Grooming and personal presence

Grooming is not about vanity. It is a quiet way of showing respect to the people you spend time with.

Daily hygiene (NHS advice)

• Shower daily, and always after sport.
• Wash armpits, groin and feet with soap and dry them thoroughly; use an antiperspirant.
• Brush your teeth twice a day and floss.
• Wear clean clothes, washed regularly; natural fabrics like cotton help reduce body odour.
• Dry your feet fully before putting socks on.

Fragrance

• You stop noticing your own scent quickly, so it is easy to wear too much.
• Apply to pulse points (wrists, neck), not a cloud over your whole body.
• Lighter scents for daytime, school and work; richer ones for the evening.
• Emily Post's test: if your scent lingers in the room after you leave, you are wearing too much.
• In the Gulf, oud and bukhoor are part of hospitality and personal style. The same principle applies: elegant, not overwhelming, especially in closed spaces like lifts, cars and classrooms.

Hair, nails and skin

• Hair clean and neatly styled.
• Nails trimmed and clean; polish either fresh or removed, never chipped.
• Feet cared for if you wear open shoes.

Clothes care

• No stains, creases, lint, loose hems or missing buttons.
• Learn the five care-label symbols: tub (washing), triangle (bleach), square (drying), iron (ironing, dots show heat), circle (dry cleaning).
• Iron a shirt while slightly damp: collar, cuffs, sleeves, yoke and back, then the front.
• Keep a small kit: lint roller, sewing kit, shoe polish.

Grooming in public

• Brushing hair, applying hand cream or lipstick is fine in public.
• Anything more (nail clipping, flossing, full make-up) belongs in private or the restroom, never at the table.