How to stay clean after working up a sweat

If you go to the gym or run outdoors regularly, chances are you’ve experienced getting too sweaty that even your underpants are drenched.

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Your body reacts to an exercise session by producing moisture through the skin pores. But this doesn’t have to make you and everyone else cringe at the thought of breeding bacteria because of untidiness and unclean surroundings. Keeping yourself and your surroundings clean can help prevent body odor and pimples.

Arm yourself with paper towels and a spray bottle of disinfectant

Don’t mind what your gym-mates say when you take out these items from your bag. Even if the exercise machine looks clean, spray some alcohol and wipe off with paper towels. You can never be too certain about the previous user’s hygiene.

Wear headbands or sweatbands

It is annoying when your sweat gets into your eyes, especially when you’re already at the peak intensity of your workout session. Your workout gets interrupted because you have to stop and pick up your towel from wherever you placed it.  If your gym doesn’t offer or rent out towels, or you feel like it’s such a hassle to bring one, wear a headband. Towel headbands, to be exact. Another would be a sweatband that you wear on your forearm so it’s easy to wipe your forehead and your face.

Use wet wipes

If you don’t have time to take a shower after your workout, use wet wipes to get the sweat off your arms, your torso, your armpits, and your face. Baby wipes are the best to use as these are normally hypoallergenic and aren’t strongly-perfumed.

Follow up with deo

After you’ve wiped yourself and made sure that there isn’t any more excessive sweat, use a light- or powder-scented deodorant to help make you feel dirt-free and fresh. Better yet, use an antiperspirant so that you stop sweating. You wouldn’t want that fresh shirt to get damp soon after dressing up.

Try on some dry shampoo

Yes, there is such a thing as dry shampoo. Some dry shampoos don’t just remove excess oil from the hair, but also clean the scalp and volumize hair. There are also some varieties that improve dry hair. Keep a bottle in your gym bag so that your hair won’t look like a mess and it’ll keep you selfie-ready.

Bring your own pair of slippers

The shower and lockers areas are breeding grounds for bacteria, warts, and fungus because they thrive in damp environments. Wear your flip-flops when you shower or when you walk around the locker areas. You’ll never know what kind of parasite can cram itself into your skin and between your toes.

Keep your wet clothes in a dry bag

Don’t just dump your sweaty clothes into your gym bag. Bring a plastic bag to throw them in once you’re done training. Be sure though that you wash your wet clothes in a cup of white vinegar after. This helps eliminate odor-causing germs and makes it easy to remove the funky-smell from your clothes. Otherwise, you will have to go through the ordeal of wearing fresh yet smelly workout clothes during your next session.

Always change into fresh, clean underwear

Not everyone practices this especially those who go to the gym at night. Don’t wait until you reach home to change into clean underwear. You’ll just breed bacteria in them and cause infection.

Working up a sweat is one of the best ways to get rid of toxins and fight some types of diseases. But your hygiene should never be ignored. This can cause harm more than you think it does. Clean up before, during, and after you go. You won’t believe how good you’d feel afterwards. Healthy, squeaky clean, and germ-free.