When you’re autistic, taking care of yourself presents unique challenges.
Sensory overload, energy levels, and executive functioning play major roles in whether you’re capable of bathing and brushing your teeth.
Showering every single day is not a viable forever routine for an autistic adult or people with chronic illnesses.
The better solution is to have alternatives for when you simply cannot bathe yourself the typical way.
How to have good hygiene when you can’t tolerate it
Removing as many obstacles as possible to help maintain bodily cleanliness will ensure success.
Autistic people don’t need the typical shower-every-day hygiene routine. We need a system that helps us take care of ourselves when the typical hygiene system doesn’t work for us.
1. Baby wipes
Baby wipes are cheap and can be tossed in the trash when you’re done. Eco-friendly autistics may prefer zero-waste options, but using washcloths are not good long-term solutions.
When executive functioning falls off the bandwagon, you’re going to end up with washcloths stinking up the laundry basket in your apartment.
If your apartment doesn’t have a washing machine and you have to go to the laundromat? Not only are your washrags not getting cleaned in time — you are not going to be clean, either.
I tried the eco-friendly boat myself, and I felt guilty for not being able to keep up with it in full.
Flannel face rounds and unsponges are the most I can do in regard to eco-friendly hygiene. Baby wipes are the best, most accessible option regardless of my executive functioning levels. Even when I’m way behind on laundry, baby wipes are there.
The areas that matter most are:
- face
- pits
- pelvic region
- breasts
- feet
Think of it as a light sponge bath aimed at the dirtiest/sweatiest areas. Baby wipes are not meant to replace showers or baths completely — they’re only meant to fill in the gaps for a few days. The longest I have went using baby wipes was five days.
If/when menstruating, try to shower or at least bathe from the waist down. Standing is difficult because of gravity and cramps, but a stool to sit on may entice you enough to at least sit under the water. Even if you don’t use soap, you are still rinsing your body with water.
2. Dry shampoo
Next is the hair. Each individual has their own hair type and needs. Dry shampoo may help extend the amount of time between each shampoo and conditioning, but using it too much can cause hair to get too oily.
The longest I’ve gone without washing my hair was one week, using leave-in conditioner on Day 3 and dry shampoo on Day 5. Sometimes, I’ll go without anything.
Going one week without washing your hair isn’t ideal, but it happens.
3. Loose oral hygiene routine
Dentists recommend brushing your teeth twice a day, everyday — also flossing, possibly mouthwash, and definitely a tongue scraper.
Oral hygiene involves a lot of executive functioning, sensory input, energy and general motivation. The motivation is the last bit, consuming perhaps 10 percent of the entire equation — so don’t get your hopes up.
Autistics need more than motivation to practice good dental hygiene.
A looser oral hygiene routine helped me make peace with struggle to brush my teeth. If you’re struggling, find options that work best for you and aim for doing 1-2 of them each oral hygiene session.
Brushing your teeth while you’re on the spectrum is akin to forcing yourself to be okay with nails on a chalkboard; the more you force yourself into it, the more sensory hell you’re putting yourself through.
👉 What I use:
- Arm & Hammer sensitive toothpaste
- Soft baby/kids toothbrush
- Mint dental floss
- OraWellness HealThy Mouth (currently out of this)
4. Pantyliners
Pantyliners can help with discharge, those moments when you get so excited you pee a little, and generally keeping your underwear clean.
Reusable cloth pads come in a variety of sizes, and can be cheaper and more comfortable than disposable pads. I love and recommend Tree Hugger Cloth Pads, especially with the CAD to USD conversion rate.
Autistics who struggle — for whatever reason — to change their underwear regularly may find pantyliners easier to switch out. Not changing your underwear regularly can lead to bacterial infections in uncomfortable places, excess moisture that feeds bacterial growth, and awful smells.
Pantyliners don’t work for everyone, but they’re worth mentioning regardless.
5. Basic face wash routine
Your face is what people see. Oils form quickly.
Autistic people might touch their faces more than non-autistic people, for stimming and other purposes. Too much oil on your face gets in your eyes when you’re hot and sweaty.
Your face washing routine can be as simple as using baby wipes or a warm washcloth. It can also be using facial rounds and micellar water or witch hazel (reusable facial rounds work best here; mine is a 20-pack).
With a skincare system, your face will be less oily — which will help keep the rest of your body clean longer.
6. Change underwear daily
I know, I know, BUT: The pantyliners are a last resort. Ultimately, you need to be changing your underwear daily.
A personal caveat of mine was that I didn’t have enough underwear options.
I prefer seamless underwear (I like the thin, grey No Boundaries boyshorts from Walmart), namely briefs and boyshorts. I need them to be tight enough that they won’t ride down and loose enough that my body doesn’t spill out over them.
My solution: I now have enough underwear that, when caught up on laundry, I could go three weeks without needing to wash my undies!
When I didn’t have enough options to choose from, I was less likely to change my underwear everyday.
My trick is to find something I like, then buy more of that. Even though it’s weird to other people, owning multiple copies of the same. exact. thing. allows me to appreciate the clothing more without fearing that I’ll be lost without it.
Also: I like boyshorts more than briefs, even though they’re not always compatible with pants, because they don’t dig into my thighs and feel more like short shorts.
7. Find little ways to make bathing enjoyable
How can you enhance your hygiene experience so you actually want to do it?
Romanticizing a mundane task you don’t enjoy doing can turn it into a want-to-do when you have the energy for it.
For me, that meant using things like
- A bath sheet, so I could cover more of my body when I stepped out of the shower and wouldn’t be so cold
- Lightly-scented soaps that don’t overwhelm my senses
- A kids’ toothbrush, because it’s softer and less gritty against my teeth
It’s all about compromise and figuring out what works for you.
Society can have its ideals, but the typical is not viable long-term for neurodivergent individuals. These hygiene hacks are about adapting to needs and removing obstacles.
What hygiene hacks work for you?
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