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Subscribe to RSSWe write about some gross things, but we never thought we'd feel the need to ask our readers this: How often do you guys shower? Because it seems being unwashed is officially a thing -- more people than you might think are skipping daily showers and deodorant, The New York Times reported this weekend.
Defying a culture of clean that has prevailed at least since the 1940s, a contingent of renegades deliberately forgoes daily bathing and other gold standards of personal hygiene, like frequent shampooing and deodorant use.
To the converted, there are many reasons to cleanse less and smell more like yourself. “We don’t need to wash the way we did when we were farmers,” said Katherine Ashenburg, 65, the author of “The Dirt on Clean: An Unsanitized History.” Since the advent of cars and labor-saving machines, she continued, “we have never needed to wash less, and we have never done it more.”
The article notes some that dry shampoo sales "more than doubled" from 2007 to 2009 -- a dirty little beauty secret that we've written about before -- and that this month's issue of Parenting magazine reassures busy moms that it's OK to skip a shower every once in a while. But what was most striking to us about the story was the photos -- everyone pictured is hip, young and very attractive. Maybe these guys are onto something. Or, maybe The Onion had it right back in September when they asked, "Why Should This Man Shower Now When He's Just Going To Get All Sweaty Again?
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I only shower probably twice a week, and on top of that (to gross you daily bathers/water wasters even more) I hardly ever actually wash my hair, preferring instead to just condition. My hairdresser assures me that since I have fine hair that leans towards dry, this is perfectly ok, in fact preferred for better texture and style-ability. Washing your hair, especially on a daily basis (forget about wash rinse repeat!!!) can destroy it, depending upon what kind of hair you have. As far as the showering thing goes, my husband adores my natural scent, I wear clean clothes daily, and of course use deodorant. When I'm being good and working out regularly I shower after every workout. No end of annoying dried out skin, wet hair, blow-drying time, re-makeupping, plus all that extra laundry. Probably one of the reasons I dont work out as much as I should.
Maybe I'm just a freak, but I literally can't shower every day. Hair dries weird and looks horrendous and my straightener broke and wouldn't work right anyway even before it broke because my hair's too thick. Actually, I look better the day AFTER showering. Just as long as I don't look like I'm upholding the unwashed nerd stereotype when I'm waiting for a game's midnight release or going to our D&D campaign, I'm fine. Besides, I have standards for when I go out into public or meet friends. I like looking decent for my own sake.
Deodorant? I suppose that some people might not sweat much, but if you do, it's best to every day. Really.
Just because you take a shower doesn't mean you must wash (or even wet) your hair. That's what shower caps are for.
Agreed, BlueMist. I shower daily but shampoo my hair every other day.
I really need to shower in the morning before work and in the evening when I get home. I wash my short hair every other day. On the weekends I am known to be a "dirty birdy" which means I do not shower before I go out (to breakfast, movies, shopping, etc.). However, I will shower in the evening. Even though I don't do dirty, manual labor, living in a big city gets you surprisingly dirty!
When I was working, every week day. Weekends it depended on whether I was going out or not. Now that I am not working, every other day is fine with clothing changes as required.
The most important thing in terms of hygiene is to wash your hands often! Even if you shower every day your hands and face get filthy throughout the day and should be washed.
That said I can't shower every day as I did when I was young as it is too drying to my skin, so I shower every other day or so, use deodorant every day and wear clean clothes every day. Of course if I work out, do a lot of dirty work or go to the barn, I shower after those activities.
But what I really pay attention to is washing my hands!
Although people think I'm clinically depressed, I have actually limited showering in fall and winter because of dry skin issues. At 51, I honestly don't sweat much and my skin is dry. I have really thick hair so it doesn't get oily very fast. I wash my hair every other day because it does pick up odors such as cigarette smoke from others and gas fumes. I can say that since we live a relatively inactive lifestyle [at work], what does it matter? If I were a health care provider and physically close to people, or a hair dresser, dental hygienist etc it would be different. Even my dermatologist said to limit showers to room temperature, stay in the water as short amount of time as possible and use mild soap. I shower and shampoo before attending doctor appointments, if I have meetings or presentations etc. I use deodorant daily and wear clean clothes. If you are environmentally conscious, it makes a lot of sense.
Dry skin issues and because my Dr told me so...i don't shower every day. According to my Dr the most important part is to clean all the "cracks and crevices" ie... elbows, backs of knees, behind the ears...etc. But that's it's not good for your skin to wash every day and when i do wash it's not in hot water, but warm to lukewarm . I believe him, since i've taken his advice my dry skin problem is gone. If i don't shower that day, i'll take a "french bath" to keep fresh.
I shower almost everyday, but I only wash my hair every two days (by wearing a shower cap). I get so many complements from people about how vibrant, youthful and shiny my long hair looks, and I think it's because I'm not stripping away the natural oils every single day with shampoo and then applying chemical "conditioners". I live in the Southwest, so I take water conservation very seriously. I have an on-toilet bidet to clean the important parts when I don't shower, and it works like a charm and save A LOT of water. I don't understand why so many people think that wasting water and applying needless extra chemicals to you body is GLAMOROUS. Get real.
If poor dietary habits weren't such a problem for America at large, deodorant and daily washings would probably not be warranted as they are.
I too shower and wash my hair only every other day. I just don't feel the need. I will take a shower on Friday morning aand unless I do something that makes me sweat alot I won't shower again till Monday morning. I just don't see the point. So I am only showering 3 times aweek. My hair is beautiful, and if I don't use really hot water-my skin is nice and I don't stink.
My mother was right. She was a child of the age that believed that bathing too frequently was actually bad for your skin, drying out all the oils etc. There are skin problems that make it literally true in my family. When my sister started doing the daily-showering thing, my mother couldn't understand it. It wasn't as if she did anything to get dirty. I don't know how she managed it. The rest of us (I was one of five kids) had all kinds of skin problems when we tried to bathe daily. I have a specific skin disorder where I simply don't sweat unless I get into heat exhaustion. As a result, unless I do something to get dirty, I only bathe once a week and sponge-bathe in between. Since I don't sweat, I don't need a deodorant, and I can wear the same clothes several days in a row...though I usually don't, simply because it makes other people uncomfortable. I wouldn't recommend my particular hygiene habits to most people, but seriously, daily bathing/showering is a bit much.
nah, i got to have a shower every day, if i can. Life in a combat zone makes you appreciate that one creature comfort, along with toilet paper
humm... this article and comments are so weird for me to read... I always showered daily and most of my life I have showered twice daily. I cannot go a day without shower, and my hair is oily, so I wash it almost everyday (not every time I shower, though). All my friends always showered daily. I had no idea so many people didn't shower that often! It's really weird to me. Maybe because I lived most of my life in South America... And I'm half French!