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 😂)

[quote AllThePogs]@ravenmum I think people exaggerate a lot on here.[/quote]
Surely not?! Not on Mumsnet 🤣

[quote HavfrueDenizKisi]@AllThingsServeTheBeam

You have no idea about me or my life or if I am able bodied so well done for your sweeping generalisations.

I spent a long time with a significant leg injury and on crutches. I still showered every day.

I was going to pop a "it's not difficult for the majority of people who have no disabilities" to circumnavigate the usual Mumsnet excuses being trotted out but was in a rush actually.

[/quote]
Well you obviously had a shower you were able to do that in. I've just had my knee replaced. I couldn't lift my leg high enough to get into my shower until day 10. I can't have a bath because my hip and knee on the other leg is bone on bone and I am waiting for an elbow and shoulder replacement. It's not easy. And it doesn't make someone who isn't disabled disgusting for not showering everyday either. My DP isn't disabled and doesn't shower everyday. He is not disgusting, grim or gross.

If you are agile and able-bodied, a shower can be incredibly quick. But lots of people are not.

@ravenmum I know it is hard to imagine!

Honestly I look younger than everyone else and I put this down as one of the factors.

It's not even a family thing as people mistake me for my elder sister's daughter!

How do posters on here know how often other people shower?

That was my thought also. Out of all my friends, neighbours, workmates etc, I have absolutely no idea how often any of them shower. Not one. None of them smell bad. I know my husband showers every day, because I live with him.

I shower every other day because I find that more than sufficient. Even that makes my skin dry.

[quote AllThingsServeTheBeam]@AryaStarkWolf you don't understand people who have disabilities would find it easier?? [/quote]
I wasn't talking about people with disabilities, just in general

Daily shower users, how often do you scrub and dehair your shower? 🤣

@FruitMelange

How do posters on here know how often other people shower?

That was my thought also. Out of all my friends, neighbours, workmates etc, I have absolutely no idea how often any of them shower. Not one. None of them smell bad. I know my husband showers every day, because I live with him.

I shower every other day because I find that more than sufficient. Even that makes my skin dry.

I agree, I have zero idea.

Every day but i am trying to reduce the frequency that I wash my hair, down to 3x a week. Shower is the very first thing I do every morning and I would feel totally disgusting without it.

Yes, I don't understand why people think it's easier to wash at a sink rather than jump in the shower for 5 minutes

I have to run the hot tap on my sink or bath for about 5 minutes before my shower will heat up.

During the first lockdown, I changed from showering daily, to showering every second day. I have kept this up and the problems I had with my skin have more or less gone.

Our hot water has to be heated via a coal fired stove - I definitely don't shower every day. I do 3 times a week too. I don't think I stink!

I used to be one of those people who need to wash their hair every day, so I showered every day. Been changing how I wash my hair and it's stopped "needing" daily washing, so I do it every second day. Sometimes I don't have a shower either and do it every other day, I think if I leave it too late (especially during the winter) I just can't be bothered getting into the shower and do it the following morning/lunchtime instead.

My husband OTOH sometimes has 2 showers a day, esp if he's been at the gym.

Thanks to whatever cheapo news outlet is sponsoring this, by the way - I was fed up of the Covid chat today! Nice to talk about something that doesn't require any use of the brain.

@ravenmum

I don't understand why people think it's easier to wash at a sink rather than jump in the shower for 5 minutes Sink: Take off clothes, walk to sink, add water to correct heat, wet flannel, wash body, put flannel in the wash, dry body with towel. Shower: Take off clothes, get in shower, wait for water to be correct heat, wet flannel, wash body, put flannel in the wash, dry body with towel.

This is like those ‘mental load’ threads where a poster will describe a task in such painstaking detail that doing the washing comes out like a Herculean task.

Gather clothing from rooms of house
Put clothing into basket
Carry basket down the stairs
Walk from bottom of stairs to washing machine
Open washing machine door
Add wash pods and fabric softener
Use hands to move clothing from basket to inside the washing machine
Close washing machine door
Choose cycle and press button

Set timer for cycle
Move to washing machine door
Open washing machine door
Remove wet clothing
Open drier door
Move clothing into tumble dryer
Close dryer door and press ‘on’ button

And on and on and on.

@PattyPan

Yes, I don't understand why people think it's easier to wash at a sink rather than jump in the shower for 5 minutes

I have to run the hot tap on my sink or bath for about 5 minutes before my shower will heat up.

Fair enough. I have a decent shower, it's really as much to wake me up every morning as to clean myself. I'm not a good morning person

I mean ‘wait for shower to get to correct heat?’ If that’s so difficult and takes so long that it weighs in on whether you’re going to shower and makes it significantly easier to wipe yourself over the sink with a flannel I’d think your shower must be broken.

@Arabellla

I shower 3 x per week every and wash my hair twice a week.

I also look about 10 years younger than all the people I went to school and work with. Not do I have to dye my hair.

I think they’re linked.

I wash my hair once a week and it's as grey as Gandalf's beard. I'm early 40s. Grey hair is primarily caused by genetic factors.

I do shower twice a day though - but only for 60 seconds. Super fast. 30 secs to get wet, soap on, 30 secs to rinse. I'm sweaty!

Every day!

@AryaStarkWolf I do the crossword to wake myself up

I don’t shower every day. I need to was my hair a minimum of every 48hrs to feel clean so I never go more than 2 days buy aside from that it’s some mornings, some evenings… no set routine and depends if I’m grotty.

I am 3 days a week too unless summer then daily when I wash more to drys my skin and causes issues also ds has bath x3 a week and so does hubby

"Sink:
Take off clothes, walk to sink, add water to correct heat, wet flannel, wash body, put flannel in the wash, dry body with towel.
Shower:
Take off clothes, get in shower, wait for water to be correct heat, wet flannel, wash body, put flannel in the wash, dry body with towel."

Nope. For the shower I need to have the heating on in the bathroom for a while first (for a wash too, but not as much). Then I have to run the water for a few minutes for it to be hot enough and for the area around to warm up (it's cold in my bathroom). Then afterwards I need to put body lotion on my whole body because I have dry skin and I need to have the window open in the bathroom for ages afterwards.

Use of flannel is optional for both ways of washing.

[quote PattyPan]@AryaStarkWolf I do the crossword to wake myself up [/quote]
Oh god, I'd need a few coffee's as well before I could even think about a crossword!