extra toothpaste on your face.

Have a great day and repeat the whole thing tomorrow and the next day and the next... I think you get the idea.
Stay clean while you're growing and changing.