When showering

[mb182]

Read an article in daily mail recently saying , when showering, you should only use soap or gel on bits and pits to avoid drying out your skin. Just water is apparently all that's needed to keep the rest of you clean. As someone who has washed every inch of my body with anti bac soap for the last 30 years since giving up baths, I found this hard to believe. When I asked my daughter, sister and husband what they thought, I was surprised that they all only soap bits and pits. How could I not know this? AIBU to ask what your showering habits are?

[FankEweVeryMuch]

There's probably more bad bacteria on a shower puff than on human skin. They make me shudder.

I soap upper body and outer bits but not my legs. Oh and my back, I can't reach there so it's just water.

[KateLivesInEngland]

I started using Vagisil when I was pregnant 10yrs ago due to an extortionate amount of discharge (tmi, I know! But it's true!) and have used it ever since. Like I said, if I run out and use something else I get irritated quite quickly.
Obviously I don't wash inside, that's daft.

[EveryCloudhasl]

I can't imagine not using soap well shower gel all over. Though I took my dd to the docs with bad excema before and chatting to the doc she said she never even uses soap anywhere, just hot water!! I tried to hide my horrified face 😂 but to be fair she didn't seem to smell. Apparently it's the norm for the part of the world she's from and its largely a British thing to constantly clean with products which is why we tend to have so many skin issues.

[JapaneseSlipper]

"As someone who has washed every inch of my body with anti bac soap"

Good lord, this is such overkill!

[whois]

I soap bits, pits and feet. Any anything that has got dirty e.g. muddy legs after a bike ride.

[Pedestriana]

Pits and neck with soap/shower gel. Plain water on everything else. If my feet are particularly pongy then they'll get soaped too.

[ScarletForYa]

Feet, bits and pits are soaped, everything else just water. My skin is super dry, it couldn't take excessive soap.

[Nanunanu]

I started using dove shower stuff on a puff all over and my skin stopped itching. So now I do all over with that once a day.

Plus once a week or so I have a bleach bath. Has done wonders for my eczema and folliculitis.

Dd is 10 months. Has only ever washed in water. Or when really filthy i'll use diprobase cream or similar as a soap substitute on her skin and wash it off. Then she always smells of her not perfume

[Katedotness1963]

Shower puff, shower gel, I soap everything I can reach apart from the soles of my feet.

[EBearhug]

Depends what I've been doing. If I've got mud all up my legs and arms, I need a good scrub, but a day in the office, probably just pits and feet get shower gel or soap directly, though other parts will get shower gel washed over as it's rinsed down.

I can make do with very little water, but I do like a bath at the end of he day to relax and wash the day away. But if you've only got a small bowl of water - using a lot of soap is hard to rinse.

[Iknownuffink]

Water and only that.

Since being diagnosed and subsequently having a mastectomy. I have reduced all chemicals that touch my skin.

Currently on day 8 of not using shampoo on what's left of my hair.

We trust advertising and load our bodies with harmful chemicals.

[quencher]

I hope that any black person with darker skin does not follow that idea. If they do they will be left with ashy skin and looking like a ghost.

I Also think that there are some people who can be OK with just washing bits and will be ok for weeks.
But I know that if I don't wash every day or at least two days I will smell especially in the summer. Perfumes and body sprays can only do so much.

With what the op is saying, I would not take it as gospel. It's not just about drying skin but smell too.

[quencher]

The non washing brigade tend to advice no body creams and lotions too.

[FirstWeTakeManhattan]

The non washing brigade tend to advice no body creams and lotions too

Does there have to be a 'brigade'? A 'non-washing brigade'?

[MyNewBearTotoro]

I usuly soap bits and pits unless I feel the rest of me needs an extra thorough wash (eg: if sandy from beach, if very sweaty after exercise). I only shower every other day too. As far as I can tell I don't smell and I feel perfectly clean.

[WanderingTrolley1]

All-over soaping for me. At least twice.

[AppleMagic]

I have eczema and use as little soap as possible. I already have to moisturise at least twice a day to stop my skin falling off so definitely not against body creams and lotions.

[tanukiton]

I am a soap all over and scrubber. I will say when i was veggie i didn t smell as much when I sweated. I do think diet, time of the month hormones, how much product your using etc. makes a difference.

[AaoograhaHoa]

Lol. Non-washing brigade here and I love my lotions and potions...

Thinking about it, I use more than I thought. Still only wash with water every day (and no, it's different from standing in the rain, what with the hot, clean water, and lack of clothes)

But, do wash hair Wednesday and Sunday with shampoo and conditioner and cleanse face every night.

Always smell lovely - in fact gets lots on comments, compliments on how good my skin is and how clean and lovely I smell (use coconut perfume from body shop).

[Laiste]

Ah another washing thread

I get a handful of shower gel and rub it all over my - arms, shoulders, boobs, between boobs, under boobs, pits, back of neck and then sweep a soapy hand all round my bits and bum. Feet get swished about in bubbly water and that's it. I don't suffer from dry skin at all.

DH gets filthy at work and he likes to use proper soap (pears) and then fancy shower gel all over to get clean. He hasn't got dry skin either.

[TheNaze73]

Shower gel all over for me, especially after sport

[Fingerbobs]

Another bits and pits - and having watched Operation Ouch's puberty special I can report that although you do indeed sweat all over, the glands under arms and between your legs sweat a different kind of sweat which is smelly, so now feel justified by Science. Also would crumble into a heap of skin flakes if I soaped every day.

[lanbro]

I'm perimenopausal and often sweat a lot in the night, back, neck, between boob etc. Also have a hot physical job so definitely soap all over!

[Standingonmytippytoes]

Just hot water here. Maybe once a week I'll use soap. My dp uses lots of soaps and lotions and has done since he was a child and he has sensitive skin. not blaming soaps just pointing out my skins quite robust sometimes my hands flair up if I'm washing them too much though.

[Loopylocket2004]

Wow...what about kids though?..mine bath/shower once a week!! Bits and pits face should be every day. Me my face got its annual wash this morning...do I smell? No chance..or have spots..