to think DH's washing habits are a bit OTT?

[SilkStalkings]

DH's daily commute to work consists of 15mins walk +15mins train +another 10-15mins walk, same on the way home. He is sat at his desk all day. He wears a clean shirt everyday (NB does all ironing in the household) and a clean t-shirt every evening which he then sleeps in. He showers every morning and then when he gets in using shower gel or handwash. He suffers from dry scaly his legs which are itchy but he won't do anything about it, even though our bedlinen usually has little bloodstains where he has scratched in his sleep.

This has all built up in the last few years since he started commuting (he used to be as skanky as me when we were younger.) He seems to think this is all normal but I think he's getting a bit OCD.
I believe his skin problem is entirely caused by all this. Personally I believe soap is a hangover from when people only bathed once a week or went down mines! I try not to use the stuff myself unless really filthy, I find shampoo foam when I wash my hair does the job fine.

Are his washing habits really normal? Am I just a smelly skank?

Ohhhhh the re used towel thing raises its head again!!

You go to work, unless you not mixing with others or work in serious manual labour, you shower before work

You come home, rinse off the commuting/office and are officially home. This also works for your DP so he will feel uncomfortable if he doesn't.

It's not the evening shower that's doing the damage its the use of shower gel and hand wash. He needs a quality, non perfumed soap or liquid, initially followed up by some E45/Dove on his skin. Dove or equivalent only Chez Handcart, or it shows within days.

definately needs a moisturising cream for the legs, e45 if he is too macho to use a 'girly' one or ask a chemist for something that will make life more comfortable for his poor legs. other than discouraging the morning shower agree with others that its good to feel clean after work. maybe ask him to keep them short but no probs except what he is using to wash with.

I don't think his showering is OTT particularly - I only find the need to wash once a day unless I am going out for the eveing or feel particularly dirty/sweaty (which is hardly ever) but I do think he should change his washing products to something less irritating for his skin.

When I commuted to London I showered twice daily. In the morning because I prefer to start the day clean and in the evening to get rid of the general grubbiness that accumulated as a result of sitting on crowded trains, etc. Most friends of mine did similarly and none of us are OCD about cleanliness. Which is why I think YABU.

I don't get the whole thing about sitting around feeling grubby when a quick shower makes all the difference and I'd far, far, rather live with someone who was clean. Soapdodgers are disgusting.

YABU and strange for making a big deal out of it.

Two showers a day is not excessive.

Makes you seem a bit weird to come here and start a thread on it

I come into contact with smelly people all the time. I'm not talking BO, just a general dirty smell.

I do often wonder if they can't smell themselves.

Boots own brand of aqueous cream is good value for money. He can wash with it and apply the cream on his legs after he showers. Ask the pharmacist if this is most suitable as there might be a medicated cream better for him.

I would be very wary about aqueous cream TBH. My dad's renal specialist told my dad that many people mistakenly use aqueous cream as a moisturiser when it should actually be used as a cleanser. He explained that my dad could only have a maximum of 1 shower per month because of hiss diabetes, cancer and kidney failure. Because of this, dad still has to keep clean but has to use a cleanser like Dermol. If he runs out, he can use aqueous cream as a substitute until he gets more.

2 showers a day is not excessive. Especially if they are short ones. I tend to have one really, really long one in the morning, because I like to. I would love to have the time to come home, shower and put on clean clothes.

A perfect start to the evening.

He does need a decent moiswww.amazon.co.uk/product-reviews/B003BK69BA/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1tureiser though. We use this

When I'm at work on an Oil Rig, I shower in the morning to wake me up, I shower in the evening and my clothes are changed twice a day.
I too suffer from bad skin. I had suffered for about 8 years and blamed to water quality. I recently went to the doctors and he gave me two creams, one for intense areas and another for twice a day use. My skin is now really good.
Everything you said contributes to poor skin.

Thanks for all the replies, will try and get him to use creams more and switch gel brands.

I appreciate I do have a rather Victorian approach but I do have ecowarrior leanings and don't like to so much water used when we as a nation have never been cleaner/done less exercise. DH does not commute to London, he catches a train to a nice newish enterprise estate, nothing grimey about it, he doesn't cycle, he walks to the stations. I walk further than him everyday doing schoolruns and don't feel the need to shower twice a day.

I do think it's odd somebody said they use shower gel to get the shampoo foam off in a shower??? a)they are both the same thing b) they are both water soluble.

if it's only on his legs could it be something else causing the rash? i use the same shower gel as dh and he had a rash on his legs that wouldn't shift despite using all sorts of creams. he eventually went to the gp and got a prescription cream that cleared it.

if a 5min shower helps him switch of and de-stress a bit at the end of the day then it sounds pretty harmless.

Working in an office may seem like an easy job in terms of sweat, but you can get nervous sweat if you have tense meetings, give presentations or have to deal with difficult people. A shower at the end of the day sounds reasonable.

I have had dry skin for a while (menopause and post-menopause). It is also made worse by living in a centrally-heated house and working in a centrally-heated office. I try to get outdoors where possible. Could be that his office needs to have humidifiers.

I get a moisturiser called Cetraben on prescription which seems to help, though I will try Aveeno mentioned above. I have also recently stopped using shower gel and started using olive oil soap from Turkey.

You can get on Amazon:

www.amazon.co.uk/Handmade-unscented-ingredients-production-Marseille/dp/B004JOAGVG/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1325623692&sr=8-6