Many doctors say a daily shower is fine for most people. (More than that could start to cause skin problems.) But for many people, two to three times a week is enough and may be even better to maintain good health. It depends in part on your lifestyle.
However, daily showers do not improve your health, could cause skin problems or other health issues — and, importantly, they waste a lot of water. Also, the oils, perfumes, and other additives in shampoos, conditioners, and soaps may cause problems of their own, such as allergic reactions (not to mention their cost).
Depending on the day and your activity level, you might even take two or three showers. There's no arguing the importance of personal hygiene. But while some people take a daily shower, in many cases it doesn't have to be a part of your daily routine.
Doing so twice a day is generally fine for your skin and scalp, Dr. Goldenberg said, as long as both showers are quick and you don't have severe eczema or dermatitis.
Edidiong Kaminska, MD, the recommended maximum shower time is about 5 to 10 minutes. This is enough time to cleanse and hydrate the skin without overdoing it. “Our skin needs water, just like our bodies, but if we over- or under-do it, then it may have consequences,” she adds.
The research also found that the average Australian spends seven minutes in the shower, and is only willing to watch cold water go down the drain for 15 seconds before it should hit the desired hot temperature. Whilst almost a quarter of the population showers twice a day, once is enough for the vast majority.
P.S. - Not everyone needs to shower every day
Showering every day, she said, is unnecessary. Every two, three or even four days is acceptable as long as you don't stink up the place. She said, generally, the organisms naturally found on her skin protect us from picking up harmful germs.
Your skin accumulates plenty of dirt, grime, and debris at the end of each day (not to mention sweat and residue from skin care products). If you stick to a morning-only wash, without so much as an evening rinse-off, you might be going to bed with some built-up bacteria.
When incorporated into a bedtime routine, a nighttime shower may help send your brain the signal that it is time to sleep. Showering at night also ensures you will be cleaner when you go to bed, reducing the buildup of sweat, dirt, and body oils on your bedding.
“A morning shower can help shake off sleep inertia and get you going, while an evening shower can be a relaxing part of a pre-bed routine,” says Michael Grandner, director of the Sleep and Health Research Program at the University of Arizona.
Unscented body wash and soaps without added fragrance do the trick, too. Lingering in the shower for an extra minute or two after you lather up is all you need for all-day freshness. Consider giving a good rinse to all the spots that sweat the most, such as the armpits, groin, butt, and even feet.
Cold showers can help reduce inflammation, relieve pain, improve circulation, lower stress levels, and reduce muscle soreness and fatigue. Hot showers, meanwhile, can improve cardiovascular health, soothe stiff joints, and improve sleep.
For the average person, every other day, or every 2 to 3 days, without washing is generally fine. “There is no blanket recommendation. If hair is visibly oily, scalp is itching, or there's flaking due to dirt,” those are signs it's time to shampoo, Goh says.
When to wash. Rossi generally tells his patients they should wash their hair once or twice per week. But if you've had chemical treatments that can make your hair drier — such as bleach, perms or relaxers — you might want to wash it less than once weekly to avoid breaking or brittle hair or split ends, he said.
If you don't have any specific skin concerns, then you really just need water and your favorite soap or body wash. “Water is excellent at washing off sweat and dust and the normal lint that we pick up around us every day, [while] soap is really good at pulling oils out of the skin,” Dr. Greiling says.
According to sleep experts, one of the ways our bodies signal to us that it's bedtime is a drop in body temperature, and taking a hot shower or bath right before bed can actually raise your body temp, disrupting this signal and your night's sleep in the process.
Sleeping with completely wet hair damages the follicle and causes breakage, so you'll want to blast it with the hairdryer to dry out 70 per cent of your hair, or let it naturally dry till it's just a little damp,” says Sabanayagam. She also advises changing up your bedding if you're planning to sleep with wet hair.
Alternating between hot and cold water can strengthen your vasculature (veins and arteries) and therefore improve the integrity of your cardiovascular system. Additionally, it can help filter out toxins in the body because it stimulates constriction and subsequent relaxation of the blood vessels.
According to dermatologists, you should exfoliate first, then wash your hair, and then wash your body. This will ensure that each shower product you use has time to work. If you have concerns about your skin, you should follow this order as closely as you can. This will help prevent acne, razor burn, or dry hair.
Worst: Midday
You have the rest of the day to expose your skin and hair to the pollutants around you before climbing into bed and spreading the germs." So showering midday may be a good idea if you have a specific need, but may not be the best daily habit.
Experts say that if you plan to shower at night, ninety minutes before bedtime provides the best result. Hot water raises your overall body temperature. Although that's not good for morning showers, it's great for evening showers.
He believes he'll fall sick if he bathes and this has stopped him from taking a shower in over six decades. Amou Haji, an 83-year-old Iranian is labelled as the world's dirtiest man as he has not bathed in 65 years. Haji is terrified of water, thus the aversion to bathing.
When you skip showering for a couple days, it can lead to your body releasing potentially unpleasant odors. Dr. Muhammad says, “Body odors form naturally as a result of bacteria on the skin breaking sweat down into acid. By not washing while continuing to sweat, bad smells will just get worse and worse.”
What Happens If You Go Months Without Showering? Going months without bathing can lead to dermatitis neglecta (DN), a condition where brown patches of dead cells, dirt, sweat, and grime form on the skin. This condition tends to impact people who are unable to adequately clean their bodies.