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hygiene issues

hobbit

Hi my 17 year son hates washing in any form, hair, body , shower or bath. Hates swimming and getting wet as he is sensative to water. He also dont recognise when he needs to wash or why. I feel i have tried every approach to try and get a routine going but the only thing that works is threats of turning the internet off. This makes me feel bad I have to resort to this so if anybody has any tips or advice I would be really grateful. I have tried dry shampoo but he hated that. I dont know what else to do has he has spots and can smell the house out.

  • Hi thanks for the reply, Yes I have tried the reward thing but its so difficult as he hates it so much. When He gets in the shower he stays for a long time because he hates the feeling of water on his skin drying. He is 17 and only cares about the internet so maybe i can try and make that into a reward. Thanks for the support

  • Hi my son is very similar he hates going in the shower but will go in the bath except we only have a wet room lol. Have u tried setting a timer and making it into a game? We will sometimes race him upstairs and say the last one in gets to do a chore, only thing is my son is 9. Maybe get a reward ready for him so he can see what he will get for doing what u ask, that works for my daughter as she is obsessed with beanie babies if that is any help? Xxx

  • hi thankyou for the comment, we use Dove already,never heard of putting on e45 first will try that thanks. This has got worse over the last 3 years when he stopped going to school and then not leaving the house only to walk the dog at night. He got so low in mood he didnt want live anymore and thats when Cahms got invovled but even they havnt had much progress with him as he wont let them into the house. His mood is better now he knows poeple understand him and he is not a "freak" but he still has great anxiety about going out, wont cut his hair as he hides under it and likes to put dirty clothes back on!!. This is the sole discrd between us and its the one thing I am struggling with. thanks for the support

  • Was this always the case or has he got worse over time? Negative reactions to such things as washing will reinforce aversion. But it may only have been certain aspects that initiated it.

    What kind of soap has he tried and what are his reactions to different soaps? The smell of some soaps can be very unpleasant, he may sense a very different smell from other people for some products with chemically induced scents - lemon fresh, probably more to do with the chemicals used to synthesise it, can smell absolutely disgusting to some people.

    Would he be happy with a neutral soap (simple - though it smells of old cod, or dove extra sensitive)? Also would he be happy rubbing on an emolument ointment like cetraben or E45 which can be got in large dispensers, before getting in a bath or shower?

    Can he be got to keep his hair short, at least reducing the criticality of hair washing?