Not to shower every day?

[Sausagedog27]

Just looking at threads about drought and how long it takes people to get ready and it got me thinking. I shower every other day (unless of course I've been particularly active or done something requiring need to shower ie gardening). I don't smell (as far as I know- dh says I don't!) all my other friends shower daily. Is this something we need to do daily or is it a society thing? I remember parents saying it was a weakly bath for them etc. with the drought situ I'm just wondering if this is contributing. Would you daily showerers consider reducing? Hmmmmm!

I have to agree. when our hot water was broken, I hated not being able to have my morning shower and was paranoid about being whiffy even though I had showered or bathed (courtesy of good neighbour etc) and washed my pits and other regions with a lovely flannel in the morning.

showers are fab. may have another one tonight as I am going out.

I like to have one daily, it wakes me up, and doesn't take long.

That said my mother said to me when she was staying here (she's Australian as am I) that she thought you could "probably get away" with not showering every day in the UK certainly in the winter.

I tend to agree - whilst I do still shower every day because I like it, if for some reason I didn't, I don't think I'd smell to the extent other's would notice. This isn't so much because the bacteria/deadskin or sweat doesn't exist, but because in winter you don't get hot enough for it to radiate if that makes sense (think of an electric plug in that diffuses scent...it needs warmth!) and in addition there probably is less sweat and the bad stuff, and in addition there are thicker layers for the smell to radiate through. So for that reason, I reckon if the average person showered every 2nd day in proper winter so say November through to the end of February, they honestly wouldn't offend anyone too much. Its just a theory though. I haven't tested it!

But I do like my showers, so no axe to grind, I'm a clean bean.

I also respect other people's right not to shower daily and even (this is controversial) not to wear deodorant.

Some would see it as selfish, but actually, the natural default is probably not to shower daily (did cavemen have showers?) and not to put chemicals and minerals on our skin to plug up our lymph systems.

I do all these things - shower daily, wear deodorant - in fact I wear Mitchum and even use Driclor in summer which may as well be cyanide from a toxicity point of view, probably - but I don't actually believe everyone else necessarily should.

Who am I to tell someone how they should smell? What really is wrong with the smell of mild BO? Sure, I don't love it, but I don't love the smell of lots of things, including cat shit which is also natural. But I don't judge my cat for producing that smell (though you will probably judge me for having a cat)

Those of you who shower twice a week and "don't smell".
You do.

HTH

I have to shower every morning to wake myself up. Without a slug of coffee and a jet of water on my face i am a zombie.

They mask the smell of your stale coffee tounge NowThenWreck

'the natural default is not to shower daily'

well, of course!

I do now usually shower daily, partly because of MN-based awareness that a lot of people consider smelling of anything other than shampoo to be a sign of moral collapse. But am not sure how I'm supposed to radically reduce my water use, unless the prime minister introduces 'Shower-free Saturdays' or something.