MIL bathing habits

[Bitesize89]

My in laws come to stay with us pretty frequently and I've noticed over time that mil never bathes when she comes. She can be here 3-4 days without a shower or bath. It recently was revealed that she only ever uses baths and no soap in her bath. This came up after she bagged my DD and didn't use any soap on her and she said well there was bubble bath in the water, I was shocked as I don't think that's a proper way to bathe and she said when she bathes she doesn't use soap and only bubble bath. So not only does she not bathe for days on and but when she bathes she just has a bubble bath and no soap.im really grossed out.

Most guests we have don’t shower or bath every day when they come to visit, or even at all if they are just here for 2/3 nights. No one has ever smelled.

She said her bathing habits are gross because she doesn't use soap or bathe every day the fact she is visiting is neither here nor there.

I didn’t use soap for the first 20 years of my life because I couldn’t find anything that didn’t set of my eczema (African black soap is the only soap I can use). If you don’t use soap, a good scrub with a loofa will do. 3-4 days I’d be ripe as fuck tho, but I assume she doesn’t stink or you would have said?? Honestly, if they don’t stink other people’s bathing habits are none of your business.

I’m a bit surprised the op hasn’t come back.

When you say soap, are you talking about a bar of soap??

When I was a dc we were only bathed once a week, however it was a scrub from top to bottom with Imperial Leather soap.
The rest of the week it was a wash at the basin.

She likely bird baths or strip washes as most older people do showering everyday is pretty modern and some people have sensitive skin. Unless she smells mind your own.

My parents and Pil don't wash when they visit us. I know at home my parents don't shower every day, as you get older you sweat less plus they grew up with scarcity and you might have just washed at the sink.
I think it's quite normal

Mind your own business. My parents hardly ever had baths and showers, yet there was nothing wrong with their personal hygiene.

There's is such a thing as a 'good wash' which people did before they started bathing daily.
If I used bubble bath or shower gel, I wouldn't use soap too.

Her previous thread entitled "Hate MIL" kind of gives it away though!

Newsflash op. Different people do things differently to you. It doesn't make them gross or unreasonable.

Quite. I'm currently using up bubble bath when I shower as my SIL forgot we got rid of our bath. It's fine!

I have put several bouts of severe cystitis down to blooming bath bombs!

If she doesn't smell, why care? Bubble bath is a cleanser of sorts. If you use a fair amount and scrub your body you'd come out clean?

Either way it's her own business. My mum only does a sink wash because she can't manage baths anymore and doesn't like the feeling of the shower. I certainly wouldn't feel the need to criticise her for it.

I’m not. She was expecting everyone to say that her MIL is disgusting and she should go NC immediately.

I shower or bathe a couple of times a week, depending on circumstances. In my 50+ years on this earth, not once have I been told I have body odour, or that I smell otherwise from being unclean, sweaty etc! Now my family will tell me, I currently have sulphur burps due to weight loss meds and believe me they are rank and my family are very quick to tell me.

Unnecessarily (not sweaty, dirty etc) washing your skin every day is not good for it. My skin is very soft, not dry, not spotty or otherwise unhealthy. I am not overly sweaty, I have a non manual job. It’s also not great for the environment. I do use soap though, but imagine bubble bath doesn’t do a horrid job!

i think you are taking your norms as the standard, acceptable way and putting those on others.

Bubble bath is soap.

Nothing to be grossed out about. Bubble bath is definitely soap, and she probably washes her bits on the days she doesn't have a bath or shower.

Bubble bath is a form of soap, dont forget some people have really dry skin so cant use mutiple products.

No, we don’t. Some people have a strong body odour, some don’t. Some people have greasy skin and hair, some don’t. People are different. If you have dry skin and dry hair, washing too often is bad for both. Unless you sweat a lot or work down a coal mine or on a building site there is simply no need to have a full wash every day. Oh, and I assume you meant “don’t” shower.

People do indeed have different habits, but some of them are gross. I don't use any bubble bath but I do use shower gel in the bath to actually wash myself. A family member also bathes their child in plain water, but uses no soap and reuses the water for several days. Different habit but gross!

My biggest questions would be whether she actually seems dirty e.g. smells or greasy hair. Older people tend to be more sedentary and sweat less so she might not bathe unless she smells. I think the more pressing issue is whether she washes her hands regularly and uses soap on them

I'm with her. I feel you probably wash more than necessary, use many products, and have had the odd skin infection or vaginal infection, and suffer frequently with minor illnesses? due to eradicating your microbiome from your skin.

Bubble bath is the same as shower gel so I don’t see your issue. Mum late dad showered daily but never used soap, he didn’t smell. My mum showers once a week, she doesn’t smell either. What do you think people did a hu Fred years ago? I think you’re being wholly unreasonable!

I don’t think I have ever bought a bar of soap!! I use shower gel in the shower and I have a fine collection of bubble bath, milk baths etc. I can’t imagine after a lovely evening soak getting a bar of soap out- we had bars of soap, palm olive I think, when I was a child and I remember that dry itchy feeling my skin had after using it. I shower every morning and maybe 3-4 evenings baths a week and DH has never said I smell bad. Your MIL as people have said is probably having a sink wash.

Yet another MIL thread. Yawn.