Home Remedies For Ingrown Toenails

March 31, 2010 by Mohamed  
Filed under Personal Hygiene

Ingrown toenails are no laughing matter, I suffer from them and though I should not I will do “self-surgery” to remedy them.  If you also suffer from ingrown toenails, you know what I mean and the pain you go through.

Here are some home remedies for treating ingrown toenails.

First off – if your problem with ingrown toenails is chronic, you should see a doctor for it.  There are many medical treatments available to treat this problem.  Once you’ve been treated, your doctor will give you tips on how to care for your toe nails so that you don’t have a re-occurance.

Tip #1

If you’ve already developed ingrown toenails, they can be painful.  Soak your feet in warm water to releive the pressure.  The water will soften your toenail and skin and will provide temporary relief from this painful condition.  I’ve found that adding epsom salts to the water really helps.

Tip #2

Get better shoes.  Frequently people that suffer from ingrown toenails wear shoes that are either too small for their feet or too narrow.  If you need a wide shoe – buy it!  Your feet will be much happier, and so will your toes.  Wearing narrow or small shoes forces your toenail to grow where it can – usually the sides, which leads to ingrown toenails.

Tip #3

When you cut your toenails, cut straight.  Don’t cut the nail too short and don’t cut it a curve.  This is what will also cause your ingrown toenails.

Tip #5

If you’ve already developed an ingrown toenail, you may want to wear open-toed sandals to relieve some of the pressure – atleast until you deal with the problem.

Tip #6

To avoid getting an ingrown toenail, if you’ve done everything right including the right shoes you may want to avoid shoe inserts – you know, the extra padding you can buy to keep your shoes smelling nice or to add the extra “bounce” in your step.  There is nothing wrong with them, but adding a few extra millimeters may press your toe against the top of the shoe causing an ingrown toenail.  I like inserts in my shoes, but found that this was causing problems so I’ve done away with them.

If you have any tips that you can share, please leave us a comment!

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Workplace Statistics Regarding Body Odour

October 22, 2009 by Mohamed  
Filed under Personal Hygiene

We’ve done an extensive amount of posts regarding body odour and how to get rid of it - but the one thing that we’ve not really talked about is how to deal with it in the workplace, especially if you have someone that has body odour and it appears that they are not doing anything to resolve the issue.

First off – there are no statistics on just how bad body odour is in the workplace.  I don’t keep any stats on it where I work, nor do I think any organization does.  I’m also not aware of any statistics being kept about body odour in the workplace.

As I was researching to prepare this post, I did come across an interesting series of posts from a site called Workplace Law Network – the site was geared towards the UK but presumably the legal and ethical questions this brings up would apply wherever you are.  I’m NOT A LAWYER nor am I an expert in HR so the information provided here is for educational purposes only.  Ideally if you have someone in your workplace with body odour problem you need to speak to your manager or HR department — they may be better equipped to help resolve these issues.

Source: http://www.workplacelaw.net/forums/listComments/thread_id/446

PRACTICAL ADVICE

Excessive body odour is caused by bacteria.

In order to combat this, body hair such as that under armpits should be trimmed. Obviously showering daily is helpful as is using deoderant on freshly washed skin. Using a deoderant with a 24 hr anti-perspirent is essential. In addition b.o may be controlled by applying antiseptic cream such as sudocreme to the affected areas.

The initial question that was raised:

Does anyone have any suggestions of how to approach a fairly new member of staff regarding his body odour problem?

One good response was:

Although this is not a performance or discipline matter, it is a problem that can cause irritation (and therefore poor performance) among other employees.

Before you address this particular problem, you should consider drawing up a plan of the route you a prepared to take in such cases, preferably in consultation with interested parties (health and safety manager, HR, union rep, etc.).

For example, you may wish to start with a private conversation where you inform the employee of the problem, and try, where possible, to address the cause (e.g. medical problems). You can then move to your formal disciplinary route if the employee fails to act.

You should record all conversations and keep a record on file.

It goes without saying that a high level of tact will be required to avoid causing offence and potentially ending up in front of a tribunal. The employee will appreciate the matter being kept private.

Another response:

I have had experience of having to deal with this problem with an employee. I had a private conversation with the him where I raised the issue of his odour. Despite it being quite strong he was unaware of it and was at a loss as to it’s cause, that was the first question he asked me. His odour did improve and both his confidence at the workplace and his relations with other employess benefited.

I agree with Ciaron that you should try and address the cause, and be prepared to do so. These could range from inneffective laundry, through to diet or a more serious medical problem. You should also act promptly, it may harm the employees relationship with other staff if the problem is not dealt with.

You may also be able to get some guidance from EMAS.

As to Simons comments, I can find little but fault! As I said the employee I dealt with was unaware of the problem. A card and a smile probably won’t do much to manage stress, and the cure is probably best left to the employee personally (unless he requests help) or his medical practicioner.

The series of posts is excellent, and well worth the read and it will give you some great information on how to approach someone in the workplace that has body odour issues.

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Steps To A Clean Body – Personal Hygiene

October 9, 2009 by Mohamed  
Filed under Personal Hygiene, Self Image

If you take a look at my featured posts, I’ve talked about Personal Hygiene in several posts – here is one of them: http://www.lose-weight-feel-great.com/2009/06/10/7-steps-to-personal-hygiene/.

First off these suggestions are NOT limited to adult.  Children (yes, children) should also practice personal hygiene — it’s up to parents to help them and teach them.  I can’t tell you how often I’ve stood in line at a grocery store to see kids covered in dirt or picking their noses or other parts of their body.  PARENTS – WHERE ARE YOU?!?!?!  Show some responsibility and leadership and tell your kids what’s acceptable and not acceptable in public.

OK.  That aside you can teach hygiene to your kids.

Are you guilty of this:

  • Kids come from the pool and their clothes are thrown in with all the others?
  • They’ve gone out to play, and you decide to keep the clothes for another day.
  • Gone shopping and you figure they are clean enough to be kept with all the other clothes.

Bad, bad, bad.  Kids touch everything.  Then they wipe their grimy little hands on their clothes.  I speak from experience as I have a 6-year old boy and while he’s probably a little sick of us encouraging proper hygiene it pays off: he’s hardly ever sick and he’s learned from a young age what is and is not acceptable.

Why is it WRONG to “re-use” kids clothes when they’ve come from the pool.

Answer – have you seen the floors in the pool?  Do you know whether a kid has urinated there or not?  The floors are disgusting and lets face it it’s not easy to change a kid in a pool without them having to touch the ground (or their clothes touching the ground).  Yuuck.  When we come back from swimming, the kids clothes go in the wash AND he gets another bath.

Why is it WRONG to “re-use” kids clothes when they’ve come in from outside.

Answer – it’s dirty outside.  Plain and simple.  Buy extra shorts/shirts.  Once they’re done playing, the clothes should go in the wash - no excuses. 

Why is it WRONG to “re-use” kids clothes when they’ve gone shopping.

Answer – it’s dirty outside.  Plain and simple.  If they sit in the cart – do you know who (or what) was in the cart before them?  The carts generally stay outside.  You can have all types of bugs or even birds on them.  My son is quite tall, so can’t fit into the carts anymore but that doesn’t stop him from touching everything and anything when we go shopping.  His clothes go in the wash regardless.

You may think that we’re a little overboard when it comes to cleanliness – and maybe we are but you know what, my kid rarely gets sick and when he does it’s usually something he’s caught from someone at school.  He’s got it in his head that he doesn’t want to look or smell so even at 6 takes pride in ensuring that his clothes are clean and when he goes out that he looks “smart” and “handsome”.

You don’t have to go to the extremes that perhaps my wife and I have gone to – but if you start teaching your kids at a young age the steps needed to keep a clean body it will become a habit and they will keep it with them forever.

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7 Steps To Personal Hygiene

June 10, 2009 by Mohamed  
Filed under Personal Hygiene

How to Be Hygienic

from wikiHow – The How to Manual That You Can Edit

While standards of hygiene vary around the world, the purpose is the same: To promote health and prevent the spread of infectious disease. This remains an issue not only in developing countries, but also in industrialized nations.[1] Not only will being hygienic decrease your chances of getting sick (as well as protect the people around you), but it generally makes you feel, look and smell better.

Steps

  1. Understand how infectious diseases spread: through certain bacteria and viruses generally referred to as pathogens or germs. They can be found in any bodily discharge, from blood to tears to feces and urine. Some can survive away from a body for extended periods of time and be picked up by another person later on.
  2. Wash your hands after using the bathroom every time. According to Dr. Val Curtis at the London School of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, hands are a “superhighway for transmitting germs” that, if washed properly, could result in cutting the number of children who die from diarrheal diseases in half and reduce the number of upper respiratory tract diseases by a third.[2] If this isn’t convenient, then use hand sanitizer.
  3. Avoid touching your (or anyone else’s) eyes, nose, mouth, ears, or any orifice unless you’re certain that your hands are clean.
  4. Take a shower daily. A quick shower will suffice. Even wiping your body with a soapy, wet rag will achieve the desired effect, which is to remove any dead skin cells and unwanted visitors from the surface of your skin.
  5. Cover your nose and mouth when you cough or sneeze.
  6. Clean your clothes and surroundings regularly. The idea is to remove any lingering germs from any surface you regularly come in contact both at home and at work or school (e.g. your office phone handset, your desk, your sheets, toilet bowl seat).
  7. Exfoliate your face once or twice a day. Bathe after any activity that can make you dirty. Be sure to use moisturizing lotion.

Tips

  • Keep your nails clean. If possible, trim them weekly. Brush them daily with soap so that no dirt or residue remains beneath the nail. Don’t bite your nails, either.
  • Brush and floss your teeth regularly to keep your mouth and gums from becoming a home for germs. This is especially important if you share food, drinks, and/or kisses with others. It will also help to prevent bad breath.
  • If you’re around animals of any kind, don’t touch them before eating. If you do, be sure to wash your hands before eating.
  • Don’t lick your fingers (such as when turning pages in a book).
  • Menstruating women should take care to change pads or tampons frequently. Some menstrual cups can be sanitized by boiling between periods.
  • Uncircumcised men should clean daily under the foreskin with soap and water.
  • Wash your hair every second day.
  • If going out, brush your teeth/use mouthwash, make sure you are clean and have exfoliated your face, and shave. Wear perfume and deodorant, having brushed your hair too.

Warnings

  • Brushing your teeth too much can hurt them.

Related wikiHows

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.unilever.com.au/ourvalues/nutritionhygienepersonalcare/hygieneandpersonalcare/
  2. ↑ http://www.unilever.com.au/ourvalues/nutritionhygienepersonalcare/hygieneandpersonalcare/

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Be Hygienic. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

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Personal Hygiene For Men – Personal Grooming

June 4, 2009 by Mohamed  
Filed under Personal Hygiene

personal grooming

A few days ago I posted a brief introduction into the next topic that would be discussed around the theme of Personal Hygiene For Men.  Previously we looked at one of the most important aspects of personal care and hygiene and that is showering (see Personal Hygiene For Men – Showering).  This applies to ALL men regardless of size, but is of particular importance to someone that is large since we tend to sweat a little more than most others.

In this post we are going to look at another area of personal hygiene, and that is personal grooming.  We will cover these topics:

  • manicures and pedicures
  • proper haircuts
  • trimming bears
  • dental care (like flossing, and regular brushing)
  • body hair and dealing with it (arm pits, back, chest, abs, arms, legs, and the ‘nether’ regions)

Manicures/Pedicures For Men

I can hear the laughing already!  Manicures?  PEDICURES?!  For men!  No way.  Yes way.  Yes there was a time when men never had to think about manicures, pedicures or a good haircut – nobody cared.  But a lot has changed over the years and more men in the business world are opting for perfection (or as close as they can get to it) by taking care of themselves and presenting a positive self image to others.  Like showering daily or more often, manicures and pedicures take care of another part of the body that is more visible.

So first question is just what is a manicure?  Simplest answer – it is a treatment for hand and/or nails. 

Next question is why should men get manicures?  I mentioned one reason above – to present a positive self image to others (the FULL package).  The other reason, and a damn good one is to keep your nails neat, trim and clean. 

In professions where the hands are more lightly used, manicures are great for men and women alike. Especially those people who must use their hands in sales professions, in performing arts, or in business will benefit from have nicely manicured nails. Also, it’s a great way to simply have some pampering on the side, as well as for keeping a clean and trimmed appearance.

Pedicures are meant for the same reasons – while few men will be wearing open dress shoes to the office, the idea behind the pedicure is to take care of your nails and feet for the same grooming secrets for menreasons – to keep them clean, trimmed and neat.

There are so many benefits men can receive from getting regular pedicures. For instance, helping to stop foot odor by removing dead excess skin from the soles and the prevention of ingrown toenail, calluses and corns (if you are a diabetic proper feed care IS A MUST).

You can go to a day spa (yes, men do go to day spas and spas in general) for a manicure or even visit your nail salons – there are even salons that cater towards men specifically.  Listed below are some resources for manicures and pedicures for men.

Personal grooming is so important to give you that polished look that tells others that you do take care of yourself.

Resources for Manicures and Pedicures For Men

Proper Haircuts

Guys – the haircut kit you bought years ago is not going to work anymore — unless you’re bald and would rather do it at home DON’T give yourself (or anyone you know) a haircut at home to save money.  It’s just not worth it should you slip and lose a good section of hair.

If you are someone that hates spending a fortune on a simple haircut – LOOK AROUND!  You can get a good haircut from $12.00 and up.  Over the years, I’ve rarely spent more than $15 or $20 on a haircut and I’ve been happy with my hair.  As I’ve gotten older and my hair has thinned out, I don’t spend as much as I did – but there is nothing like getting a proper haircut since the stylist or barber will ensure that all the trimming is done and is straight.

For men there are few styles to choose from, basically you want something that is neat, clean and easy to care for.  In the buiness world, most men will opt for short hair – I’ve met very few men that keep long hair; remember most guys don’t want to spend hours in front of a mirror making their hair just right.  You want to be able to wash, dry, comb and go.

Do I need to say anything else about getting a haircut?  Hope not.

Get Your Beard Trimmed

There is nothing particularly cool about an unkept beard.  Honestly it looks disgusting.

I found lots and lots of examples of scraggly, unkept beards but hesitate showing them as I don’t want to embaress those individuals – eventhough they are quite anonymous.  But plain and simple, if you wear a beard or goatee – keep it trimmed.  You can buy kits to do it at home, but if you opt to do this ensure it looks good – otherwise pay your barber or stylist $5 or $10 extra and let them do it.  They’ve got better tools that you or I will ever have.

A well kept, and trimmed beard will make you look smarter, and more refined – most people will be able to tell if your beard is done by a professional or by the wearer.

Resources for Beard Trimming

Dental Care

Aaaah dental care.  Where to even start?  Do you like the dentist?  If so, completely ignore brushing, flossing or any care whatsoever.  You’ll be in dentures in no time and won’t have to worry about anything other than tossing them into a cup to have them cleaned.

I work with people all day – in my current job and in previous jobs, including retail.  It’s disgusting when you speak to someone and they smell of garlic or something that they’ve just eaten.  Even worse is if they hygiene is so bad that their BO combined with bad breath makes you feel weak and about to faint.

Guys – carry some gum with you, better yet carry a toothbrush and if need be a small toothpaste – like those travel sizes.

After each and every meal brush your teeth!  You should also be flossing to remove any food stuck between your teeth and to remove bacteria that can grow just below your gum line.  I don’t feel that have to even go into HOW to brush or floss.  If you don’t know by now, you’re hopeless – sorry to say.

Now while is may be funny to talk about dental care - did you know that the bacteria that forms can get into your arteries and cause stroke or heart attack?  This is especially important for diabetics.

Not taking care of your teeth and gums can result in some pretty bad stuff happening in your mouth – for example gingivitis or gum disease, bad breath (halitosis), cavities, plaque build up, periodontal diseases.

Flossing

Flossing removes plaque and bacteria that you cannot reach with your toothbrush. If you don’t floss, you are missing more than one-third of your tooth surface. Plaque is the main cause of gum disease. It is an invisible bacterial film that develops on your teeth every day.

Within 24 to 36 hours, plaque hardens into tartar (also called calculus), which can only be removed by professional cleaning. Floss at least once a day, and plaque never gets the chance to harden into tartar. Getting into the habit of daily flossing is easier when you floss while doing something else like watching TV or listening to music, for example.

Brushing

Regular, thorough brushing is a very important step in preventing tooth decay and gum disease. Brushing removes the bacteria that promote tooth decay and the plaque that can cause gum disease.

Ideally, you should brush after every meal, because the bacterial attack on teeth begins minutes after eating. At the very least, brush once a day and always before you go to bed. Brushing your teeth isn’t complicated, but there is a right and a wrong way.

I think that that’s more than enough when talking about dental care.

Resources for Dental Care

The last topic that I really wanted to get into was body hair and dealing with it – but this post is getting pretty long at just over 1300 words and I don’t think you want to sit through more.  I also want to talk about skin care, as it is very important as well but we will leave these topics for another day.

Enjoy!

Mohamed

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Personal Hygiene For Men

June 2, 2009 by Mohamed  
Filed under Personal Hygiene

mens personal hygieneJust a little while ago I started a series on Personal Hygiene For Men – to date, we’ve had hundreds of hits and visits to the series, so it is obviously a topic of interest to men (whether you are big or not).

I also did a quick side trip to talk about how large men should dress – by no means am I an expert, but with the help of my wife and the few places I purchase my clothing I do know what looks good and what does not.

If you’ve missed any in the series, here are the posts so far.� As each new post is made, the part/post number will increment and I’ll continue to add the new items to the list.� I will also be adding a widget to track important posts so that it is easier to find them and read or look for the tag PERSONAL HYGIENE.

Here are the posts so far (as of June 20, 2009):

 

Added October 22, 2009:

It’s about time for the next post in this series, which will be all about personal grooming which goes to things that men don’t spend a lot of time on:

  • manicures
  • pedicures
  • proper haircuts
  • trimming bears
  • dental care (like flossing, and regular brushing)
  • body hair and dealing with it (arm pits, back, chest, abs, arms, legs, and the ‘nether’ regions)

And now something for your reading pleasure, atleast until I complete writing the next post and post it, here is an article from 2004 (yah, ancient history) from MSNBC�- http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4751816�- here is a small (excuse the pun) snippet from the post “The style, Mitchell says, depends on what their wives and girlfriends want. Men go along, she explains, because removing the hair makes the whole package look bigger. She charges $85 and up for the service.” – and I leave the rest to you.

Enjoy!

Mohamed

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How Your Undies Track The Recession

May 28, 2009 by Mohamed  
Filed under Clothing, Personal Hygiene, Weight Loss

Measure Recession Undergarments Method

OK I got quite the chuckle on a story that appeared on Sympatico/MSN Finance section titled “How your undies track the recession” – here are a few excerpts but you should read the full story (by Michael Brush) – link below…

“To help predict a recovery, economists such as Alan Greenspan look to men’s underwear sales. Here’s what those and other unusual economic indicators say about the road ahead.”

“If you’re like most men, you’ve got more than a few skivvies in, well, less than perfect condition.

If you’re put off buying replacements — and your significant other hasn’t done it for you — then guess what? The recession probably ain’t over yet.

In fact, right now men’s underwear sales suggest that things have bottomed but not started to recover.”

“Greenspan reasons that because hardly anyone actually sees a guy’s undies, they’re the first thing men stop buying when the economy tightens. (He told this to National Public Radio’s Robert Krulwich years ago.)”

“Folks such as Greenspan don’t seem to look as closely at women’s lingerie — reasoning, perhaps, that women are more sensitive about wearing worn undergarments.

But Cohen says a pickup in sales of bras, as well as denim and footwear, will indicate the economy is on the mend.”

Read the entire article – http://finance.sympatico.msn.ca/investing/michaelbrush/article.aspx?cp-documentid=20040810

Guys this goes to the series of articles I am posting on Personal Hygiene for Men (introductory post) and the first in a series Personal Hygiene for Men – Showering

Enjoy!

Mohamed

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Personal Hygiene For Men – Showering

May 27, 2009 by Mohamed  
Filed under Personal Hygiene, Weight Loss

Personal Hygiene for Big Guys - Showering

Welcome to the first in a series of articles on Personal Hygiene for Men (in particular for the bigger guys).  This post will concentrate on showering – yes, the very basics but it’s incredible how many guys DON’T shower regularly.  Trust me, it’s easy to spot AND smell (and no, I don’t go around smelling guys – when you have to work closely with a group of people, it’s easy to tell who showers and who does not…).

Guys – if you’re king sized you MUST shower daily.  There can be no ifs ands or buts.  Bigger guys sweat more because of all that insulation surrounding us – but that’s no reason that you cannot smell nice!

Ideally shower first thing in the morning – so you feel clean and fresh.  You should also be showering before going to bed, to get rid of all the dust and sweat that your body has accumulated througout the course of the day — whether you work in an office, or outdoors you need to take a shower 1-2 times per day.

If you’re fortunate enough to work in an office where there are shower facilities – you may even want to consider taking a shower mid-day.  The area where I work is nice and open, and people go out for walks – even on the warmest of summer days.  But that walk will result in you sweating.  As we have shower facilities, it’s very easy to go in for a quick shower and head back into the office for the remainder of the day.

Of course there are many types of soaps available – scented, and unscented; anti-bacterial and even shower washes for men with conditioners.

Most recently I’ve started using Irish Spring Body Wash for Men – but there are other companies that sell similar products such as Axe, Old Spice and Dial (all body washes for men).  The reason that they have conditioners is because they are meant for head-to-toe use so you can use it in your hair.

I like the Irish Spring Body Wash for Men as it has an long lasting 8 Hour Scent system – which seems to deliver on the promise.

If you prefer to use soap instead, again you can opt for a scented soap (like Irish Spring - the smell is very nice and not ’sweet’) or look for an anti-bacterial soap.  Now you may be asking “Is Anti-Bacterial Soap Any Better Than Regular Soap?” – honestly, I’m not sure – but HowStuffWorks has a good article on it – I won’t reproduce it here, but you can find it by visiting the site – http://health.howstuffworks.com/question692.htm and reading up for yourself.

Regardless of the type of products you use – the gist of this post is for you to stay CLEAN and to ensure that there are no foul body odors emitting from you.  Remember – as a kingsize guy you probably are already getting stared at so why fit the stereotype?  Do what you can to show a presentable image to everyone – your partner/significant other/spouse will love you even more!  Not only that, people that you work with or have to interact will have a much better impression of you.

TIP: When you are cleaning up - remember to get into every nook and cranny on your body!  That includes in between the toes, and … um, anywhere else “stuff” could hide.  Enough said.  Hopefully you don’t need a lesson in cleaning yourself. LOL!

By ensuring that you are clean from head to toe at the start of the day, not only will you feel refreshed and CLEAN.  Here are a few sayings and quotations about cleanliness:

  1. Cleanliness becomes more important when godliness is unlikely. – P.J. O’Rourke
  2. Krishna insisted on outer cleanliness and inner cleansing. Clean clothes and clean minds are an ideal combination. – Sri Sathya Sai Baba (Indian spiritual leader)
  3. Cleanliness is indeed next to Godliness – Christopher Morley
  4. One, who maintains cleanliness keeps away diseases. – Sam Veda

No Smelly Stinky PeoplePersonal hygiene starts from the very basics – which is keeping clean and you start that by regular daily showers.  Remember personal hygiene extends beyond showers, it includes the total package – from head to toe and inbetween.  Simple stuff like haircuts, keeping your moustache or beard trimmed and even ensuring your nails are cut and clean.

Now you will not beleive this, but as I was writing this post I thought of searching for the topic “Why Shower Every Day” and was amazed to find that some people DON’T shower every day!  I think my wife would faint – or kick me out of the house if I didn’t shower daily.  Don’t give me the “conserve” line – guys should be showering daily – EVERYONE should be showering daily!  There was a time when people did not shower daily – thank gawd we’re past that.

All that bunk about skin flaking, dry hair, blah, blah, blah is just that – BUNK.  Don’t shower YOU WILL STINK and someone WILL tell you you stink.

I’ll be tackling a different topic every few days.  If you like what you see – spread the word.  You can also follow me on Twitter by using the link on the right side of the page.

Mohamed

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