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How often should you bathe/shower?
Replies
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For the people who don't shower daily or nightly, how do you uh...not stink...in certain areas of your body that can't be talked about in mixed company.
I mean, I've tried baby wipes but they don't seem to help.
I wash up at the sink on non-shower days. Face and armpits as well as the "certain areas" 2 -
kshama2001 wrote: »For the people who don't shower daily or nightly, how do you uh...not stink...in certain areas of your body that can't be talked about in mixed company.
I mean, I've tried baby wipes but they don't seem to help.
I wash up at the sink on non-shower days. Face and armpits as well as the "certain areas"
Interesting!! But I don't want to add any more controversial comments. 🤔0 -
I used to au pair for a couple that only showered/bathed a couple of times a week. They smelled fine. To my own perception, I need to shower once a day to avoid smelling, but I do admit that a big piece of that could be mental conditioning (except on the days when I run, then I know I absolutely smell if I don't shower).
My point is that if we're giving people feedback on this, it should be on the relevant impact to others -- not on how we personally imagine we'd feel with their bathing routine. As a manager, I've had to have that conversation a couple of times with people who were making things difficult for their co-workers, but I think that had much more to do with frequency of laundry/changing clothes than actual showering.
To just have an opinion on how much someone else bathes without having it impact me in any way? Nope.12 -
I feel guilty for using so much water sometimes but I usually have to shower or bathe twice a day. I train in the evening so get v sweaty and need to shower. Then (warning TMI!) owing to an endocrine issue I frequently get night sweats. There is no way I am not showering after those.
I save water in other ways and will frequently share a bath with my OH though 😀2 -
If someone has to ask how often they should shower the simple answer is most likely "more".4
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Researchers have found the leading cause of dry skin.Towels.6
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I like showering twice a day. One in the morning to get my day started and one at night after I come back from the gym.2
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My skin would fall apart if I showered that much. Like literally start falling off, in big flakes. My husband and I both have sensitive skin and he has eczema. Our poor kids stood no chance of not inheriting extremely sensitive skin, so we all shower every other day as recommended by the dermatologist.
That’s probably why I would rather exercise for longer rather than with more intensity and get sweaty.5 -
Norms change. The modern habits of daily bath/shower are pretty new, I think, in the general population . . . maybe around the last century-ish? (Running water, electricity, is a big deal.) Yeah, people have fewer lice, bedbugs, etc., than in the distant past. Bathing isn't the only reason.
Weird trivia I actually know, LOL. First thing is, daily showering is very regional. Over half of Americans shower daily. But in Japan, 5 days a week is more common. British, last I recall, shower about every 2-3 days.
And Brazilians shower around 2 times a day, on average.
From what I've read, WHY we shower/bathe as much as we do actually seems to have less to do with running water, electricity, or anything you'd think it might, and more with a variety of other reasons.
In the USA, our bathing habit changes correlate very specifically with two things.
One, the Civil War. Disease was the main cause of death for all soldiers in the war, and was often caused by unsanitary living conditions and poor hygiene practices. It was such a problem that in 1861, the U.S. Sanitary Commission was made to help ensure good hygiene and sanitation practices. After the war ended, the increased hygiene practices stayed.
And two, advertising. Soap companies ran with the whole hygiene concept and quickly started campaigns to convince Americans that using lots of soap, daily, would make them successful and attractive (pretty much like commercials today) and there was a huge bump in how frequently we showered due to that as well, it seems.
This is fake news my friend. I don't know a single soul who doesn't shower or have a bath on a daily basis. I am curious to know your sources on this?
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I'm not the person who posted that message, but this is a fairly recent study about the UK:
https://yougov.co.uk/topics/health/articles-reports/2019/01/07/three-quarters-brits-probably-shower-too-much0 -
ExpressoLove11 wrote: »Norms change. The modern habits of daily bath/shower are pretty new, I think, in the general population . . . maybe around the last century-ish? (Running water, electricity, is a big deal.) Yeah, people have fewer lice, bedbugs, etc., than in the distant past. Bathing isn't the only reason.
Weird trivia I actually know, LOL. First thing is, daily showering is very regional. Over half of Americans shower daily. But in Japan, 5 days a week is more common. British, last I recall, shower about every 2-3 days.
And Brazilians shower around 2 times a day, on average.
From what I've read, WHY we shower/bathe as much as we do actually seems to have less to do with running water, electricity, or anything you'd think it might, and more with a variety of other reasons.
In the USA, our bathing habit changes correlate very specifically with two things.
One, the Civil War. Disease was the main cause of death for all soldiers in the war, and was often caused by unsanitary living conditions and poor hygiene practices. It was such a problem that in 1861, the U.S. Sanitary Commission was made to help ensure good hygiene and sanitation practices. After the war ended, the increased hygiene practices stayed.
And two, advertising. Soap companies ran with the whole hygiene concept and quickly started campaigns to convince Americans that using lots of soap, daily, would make them successful and attractive (pretty much like commercials today) and there was a huge bump in how frequently we showered due to that as well, it seems.
This is fake news my friend. I don't know a single soul who doesn't shower or have a bath on a daily basis. I am curious to know your sources on this?
This is far from the only current thread where people in country X believe they know and understand more about country Y than the residents of country Y themselves. 🤷♀️ Humans! Heh.5 -
This is fake news my friend. I don't know a single soul who doesn't shower or have a bath on a daily basis. I am curious to know your sources on this?
your source must be wrong because I dont know anyone myself who fits the description
Even though several posters in the thread said they did themselves 3 -
paperpudding wrote: »This is fake news my friend. I don't know a single soul who doesn't shower or have a bath on a daily basis. I am curious to know your sources on this?
your source must be wrong because I dont know anyone myself who fits the description
Even though several posters in the thread said they did themselves
My response was in relation to the aspersion that British people only shower every 2-3 days, hence the bolded text in the comment I to which I replied. I can see many people in here don't wash daily, which is entirely up to them and no judgement on my behalf. However, I can offer you my anecdotal evidence, as the means to survey a nation are beyond me, that British culture, at least in the South of the country, is to wash daily. As a researcher I'm aware of the limitations of my anecdotal knowledge, however coupled with the YouGov report linked above which shows a higher percentage of daily washers in the South, my anecdotal evidence gains some numerical support and I am therefore happy to maintain my mild outrage at such a suggestion towards my hygiene practices 😉1 -
ExpressoLove11 wrote: »paperpudding wrote: »This is fake news my friend. I don't know a single soul who doesn't shower or have a bath on a daily basis. I am curious to know your sources on this?
your source must be wrong because I dont know anyone myself who fits the description
Even though several posters in the thread said they did themselves
My response was in relation to the aspersion that British people only shower every 2-3 days, hence the bolded text in the comment I to which I replied. I can see many people in here don't wash daily, which is entirely up to them and no judgement on my behalf. However, I can offer you my anecdotal evidence, as the means to survey a nation are beyond me, that British culture, at least in the South of the country, is to wash daily. As a researcher I'm aware of the limitations of my anecdotal knowledge, however coupled with the YouGov report linked above which shows a higher percentage of daily washers in the South, my anecdotal evidence gains some numerical support and I am therefore happy to maintain my mild outrage at such a suggestion towards my hygiene practices 😉
You are mixing up washing and showering I think. I wash every day; I do not shower every day.
And most people, I would imagine, do wash regularly whatever method they might choose.
I have come across a few stink-pots in my time and it pretty much seemed to be a lack of deodorant compounded by a lack of regular clothes changes rather than an issue of not enough showers.
Get sweaty at work, don't use a deodorant and then wear the same clothes the next day and it doesn't matter how much you wash!
I live in the south east of England.6 -
ExpressoLove11 wrote: »paperpudding wrote: »This is fake news my friend. I don't know a single soul who doesn't shower or have a bath on a daily basis. I am curious to know your sources on this?
your source must be wrong because I dont know anyone myself who fits the description
Even though several posters in the thread said they did themselves
My response was in relation to the aspersion that British people only shower every 2-3 days, hence the bolded text in the comment I to which I replied. I can see many people in here don't wash daily, which is entirely up to them and no judgement on my behalf. However, I can offer you my anecdotal evidence, as the means to survey a nation are beyond me, that British culture, at least in the South of the country, is to wash daily. As a researcher I'm aware of the limitations of my anecdotal knowledge, however coupled with the YouGov report linked above which shows a higher percentage of daily washers in the South, my anecdotal evidence gains some numerical support and I am therefore happy to maintain my mild outrage at such a suggestion towards my hygiene practices 😉
You are mixing up washing and showering I think. I wash every day; I do not shower every day.
And most people, I would imagine, do wash regularly whatever method they might choose.
I have come across a few stink-pots in my time and it pretty much seemed to be a lack of deodorant compounded by a lack of regular clothes changes rather than an issue of not enough showers.
Get sweaty at work, don't use a deodorant and then wear the same clothes the next day and it doesn't matter how much you wash!
I live in the south east of England.
And I've heard of some people who use deodorant INSTEAD OF bathing or showering. I laugh everytime I read the labels and see stuff like 24 hour or 48 hour protection. I use deodorant, but not as a substitute for water and soap.0 -
This thread makes me laugh. When I arrived in Italy 35 yrs ago, people didn't use deodorant. They showered multiple times a day, especially during the summer. You couldn't find deodorant in the stores, I had to buy mine in the US and bring it back with me. They used perfume here--sometimes very expensive stuff.
Women didn't shave underarms ever, and legs were only waxed for the summer. It would always throw me for a loop to go to an elegant affair, where the women were dressed to the nines with sleeveless dresses and when they lifted up an arm........
Things are very different now. All women shave underarms and stores are full of deodorants. Sometimes I think I imagined it.4 -
snowflake954 wrote: »This thread makes me laugh. When I arrived in Italy 35 yrs ago, people didn't use deodorant. They showered multiple times a day, especially during the summer. You couldn't find deodorant in the stores, I had to buy mine in the US and bring it back with me. They used perfume here--sometimes very expensive stuff.
Women didn't shave underarms ever, and legs were only waxed for the summer. It would always throw me for a loop to go to an elegant affair, where the women were dressed to the nines with sleeveless dresses and when they lifted up an arm........
Things are very different now. All women shave underarms and stores are full of deodorants. Sometimes I think I imagined it.
........... and here it is, I always thought underarm hair was a sign of puberty and normal for adults!!6 -
snowflake954 wrote: »This thread makes me laugh. When I arrived in Italy 35 yrs ago, people didn't use deodorant. They showered multiple times a day, especially during the summer. You couldn't find deodorant in the stores, I had to buy mine in the US and bring it back with me. They used perfume here--sometimes very expensive stuff.
Women didn't shave underarms ever, and legs were only waxed for the summer. It would always throw me for a loop to go to an elegant affair, where the women were dressed to the nines with sleeveless dresses and when they lifted up an arm........
Things are very different now. All women shave underarms and stores are full of deodorants. Sometimes I think I imagined it.
........... and here it is, I always thought underarm hair was a sign of puberty and normal for adults!!
Hair under arms, on legs and on the privates is totally natural and not something people, no matter their sexual organs, should be shamed for. But being more comfortable shaving/waxing/sugaring/whatever that hair is not something people should be ashamed of either. I have literally met (online) a person who said that a man who was attracted to a woman who shaves is no better than a pedophile. Whatever a person decides to do with their body hair, as long as it's clean and not smelly, we should support their choice.6 -
ExpressoLove11 wrote: »paperpudding wrote: »This is fake news my friend. I don't know a single soul who doesn't shower or have a bath on a daily basis. I am curious to know your sources on this?
your source must be wrong because I dont know anyone myself who fits the description
Even though several posters in the thread said they did themselves
My response was in relation to the aspersion that British people only shower every 2-3 days, hence the bolded text in the comment I to which I replied. I can see many people in here don't wash daily, which is entirely up to them and no judgement on my behalf. However, I can offer you my anecdotal evidence, as the means to survey a nation are beyond me, that British culture, at least in the South of the country, is to wash daily. As a researcher I'm aware of the limitations of my anecdotal knowledge, however coupled with the YouGov report linked above which shows a higher percentage of daily washers in the South, my anecdotal evidence gains some numerical support and I am therefore happy to maintain my mild outrage at such a suggestion towards my hygiene practices 😉
You are mixing up washing and showering I think. I wash every day; I do not shower every day.
And most people, I would imagine, do wash regularly whatever method they might choose.
I have come across a few stink-pots in my time and it pretty much seemed to be a lack of deodorant compounded by a lack of regular clothes changes rather than an issue of not enough showers.
Get sweaty at work, don't use a deodorant and then wear the same clothes the next day and it doesn't matter how much you wash!
I live in the south east of England.
And I've heard of some people who use deodorant INSTEAD OF bathing or showering. I laugh everytime I read the labels and see stuff like 24 hour or 48 hour protection. I use deodorant, but not as a substitute for water and soap.
I had coworkers who would go to the gym and work out on their lunch hour and come back to the office absolutely reeking of cologne or perfume or body spray because they didn't have time to shower. I'd rather have smelled a bit of sweat, frankly. One fellow's cologne would linger in a room for 10 minutes after he'd left.
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Jessie24330 wrote: »snowflake954 wrote: »This thread makes me laugh. When I arrived in Italy 35 yrs ago, people didn't use deodorant. They showered multiple times a day, especially during the summer. You couldn't find deodorant in the stores, I had to buy mine in the US and bring it back with me. They used perfume here--sometimes very expensive stuff.
Women didn't shave underarms ever, and legs were only waxed for the summer. It would always throw me for a loop to go to an elegant affair, where the women were dressed to the nines with sleeveless dresses and when they lifted up an arm........
Things are very different now. All women shave underarms and stores are full of deodorants. Sometimes I think I imagined it.
........... and here it is, I always thought underarm hair was a sign of puberty and normal for adults!!
Hair under arms, on legs and on the privates is totally natural and not something people, no matter their sexual organs, should be shamed for. But being more comfortable shaving/waxing/sugaring/whatever that hair is not something people should be ashamed of either. I have literally met (online) a person who said that a man who was attracted to a woman who shaves is no better than a pedophile. Whatever a person decides to do with their body hair, as long as it's clean and not smelly, we should support their choice.
My point was that all this follows fashion, and different places have different habits--just like bathing.3 -
I don't think "24-hour" or "48-hour" protection means that one is not expected to shower (or not to reapply deodorant again) for that length of time. I mean, you may, or you may not (24 hours between applications seems to me pretty normal for deodorant (if one doesn't workout in the meantime, at least), and consistent with showing daily), but it's rather obviously just a marketing line intended to mean it's super strong and effective and will last beyond heavy working out/sweating/hot weather, whatever. Taking it as some sort of message about how often one showers seems to me at best a rather naive take.
Similarly, whether one lives in a culture where shaving the underarms is common for women or not (is it not in Barbados?), this: "........... and here it is, I always thought underarm hair was a sign of puberty and normal for adults!!," seems a bit odd in that I'm pretty sure that women shaving under the arms in lots of places as a cultural practice is not some sort of surprise. For example, movies made in the US and other US media tends to have a, well, somewhat wide release.
For the record, I don't personally care whether or not people shave their underarms.
"My point was that all this follows fashion, and different places have different habits--just like bathing." Yeah, this.3 -
snowflake954 wrote: »Jessie24330 wrote: »snowflake954 wrote: »This thread makes me laugh. When I arrived in Italy 35 yrs ago, people didn't use deodorant. They showered multiple times a day, especially during the summer. You couldn't find deodorant in the stores, I had to buy mine in the US and bring it back with me. They used perfume here--sometimes very expensive stuff.
Women didn't shave underarms ever, and legs were only waxed for the summer. It would always throw me for a loop to go to an elegant affair, where the women were dressed to the nines with sleeveless dresses and when they lifted up an arm........
Things are very different now. All women shave underarms and stores are full of deodorants. Sometimes I think I imagined it.
........... and here it is, I always thought underarm hair was a sign of puberty and normal for adults!!
Hair under arms, on legs and on the privates is totally natural and not something people, no matter their sexual organs, should be shamed for. But being more comfortable shaving/waxing/sugaring/whatever that hair is not something people should be ashamed of either. I have literally met (online) a person who said that a man who was attracted to a woman who shaves is no better than a pedophile. Whatever a person decides to do with their body hair, as long as it's clean and not smelly, we should support their choice.
My point was that all this follows fashion, and different places have different habits--just like bathing.
Yes. Fashion and influence have a lot to do with it. Many years ago, I was fascinated with a young lady with very hairy legs. She got married and went to live in another country. Saw her a few times during those years and nothing changed for a while. Now she's returned and i notice the hair has suddenly disappeared. I haven't found the courage yet to ask her why, but I suspect her teenaged daughter had a bit to do with it. (Teenagers usually dictate their parents fashions and practices).0 -
I don't think "24-hour" or "48-hour" protection means that one is not expected to shower (or not to reapply deodorant again) for that length of time. I mean, you may, or you may not (24 hours between applications seems to me pretty normal for deodorant (if one doesn't workout in the meantime, at least), and consistent with showing daily), but it's rather obviously just a marketing line intended to mean it's super strong and effective and will last beyond heavy working out/sweating/hot weather, whatever. Taking it as some sort of message about how often one showers seems to me at best a rather naive take.
Similarly, whether one lives in a culture where shaving the underarms is common for women or not (is it not in Barbados?), this: "........... and here it is, I always thought underarm hair was a sign of puberty and normal for adults!!," seems a bit odd in that I'm pretty sure that women shaving under the arms in lots of places as a cultural practice is not some sort of surprise. For example, movies made in the US and other US media tends to have a, well, somewhat wide release.
For the record, I don't personally care whether or not people shave their underarms.
"My point was that all this follows fashion, and different places have different habits--just like bathing." Yeah, this.
Thanks for enlightening me on the meaning of "24-hour" or "48-hour" protection. We've often made jokes about people in America spraying deodorant in places where they really should be washing, people in England only bathing for a doctor's visit, and bathrooms in France being used as storerooms. Maybe all our jokes were based on fake news.
Regarding armpit hair, I've been looking out for it a lot more over the last few years since I became aware, and there's still quite a wide variation in practice.0 -
snowflake954 wrote: »Jessie24330 wrote: »snowflake954 wrote: »This thread makes me laugh. When I arrived in Italy 35 yrs ago, people didn't use deodorant. They showered multiple times a day, especially during the summer. You couldn't find deodorant in the stores, I had to buy mine in the US and bring it back with me. They used perfume here--sometimes very expensive stuff.
Women didn't shave underarms ever, and legs were only waxed for the summer. It would always throw me for a loop to go to an elegant affair, where the women were dressed to the nines with sleeveless dresses and when they lifted up an arm........
Things are very different now. All women shave underarms and stores are full of deodorants. Sometimes I think I imagined it.
........... and here it is, I always thought underarm hair was a sign of puberty and normal for adults!!
Hair under arms, on legs and on the privates is totally natural and not something people, no matter their sexual organs, should be shamed for. But being more comfortable shaving/waxing/sugaring/whatever that hair is not something people should be ashamed of either. I have literally met (online) a person who said that a man who was attracted to a woman who shaves is no better than a pedophile. Whatever a person decides to do with their body hair, as long as it's clean and not smelly, we should support their choice.
My point was that all this follows fashion, and different places have different habits--just like bathing.
Yes, I got that. I should have erased the part that quoted you also to make sure it was understood that I was replaying to Tony. I'm sorry for the confusion.3 -
I don't think "24-hour" or "48-hour" protection means that one is not expected to shower (or not to reapply deodorant again) for that length of time. I mean, you may, or you may not (24 hours between applications seems to me pretty normal for deodorant (if one doesn't workout in the meantime, at least), and consistent with showing daily), but it's rather obviously just a marketing line intended to mean it's super strong and effective and will last beyond heavy working out/sweating/hot weather, whatever. Taking it as some sort of message about how often one showers seems to me at best a rather naive take.
In the US. the FDA only requires that a brand cut back on sweat by 20 percent to boast "all day protection" on its label, the Wall Street Journal reported. An antiperspirant claiming "extra strength" only has to cut down on wetness by 30 percent.
8 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Deodorant
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So like I said, a marketing line. It has nothing to do with people in the US thinking they no longer need to shower or whatever Tony was claiming.0
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After reading some of these responses, either other people bathe TOO MUCH or I bathe TOO LITTLE.
I shower about every other day (definitely not everyday; sometimes I have to rush from early morning gym session straight to work..I don't sweat much when I lift)...and generally wash my hair every other day or every other day and a half.
My husband usually compliments my hair 36 hours after the last wash...and is usually surprised that I don't stink. Maybe he is just used to my stink now and doesn't notice. Co-workers haven't complained about stink either...maybe they are just polite.
ETA: I do hit my essential parts with soap and water everyday though...pits and lady bits.6 -
Also why are some people disliking how often other people bathe in this thread? It isn't like you can smell through the internet. I think people are being salty just to be salty.10
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deputy_randolph wrote: »After reading some of these responses, either other people bathe TOO MUCH or I bathe TOO LITTLE.
.
Or people, circumstances, locations, climates preferences etc etc vary and you do what works for you and others do what works for them.
It doesnt have to be the same.
6 -
Jessie24330 wrote: »snowflake954 wrote: »Jessie24330 wrote: »snowflake954 wrote: »This thread makes me laugh. When I arrived in Italy 35 yrs ago, people didn't use deodorant. They showered multiple times a day, especially during the summer. You couldn't find deodorant in the stores, I had to buy mine in the US and bring it back with me. They used perfume here--sometimes very expensive stuff.
Women didn't shave underarms ever, and legs were only waxed for the summer. It would always throw me for a loop to go to an elegant affair, where the women were dressed to the nines with sleeveless dresses and when they lifted up an arm........
Things are very different now. All women shave underarms and stores are full of deodorants. Sometimes I think I imagined it.
........... and here it is, I always thought underarm hair was a sign of puberty and normal for adults!!
Hair under arms, on legs and on the privates is totally natural and not something people, no matter their sexual organs, should be shamed for. But being more comfortable shaving/waxing/sugaring/whatever that hair is not something people should be ashamed of either. I have literally met (online) a person who said that a man who was attracted to a woman who shaves is no better than a pedophile. Whatever a person decides to do with their body hair, as long as it's clean and not smelly, we should support their choice.
My point was that all this follows fashion, and different places have different habits--just like bathing.
Yes, I got that. I should have erased the part that quoted you also to make sure it was understood that I was replaying to Tony. I'm sorry for the confusion.
No worries, I just wanted it clear what my position was.0
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