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!

Sure, conversely there are dermatologists arguing the exact opposite but it's convenient to overlook that.

But sure whatever helps to reconcile it in your mind.

Everyone is different.

I remember my mum would have a wash in the sink every morning and a shower before bed. The wash would take longer and that didn't include doing hair/makeup.

In our household we shower every evening. I like to wash the day away and get into my pajamas. Same for dc.

I don't think I would sleep well if I wasn't clean before bed.

😂😂😂

You have made a spectacular leap between showering and viruses.

Well. yes of course it’s convenient to quote something that supports my way of thinking. People often do.

Nothing to reconcile here, I’m happy with what I do and couldn’t give two hoots what anyone else does when it comes to their own personal hygiene. I was politely answering a MN question and find it pretty funny how offended and passive aggressive people are getting about how often strangers on the internet wash themselves 😂

Poor hygiene facilitates transmission.

The lack of common sense on here is cringe

Every day without fail, but for me the main point of it isn't just getting clean... and I'm surprised no one has mentioned this. It's the sheer pleasure of the shower. I don't understand why you wouldn't want to start and/or end your day under the warm cascading water, just standing there, having a think, luxuriating. 10 minutes to yourself. Warm, cleansing, time to plan or reflect on your day. Bliss.

I do shower pretty much every 24 hours. I don't wash my hair every day if I can help it.

If I have showered on a Saturday afternoon ready to go out on the evening then I often don't shower on Sunday in which case I would go till the Monday morning before showering again.

I would smell and feel grubbing not cleaning properly less often.

Surely it is quicker to take a shower than to have a thorough wash at a washbasin. In addition, individuals are often the last to notice that they smell.

l would not feel right without a shower in the morning and, with kids, vital for teenagers.

Finally, l would expect anyone l am sleeping with to do likewise

What are the health impacts of showering (or bathing) every day?

Normal, healthy skin maintains a layer of oil and a balance of "good" bacteria and other microorganisms. Washing and scrubbing removes these, especially if the water is hot. As a result:

• Skin may become dry, irritated, or itchy.
• Dry, cracked skin may allow bacteria and allergens to breach the barrier skin is supposed to provide, allowing skin infections and allergic reactions to occur.
• Antibacterial soaps can actually kill off normal bacteria. This upsets the balance of microorganisms on the skin and encourages the emergence of hardier, less friendly organisms that are more resistant to antibiotics.
• Our immune systems need a certain amount of stimulation by normal microorganisms, dirt, and other environmental exposures in order to create protective antibodies and "immune memory." This is one reason why some pediatricians and dermatologists recommend against daily baths for kids. Frequent baths or showers throughout a lifetime may reduce the ability of the immune system to do its job.

And there could be other reasons to lose your enthusiasm for the daily shower: the water with which we clean ourselves may contain salts, heavy metals, chlorine, fluoride, pesticides, and other chemicals. It’s possible these may cause problems, too.

The case for showering less
**
Overcleaning your body is probably not a compelling health issue. Yes, you could be making your skin drier than it would be with less frequent showering. This is not a public health menace. However, daily showers do not improve your health, could cause skin problems or other health issues — and, importantly, they waste a lot of water. Also, the oils, perfumes, and other additives in shampoos, conditioners, and soaps may cause problems of their own, such as allergic reactions (not to mention their cost).

www.health.harvard.edu/blog/showering-daily-is-it-necessary-2019062617193

Just shower in the evening instead. Clean pj's on then bed.

Showering for pleasure? OMG that is certainly not allowed, you can't have one if it's for pleasure that's a step too far. You'll be saying you listen to music while you are in there next. And 10 minutes is at least 7 minutes over the allowed maximum time. Sorry.

so many times I’ve stood next to people in public places and they reeked of stale smell or even worse urine

I would love to know how you know when these people last bathed. Someone who had a shower every second day would not "reek". There are also the many people we come into contact with who don't smell - how do you know they shower daily? There are an awful lot of assumptions on here.

Someone who showered every second day certainly would reek, if the combined it with dirty clothes as well. Or in the hot weather.

To add, showering for pleasure is lovely. Especially if you have someone to wash your back and maybe a little bit more 😉.

I think that might be allowed because 2 people using the same amount of water as 1.
Although the shower might go on a bit longer…

Every other day.

Not actually smelling isn’t enough for some people to think you are clean. There’s an assumption, I think, that if someone doesn’t smell “fresh” I.e of artificial fragrance then they haven’t showered.

Again, people even going as far as science to defend why they just don't want to be clean.

@VladmirsPoutine Actually I live in a very warm and often hot and humid climate, so I mostly do shower every day. I do get eczema though. And I have been advised by doctors not to shower every day. But I feel hot and want to feel fresh. It is something worth considering changing.

The above is information worth sharing. Some people will get something out of it. Also, considering that more and more people want to make a positive change for the environment this is one way to save water.

Plus, you don’t need to shower every day to be clean. You can actually wipe any parts of you that have odour or dirt with a clean washcloth.

I don’t think wash with flannels is necessary in 2022.

I mean that most times I go to the toilet I wipe with baby wipes and I have a fresh clean feeling after.

Probably this is the reason I don’t feel that I need to shower on a daily basis

Trust me I don’t smell!

Also all those chemicals going down the drain and in areas of dodgy piping, into the wider world. Are there links between this and increased allergies? This also links back to letting your children get grubby and eat dirt. Make's you stronger (not necessarily in odour)

I shower every morning as I have PTSD nightmares and wake up smelling like trauma - I can’t really describe it but it’s a horrible smell.

Most people I know don’t shower everyday though, and most people don’t bathe their kids everyday either!

Ive never had a problem with them smelling (as in I’ve never smelt them!)

There’s other hygienic behaviour than showering too - washing hands and wiping your arse properly are way more important than showering daily!

Most people you know don't shower every day? 😮Are you sure about that? I don't think I know anyone who doesn't shower every day, or at least wouldn't admit to not showering daily.

Yep - I’m sure. There’s a huge difference between showering regularly and showering everyday… showering often vs showering everyday as well.

Like I said there’s other ways to be hygienic that don’t need to be taking a shower (that are far less impact on the environment too).