New Beauty Advice: Wash Your Hands

Nothing ruins a beautiful face and great makeup quite like itchy, watery eyes, a runny nose and chapped lips – common symptoms of colds and flu. In the interest of both beauty and wellness – as flu season approaches – I’m sharing some information about hand washing from the Soap and Detergent Association.

In the fifth annual Clean Hands Report Card^® issued by The Soap and Detergent Association (SDA - www.cleaning101.com), America’s grade for hand hygiene rose from a “C-minus” in 2008 to a “B-minus.” The Report Card is based on a series of hygiene-related questions asked of 888 Americans during a telephone survey conducted in August 2009 by Echo Research. 

There is good news along with plenty of room for improvement in the survey results. While more Americans claim to always wash their hands before eating lunch, after coughing or sneezing and after using the bathroom, 39% of respondents seldom or never wash their hands after coughing or sneezing (on par with 2008). “The H1N1 pandemic is real. Cold and flu season is on its way.  With common sense hygiene practices, good health is literally in our hands,” said Nancy Bock, SDA Vice President of Education. 

The survey found that nearly two-thirds of adults (65%) expressed concern about H1N1 flu (women more than men: 72%, 57%, respectively).  But only one-third of respondents said they changed their overall hygiene habits in response to the growing concerns about H1N1.

I’m no expert but I think it’s important to understand that we wash our hands both to protect others from the spread of our germs, and to protect ourselves from other people’s germs. My mother admonished us to not touch our faces – eyes, nose, mouth – with dirty hands. Good wellness AND beauty advice.