To shower every day or not?

[Greenballoons]

Do you shower every day or not?

I am not showering every day and I come from a country that very few people shower every day!

I dislike being wet and as a kid I didn’t shower everyday too. Maybe I don’t do it because I was not taught to do it as kid.

Those who shower every day do you also shower your kids everyday?

And those you shower every day do you get your hair wet or shampoo them everyday?

I wouldn’t be able to do this everyday!!!! Many British people I know shower every day (either morning or night) and I find it so hard mentally and physically to invest time on that on a daily basis given everything is in such a fast pace.

I would never sacrifice time from my sleep to shower in the morning!

True - but showering every other day doesn’t necessarily equate to poor hygiene. Not showering for a week or more and I would agree with you - showering every 48 hours instead of every 24? I’m not sure that’s going to make a massive difference. As long as people are washing their hands regularly I think it’s ok.

Many dermatologists are now advising against washing every day as all of the fragrances and things they add to soaps and shower gels can dry out your skin if used too much.

A shower every day is part of my routine and sets me up for the day. Being fresh makes me feel so much better.

I vaguely remember not being so neurotic about it... deodorant being a fixture if I was late😁

We are truly terrible people. I’m just off for my selfish evening shower.

I'm having a shower outside later, dark and it's raining.

A quick shower is fine saving as I wash my body and face. I use bar soap like Dove which is moisturising and a Muslin cloth to exfoliate my face. It takes a few minutes. Rarely have baths.

*time saving

This.

I shower everyday because I like it. Bath baby every night because it’s part of her routine. It’s a personal choice!

I suppose I could have a dip in the water butt. That would probably be wrong too.
I have lost track of the rules now.

You don’t have to wash your hair everyday but not showering is grosse , I could never leave the house without a shower daily id feel disgusting

Disabilities and other issues notwithstanding I will never, I mean never, understand how basic hygiene is such a bone of contention for so many people. Asking someone if they should shower daily is to me similar to asking someone if they should drink enough water daily. People will really tie themselves in knots defending why they should follow the rules of basic hygiene. It's a common theme on Mumsnet and elsewhere.

This!

But basic hygiene doesn’t mean you HAVE to wash your whole body every single day. I absolutely agree that you should wash often, I shower every other day usually. In between I wash my hands frequently, wash my face and clean my teeth twice daily. In the same way you don’t understand how people tie themselves in knots ‘defending’ how they don’t feel the need to wash every day I feel the same way about those who think it’s abhorrent not to wash every day, sometimes more than once. It’s totally individual - I respect you’re responding to OP and other posts here but a lot of these replies are so so defensive and judgemental, it’s really unnecessary IMO.

To me it really is basic hygiene. It is the absolute minimum of basic hygiene. This is the reason why I will never get why people will say "Well I only shower 3 times a week and I'm still alive" or some variation. The only time in my life I couldn't shower daily was following quite a big operation - I can't imagine waking up tomorrow morning and having an internal dialogue in which I question whether or not I'm going to shower. I would rather be running late for work than not shower.

That’s fine - that’s your prerogative and mine is mine. A genuine question though, you say showering every day is the ‘absolute minimum of basic hygiene’ - indicating that a daily shower should be the absolute least. What would you consider to be a normal level?

Normal? Shower (every part of your body, there are people who don't proactively wash their legs or backs because 'the water & soap will run down anyway), use a cloth, net of sorts to shower (i.e not just your hands), brush teeth, use deodorant/antiperspirant . Hair wash as your hair necessitates for me that cannot be daily.

Every morning I have a shower and pretty much every evening too. Hair wash every 2-3 days.
DD is showered every night and hair wash usually twice a week. If it's really hot in the summer I'll wash her hair more if it's needed

Oh, ok. That for me constitutes a regular shower, I just don’t do it every day.

I've always showered every day until these electric prices have rocketed. I have an electric shower which seems to drain it, so now I'm showering probably 5 out of 7 days.

The days I don't shower are days I'm working from home and haven't done much activity.

I think every other day is fine for some people tbh

The good ol ‘water and soap will run down anyway’ haha I remember that thread.

Maybe we should all go in a car wash, massive brushes and cleans you all over.

Our shower was out of action for a few days while we waited for a new part fitting, it was fucking miserable trying to wash at the sink with a flannel. It took ages, the floor was covered in water, the flannel got soap logged and wouldn't rinse properly, I was cold and just didn't feel clean.
I like a hot shower with a fresh clean towel to dry on every single day.

It’s not the 60s (feel free to choose a decade or two either side) anymore, we’re not restricted to a weekly bath. Most modern homes have a working shower that most people will use daily. Having a daily (I choose morning) shower is what most adults do, it prepares them for their day ahead. It’s not because I stink it’s part of a pretty normal hygiene routine in this modern era.

I shower and wash hair every day in the morning. Easier to wash hair so just laziness by me to do this. During pandemic I stopped blow drying my hair most days so it literally takes 5 mins - 10 at most. I would feel gross trying to start my day without a shower. I can’t bear to put my clothes on without showering first. How first world am I!

Why do smokers shower daily? They stink anyway so what's the point?

It really surprises me how many people admit to not showering daily. It is an extremely rare day that I don't shower, and it would be a day that I don't leave the house, and even so I'll feel grotty by the end of the day. Personally I almost always wash my hair when I shower too, because it gets greasy if not, but I know other people's hair is different and is better not washed as often. If I am showering and not washing my hair I just put it in a ponytail, and then my shower only takes a couple of minutes.

All of you - including OP - who don't shower ever day, don't you exercise? And if you're able bodied, why not? I don't necessarily mean going to the gym, but a brisk walk or anything? If you exercise, enough for it to be meaningful, you sweat, and then you definitely need a shower.