PERSONAL HYGIENE PRODUCT CHOICES

If you have any self respect, you will surely spend a lot of money on personal hygiene products. There are a lot of products out there and some of them are quite costly. And of course, some are better than others. Use of personal hygiene products is often a matter of personal choice. Being in my eighties and having tried many products over the years, here are my personal choices:

ELECTRIC SHAVER

In my younger years I shaved the old fashioned way - shaving soap and razor blades - with its time consuming lathering, razor burn and frequent cuts. Phooey on that! When electric shavers became popular, you could only get the slotted cutter types. I tried the Schicks and the Remingtons, but they did not give me a satisfactory shave and left me with ingrown hairs under my skin. Back to the Gillette safety razors until Sunbeam came up with an electric shaver using a real blade. That one worked for me. I started out with the original single blade shaver, then graduated to the later model with three blades.

Then along came Philips Norelco with its rotary shavers. Voila`! I have been using them ever since Norelco came out with the triple head model. They give me a smooth shave and that's all any man can ask for. And, a one-hour charge lasts me at least three weeks. Several months ago, I gave my son a Norelco to try out. He was reluctant to try it because of the ingrown hairs he got from other electric shavers. No ingrown hairs with the Norelco as he continues to shave with it.

Of course, there have been a number of model changes since I first started using the Philips Norelcos. The latest model is the "arcitec." At first I thought this really odd looking model was just a marketing gimmick, but this shaver proved to be a real improvement over Norelco's other models. In particular, the arcitec's flexible head is outstanding at surmounting the contours of one's face and neck. And its new slender design makes it very easy to hold. I highly recommend it. Get the basic 1050X model - it doesn't have the bells and whistles of the other arcitec models, so it is somewhat less expensive.

A word about care and cleaning of the Norelcos. Replacement razor heads will cost you over thirty dollars. You can avoid this cost by rinsing the razor heads under hot tap water after each use and let the shaver air dry. The supplied cleaning brush should only be used to clean the shaver's trimmer. Once a month, I spray the razor heads (while they are running) with an electric shaver lubricant. Norelco makes one, but I prefer Oster "KOOL LUBE 3" which I buy at a beauty supply store. I've never had to replace any razor heads since I started using the models that can be rinsed out.

One word of caution and this is my only complaint about the Norelco shavers. Recharging takes one hour. That's good. But here's the rub. Once the shaver is fully charged you cannot leave the shaver in its charging stand IF THE STAND IS PLUGGED IN or you will shorten the life of the battery. To be safe, I don't keep the stand out, using it only to recharge the shaver.

ELECTRIC TOOTHBRUSH

For years I, like most others, used a manual toothbrush. I started using Oral-B brushes after my dentist gave me a sample brush. Of course, I had to switch to an electric toothbrush once those devices became popular. I can't recall the name of the brand I used for several years. I do remember that, to keep from damaging the instrument, you were required to use the special toothpaste supplied by the maker of the device. Phooey on that!

I switched brands when Braun teamed up with Oral-B and the Braun "Oral-B ProfessionalCare" electric toothbrush arrived on the market. It has a round brush head that rotates back and forth. The small brush head easily gets to every part of every tooth. I found it to be superior to the standard brush heads and highly recommend it. Again, get the basic model without all the bells and whistles.

A word about care and cleaning. After each use, I rinse off the whole instrument under luke warm tap water while the brush is rotating. After I've turned it off, I remove the brush head and rinse off the inside of its base. Unlike the Norelco shavers, you can leave the Oral-B in its charging stand while it remains plugged in without damaging the battery. Every six month I let it run until the battery is completely discharged. That will extend the life of the battery.

TOOTHPASTE

After trying several different brands, I long ago settled on Arm & Hammer "PEROXI-CARE" toothpaste. It contains baking soda and peroxide and that's what sold me on it.

MOUTHWASH

I have used Listerine Antiseptic mouthwash for years and years. I use the original formula, not the newer mint flavor type. It doesn't taste worth a shit, but it works for me.

DEODORANT

I use Old Spice "High Endurance" stick deodorant. I do not use an anti-perspirant.

SOAP AND SHAMPOO

Don't laugh, but I use "Ultra Palmolive Antibacterial" concentrated dish liquid soap to wash and shower with instead of regular hand soaps. I also use it instead of shampoo. For years I used Dial soap and Selsun Blue shampoo. The Palmolive dish soap really gets me clean and it smells good too. It also works just as well as any shampoo I've ever used.

SCRUB BRUSH

I use the Carlisle 40021 hand and nail scrub brush. It really gets the hands and under the nails clean. Although the bristles are quite hard, I also use this 5" long brush to scrub my face and to scrub my scalp while shampooing my hair. The Carlisle 40021 can be ordered from a number of outlets over the internet.


There you have my personal hygiene product choices. Make what you want of them.