When showering

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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?

Shower gel all over. Anti-bacterial soap is extreme, IMO, and just encourages bacteria to mutate, which is dangerous for everyone.

I use body lotion afterwards too.

It's commonly bandied about on here that you shouldn't use water on your buts as they are self cleaning!!!!!!!!

Gah. Fuck off phone

you should only use water on your bits*

I pretty much only do this. I use a blob of shower gel, rub under pits, and let the soapy bubbles that ensue run over my body, hopefully cleaning me sufficiently as they go. Back of neck I imagine gets washed as the shampoo runs down.

I'm a bits and pits person too- I used to use shower gel all over and always had dry skin.

Now I use a gentle soap bar for my pits (and legs when I shave) and use epaderm cream to wash my bits as I have lichen sclerosis. I actually feel much, much cleaner now than when I was using shower gel all over (and I rarely ever smell, even after the gym). Must be saving a fortune too (a £1 pack of soaps lasts me nearly a year).

I have really reactive skin, I can't even let the shampoo wash down my neck and body. I only use water in the shower. I exercise 4-5 times a week, nip in the shower, wash myself down in the water and that's it. I don't smell.my skin comes out in the worst rashes when I use anything else.

Oh and my kids wash once a week. They have swimming lessons, wash their hair in the shower afterwards and that's us. Unless they've done anything particularly mucky. They are down at the beach most days just now so their feet are clean haha

Soap all over. Nivea soap. And an IKEA flannel. Every day.

I have a daily bath. Bits, pits and feet with shower gel. Face wash cream daily. I don't soap all over

Soap all over here to.
Shower once a day normally.
Skin is ok at the moment but I do sometimes think I should stop soaping over as I may not be so lucky one day.

This is another eye opening thread! I wash all over with shower gel/face wash twice a day and wash my hair once a day.

Soap on undercarriage and pits plus behind my ears (yes nana, everyday like you told me :D) then just a general sluice everywhere else.

I just think about the germs after sitting on public toilets etc, so feel like the back of my legs/bum need a good scrub with soap. Plus carpets are germ invested so after walking around the house barefoot feet need a good soaping too.
Think I've got issues with germs

Christ, don't put it on your bits you'll get thrush!!

I only wash the parts that actually need soap. Soaping my arms, legs etc leaves them feeling dry and a bit sore tbh. My skin looks OK and is quite soft and smooth. I don't smell. It's fine.

Bits, pits and hair, every other day.

The only dry skin I have is a little patch on my face and occasionally flaky hands and feet - but that's down to eczema. I also do not stink.

One squirt of shower gel, under arms, round boobs, suds over shoulders an down front.
I don't use the actual gel anywhere except under arms, and no soap of any sort near my 'bits', that's thrush-city doing that!

A shower gel lasts me around 5 months. I get about three for Christmas and always have a backlog.

Face wash on face, shampoo for hair.

I really wouldn't be scrubbing my skin with anything anti-bac though!

I am an unashamed scrubber but try to use shower oils rather than gels. I am feeling like a dim peasant here, please can someone explain 'bleach bath'?

I go over all of me a couple of times a week I would guess but most days I'm in a hurry so I just do the bits that smell /sweat otherwise. Pits, bits, under the boobs, feet.

I wash my hair and then use the suds to do pits and bits. I can't bear spending ages in the shower.

I've never soaped all over. I shower every day, and my skin is way too dry as it is. I imagine it'd peel off if I started scrubbing it all over.

We use a good old fashioned bar of soap and it goes everywhere.

Katelivesinengland you made me laugh.... "they joke that I'm like their granny"!

Keep up with your imperial leather bar - I had forgotten all about those bars (Shield, Camay etc)! Think of the packaging that they save on.... I'm going to buy myself a bar next time I'm shopping!

I'm surprised by this too. I'm a dove soap all over kind of gal, but I'm a sweaty Betty doing a physical job that involves getting quite up close and personal with people (nursing) so definitely need the soap all over! I moisturise after and my skin apart from my hands is just fine.

I wash all over with Simple soap. Don't moisturise but never have dry skin.