Am I not washing properly?

[Washerg]

Inspired (worried!) following a poster today talking about buttocks washing.

I shower daily. By this I mean I stand under the shower and clean under my arms with water only, same down below. I let the water run all over me for a good ten or fifteen mins but don’t actually scrub or touch other parts of my body. On days I wash my hair (weekly), the soap will run down my body obviously but that’s the extent of any soap that runs over me.

I have from time to time used some shower gel but only if I feel like it. Haven’t for about a year or so and before then it would be some weeks not others. Just don’t feel the need I suppose... and when I do use it, again it would be under arms and definitely not a big body scrub. I don’t think I’ve ever ever washed my toes apart from when I’ve been on the beach or outside with no shoes on in summer. I do use deodorant and perfume.

I’m actually worried now that I’m some sort of disgusting person who doesn’t realise it!! It’s not something I’ve ever discussed with friends. Am I weird? Should I be scrubbing away?! I’ve NC.

No idea why you would jump to this being a wind up or be so offensive. I have the means to buy such products, I just don’t and wash daily with water. There’s really no need to be rude

It’s rude and inconsiderate of you to not wash yourself properly, assuming you have a job/ go to cafes/ use public transport where other people have to smell your unwashed body

@smartiecake

How do you only need to wash your hair once a week? Is it very dry hair? Or a coarse texture? Mine is greasy after one day. We all wash our hair daily, me, DH and two teenage sons. My hair absorbs cooking smells, amd my skin. So if i have cooked for dinner I can usually smell it on my clothes, skin and hair later that evening and i have to wash it off. I can't get into bed dirty.

I tend to tie it up after washing. By day 6 it could do with a wash, it’s dark though and rarely looks greasy or dirty. Most of my colleagues only wash hair once a week so I’m surprised that’s seen as unusual on here.

I have dry skin and can’t use harsh products but can’t imagine not using some sort of cleaning product. My late DF used to think it was ok to wash the dishes with water and didn’t use washing up liquid till we told him everything was greasy and not nice to eat off. I think it’s the same with soap. Water rinses but it doesn’t clean. When DC were newborn I’d only use a cleanser on their bums and hands but they didnt sweat and most of their little bodies didnt need much cleaning for a while. But anyone past a few months needs more than just water imo.

@queenofSI

No idea why you would jump to this being a wind up or be so offensive. I have the means to buy such products, I just don’t and wash daily with water. There’s really no need to be rude

It’s rude and inconsiderate of you to not wash yourself properly, assuming you have a job/ go to cafes/ use public transport where other people have to smell your unwashed body

Well I hope for both our sakes we are never in the same vicinity! Really, you don’t need to be so rude. By all means say your piece but no need to go on the attack.

Do you shave ever? I would need a soap to shave.

Isnt this like washing plates with no washing up liquid? I always wash my bits with soap.

I don't think once a week hair washing is unreasonable.

@Washerg it's apparently really common and these a shed load of women walking around with chemically unbalanced fandangos because they lather the soap on them.

Douching causes the same issues.

Enjoy the wine!

Sometimes, if I cab I just get in the shower and do hair, and run soap around my pits and genitals/bum. I think just water is really gross and inadequate. Why bother? You may as well just use a wet flannel.

I use shower gel but am not appalled by your routine op. I know lots of people who don’t need to wash their hair often, and I am envious. Ditto people who don’t smell/sweat. I definitely sweat less than when I was younger. And definitely no soap of any kind on vulva in my opinion, it can be cleaned perfectly well with water and it’s better for the area.

This thread is feeling uncomfortably like a gang of teenage girls’ conversation ‘eeew youre gross’ kind of thing.

I don’t sweat a lot and never have felt the need to specifically wash as thoroughly as some on here, and definantly don’t make a point of scrubbing my feet every time I have a shower or bath. Dh would tell me if I smelt.

If washing with water works for you, then don’t worry. I actually think that with the move towards veganism etc, more people will ditch processed products such as shower gels.

article about giving up soap

It's a good job that these posters haven't been to places where the majority of the communities wash in rivers sans soap... And no, they don't smell.

So you practically just waste a load of water for nothing.

But soap or shower gel isnt necessary.

Flannel yes. That removes the dead skin which in turn removes the grease.

Many countries don't use products. They survive! And from what I've learnt they seem to have less dermatitis and stuff.

I wash my hands with soap. I wash my face with a hot flannel and then rinse with cold to close the pores. I don't wear make up and my skin is always spotless.

I also don't use products on my bits because it's not recommended.

I do use a pumice stone on my feet as they get really dry hard and cracked.

I'll use bubble bath and so when I wash that gets into my skin.

I also know lots of people who use water and talc on their underarms and dont sweat because they've never used products or deodorant and so their skin balance is good.

Of course using a shower gel is lovely and it leaves a pleasant smell - but it's a chemical one and not natural and not needed.

I'm not sure how you think we got from the first man until the last few hundred years without soap if we needed it to survive!

There is a new line of thought that we are overusing soap on our bodies. I read recently about a professor from Yale I think who researching it and he has given up soap. He was saying how important it is to not ruin the natural equilibrium of your skin cells or whatever and most important to have all that good bacteria living on your skin. He seemed to think it was connected to various skin and other disorders people end up having.
Having said that I do use soap myself. But certainly not as thorough as some people on here seem to think. I am now also wondering if I need to use it more !
I wash my hair every day though. If I miss a day it looks greasy. But I think it is true that the more you wash it the more your body works harder to replace the grease. So if you wash hair every day it needs to be washed every day iyswim

I feel weird here. I only ever use soap for my pits. No issues

I used to know a mum who decided one day soap was bad for her children's skin. She stopped using it. Her kids looked dirty and she stank, but she refused to use deodorant too. I tried to tell her, none of the other mums would, even though they all talked about her.

We use soap and detergents for a reason, OP.

I don’t understand how an adult employed in a professional occupation doesn’t know that it’s not usual to never use soap or wash your feet.

@Heartofstrings

I feel weird here. I only ever use soap for my pits. No issues

So happy to read this!!!

If you have been sweating water and a flannel is not going to remove much. In fact I wouldn’t even bother with a flannel of your not going to use anything on it!

I agree with the fact this post will get a lot of different replies.. most of them negative towards you i can imagine... however, peoples views will differ depending on their beliefs... I don't think the body NEEDS soap to be clean because it's not natural to use man made soap products.. way back in the day we would have only used water and our bodies would have been clean enough but on the other hand...to be fully cleansed of any bacteria (poop and arm pit sweat) then yeah I think you should be washing in your cracks with soap lol especially since you shower and dont bathe...i think poo is actually slightly waterproof unless you wash it off with soap 😣.. your front bottom only needs water technically but you can use a bit of body wash on the outside as long as you rinse off properly

@Ohdoleavemealone

I only use soap on the smelly bits. No need for the rest as it doesn't get dirty.

Don't worry about it

Same here, and i don't use a flannel or any kind of scrubber, i just use my hands.

I wash my whole body (minus hair) daily. It doesn't take long,shower gel onto shower puff...especially focusing on feet,bottom and armpits lol. I noticed this is where people tend to smell most from. I definitely know not everyone cleans like this. I had to tell my niece and nephew exactly where to wash and they said their mum said I was wasting soap...its 89p for radox I tesco...

@BigBadVoodooHat

I don’t understand how an adult employed in a professional occupation doesn’t know that it’s not usual to never use soap or wash your feet.

It’s never occurred to me, I just assume in the shower the feet get washed!

What’s funny about this is that I am super hygienic generally, to the point where friends joke about it.. always washing my hands and big on perfume and wax melts and spraying the kitchen down. It’s not done from a desire to want to be dirty, I just don’t like excessive soap and feel uncomfortable with in on my skin. Probably originating from the kidney infection but it’s been so long I can’t remember doing anything differently.

I've dropped down to once a week hair washing during lockdown. Tbh it's made my hair really bad with split ends and loads of broken fly away bits, but it's so greasy that I need to dry shampoo it which is what's ruining it really.
Some days I do a less thorough wash than others, some days I just skip a wash all together. At the moment I'm working from home and rarely leaving the house so I lack the motivation.

I never washed my feet until last year and it really made a big difference to texture of my skin! Much softer and less dry and cracked.

OP, if you want to, throw in one day a week to lather on some luxury products, it just feel quite nice to be all soft and smell like blueberries or something. But if you don't want to, don't. Who's it hurting?

It's not so unusual to wash hair once a week, mine is dry because it's coloured and I can get away with once a week, especially if it's been tied back a lot.

I'm not as sparkly fresh as some MNers (I don't always shower every single day, depending on my schedule. It is every other day as a minimum though). That said, I really do think soap of some kind is a bathing necessity OP.

I agree OP, you need soap in your life. You are spectacularly behind the times....because we know for certain that we have had soap for at least 5,000 years.