NationStates

We are Dogs
We Lick Ourselves.
Take from that what you will.

High personal hygiene standards are an important part of Sidh culture - to be a Sidh means to strive for perfection, and that obviously involves visual perfection. Someone who neglects his appearance and hygene is clearly no Sidh at all, one's only excuse being dire circumstances (such as being stranded on a desolate world or spending a prolonged time on battlefield with no access to basic sanitation).

For this reason, Sidhae have a reputation of always being neatly dressed and groomed, almost to the point of metrosexuality. Implying that one has poor hygiene is considered a serious insult, even when it is true, so proper etiquette requires that a Sidh who could use some cleaning up be reminded of it discreetly.

Virtually nonexistent.

Personal hygiene is extremely important in the MCT. All individuals are genofixed to be completely hairless below the eyebrows, and mass washing in the community baths takes up to several hours a day.

The upper classes take hygiene very seriously.
The lower classes have little knowledge or resources to have hygiene.

Seeing as we're a Norse-influenced culture, hygiene is important, we don't shave or wax, rather we bathe and comb our hair every day, as well as clean our mouths with mouthwash.

Personal Hygiene has been taken very seriously since ancient times. Though micro-organisms hadn't yet been discovered, links between filth and disease had been made. Indeed, anyone seeing as being 'unclean' in Phyrrean society, was considered a social pariah, and cleanliness was often seen as a sign of wealth, as only the rich could afford running water supplies in their homes.

Avaerilonians take their personal cleanliness very seriously, and have done so for millennia. Most people would shower or bathe once a day; twice if the weather was very warm and humid. Avaerilonians take their cleaning routines seriously, and employ natural soaps, herbs, extracts and fruits to ensure they not only get every speck of dirt or grease off, but also so they smell nice and clean. Men like to use mint, citrus and juniper extracts; women cherry, lavender and sandalwood. Avaerilonians also ensure they wash their hair regularly. Brushing and flossing is, of course, adhered to like clockwork.

This ritual of keeping clean can be traced back to some of the early civilisations that would later comprise Avaerilon. The Nyrmenorians had public baths, where people would visit with their friends and colleagues, and do business and chat alongside bathing. These places still exist today. although it's all "tackle-in." The ancient Dunmer employed the natural volcanic rocks and pools of heated mud and water in their rituals, and these even have a place in the Daedric faith. The elves or Arnalor;s various kingdoms spent every morning washing in the streams near to their homes, even it if was cold, and continue this practice today. The great empire of Cyrodiil and the mighty kingdom of Avalon both placed importance on neat hair and clean clothes along with the body, and the great mages of both would use bath salts and other elixirs in decadent tubs, which allegedly led to orgies. The recipe for these salts is a closely-guarded secret by mages today.

Only Dynaemair lacks the historical hygienic trend; as late as 400 AD, a Fereldonian merchant bemoaned his Gaelic business partner as "an unwashed unkempt man, with hair so greasy it could make a good rope. The smell of cooking fat is sickening." With the arrival of Avaerilonian Christianity in Dynaemair, the once proud nations of "natural and rugged" Gaels picked-up on the messages of the church as to one's cleanliness, and with many clan leaders and nobles buying soap in-bulk, the population soon followed. Today, there is still a bit of teasing about this, but every Dunaemairan is as clean as the next man.

Saurisians are very hygienic, some to the point of near-obsessiveness.

The Florentine people are very clean.

Lojbos are very hygienic. Most of them shower daily (baths are for relaxation, not cleanliness) and brush their teeth twice daily. What's done with one's hair is far more down to personal choice, and difficult to generalize. Shaving the face is fairly common, but technology exists which can prevent hair from growing, either in specific spots or all over the body.

We take it seriously, and people are usually clean and shaven.

Since time immemorial, the Altarian people have been obsessed with cleanliness. The average person in Altaro goes about with nice white teeth, combed hair, and their fur scrubbed clean. It is custom in Altaro to wear your hair long (the Emperor's hair, for example, is 39 cm.), so it is important to keep it groomed. Plus, all Anthrans have fur, so it is not uncommon to be dirty after a day of work. Cleanliness is highly valued in Altaro, and the nation's health benefits greatly from it.

All of the races in the Kangaroo Republic like to accuse each other of a lack of personal hygiene. The most common victims of these accusations are western grey kangaroos, due to their natural sharp odour, and humans for not always showering every day, or for wearing the same clothes for several days, even if they wear their normal clothing while cooking, and generally they're icky for sweating too much. Also, most humans here are English, so that's even worse.

In reality, most people in the Kangaroo Republic are more or less just as cleanly. Given the humid climate, it's standard to shower twice a day, and use shampoo liberally. Brushing one's teeth is also important, twice a day, as well as flossing every day. This is especially important with the Macropodine diet which consists of a lot of abrasive foods and smelly spices. Also, Macropodines find it very uncleanly to wear your normal clothes while cooking, especially if you still wear those clothes the following day. Generally, an apron would be required at the very least (regardless of gender).

Clean shavenness is a bit of a foreign concept to Macropodines though. Given that they naturally have fur all over their bodies, and they more or less don't grow to undesireable lengths like humans, they only require themselves to comb it and untangle their fur.

What the hell is hygiene? What?! Why would you want to get rid of your smell? How is anyone supposed to recognize you then?

We're tentacles; unlike you weak humans, we don't need to "bathe", because your germs don't affect us.

We do have hygiene and it consists of...

1. mostly shaving.

2.By law, all citizens must wash hands 5 times a day.

3. Radioactive dogs, ponies, cats, or any radioactive others must be decontaminated.

Seawater is good for bathing and rinsing one's mouth, and is a viable thing for both Dragonkinian, and Dragons of all sizes. It's why the smell of the ocean is often associated with our kind. Otherwise, it's the smell of dirt in one's scales, or the smell of blood and chewed sinew in one's teeth. The preferable option here is obvious.

Clothes of the Dragonkin are also good for washing in Sea Water, to then be dried out in the open sun, or on a fire rack. That way, the various stains and the likes which get into their clothes can be lifted, and come with a nice scent for afterwards.

Alternative means of Hygiene are having showers by flying through rain clouds, or by simply using fire as a more rudimentary alternative to water. We don't typically approve of burning one's scales, as it tarnishes the natural colour of a coat. But on the bright side, any dirt is more or less blasted off and any germs are wrought dead.

Frialians like to bathe regularly, go to a sauna or go for a swim in either the cold seawater or a mostly geyser-heated hot spring just for fun, so one would assume that we are rather clean for the most time.

After being asked this question, the members of the Foreign Information Reaponse Committee decided to track how many times they shaved, bathed, changed their underwear, and put on deoderant. Every single one of them had completely different results, but they all ended up with at least one shower a day. The rest of Hladgos is sure to follow, due to the fact that we all like to smell nice just before nqughtyness.