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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

How often should I shower?

999 replies

grosstonotshower · 12/01/2022 10:36

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 😂)

OP posts:
RedCandyApple · 12/01/2022 12:39

Exactly my point Inmypjsagain the people claiming they don’t need to shower daily because they don’t smell as
Much as others are often in denial and just can’t smell themselves but the rest of us can

heyitsthistle · 12/01/2022 12:40

If I could, I'd shower ever day. But in reality I shower every other day. I don't smell and my hair isn't greasy after one day, so what's the issue?

Whatwillbetheendofus · 12/01/2022 12:41

I used to shower every second day. But when I had a newborn who was sicky I got into the habit of showering every day, sometimes more. Now I feel yuck if I don't have a daily shower! I probably don't need it. Proves the point about doing something for so long it becomes a habit!

RedCandyApple · 12/01/2022 12:41

[quote AllThingsServeTheBeam]@RedCandyApple but ops friends were shocked she didn't shower everyday. So obviously they couldn't tell. [/quote]
She said they looked at her “in horror” not that they were shocked, that doesn’t mean they haven’t noticed, maybe they looked in horror as it explains why she smells?

Gwenhwyfar · 12/01/2022 12:41

You have to wash every day, but you don't have to shower every day.

Flowersandhearts · 12/01/2022 12:42

Once or twice a day is good hygiene.

Maybe going without a shower on a day that you've spent in the house (without even a school run or a walk in a park) might be okay as you'd be cleaner but really once a day should be the minimum if you've been/are going out somewhere.

starfishmummy · 12/01/2022 12:42

I think the rising energy bills might make people question whether they need clean bed sheets every night boil-washed, and then bathing twice daily.

You forgot the clean towels after every use.

I find that once you have not showered or otherwise washed for a month or two the smell doesn't get any worse Grin. Of course by then you won't have any friends and if you work in an office, your desk will have been relocated to the car park. GrinGrin

Bitofachinwag · 12/01/2022 12:43

Showering every day is a very recent "invention". No of course you don't need to. All depends on how you define need. I think you should have a wash every day but you don't even need to do that.

AllThingsServeTheBeam · 12/01/2022 12:44

@RedCandyApple I can guarantee of the people you see everyday, you have no idea who does and doesn't shower daily. There are the odd exception of people who struggle with body odor. The majority of people don't. If you smelt bad enough for other people to smell you after 1 skipped shower there is some under lying reason

fuckoffImcounting · 12/01/2022 12:44

When I was a kid the whole family had a bath (tin one filled from saucepans) once a week. We probably stank, but so did everyone else.

Toothsil · 12/01/2022 12:44

I shower every day because I don't like the feeling of not having showered. When DD was a baby I used to sit her in her bouncer in the bathroom. When she got bigger and on the move, I used to get up really early so I could shower before DH went to work and he was here to watch DD if she woke up.

JudgeJ · 12/01/2022 12:44

@Billandben444

You do what suits you. I don't shower every day - retired and not very active. I love these shower threads and am waiting for the 3-times a day gal to rock up!
And she will have fresh towels for every shower, she is however such a busy person as the amount of washing is massive!
SandysMam · 12/01/2022 12:45

I think with gas and electric prices going up there will be a lot more people who will be showering less. It is a very easy way to lower usage. A basin of hot water compared to a tub full.

Gwenhwyfar · 12/01/2022 12:45

"I never understand why people say they don’t shower every day but do pits and bits in the sink instead - that takes longer, is messy and you still have to get undressed!"

It doesn't take longer. You don't have to stand there totally naked while you do it. You don't have to wait for the shower water to heat up and you don't have to put body lotion afterwards because water dehydrates the skin (for those of us with dry skin).
It's not particularly messy either, you may get some splashes of water on the floor, but the same can happen with a shower. And you don't have to have the window open for an hour afterwards to clear the humidity.
It also uses much less water and is much better for the environment.

Also, even if you don't point the showerhead at your head and put something to cover you hair, it will always get some splashes in the shower and get frizzy.

BlondeDogLady · 12/01/2022 12:45

It takes two mins, why would you not shower daily? There is literally no reason why not

Yes there is - every time you shower you strip your skin of its natural oils.

NHS recommends that you shower twice a week!

In the 70's people tended to have a bath once a week - I don't recall anyone smelling bad.

I shower every 3rd day.

People showering twice or even three times a day? Why?? Unless you're working out and sweating, I just don't see why this would be needed. Very wasteful and SO bad for your skin.

BusterGonad · 12/01/2022 12:45

Not everyone gets hideous BO. I'm not a smelly person, I don't get smelly feet either, unless I'm wearing cheap shoes/ non leather shoes. I didn't put deodorant on today as I'm not leaving the house and didn't think about it, my armpits are dry and don't have a hint of BO. Not everyone gets smelly at the slight hint of movement. Sime people need strong deodorant, some people don't. We are not all the same.

Elodeastar · 12/01/2022 12:46

@RedCandyApple

Exactly my point Inmypjsagain the people claiming they don’t need to shower daily because they don’t smell as Much as others are often in denial and just can’t smell themselves but the rest of us can
It depends on what you mean by smell - the human body is meant to have a bit of a natural scent, and not constantly smell of flowers and perfume. I honestly think that over washing can be an issue too, as the skin reacts to all the ingredients in the shower gels, soaps, creams, perfumes and whatever. As I said before, we are conditioned to think that the human body should smell a certain way, not always in a natural way. Of course stale BO, stale smoke, poo etc smells are not pleasant, as are some job related smells, but there is a balance between clean and dirty, spotless all the time isn't realistic!
Gwenhwyfar · 12/01/2022 12:46

@Flowersandhearts

Once or twice a day is good hygiene.

Maybe going without a shower on a day that you've spent in the house (without even a school run or a walk in a park) might be okay as you'd be cleaner but really once a day should be the minimum if you've been/are going out somewhere.

You shouldn't shower twice a day unless it really can't be helped eg a heat wave or you had to shower in the morning and then you did vigorous exercise in the evening. It's a waste of water and electricity and bad for your skin.
userxx · 12/01/2022 12:47

I have a bath everyday, occasionally I cant be arsed so skip a day, I don't smell rancid and no one would know.

Gilead · 12/01/2022 12:47

I am severely disabled. It takes around 40 minutes for me to shower. I just can’t manage that daily so yes, it is quicker to do pits and bits in the sink.
As for washing with water after a poo, that seems ott to me.

yikesanotherbooboo · 12/01/2022 12:48

Showering every day for everyone is quite a new phenomenon.I have a very brief daily shower but I do think it is quite a luxury. I didn't Bath my children daily and didn't bath or shower daily myself until I was in my 20s. It was how I was brought up but how many people of my age were brought up. My flat mates washed as often as I did when we were students. Many people of my parents generation would wash weekly or twice weekly and just have a sponge wash the other days.if you are not dirty or smelly you don't need to shower.

Inmypjsagain · 12/01/2022 12:49

@RedCandyApple yes I really agree. I believe many people don’t shower often though, pre covid tube commute to work, the carriages would often really smell. And I could definitely name a few colleagues that definitely didn’t shower daily!

uncomfortablydumb53 · 12/01/2022 12:49

I'm disabled and can't stand to shower so I have a shallow bath every other day, which is enough for me to feel clean as I'm not active
Post menopausal and find I hardly sweat and skin is drier
Hair wash twice weekly separately

RedCandyApple · 12/01/2022 12:50

[quote Inmypjsagain]@RedCandyApple yes I really agree. I believe many people don’t shower often though, pre covid tube commute to work, the carriages would often really smell. And I could definitely name a few colleagues that definitely didn’t shower daily![/quote]
Yes I get the bus daily and there are often smelly people on it, seems a lot of people are in denial about it.

Mintlegs · 12/01/2022 12:51

Daily shower, stops dirt sweat build up that could lead to infections