Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Do you shower every day?

383 replies

chumrun · 26/08/2014 21:52

The thread about taking an hour made me wonder.

In the morning I:

Clean teeth and listerine (10 mins)

Shower including hair wash with conditioner and shave legs and armpits every other day (10 mins)

Dry and straighten hair (10 mins)

Makeup, dress, earrings and other accessories (10 mins)

I can cut this down but I dawdle and make cups of tea, watch tv in between so yeah about an hour. But some people seem to just wash?

So what is the average?

OP posts:
ememem84 · 30/08/2014 22:46

I shower every day. Even if I'm not leaving the house. I find it helps me to wake up.

I usually take about 40 mins to get ready in mornings. However have recently discovered I can do bed to leaving house in 15 minutes if I absolutely have to (ie have super slept in and risk being late for work) only works if I don't need to wash hair. And don't care what I wear.

JapaneseMargaret · 30/08/2014 23:04

Some people need to wash their hair every day or it goes lank and greasy.

When mine was long I didn't as it was quite dry, but everyone's hair is different.

I have short hair now, and condition it every day. Only use actual shampoo about once a week.

Mintberrycrunch · 30/08/2014 23:24

I shower every other day washing hair usually unless I have straightened it then not as often with hair, then bidet/sink wash at least once a day for bits, pits and boobs (on maternity). However when working I would wash twice a day on work days. So I think I depends on whether you need a good wash depending on your activity and your body.

trufflesnout · 30/08/2014 23:38

I would shower every day if I was 100% well and able to, if it didn't fuck with my skin and if I had a proper cubicle.

Candycrushblahblah · 30/08/2014 23:59

Yes I expect she does. Do you use twigs for your teeth and mooncups when you cycle kicks in SugarSkully????????

Passthecake30 · 31/08/2014 08:14

I bath or shower in the evening and wash my face and put on deodorant in the morning ...no actual rewashing of body parts....have done for years and I'm pretty sure I don't smell. ...same goes for dp. I have about 10mins to sort myself out in the morning on a work day, luckily I'm low maintenance.

Surfsup1 · 01/09/2014 02:47

ShadowsShadows I think you'll find that most of us who don't wash every day would obviously wash if we had been doing heavy labour and shovelling manure. It's not like we simply refuse to wash, it's that we don't always need to.

dodecathlon · 01/09/2014 05:12

In the general population, some people naturally sweat much less and have a lesser propensity to BO.
I saw a science program about this - apparently you can generally tell by the type of earwax you have.
People with dry (crumbly, flaky type) earwax generally sweat less and are much less likely to have body odour than those with wet (gooey) earwax.
It is genetic.

A separate issue: those with very dry skin have a less of a natural barrier, and becoming wet and then dry again is very uncomfortable. Some of us have tried every emollient under the sun, prescription and non-prescription, to no avail, and showering/bathing remains a deeply uncomfortable process.

purplemurple1 · 01/09/2014 05:46

No - my morning routine is toilet, teeth, tea, while baby has his bottle and snack, both dress and go to nursery. Takes about 30 min but could easily be faster if needed.

KoalaDownUnder · 01/09/2014 06:20

Why is it necessary to wash your hair every day? I wash mine very second or third day and only shave my legs about once a week. That's all they need, in fact I could go much longer.

If you have fine hair and an oily scalp, you have to wash it every day to look decent. I'd rather not, believe me! (And I will leave it a day if I'm not working or going out, but that's rare.)

SignYourNameInBrownAndFlame · 01/09/2014 06:53

Oh Koala, I feel your pain!

And before anyone starts with the "ah, but daily washing is stimulating the oil production, if you stopped washing it it would self-regulate after X weeks" (which I have heard more than once) - you may or may not be right, but I have to go out in public in the meantime and I'd rather not look as though I'd slept in a deep fat fryer.

Ilovenicesoap · 01/09/2014 07:23

One of my colleagues stopped washing her hair " to allow the hair to self regulate"
She smelt rank !

MrsHathaway · 01/09/2014 07:54

Sign it does work, but the training phase is indeed revolting.

My mother washed her hair daily for thirty-odd years (fine and greasy) and has now stetched to every otherd day.

It occurred to me that hair always worn up needs less washing as it is touched less.

Eliza22 · 01/09/2014 07:58

Twice daily....
Morning - shower/hair wash otherwise, I don't feel "clean". Before bed - makes me feel warm and ready for sleep.

CarmineRose1978 · 01/09/2014 09:16

I shower and wash my hair every day... My hair is fine and oily and it feels and looks rank if I don't wash it daily. But to be honest, even if it didn't, I'd want to wash it every day, same as I want to shower every day. I wouldn't feel clean otherwise.

Bouttimeforwine · 01/09/2014 11:18

I can be up, showered, dry hair, moisturised, made up, and out in 25 mins. Another 10 mins for a bit of breakfast.

Bed is too precious to take longer.

itsbetterthanabox · 01/09/2014 11:29

Shampooing my hair takes ages as I have so much of it!
Do you all moisturise your bodies everyday? I feel that would be time consuming and sticky!

CarmineRose1978 · 01/09/2014 11:35

I moisturise every day! If I have a bath in the evening, I moisturise again.

CulturalBear · 01/09/2014 12:19

I think it's an unfair question to throw out there without conditioning the answers.

I don't believe it's possible to shower every day when you have a baby, for instance. What about single mums with no-one to babysit?

I shower about once a week at the moment, usually a Sunday. Occasionally, I'll wet wipe high-use areas in between, and can sometimes get enough time to wash my hair over the bath while DS plays in his cot.

The complications are that the shower is downstairs, so can't shower within earshot of DS - and if something is up, I can't get to him quickly.

DP gets up at 6.30am and leaves the house at 7am, I get up at 7am (ish) and it takes 40-45 minutes to get me and DS dressed and out of the house to nursery and work via a long walk and bus ride. My only option on a morning shower would be before 6.30am as DS doesn't sleep through (and invariably ends up in bed with us, so can't be left alone), so I'm knackered.

I get home at 6.30pm with DS, getting him ready for bed and asleep can take up to two hours, remaining 90 minutes of the day is spent doing bits of housework and/or spending a bit of time with DP. My only available time for a shower is in the 8.30pm to 10pm window - I can't wash my hair because I can't dry it (too late for hairdryer and no way I'd chance waking up DS), and frankly, I'm too exhausted.

So it'd be really nice if the twice-a-dayers could please not judge those who are not the same. Unless you're a twice-a-dayer with under 2s, in which case, what the hell do you do with your kids??

Pre DS I'd be a 2-3 times a weeker. Simply not possible at the moment, maybe when DS is 3ish I can start to eke out some time in the mornings?

Chippednailvarnish · 01/09/2014 12:39

So it'd be really nice if the twice-a-dayers could please not judge those who are not the same. Unless you're a twice-a-dayer with under 2s, in which case, what the hell do you do with your kids??

I'm sorry but it takes me less than 5 minutes to shower - I can't see how properly "cleaning" yourself with wet wipes could be quicker. Even with two DC's under 3, I managed a fleeting shower.

As for your comment about single mothers - my Mum was on her own and is the most immaculately turned out woman. If it's important to someone, they will find time.
If you can't even find time to clean yourself, something needs to change...

CulturalBear · 01/09/2014 14:00

I'm impressed chippednailvarnish

Genuine question - who looks after the DCs when you're in the shower? Do you just let them cry?

As DS is more mobile now (but with zero sense of danger a la all toddlers), the only safe place for him is his cot, and even then he can find ways of injuring himself over and above usual 'attention' cries. I can cope with the odd whinge, but I can't leave him if he's properly crying. #pfb

Chippednailvarnish · 01/09/2014 15:00

I have to be up before 6am for work, so they are still asleep. When I was on maternity leave I would get up before my DP would leave so he could watch them if needed. Your DP should be giving you 5 minutes in the evening to be able to get a shower. I wouldn't leave a child to cry for a long time, but if you are talking a matter of minutes I can't see the harm.

OneSkinnyChip · 01/09/2014 15:02

CulturalBear it's entirely up to you how often you shower but based on your description you really COULD have a shower every day if you wanted. The best time would be in the evening when your son is in bed. I often have a shower then once our toddler is in bed. You may be one of those people who doesn't sweat much. If I went a week between showers I would stink to the high heavens! :o

OneSkinnyChip · 01/09/2014 15:03

(Can I also say I am AMAZED that this thread is still going and popped up to the top of my TIO list?!)

CulturalBear · 01/09/2014 15:35

My next big project is the upstairs bathroom, moving a shower up there, thus making quick showers a future option.

I would actually be able to enjoy a shower without having to faff about walking round the entire house to get there, standing running around to get wet occasionally in the crap shower, walking back through the entire house and upstairs. A 5-minute job would be an option - now it's minimum 20 minutes for all the faffing and when I'm knackered after being on the clock from 7am to 9pm - it's just too much.

Fascinating thread. Genuinely interesting. Do think the 'do you have kids or not' continuum should have been applied from the start though Grin