How long is a reasonable shower?

[MigratorySheep]

DD is spending ages in the shower each night. Basically I'm worried we can't afford it, it's getting beyond a joke.
I think 10 minutes max should be enough. DH reckons 5 - which I think is doable and what I aim for - but I don't think she will manage this unless I stand there and personally shower her.

I'm going to start setting a timer! What do you reckon is fair?

No need to discuss your DC's shower habits. A simple number of minutes will suffice!

Out of curiosity I timed myself this morning. Into shower, washed hair twice, conditioned, shaved armpits, washed body, washed face. Then rinsed soap suds off the shower. 5 mins 20 secs.

I can wash and condition my hair in under 3 minutes! The water power pressure is very high though.

Don't get me started on hair drying
I do mine separately to showing but reckon wash and style is 15 mins and then diffusing maybe 45, then add on the couple of hours to finish air drying

@Botw1 It takes me longer than 2 minutes to get all of my hair wet to begin with. As I said in my comment, my water pressure isn't great. But you don't need to "get" it, that's fine, you are not paying my bills.

@NBLarsen

Unless you're standing under a watering can I doubt it

Two minutes just to get your hair wet? You must have a tiny trickle of water 💦!

Depends on the hair type! Ever tried to wet very curly or coily hair that repels water?
And water is really important for those hair types, to saturate it can take 5 mins at least

@Rebel2

Yes.

Its never taken 2 min never mind 5.

Anyway as pp said its her bills but I call bullshit on the have to

Mine takes a similar amount of time so I can well believe it. My hairdresser soaks it in the bowl (plug blocked) when I go for at least 3-5 mins then adds more water throughout
It also takes over 24hrs to air dry

About 3-4 minutes purely if just washing face and body.
Doing extras like washing hair and shaving add an extra 8-10.

10 mins is adequate for a slow pre-teen.

i have a 5 minute timer and 5 mins is enough for me.

My water pressure is fairly average, and it takes me less than five minutes to wash and rinse every bit of myself - probably nearer to three minutes. I've got waist length hair which I wash every other day, and that takes me an absolute maximum of five minutes to wash it twice and condition, so I would never be in the shower for more than ten minutes.

This! I have to stand under the shower for a good 5 mins to have wet hair and even then I find dry sections! It’s so hard to get it fully saturated!

I doubt I even take 10 minutes but I'm tempted to time myself this evening!

My hair reaches the bottom of my bra band and is of average thickness. I wash it twice, using a silicone scalp scrubber the second time. Rinse, then conditioner on. While that's doing its thing, I wash my body with bar soap. Back under the water for maybe a minute to rinse everything.

I get my armpits and bikini line waxed and I do my legs with a lady shaver when I can be bothered, so no shaving in the shower here.

I used to have crappy water pressure and it took AGES to get my very thick hair wet, never mind fully rinse conditioner out.
It was a happy day when the power shower got fitted.

DD's hair is fine and straight. We have excellent water pressure.

Why on earth does showering take longer if you're short sighted? (DD's sight is perfect, mine is -10 and -10.5)

I have shoulder length thick hair and I can shampoo and condition it in under 5minutes when I don’t hang around. 10 is more than sufficient, any more is just wasting water.

Yea that's ridiculous.
I have thick long hair and it takes me 10 mins max to shampoo and condition

Because we have to squint to see if it's shampoo or conditioner we've picked up if the bottles are similar 🙈😂

I presume you don’t have children!!

Who the fuck has time for that? 😁

Even with my showers being 10 mins, then separate hair washing 15 mins, I'm still a low user on water and electric so definitely worth checking how much it costs. I have a bath weekly too
My water is about £23 on a meter and electric £2.50 ish a day

So to summarise:

• you can shower in under 5 mins
• it might take longer if your hair is long or thick but no more than 10 min
• water pressure is a variable and can dictate shower length
• some have a longer shower cos it feels nice or warms you up
• some turn off the water while waiting for conditioning their hair or shaving
• it's not just the cost, it's the environment
• the length you occupy the bathroom can be problematic

Interestingly the conversation has not yet veered into - I only shower once a week - unless I missed it..

Saw this the other day and it made me think of this thread as some of the posters here were/are completely oblivious to the need to conserve water.

https://amp.theguardian.com/weather/2023/mar/04/very-precarious-europe-faces-growing-water-crisis-as-winter-drought-worsens

Hi OP, I think 10 mins is fine for a shower but the thing is a hot shower is a lovely lovely thing especially if unwinding before bed. Maybe you could suggest she showers in the morning with a timer 5 days and then has a longer evening shower on the weekends?