Body Care and Grooming (1948)

[Applause] for ah spring when birds are on the wing when flowers bloom spring when a young man's fancy lightly turns to thought what's the matter exam week getting you down what you need is to put down that notebook and take in some of the beauties of nature see what I [Music] mean but wait a minute young lady how did you get into this picture you see we're trying to prove a point about nature and beauty and you're not exactly helping you know look at your hair look at that blouse and the way that skirt hangs and those socks sorry there must have been a mistake you don't seem to be exactly the type to make this guy behave like a human being but wait a minute come back let's start all over [Music] again oh brother oh brother is right look at that hair that skin that mouth and now look at that blouse and now look at the skirt and the socks thanks a lot for helping us prove a point and you you too know the value of a good [Music] appearance in fact you all know that a good appearance is a must not only to your college life now but to your business and professional lives in the future but good appearance is more than dressing up like a fashion plate anyone will make a good appearance if he's neat no matter what his style of clothing clothes are important besides fitting well and looking well the clothes should be appropriate to the occasion wearing inappropriate clothes like these shoes is a sure way to make yourself uncomfortable and conspicuous but good grooming is more than cloes deep good grooming starts with personal care this principally means the care of your hands your hair your teeth and your skin let's begin with the skin by taking a look at it from the doctor's point of view you'll find that skin is a complex living tissue whose proper care requires a basic understanding of what it is and what it does in this highly magnified section through the skin we see that skin is made up of various layers individual cells of the outer layer are constantly drying out and dropping off to be replaced by the growing cells of the layers below skin differs in thickness and texture on various parts of the body such as on the lips the eyelid or the feet perhaps the most familiar example of skin specialization is on your fingertips here the skin is grooved to help you hold smooth objects almost all skin is richly provided with nerves which give the skin an amazing sensitivity to outside stimuli hence the skin acts as a sensory organ for the protection of the body as a whole and skin serves to protect you still another way by providing one of the first physical signs of illness or disease most skin also contains hair the hair roots are located below the skin surface most commonly hairs are found in association with the sebaceous or oil glands these oil glands often empty directly into the hair follicle or opening by means of of which the oil reaches the skin surface the purpose of this oil is to soften and lubricate the hair and skin another gland found in the skin is the sweat gland sweat glands open directly into the skin and discharge sweat through individual openings or pores sweating is one of the chief functions of the skin the main value of sweating is the control of body heat brought about by the evaporation of sweat from the skin surface most everyone sweats under one circumstance or another besides accumulating sweat the skin is also constantly picking up dirt dust grit and other foreign particles and because the skin has lots of openings in its surface these foreign particles most of them loaded with bacteria may enter the skin and start an infection such an infection if untreated or irritated could develop into a widespread inflammation or even blood poisoning don't let this happen to you protect your skin keep it looking clear and fresh keep it clean the best way to clean your skin is still the old-fashioned use of soap hot water and plenty of elbow grease and the result is well worth the effort you don't need scientific proof of it you can feel it in addition to soap and water there are other good aids for cleaning your skin one of these is cleansing cream many girls find this helpful in removing Cosmetics however nothing can take the place of your daily bath or shower this is the time to give your skin a good invigorating workout if there is no visible dirt to wash off there are body odors to be eliminated by cleansing your skin of dried sweat skin scales and dust which accumulate constantly your bath or shower should end with a Brisk rinsing to carry away all soapy residue this is really the best part of the shower it stimulates the skin and wakes it up all over bathing and toilet articles should be kept for your own personal use don't share them with others you wouldn't use another person's toothbrush so don't use their towel or toilet articles and it goes without saying that only clean lerie should go next to that clean skin while it may not be necessary for all of you some girls use a lubricating cream or lotion to prevent skin roughness or chapping expensive creams and powders however aren't necessary a healthy skin can be kept at attractive with only a few simple preparations the removal of hairs is sometimes a problem you can take care of single hairs with a pair of tweezers but for leg and underarm hair your best bet is a safety razor don't worry that shaving the hair will make it grow back either faster or denser that is isn't true but it is true that chemical hair removers have been found harmful to the skin in some cases nail polish is harmless but you should remove it for short periods in order to prevent cracking of the fingernail women usually take better care of their nails than men do many men let their nails get long and ragged and ignore their cuticles for good Nail Care a nail brush is indispensable Nails provide hiding places for bacteria for this reason you should give your nails particular attention whenever you wash your hands after washing your hands push back the cuticle while it's still soft and pliable from the soaking trim it occasionally and keep your nails short and smooth and speaking of of nails don't forget you have 20 of them toenails of course must be trimmed also to help prevent ingrown Nails use a straight cross cut the edge of the nail then will not dig into the Flesh of the toe the spaces between your toes should be kept dry as a precaution against athletes foot routine dusting with talcon powder will help keep them dry if athletes foot should develop consult a physician don't let this disease get a toe hold on you as an added precaution against athletes foot try to avoid direct contact with damp bathroom floors wear slippers or clogs next to the skin we probably spend most of our attention on our hair this is especially true among women but this kind of superficial attention doesn't count the hair needs careful attention like this like caring for the skin proper care of the hair requires some understanding of its structure and function here's a strand of human hair greatly magnified notice the rough scaly texture you can imagine how Dirt hangs on to anything like this and there's another factor that causes hair to get dirty remember the oil glands that pump their oil out along hair shafts well a healthy scalp has plenty of oil to which dirt will cling so wash your hair frequently if you want to keep this constant accumulation of dust oil and sweat at a minimum your hair should be washed once every 2 weeks or more often if necessary with water and and a mild soap this will usually take care of normal dandruff too although excessive dandruff should be treated by a doctor rinse your hair thoroughly following the washing a few drops of lemon juice or vinegar added to the water during the second rinse will make it much easier to remove any soap residue the final rinsing however should be in fresh water if your hair squeaks after the final rinsing you may be sure it's clean most girls follow hair washing by doing their hair up in pins or curling rods this is a good time since damp hair is more elastic than dry hair and you'll find it easier to manage permanent waving if skillfully done will not damage your hair however the use of strong Dy or bleaches is very likely to make the hair brittle brittle hair in turn is liable to break off in larger quantities than you care to lose for normal daily care your hair should be methodically combed and brushed but be careful that brushes and combs are not used so as to tear your hair or dig at your scalp careful brushing not only gets rid of dust and dirt which may be clinging to the scales but increases the luster of your hair by spreading out its oils a small amount of hair always comes out during a brushing that is normal Natural Hair beauty is possible if you take care of your hair and make the most of what Nature has given you and nature gave you those teeth too to keep them always sparkling and healthy first select a toothbrush that meets the approval of most dentists here are two such brushes short straight with a plain brush head about 1 in Long there may be two or three rows of Tufts sufficiently inter spaced to allow easy cleaning to keep the bristles in best working condition use a different brush after every meal allowing each brush to dry thoroughly before it is used again the technique of using one of these simple little instruments is best learned individually from your own dentist if food particles become wedged in the teeth and you can't remove them by brushing dental floss is often helpful ordinary toothpicks and other hard objects are apt to damage your gums care of the teeth however requires more than daily cleaning everybody needs periodic checkups not only for professional tooth cleaning but also Al to show up cavities and other defects before they become too far developed and so the end of a perfect day a few minutes in the morning and evening and occasional checkups during the day are all you need to establish and keep up good grooming habits and You by following these simple rules of body care and Grooming you too will achieve that quality of appearance that feeling of well-being so important to make your dreams of Happiness come [Music] true