Guide to Charm: Step 4 Cleanliness and Sleep

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Already in our yearlong series “Guide to Charm” we’ve looked at:

• Step 1 Hair and Makeup
• Step 2 Hands and Feet
• Step 3 Posture and Weight

This month we focus on cleanliness and sleep as we try to follow the steps from the book Better than Beauty A Guide to Charm.

Cleanliness

While we’ve already discussed the cleaning of ones face in step one and our hands and feet in step 2, the cleanliness that we are referring to in this month lesson is an overall cleanliness.

 

The book provides an example that while one’s outward appearance might be all good and well, they might still not give a sense of cleanliness. Maybe we haven’t enough deodorant on, or maybe our hair hasn’t been washed in a while giving it an oily look and musky smell.

Maybe it’s not our bodies at all. Could it be that our clothes smell of mothballs or perhaps they are all wrinkled and look untidy.

According to the book, one should not just consider the cleanliness on one element but all elements. Even our purse and shoes should be considered, if are shoes are scuffed and muddy then they give a certain perception about our cleanliness.

Your nose is your best friend

In last months guide to charm we discussed how your scale should be one of your best friends. The book also suggests that your nose is another one of your best friends.

Your nose should help clue you in to possible areas that might cause a question to your cleanliness. While regular bathing is one thing, sometimes certain areas need a little more attention.

For example in the summer time, we might find that we sweat a little more than usual, what can be done to prevent smelly pits? Just so happens this is not a new question, in fact Cosmopolitan magazine wrote an article about it just a few years ago.

In the article Cosmo suggests washing your underarm area with a benzoyl peroxide face cleaner and wipe down the entire area with cotton pads that have been soaked in a toner.

Smells don’t have to be just from our own body. Making sure our clothes smell fresh is just as important. I think shoes would be a good place to start with. Often times our shoes get worn so much they start to have an odor about them.

There are lots of suggestions for keeping your shoes smelling fresh and most of them are pretty simple. My favorite two methods is placing a fabric softener sheet inside your shoes over night, or an orange peel. Both absorb the odor and keep your shoes smelling fresh.

Best friend number 3, your mirror

Aside from your nose your mirror should also be one of your best friends. It’s a good idea to invest in a full-length mirror to help you see a full view of yourself and how you look to others.

Is your hair tidy? Are your stockings not ripped? Are there no stains on your clothes? Are your clothes not wrinkled?

When doing laundry it’s important to check clothes thoroughly before putting them up and making sure they came out clean and are stain free. Just as important is to wash your clothes properly. Be sure to always check the label of your clothes before washing.

Emily of Grace and Good Eats created an adorable laundry printable that describes different laundry washing symbols.

 

It’s funny but I think people in today’s generation don’t think about wrinkled clothes as much, possibly because a lot of clothes now days are wrinkle free.

Your clothes and how you wear them says a lot about you. That’s why if by chance something is wrinkled you need to iron those wrinkles out. Bethany from the Glamorous Housewife did a cute video on how to iron a shirt. There are many other tutorials out their on ironing.

Taking a good look in the mirror before you leave the house or start your day can ensure that you are clean and well put together all over.

Your Sleep

The next area of focus is our sleep. No matter how put together one is if we don’t have enough sleep it shows.

There are many articles about sleep and the best practices. Unlike some experts that insist that people need seven to eight hours of sleep the book Better than Beauty A Guide to Charm implies that nature knows best. In other words some people need more sleep others less.

The best thing to do is set a schedule that provides you with the amount of sleep your body needs. How do you know how much sleep you need? I read an article some years ago that suggested that one find a day or two where they didn’t need to be anywhere at a certain time. Then for them to go to bed when they get tired and wake up on their own naturally. It is best to do this in a two-day cycle to average out your sleeping time.

While great deals of working adults suffer from insomnia I actually have a light case of narcolepsy. This means that if I set still too long I pass out. I also get very tired throughout the day, so tired I have to physically take a nap or I end up just passing out where I am, like my desk.

Naps are not necessarily a bad thing, and often encouraged, especially in cases of narcolepsy. The infographic bellows shows some benefits of napping.

Feeling good and looking great

The more I work through the Guide to Charm, the more I realize that it’s really all about making sure you feel good. When one has had enough sleep and is clean and fresh, you feel good about yourself. That good feeling radiates about you and makes you look great, that’s just the way it is.

Join us next month as we continue “Guide to Charm” with defining “chic”.

Don’t forget you can copy of Better than Beauty: A Guide to Charm, here.