How often should I shower?

[grosstonotshower]

Ok so I'm having a few drinks with friends last night. We are all female a mix of parents and non parents. One friend mentions she is struggling to find time for o shower every day since she had her baby. I said "well I don't shower every day without a young baby," All of my friends looked at me in horror. Apparently even the ones with kids shower daily. Full disclosure I have two dd one under five and I work part time. I shower on work days plus one extra day so usually three times a week my days off usually consist of playing at home, walking dog, school run and maybe park. I would shower extra if exercising/having sex/on period etc. I bath my dc three times a week. My oh works out every week day so he does shower more than me. AIBD? (Disgusting 😂)

I shower once-twice a day

I’ve never really understood why women can’t shower when they have newborns. When both of my DCs were tiny babies I still managed to shower every day (and I needed to because I was always covered in leaky boob milk and sick - my overriding memory of those first few months is of smelling like yogurt constantly!). I just brought the Moses basket or bouncy chair into the bathroom and showered with them on the floor. They complained a bit, but they could see me and hear me and it only took me five minutes to get clean.

I had PND with my second too but still managed it.

If I didn’t shower every day I would feel gross. But if you’re the sort of person that doesn’t ming after 48 hours, then fair fucks to you.

@Restart10

Sorry 3x a week is just grim. No excuse. When your kids are asleep at night, surely you have 10 mins? Having a shower daily is like brushing teeth to Me.

No excuse? Not even illness? Disability? Skin conditions that flare up on contact with water? Being in a country with limited water supplies?

Your privilege is showing.

When people say it takes two mins to shower do I assume they don't wash their hair each time. I shower usually every other day and wash my hair. The whole procedure including blow drying my hair takes almost an hour. Not sure I could do this every day.

Showering two or three times a day just because it makes you feel good is incredibly irresponsible.

@inmyslippers

I think there is a cultural divide here. We shower daily 👍🏾

What culture?

Personal hygiene is pretty important, I have one every day, if I really need it I'll shower twice a day.

I shower morning and evening - have always showered of a morning but got into the 'before bed' shower habit when I lived in a hot country for a few years.

Each to their own, but I can't bear not showering at least once a day.

I shower daily before work or if i am leaving the house to go anywhere. It's not because i stink otherwise but just routine and helps wake me up!

I also wash my hair every time i shower or i dont feel clean. Unless i've recently had it done and had them thin it out, i can go a few days without washing then.

If i am at home during holidays or a weekend in then i wont shower everyday unless feel i need it

I would say if your friends hadn’t noticed that you don’t shower every day, then it isn’t a problem!

I have a bath every day.

Your privilege is showing

Are we talking about the OP not being able to shower as often as she’d like because she can’t afford/access hot water, or she has a disability preventing her from doing so?

Or are we talking about the OP simply choosing not to shower every day despite being able bodied and having easy access to hot water?

I thought it was the latter. In which case, privilege doesn’t have much to do with it. It’s just about personal preference.

I shower everyday, I feel gross if I don't. I've got 3 small children, youngest under 1, even with a baby I still shower. I don't wash my hair everyday that'd take too long, but a shower everyday is essential. Takes 5-10 min max if you don't wash your hair, as much time as it'd take to have a sink wash (I assume you must sink wash everyday instead).

@BashStreetKid

Showering two or three times a day just because it makes you feel good is incredibly irresponsible.

But it’s okay because it’s balances out by all the people who only shower once a week 😂

This is such a personal thing OP, there is no right answer because so many things can affect it. I will add that we are quite conditioned to think that we need to wash ourselves/our hair much more often than we actually do. Of course if you do a dirty job, work out/run, sweat more, different times of the month, and so on, you might well want to shower more than if you are more sedentary. I wouldn't think what you describe is grim or dirty, but equally I wouldn't begrudge someone their daily shower if it helps wake them up/relax them.

@thecapitalsunited

The only time I don’t shower every day is when I’m depressed. Then I can’t find the energy for it. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t shower every day.

You don't know that.

Unless I live with them I have no idea what anyone's shower habits are.

Showers are a fairly modern invention

So it was a twice daily flannel wash
Bath on the day that the laundry was done

I grew up in a household, that didn't have a shower installed until I was a teenager

Also no central heating

@Interrobanger

Your privilege is showing

Are we talking about the OP not being able to shower as often as she’d like because she can’t afford/access hot water, or she has a disability preventing her from doing so?

Or are we talking about the OP simply choosing not to shower every day despite being able bodied and having easy access to hot water?

I thought it was the latter. In which case, privilege doesn’t have much to do with it. It’s just about personal preference.

The comments are not all aimed at op. They are what posters think in general. To say that 'there is no excuse' not to have a shower everyday is privileged and abelist

Or are we talking about the OP simply choosing not to shower every day despite being able bodied and having easy access to hot water?
That choice comes from the fact that she is able bodied and has access to water, though, doesn't it? So her question reveals her privilege compared to someone less fortunate.

Each to there own. Not everyone smells if they don’t shower everyday.
For me, it’s more a habit to shower everyday. I actually shower or have a bath in the evening as I feel nice and fresh when I get into bed and it helps me relax.

I shower each morning. I know you say you shower AFTER sex, OP, but what about when things are getting frisky in bed at night on a non-shower day? If DH went anywhere near my nether regions on a non-shower day I'd be put right off and have to go and wash first, whereas if I've had a shower that morning it's game on

I don't wash my hair every day cos it's curly and a right faff to wash and style properly. But body gets done every day. Takes me 2 mins on a non-hair wash day.

I really enjoy these threads, there’s always someone saying what could you possibly do to get so dirty that you need to shower more than once a day 😂 also on the thread about using loo roll without washing with soap and water, it was full of people saying I shower daily so wiping with a tissue is fine… I generally think if you’re pooing daily you should be showering daily too!

Also, unless you have the Prince Andrew no sweating syndrome, even without being active your body sweats…

I also think a lot of people can’t smell themselves, so think they don’t smell but they’re just used to it. I once worked with a girl who had awful BO, she honestly made the open plan office smell, the manager was gauging how to bring it up with her so we all got on the topic of showering (she lived in a house share of 7 and we wondered if she struggled get into the bathroom!) and she said I’m lucky, I don’t sweat much so I don’t need to shower daily! We were all gobsmacked! Maybe that experience made me more paranoid as to smells, I also don’t trust my husband to tell me if I smell because he always seems to think I smell nice, so I think it’s hormonal attraction thing 😂

I shower at least once a day, my preference is morning and night (love getting into bed clean!) but I have a 5 month old so most days it’s just once a day now. I think if you can afford to and can physically do it then why not. 3 days a week isn’t enough imo

@Rno3gfr

The people who shower daily and think anything else is disgusting just presumes everyone else sweats as much as they do. I shower once every two days on average in the winter and I just don’t sweat much at all. I’m quite petite and I’m always cold. I’ve had dp check and he agrees that I still smell ‘nice’. If I feel I’ve sweated in the night then I’ll have a shower, I don’t stick to a rigid 2 day routine, I’m happy to shower every day if I need to. I actually showered twice a day for 4 months after ds was born because I was so sweaty and covered in milk, they were quick showers with ds in the bouncer next to me haha. I don’t get why people assume everyone needs to shower as regularly as each other?

I think the thing is a lot of People who don’t shower often probably think they don’t smell though but the truth is the rest of us can smell it, how many times have their been threads on here asking how to tell someone they smell in the kindest way possible, I’m sure those are the people that don’t shower often but can’t smell their own smell but assume the rest of us can’t either... we can.

@Inmypjsagain

I really enjoy these threads, there’s always someone saying what could you possibly do to get so dirty that you need to shower more than once a day 😂 also on the thread about using loo roll without washing with soap and water, it was full of people saying I shower daily so wiping with a tissue is fine… I generally think if you’re pooing daily you should be showering daily too!

Also, unless you have the Prince Andrew no sweating syndrome, even without being active your body sweats…

I also think a lot of people can’t smell themselves, so think they don’t smell but they’re just used to it. I once worked with a girl who had awful BO, she honestly made the open plan office smell, the manager was gauging how to bring it up with her so we all got on the topic of showering (she lived in a house share of 7 and we wondered if she struggled get into the bathroom!) and she said I’m lucky, I don’t sweat much so I don’t need to shower daily! We were all gobsmacked! Maybe that experience made me more paranoid as to smells, I also don’t trust my husband to tell me if I smell because he always seems to think I smell nice, so I think it’s hormonal attraction thing 😂

I shower at least once a day, my preference is morning and night (love getting into bed clean!) but I have a 5 month old so most days it’s just once a day now. I think if you can afford to and can physically do it then why not. 3 days a week isn’t enough imo

3 days a week is plenty

@RedCandyApple but ops friends were shocked she didn't shower everyday. So obviously they couldn't tell.