In the last few weeks, the debate on how often you should shower has been rearing its potentially unwashed head into the public domain. But how often should you be entering the wet room?
People have different bathing routines. In a Vanity Fair video, the castmates all played a game about whether they knew each other or not, America Ferrera admitted that one of her guilty pleasures is not showering for a few days – to the horror of some.
Some celebs go to extremes and have to shower twice a day like Al Rocker, while parents Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard say that they wait until their kids stink to bathe them.
Geographic location may also factor into how often you shower. According to Harvard Health Publishing, in America, two-thirds of people shower daily, over 80 percent of Australians like to wash themselves off daily, and in China, around half of people reportedly bathe only twice a week.
What is the correct answer then? Well, it is not that simple and depends on many factors, such as if you have a morning workout routine or have a very sweaty work environment, it may be necessary to ensure you take a daily scrub so your odor isn’t offensive to those around you.
Problems with showering too much
Showering too much may cause more irritation than you may expect. There are a wide collection of viruses, microbes, and bacteria on your body, forming the microbiome – and some of these foreign entities are important for your health. There is some research that suggests that showering too much can disrupt this microbiome and cause damage to the overall health of your skin. This can lead to inflamed, dry, and itchy skin, which can allow bacteria and allergens to breach the skin and cause allergic reactions and skin infections.
Showering with harsh shampoos and soaps is known the strip your body of beneficial microbes and natural oils, which can cause a lot of hassle down the road. It’s also thought that some common skin conditions can be contributed to by disruption of your precious microbiome.
Some pediatricians and dermatologists recommend that you don’t bathe children every day. This is because the immune system needs stimulation from dirt, normal microorganisms, and environmental exposure, allowing the body to create protective antibodies and “immune memory”. Having too-frequent baths and showers can reduce the immune system’s ability to do its job.
Problems with showering too little
Not showering often enough could cause an unpleasant odor to waft around you as you are trying to get on with your daily life. Along with this, not showering enough can cause other issues like dandruff from yeast in oil glands multiplying and irritating the scalp, acne from dirt and dead skin clogging pores and natural oils on the skin accumulating and causing overgrowth of spot-causing bacteria, and eczema that likes to flare up when the skin is not clean.
What ideal showering amount in a week?
So, what is the sweet spot? How often should you be showering?
There is no specific amount that experts agree on. Some experts think you should shower every day while others suggest that two or three times a week is fine for most people. Of course, this should increase depending on people’s situations with work and routines.
Some experts recommend that when you do shower that it should be three to four minutes, focusing on the armpits and groin. The water should not be too warm, you should use products made for sensitive skin and limit fragrances, and you should moisturize once finished to trap moisture in the skin.
[H/T: Fortune.com]
The content of this article is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.
All “explainer” articles are confirmed by fact checkers to be correct at time of publishing. Text, images, and links may be edited, removed, or added to at a later date to keep information current.
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