Great News: You don't have to shower (every day)!

[maisymouser]

Highly personal topic, but I don't require a shower every day. I average about 3.5 showers per week. I'm one of those lucky people who do not stink 24 hours after taking a shower or bath, unless I have done some very rigorous activity or unless temperatures reach 85F. I recommend it to those who can get away with it because it saves time, water, electricity, and cleaning products. My SO smells *really* bad within less than a day of showering, so he obviously doesn't follow my lead on this one. Still, I wanted to shout out to all the folks who are sensibly not over-showering.

Happy Tuesday y'all, hope you change the world with this newfound knowledge!

[Dicey]

My mom was a nurse. She said that bathing every day was not automatically necessary and that the notion that it is was an invention of the soap companies purely to sell more soap.

When i was younger, I had super oily hair and skin. Oh, how I envied people who didn't have to wash their hair as often as I did! Now, post-menopause, my hair and skin are much dryer and less washing actually feels better.

I am an HGTV geek, and enjoy "Good Bones". Mina, the daughter of the mother-daughter team, readily admits to not showering or washing her hair with great frequency. Good for her for owning it.

[Cranky]

I think that washing your hair more often can actually make it oilier, odd as that seems.

I think that the idea that people smell bad without a daily shower is pretty modern, and definitely was promoted by companies selling consumer products.

[rantk81]

Maybe you don't "have to", but I certainly "want to"!

[Sugaree]

My hair is currently purple, which is one of those colors that doesn't necessarily hold up well to frequent washings.  I might wash it twice a week with occasional dry shampoo applications in between.  I do shower every day because sometimes it's the only 5 minutes of peace and quiet I have during the day.

[chemistk]

My wife does not shower daily, but I certainly do. Even in winter, I smell horrible after a day of standard activities. Worse if I workout. My wife can immediately tell, from across the room, if I haven't bathed in 36 hours - I very much envy those who don't smell after a day or two. I compensate for this by limiting showers to 3 or 4 minutes, and washing with shampoo only every 2 or 3 days.

I will say though, I'm very aware that it's not necessarily healthy, but I love the feeling of dry skin. It's a strange satisfaction, but wearing lotion of any kind is one of the worse tortures I could endure long term. The best feeling is putting on a freshly washed starchy pair of jeans.

[John Galt incarnate!]

Maybe you don't "have to", but I certainly "want to"!

I like to bathe every day so I do.

Sometimes beloved SO (bSO) will join me for a languid soak in the tub.

[John Galt incarnate!]

My wife does not shower daily, but I certainly do. Even in winter, I smell horrible after a day of standard activities. Worse if I workout. My wife can immediately tell, from across the room, if I haven't bathed in 36 hours - I very much envy those who don't smell after a day or two. I compensate for this by limiting showers to 3 or 4 minutes, and washing with shampoo only every 2 or 3 days.

I will say though, I'm very aware that it's not necessarily healthy, but I love the feeling of dry skin. It's a strange satisfaction, but wearing lotion of any kind is one of the worse tortures I could endure long term. The best feeling is putting on a freshly washed starchy pair of jeans.

For bathing I use shampoo too.

I dislike stiff clothing.

[Metalcat]

I almost never wash my face, I dissolve makeup and dirt with coconut oil, rinse and that's it.

I think it depends a lot on the individual, their biome, and what they wear. I know in the 90s in my cheap polyester days, I didn't smell as nice as I do now that I wear almost exclusively merino wool.

[Just Joe]

Count me part of the daily wash group. I can sometimes get away with skipping a day but if I walk into the room and the family dog's eyes start watering I know I've got to shower...

[renata ricotta]

I exercise at least once a day, typically twice, so skipping a shower isn’t something I’m willing to do to other people :) especially because washing my body saves other water/soap expenditures - my clothes on a clean body usually can be worn 2-3 times before laundering, more for items like jeans. However, most of my showers are just body rinses with a bar of soap. I only wash my hair every 2-3 days (it would be longer but most of my workout sweat seems to come from my head - after a particularly intense cardio workout my hair seems almost fully wet). I don’t wash my face with soap or other cleanser - I find it does better by a physical scrub with a microfiber towel in the shower, which gets all my makeup off.

[Boofinator]

Getting personal, I like it!

I shower every day. But I practically never use soap when I shower (with the exception of working on cars, or getting muddy, those kinds of things)*. I also rarely use shampoo.

I find that skin and hair health correlate closely with diet. If I'm eating healthy, I feel it in my skin, can see it in my hair, and can smell it on my body.

*I always wash my hands after using the toilet, to be clear.

[Aelias]

My husband and I have been on team shower-only-when-you-need-it for a year or so.  We're both desk jockeys and not especially oily people, so we really don't need regular showers. I think the standing rule is, "Once a week, whether you need it or not!" ;).  Seriously, anything that both indulges my laziness AND saves money / resources is right in my sweet spot.

Interestingly, in the winter, it really seems to help with my husband's dry skin and eczema.  I've also moved away from shampooing my hair -- just a nickel's worth of conditioner when I shower.  It was a bit of an adjustment, but now my hair is super healthy and soft, no need for product ever.  I'm on the lookout for a good DIY hair conditioner recipe if anyone can recommend one!

Another interesting thing--stress sweat really does smell worse than regular sweat!  If I'm sweating because I'm sweating, I don't notice it.  If I'm sweating because I'm stressed, I can smell it immediately.

[PoutineLover]

If I skip a shower one day, I feel pretty gross. My lifestyle isn't incredibly sweaty, and I work a desk job, but I do at least some sort of physical exercise every day, so I think a daily shower is reasonable. I only wash my hair about twice a week, because more than that seems to dry it out. My showers are pretty quick and I don't use a ton of products, so I don't think it's a huge waste.

[mm1970]

I exercise vigorously most days, so I shower almost every day.  Occasionally, on the weekend, my workout will be a long walk and then I can skip the shower that day.

[savedandsaving]

I envy you, OP! I've been doing the 3-times-weekly shower life for the past year or so, but I coincidentally just switched back to almost once a day. I couldn't take it. My oily hair/skin looked terrible a mighty 4ish days a week, I broke out more, and I just felt emotionally taxed and ashamed of how I looked all the time. I also sweat more than anyone I know and live in a place where the temps exceed 90F for 7 months out of the year, so. Eeck.

At one point, I was using dry shampoo to fill in the gap days, but then I started to feel guilty about all the aerosols I was putting out there and money I was spending on the nice spray stuff. I abandoned baking soda/baby powder as dry shampoo back in college--you could see the white in my fine hair, and it made me look like I was graying (or had awful dandruff!)

[maisymouser]

Yep, like I said- super personal! I don't judge anyone for showering 1x/day, I just hope that most people don't do it strictly out of habit. On that note, I'm heading to my lavishly hot shower! It's so nice that we live in such a world- just think, a couple hundred years ago and hot showers on demand were a pipe dream...

[MrThatsDifferent]

I guess you can get away with it if you’re not having regular sex with yourself or someone else, and/or you’re not doing physical exercise but since I don’t want to be sexless and out of shape, I gotta shower every day. Poor me!

[Boofinator]

I guess you can get away with it if you’re not having regular sex with yourself or someone else, and/or you’re not doing physical exercise but since I don’t want to be sexless and out of shape, I gotta shower every day. Poor me!

I'm curious, do you have any data supporting this hypothesis? I'd be willing to bet the species will continue to propagate should the shower become obsolete.

[ixtap]

I guess you can get away with it if you’re not having regular sex with yourself or someone else, and/or you’re not doing physical exercise but since I don’t want to be sexless and out of shape, I gotta shower every day. Poor me!

I'm curious, do you have any data supporting this hypothesis? I'd be willing to bet the species will continue to propagate should the shower become obsolete.

I read it to mean that they are having sex in such a way that a shower is the only way to clean up afterwards. Which in itself is intriguing.

With central heating and/or soft water, I have to take as few showers as possible to save my skin. Learning that has been useful in saving money and water, even now that I do not use the central heating nor have soft water.

On the other hand, in Texas, I often needed two showers a day to feel decent.

[Boofinator]

I read it to mean that they are having sex in such a way that a shower is the only way to clean up afterwards. Which in itself is intriguing.

The part that lived up to the user name and intrigues me as well:

I guess you can get away with it if you're not having regular sex with yourself or someone else, and/or you're not doing physical exercise but since I don't want to be sexless and out of shape, I gotta shower every day. Poor me!

To add from my personal experiences: Long backpacking trips have included both physical exercise and sex (with someone else!), so perhaps the proposed hypothesis should be reevaluated.

[BTDretire]

I had a girl friend 45 years ago, I suspect she didn't shower daily, but she had a scent that still brings great memories to me. I think if she were around today, I would get a rise from just a scent of her!
 In the winter I will occasionally skip a day, but if I get out and exercise I take a shower just for comfort.

[dignam]

Not recommended in the summer lol.  I sweat, A LOT.  Our summers are 80s and 90s and humid and I often hose off twice a day.  But in the winter, sure I sometimes go a day without showering.

[MrThatsDifferent]

I read it to mean that they are having sex in such a way that a shower is the only way to clean up afterwards. Which in itself is intriguing.

The part that lived up to the user name and intrigues me as well:

I guess you can get away with it if you're not having regular sex with yourself or someone else, and/or you're not doing physical exercise but since I don't want to be sexless and out of shape, I gotta shower every day. Poor me!

To add from my personal experiences: Long backpacking trips have included both physical exercise and sex (with someone else!), so perhaps the proposed hypothesis should be reevaluated.

If you don’t stink or have parts that need cleaned up after sex, you’re doing it wrong.

[Caoineag]

I read it to mean that they are having sex in such a way that a shower is the only way to clean up afterwards. Which in itself is intriguing.

The part that lived up to the user name and intrigues me as well:

I guess you can get away with it if you're not having regular sex with yourself or someone else, and/or you're not doing physical exercise but since I don't want to be sexless and out of shape, I gotta shower every day. Poor me!

To add from my personal experiences: Long backpacking trips have included both physical exercise and sex (with someone else!), so perhaps the proposed hypothesis should be reevaluated.

If you don’t stink or have parts that need cleaned up after sex, you’re doing it wrong.

You do know there are ways of getting cleaned up that don't require a shower right? Showers are only required when you are a mess from head to toe which is what intrigued so many. I would ask what you are doing that gets you that messy but I really think that might be TMI for even this forum, lol.

[American GenX]

I take a shower every day.

And to the people that think they don't stink if they don't take showers, you do!

[jim555]

Eww... You all NEED to take a daily shower. 

[partgypsy]

I might not need to, but it feels so good to take a shower. I don't have to take a long one but love washing my face, hair, etc in the shower. I do try to skip one day of showing per week (usually on a weekend when I'm not around other people!). It's not a smelliness issue, its a personal comfort one. 

[projekt]

I take a shower every day.

And to the people that think they don't stink if they don't take showers, you do!

I think this is funny because there are a bunch of people who shower/bathe less regularly and nobody notices. There are also a few who are obviously stinky and noseblind. But then there are a bunch of people who shower daily or twice daily and smell terrible. These people are accused behind their backs of rarely showering. It may even be the daily soap that is making them smell bad by selecting for smelly, resistant bacteria. Studies have shown that they would improve if they rolled around naked in dirt as a probiotic.

[renata ricotta]

I guess you can get away with it if you’re not having regular sex with yourself or someone else, and/or you’re not doing physical exercise but since I don’t want to be sexless and out of shape, I gotta shower every day. Poor me!

I'm curious, do you have any data supporting this hypothesis? I'd be willing to bet the species will continue to propagate should the shower become obsolete.

Sure, life finds a way and all that, but I think the majority of people would say that it's at least a lot more pleasant/enticing to spend your close-proximity time with someone who is fresh and clean. Exactly how frequently a particular person needs to bathe to stay pleasantly clean is a bit variable, but is still pretty important.

Plus, I don't try to live my life according to the bar necessary to literally not go extinct. Before modern toothbrushing practices and dentistry people's mouths were generally disgusting rotting cesspits, but obviously they still managed to propagate the species. Before the advent of running water most people were probably pretty musky most of the time; we had to put up with it because it's just the way things were. Doesn't mean we should put up with that when we don't have to.

[MrThatsDifferent]

I read it to mean that they are having sex in such a way that a shower is the only way to clean up afterwards. Which in itself is intriguing.

The part that lived up to the user name and intrigues me as well:

I guess you can get away with it if you're not having regular sex with yourself or someone else, and/or you're not doing physical exercise but since I don't want to be sexless and out of shape, I gotta shower every day. Poor me!

To add from my personal experiences: Long backpacking trips have included both physical exercise and sex (with someone else!), so perhaps the proposed hypothesis should be reevaluated.

If you don’t stink or have parts that need cleaned up after sex, you’re doing it wrong.

You do know there are ways of getting cleaned up that don't require a shower right? Showers are only required when you are a mess from head to toe which is what intrigued so many. I would ask what you are doing that gets you that messy but I really think that might be TMI for even this forum, lol.

I’m doing it right! ;-)

[Nangirl17]

When it's warm outside (I'm in Canada, so this is pretty much just July), I shower more frequently, but for the other months, I'm always cold, since we keep our house at mustachian temperatures. Yep, I often need long sleeves in June and August. So unless the weather is warm, I shower every other day. 

Exception: if I exercise or am at a birth (even if it is a short, stressless, not-a-drop-anywhere delivery, I still feel the need to shower afterwards...).

I wash my hair every 2 to 4 days depending on how dirty it is. 

[undercover]

I basically have to. In the course of a day, I sweat a lot and my skins/hair gets oily. I feel SO much more clean/comfortable going to bed with a shower. For me it’s like not brushing my teeth at night.

I mean honestly I usually take two showers a day. I’d prob spend all day in bed if I didn’t have a warm shower to get up to.

[Sailor Sam]

I shower every 2-3 days in the winter, otherwise my skin objects violently. I’m just not very oily. I’ve never had to wash my face, even as a teenager.

Summers are sweaty, and showers start feeling good again. Generally one a day.

And to the people that think they don't stink if they don't take showers, you do!

Eventually, sure. But there’s no magic button that says everyone starts to smell objectionable exactly at the 24 hour mark. Some in this thread have said their window is shorter. It follows that some people’s windows are longer.

[Kris]

I try to work up a sweat with exercise most days, so I feel the need to clean myself after that. However, to save my skin, I often just stand under the shower for a bit and let the water cleanse my hair and body, and only use soap for the pits and “undercarriage.”

That said, I live in Minnesota, so I’m talking about the colder months here. In the summer, it’s hot and humid, so the idea of not showering daily during those months seems a bit crazy to me.

[Metalcat]

I shower every 2-3 days in the winter, otherwise my skin objects violently. I’m just not very oily. I’ve never had to wash my face, even as a teenager.

Summers are sweaty, and showers start feeling good again. Generally one a day.

And to the people that think they don't stink if they don't take showers, you do!

Eventually, sure. But there’s no magic button that says everyone starts to smell objectionable exactly at the 24 hour mark. Some in this thread have said their window is shorter. It follows that some people’s windows are longer.

Agreed, I'm not sure how someone can assume that everyone's skin biome is just like theirs.

I'm just not sweaty, even when I work out I only get a faint glow of sweat and mostly on my hands and a bit on my chest, but it disappears within a few minutes. I used to bike to work up a massive hill, quickly switched my clothes, and was ready to go. Again though, I wear all merino wool and this does have an impact.

I'm also not oily at all and have to moisturize constantly, my RMTs are always commenting that the massage oil disappears and they have to use 5 times as much.

That said, I shower religiously after every work shift because of how disgusting my job is. When I was working full time, my skin was miserable and my hair got so dry I had to cut it all off to one inch.

[ketchup]

My girlfriend can get away with not showering every day and still smell like roses.  I can't.  Hour 25 and I look like I crawled out of a trash can.

[Boofinator]

Plus, I don't try to live my life according to the bar necessary to literally not go extinct. Before modern toothbrushing practices and dentistry people's mouths were generally disgusting rotting cesspits, but obviously they still managed to propagate the species. Before the advent of running water most people were probably pretty musky most of the time; we had to put up with it because it's just the way things were. Doesn't mean we should put up with that when we don't have to.

I agree to some extent (and as mentioned upthread, I generally shower daily!). But, not to get too sidetracked, I also believe a lot of the issues you mention in this paragraph are to a good extent consequences of the modern lifestyle (minus the muskiness). For example, tooth decay is well known to have a very strong correlation with diet, and in my opinion my personal smelliness has a similar correlation.

[Just Joe]

I'm a big hairy guy. Gotta shower regularly. Hair is changing. Has always been oily no matter what my diet or weight or age until recently. Started to dry out (grey hair now). I can wash it a few times a week now rather than daily. It gets hot and humid and my activities are often dirty (engineer/mechanic). Also requires showers.

Fortunate that my ebike allows me to ride to work and arrive in reasonable condition otherwise I would need to drive. The chosen boost level is as much about minimizing sweat as anything else. On the ride home, little or no boost is preferred.

[Tyson]

Guys, if you want to stink less, shave your armpits.  It's the hair that the bacteria really cling to and stink up. 

[American GenX]

It's also possible you stink a lot more than you realize, but no one is telling you because they don't want to come across as rude or a jerk.

Some people will even wear the same clothes multiple days, and that adds to the stench.

[Metalcat]

It's also possible you stink a lot more than you realize, but no one is telling you because they don't want to come across as rude or a jerk.

Some people will even wear the same clothes multiple days, and that adds to the stench.

I'm getting the sense that you smell really really bad if you skip a shower...

[spiro]

It's also possible you stink a lot more than you realize, but no one is telling you because they don't want to come across as rude or a jerk.

Some people will even wear the same clothes multiple days, and that adds to the stench.

I'm getting the sense that you smell really really bad if you skip a shower...

Sounds like you're also just jealous that you smell and others don't. My husband and I don't shower every day (or even every other day sometimes) and I promise you that people around us are none the wiser. I also have insanely thick course hair that only has to be washed 1-2x/week. My husband is bald so there's that too. We simply don't product much body sweat or odor (in the winter). On the rare occasion that one of us smells, we tell each other.

On another note, showering/baths are not the only way to clean your body. Plenty of people all around the world are perfectly capable of keeping themselves clean without actually getting under running water. Wash cloths,etc do the same thing and are far more water efficient.

[American GenX]

It's also possible you stink a lot more than you realize, but no one is telling you because they don't want to come across as rude or a jerk.

Some people will even wear the same clothes multiple days, and that adds to the stench.

I'm getting the sense that you smell really really bad if you skip a shower...

I don't want to find out, so I take a shower everyday and wear clean clothes.  But I think these stinky people I've come across don't realize how bad they smell, or they would be doing something about it.   Just because no one says you stink, doesn't mean you don't.   Most people just aren't going to come out and tell you.  Someone close to you isn't going to notice because they've grown used to it.  But believe me, the public notices.  By "you", I just mean any individual, not the person I responded to.

[ChickenStash]

It's also possible you stink a lot more than you realize, but no one is telling you because they don't want to come across as rude or a jerk.

Some people will even wear the same clothes multiple days, and that adds to the stench.

I'm getting the sense that you smell really really bad if you skip a shower...

I don't want to find out, so I take a shower everyday and wear clean clothes.  But I think these stinky people I've come across don't realize how bad they smell, or they would be doing something about it.   Just because no one says you stink, doesn't mean you don't.   Most people just aren't going to come out and tell you.  Someone close to you isn't going to notice because they've grown used to it.  But believe me, the public notices.  By "you", I just mean any individual, not the person I responded to.

I couldn't say it applies to everyone but I've experienced this. A friend of a friend was saying how her husband doesn't need to wear deodorant and doesn't smell, etc. when just about everyone in the group had to correct her that he really does smell - talk about an exercise in tact. She was shocked. Maybe both hers and his sense of smell is wonky or they are just used to it and the odor is ignored somehow? But, either way, there were two people completely oblivious to a body odor problem.

For myself, I need to shower daily to not smell terrible or feel dirty - more often if I do a lot of activity in the warmer months. It drove me nuts the last time I flew overseas because I wound up having to be up and around for 30 some hours with layovers without a shower...yuck. First thing I did when I got to my hotel and home was jump in the shower.

I do know some folks, usually older, that can get away with skipping showers if they're not all that active so it does work. Just not for me.

[Davnasty]

It's also possible you stink a lot more than you realize, but no one is telling you because they don't want to come across as rude or a jerk.

Some people will even wear the same clothes multiple days, and that adds to the stench.

I'm getting the sense that you smell really really bad if you skip a shower...

I don't want to find out, so I take a shower everyday and wear clean clothes.  But I think these stinky people I've come across don't realize how bad they smell, or they would be doing something about it.   Just because no one says you stink, doesn't mean you don't.   Most people just aren't going to come out and tell you.  Someone close to you isn't going to notice because they've grown used to it.  But believe me, the public notices.  By "you", I just mean any individual, not the person I responded to.

Absolutely there are people that have an odor but don't realize it. Using that fact to reach the conclusion that everyone must shower once per day in order to not stink is odd though. Is one shower every 24 hours the magic number?

As a counterexample I had a friend I hadn't seen in years (definitely not adjusted to his smell) visit during a cross country drive. He asked to use my shower but also mentioned that he was only showering about once a week. I worried that he simply wasn't smelling himself anymore so I gave him a few deep sniffs (for science) and confirmed that there was no offensive odor.

[Davnasty]

Guys, if you want to stink less, shave your armpits.  It's the hair that the bacteria really cling to and stink up.

Does shaving make your pits itch? If not, I'd give it a shot.

[American GenX]

It's also possible you stink a lot more than you realize, but no one is telling you because they don't want to come across as rude or a jerk.

Some people will even wear the same clothes multiple days, and that adds to the stench.

I'm getting the sense that you smell really really bad if you skip a shower...

I don't want to find out, so I take a shower everyday and wear clean clothes.  But I think these stinky people I've come across don't realize how bad they smell, or they would be doing something about it.   Just because no one says you stink, doesn't mean you don't.   Most people just aren't going to come out and tell you.  Someone close to you isn't going to notice because they've grown used to it.  But believe me, the public notices.  By "you", I just mean any individual, not the person I responded to.

Absolutely there are people that have an odor but don't realize it. Using that fact to reach the conclusion that everyone must shower once per day in order to not stink is odd though. Is one shower every 24 hours the magic number?

As a counterexample I had a friend I hadn't seen in years (definitely not adjusted to his smell) visit during a cross country drive. He asked to use my shower but also mentioned that he was only showering about once a week. I worried that he simply wasn't smelling himself anymore so I gave him a few deep sniffs (for science) and confirmed that there was no offensive odor.

Your friend was probably pulling your leg.  Anyway, I didn't say "everyone must".  Maybe not 24 hours.  I usually take a shower a little later in the morning on the weekend than I do during the work week, it might be 26 hours, for example, then 22 hours by Monday morning.

I couldn't say it applies to everyone but I've experienced this. A friend of a friend was saying how her husband doesn't need to wear deodorant and doesn't smell, etc. when just about everyone in the group had to correct her that he really does smell - talk about an exercise in tact. She was shocked. Maybe both hers and his sense of smell is wonky or they are just used to it and the odor is ignored somehow? But, either way, there were two people completely oblivious to a body odor problem.

Good example.

[Tyson]

Guys, if you want to stink less, shave your armpits.  It's the hair that the bacteria really cling to and stink up.

Does shaving make your pits itch? If not, I'd give it a shot.

It does not.

[Sailor Sam]

This thread has been the best part of my day. I love watching people adamantly dying on a hill I don’t really care about.