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 😂)

Do you genuinely think this is a good use of NHS time or are you just being a keyboard warrior?

@Kanaloa

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.

Happens with every shower I use. The hot water tap also takes a bit to get warm, but that is less of a problem.

I don't shower every day. Frequently the only reason I leave the house is to go for a swim in the sea or a muddy trails run.
I'll shower when I need to.

Bath / shower everyday unless depressed.

These threads always go so predictably. So much judgement, ableism and simple intolerance for any practices other than one's own. As well as people claiming to know that every single person other than the OP showers every day, which is just bizarre.

I have chronic fatigue and pain issues and struggle to shower daily so I don't exactly have the luxury of being able to get as prissy about the odd stray germ as some people on here. I keep myself clean, I just don't happen to do it standing up in a shower every single day.

@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.

Unless you've discussed this with everyone you know, how can you be sure? And even if you have, I suspect many would say they shower every day even if they don't.

I shower daily, sometimes twice in summer, but that's more because I like all that water splashing around and like the fresh feeling. Not because I think I 'need' it. I suspect showering only twice or 3 times a week is a lot more common than you might think. Whatever people might say.

I'm the same as above, I don't wash my hair daily but I have a quick shower with a shower hat on to wash everywhere because germs lurk in warm wet places. it takes about 2 minutes on non-hair days.
it does sounds quite old fashioned to not bathe/shower daily, with the caveat that my 87 year old mum used to shower daily up to when she passed and was grateful that times had moved on. She told me how 'back in the day' people smelt and so did their clothes and going on the tube was not pleasant!

It's not a big deal. I think showering every other day or so in the winter is fine unless you stink for some reason.

People are crazy.

When I was at school (80s) we bathed once a week and washed in between.

As a teenager we got a shower and while my dad showered every day no one else did.

I shower 3 times a week and wash my hair twice. Any more and my skin is parched. I have thick coarse hair that takes hours to dry.

I wash my genitals and do skincare routine for face every day at the sink:

People don't all smell after a day. Some people sweat more than others.

My DH is very sweaty. He needs to shower every day. Gets a hair smell after a day, has sweaty palms etc. I barely sweat (no I'm not Prince Andrew) apart from under very extreme circs. My make up stays in place a long time compared to colleagues.

Our daughter has commented how I 'don't have a smell'

People who think not showering every day/more than once a day is gross need to get a grip. Proper first world luxurious views.

Also - I notice a lot of people commenting that they shower every day because 'it wakes them up'. I also don't need that. I wake up and am awake. Don't press my alarm snooze. DH is a serial snoozer, and NEEDS his shower to wake up. I suspect the overshowering is causing his skin to produce oils and smells because it is dried out constantly with soaps/products. Just a theory though.

Basically everyone has different needs.

@arabekla I shower each day and wash my hair every day too. I am mistaken for early to mid 30’s when I am almost 43. It’s nothing to do with how often you wash, I have good genes as my mum and GM both looked much younger than their years and I have never smoked or overused sunbeds. A woman at work was actually shocked that I was 42 and an old workmate of mine said ‘wow do you age at all’.

As I said I shower daily, I don’t moisturise as much as o should abs at almost 43 I have no lines on my face/body or sagging…I actually have to laugh that washing less stops you ageing. Genetics play a massive part.

Every two or three days. I also don’t think it’s gross and it’s much better for your skin microbiome. Everything is too sterile nowadays and people are obsessed with being clean.

@OhPatti

These threads always go so predictably. So much judgement, ableism and simple intolerance for any practices other than one's own. As well as people claiming to know that every single person other than the OP showers every day, which is just bizarre.

I have chronic fatigue and pain issues and struggle to shower daily so I don't exactly have the luxury of being able to get as prissy about the odd stray germ as some people on here. I keep myself clean, I just don't happen to do it standing up in a shower every single day.

I totally agree. My hair is categorically unable to be washed every day- I'd ruin it.

My skin condition means I can't use soaps constantly.

Grim. Why can’t you just shower? It takes less than 5 minutes a day.

@Tsuni

Grim. Why can’t you just shower? It takes less than 5 minutes a day.

It's not. HTH

Meh, if you don’t smell your grand!

@Flyinggeese1234

Do you genuinely think this is a good use of NHS time or are you just being a keyboard warrior?

?

It's not. HTH

It is. HTH

Every day. Otherwise my pits and fanny reek.

"I actually have to laugh that washing less stops you ageing."

Sounds like you don't have dry skin at all. Many people do as they age and overwashing makes it worse.

@DreamerSeven

Daily for me, I have a sensitive nose though and can often tell when people haven’t showered/bathed after sleeping, there’s a particular slightly musty smell they emit.

Yes to this ^^ it’s a particular oily or waxy type smell. Not good. You can have a shower really very quickly and freshen up the important bits. I think it’s needed every day.

ants are smelly after missing one day of showering I think you might have bigger problems. Like not wiping properly or an infection

Anyone who uses the toilet will start to get stale after a while. 3 days a week is not really enough to be fresh. PP was talking genitals and bum here, not the skin on your arm

I have a newborn and preschooler and work all at once. I have time in the day to shower for 10 mins

I couldn't not shower in the morning.
It wakes me up - and I am not a morning person - and I feel like kickstarted for the day ahead.
I didn't shower one morning over the xmas break and I felt really mingin. I had a bath later that day - my first bath in many months!
It doesn't mean washing your hair every day, but a quick scrub of pits & bits at the sink just doesn't cut it for me.
I think it'd be different if you had sensitive skin or a condition like eczema though.

@Tsuni

It's not. HTH

It is. HTH

You're wrong. So wrong. But you just keep thinking it.

I don’t shower every day either. I still wash, and my clothes are washed regularly, but I shower every other day. I’m not particularly sweaty, and I don’t often go near other people anyway as I live in the countryside and work from home.

*omit that superfluous 'like' above.
Perhaps Mumsnet should have gifted us an 'edit post' button for xmas.