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An invigorating shower is the usual start of every day for many people. Some people even shower twice a day. Everyone knows that keeping clean is important for maintaining good health and social life. But how often should you shower? Should you really be showering that often?
The answer is, there’s no official guideline. There’s no number that is right for every single person. Everyone has a unique lifestyle and skin. However, the general consensus among dermatologists is that it doesn’t have to be every day. Most recommend showering every other day or so. Especially in winter, showering once or twice a week is enough.
Glands in the armpit and groin produce sweat and body odor. They do need to be kept clean. However, they’re not all over the body, and by washing your skin too frequently, you’re actually doing more harm than good.
Showering too often, you’re stripping the skin of its natural moisture. The soaps are designed to pull the dirt and oil off the skin and these oils are important for protecting the skin cells. The shampoo also strips the essential oils out of the hair. Add to that harsh scrubbing and scalding water and your shower becomes a recipe for dry skin. This can also make them more permeable to bacteria and cause itchiness and even eczema.
Also, while the human is teeming with bacteria, viruses, and fungi, most of them are actually not harmful. These need to be in balance for our health. So showering more often is just not necessary. Overshowering can alter the natural distribution of the good bacteria.
There’s also plenty of other research indicating that an imbalance in the skin’s flora can cause health conditions, such as acne and allergies like asthma.
Showering too often also has an impact on the environment. If you have a low flow shower head installed, a 10-minute shower will use about 10 gallons of water. If you have a standard shower head with a 2.5 GPM, it will be 25 gallons for a 10-minute shower. By showering only every other day, you’ll be able to cut down on the water waste in half.
There are exceptions, of course, to how often you should shower. For example, if you work out every day, live in an especially humid area, or are just prone to body odor, you’d probably still want to shower every day.
If you have sensitive skin, on the other hand, this can include the elderly and babies, you can shower even less frequently.
If you still want to stick to the daily shower, it’s recommended to opt for a 2-3 minute shower, while using lukewarm water and focusing mainly on the armpits and groin as these are the most important areas to keep clean. You can use soap but don’t over-lather.
The most important parts that need to be washed daily are hands, armpits, groin, and face. The hands are germ-magnets. So in order to make sure that you don’t transfer them to your eyes, mouth, and nose, hands should be washed several times a day. The face should also be given special treatment, so give your face a gentle cleanser before going to bed.
The bottom line? It’s up to you to decide which shower regimen is best for you. If a daily shower is an essential part of waking up for you, just try to keep it short, use only lukewarm water, and use a minimum of soap. However, if you don’t get poor sniff test reviews from people around you, showering every other day is plenty often.