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Do you shower or bathe daily? If you do, you’re not alone.

Approximately two-thirds of Americans shower daily. In Australia it’s over 80%. But in China, about half of people report bathing only twice a week.

In the US, the daily shower tends to start around puberty and becomes lifelong. But have you ever stopped to ask yourself why?

Perhaps your answer is: “because it’s healthier than showering less often.” Think again. For many — perhaps most — the daily shower is more about habit and societal norms than health. Perhaps that’s why the frequency of bathing or showering varies so much from country to country.

Are there reasons to shower every day?

Besides considering it healthier, people may choose to shower daily for a number of reasons, including:

• concerns about body odor
• help waking up
• a morning routine that includes working out.

Each of these has merit, especially considering that personal or work relationships can be jeopardized by complaints about body odor or personal hygiene. But what is considered acceptable in this regard varies from culture to culture. And some (perhaps a lot) of what we do when it comes to cleaning habits is influenced heavily by marketing. Ever notice that directions on shampoo bottles often say “lather, rinse, repeat”? There is no compelling reason to wash your hair twice with each shower, but it does sell more shampoo if everyone follows these directions.

When it comes to concerns about health, however, it’s not at all clear that a daily shower accomplishes much. In fact, a daily shower may even be bad for your health.

What are the health impacts of showering (or bathing) every day?

Normal, healthy skin maintains a layer of oil and a balance of “good” bacteria and other microorganisms. Washing and scrubbing removes these, especially if the water is hot. As a result:

• Skin may become dry, irritated, or itchy.
• Dry, cracked skin may allow bacteria and allergens to breach the barrier skin is supposed to provide, allowing skin infections and allergic reactions to occur.
• Antibacterial soaps can actually kill off normal bacteria. This upsets the balance of microorganisms on the skin and encourages the emergence of hardier, less friendly organisms that are more resistant to antibiotics.
• Our immune systems need a certain amount of stimulation by normal microorganisms, dirt, and other environmental exposures in order to create protective antibodies and “immune memory.” This is one reason why some pediatricians and dermatologists recommend against daily baths for kids. Frequent baths or showers throughout a lifetime may reduce the ability of the immune system to do its job.

And there could be other reasons to lose your enthusiasm for the daily shower: some people suggest that the water with which we clean ourselves may contain salts, heavy metals, chlorine, fluoride, pesticides, and other chemicals. These may cause problems, too.

The case for showering less

Over cleaning your body is probably not a compelling health issue. Yes, you could be making your skin drier than it would be with less frequent showering. This is not a public health menace. 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).

While there is no ideal frequency, experts suggest that showering several times per week is plenty for most people (unless you are grimy, sweaty, or have other reasons to shower more often). Short showers (lasting three or four minutes) with a focus on the armpits and groin may suffice.

If you’re like me, it may be hard to imagine skipping the daily shower. But if you’re doing it for your health, it may be a habit worth breaking.

Robert H. Shmerling, MD
Harvard Health Publishing
JUNE 26, 2019
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/showering-daily-is-it-necessary-2019062617193

With plenty of time and nowhere to go, I’m not sure if I should be showering constantly or not at all.

During quarantine, there are no rules. You can have a meeting with your coworkers while pantsless. You can eat a box of Cheez-Its for breakfast. You can recreate the entire theatrical production of Jesus Christ Superstar with cardboard puppets made out of said Cheez-It boxes. Basically, you don’t have to adhere to most of the usual societal norms that help convince people you’re a regular human. Showering is one of those norms. 

Right now, no one is gonna make you shower. And if you’re not exercising or going outside, you might find that you don’t need to shower as often as you might have before the coronavirus pandemic. Then again, what else is there to do? At least showering is a constructive activity that tricks us into a fleeting sense of normalcy. 

I, for one, am showering more often than usual. Not only do I have time for quick exercise videos on YouTube, but I also have time in the shower to shave my legs, exfoliate, deep condition my hair and whatever other more luxurious steps I might skip in my ordinarily utilitarian cleansing routine. Turns out showering is kind of nice when you’ve got nowhere to be! 

But that’s all just for fun. Is there any practical reasoning to determine the right number of showers to be taking right now? I’m supposed to be washing my hands more often –– does that same rule apply to my extended body?

First things first, you can’t get coronavirus if you (and those who live with you) aren’t going outside. Plain and simple. Showering is optional in that regard. If you have to leave your home, that changes things a bit. According to the World Health Organization, hot showers or baths won’t do anything to help prevent you from getting COVID-19 — there’s been some speculation that hot showers boost immunity or raise your body temperature in a way that kills bacteria, but that’s not true, so there’s no coronavirus-related need to shower before leaving the home. 

Showering when you get home, however, is a good idea. Showering with soap and water will remove the bacteria from your skin in the same way washing your hands would. The virus can only be transmitted via your eyes, nose and mouth — you won’t get sick if, say, your knee touches a surface with the virus on it. But if you touch your knee and then touch your nose, you might get sick. Regardless of whether or not you’re a pro at not touching your face, you probably just don’t want any chance of carrying the virus around, and getting all soapy will help prevent that. MIT Technology Review recommends that you rinse off after every outing, and ditto for your kids. They also recommend washing your clothes or leaving coats and shoes out in the sun after every outing, too. 

But what about showering for other aspects of your health? Showering too often, especially with strong soaps and hot water, can dry out your skin. Not only can dry skin be painful and itchy, it can also trigger flare-ups of skin conditions like psoriasis or eczema. Not showering enough can have similar effects and lead to ailments like dermatitis neglecta, caused by a buildup of dead skin cells. This typically takes more than a week of not bathing, though. It’s ultimately up to you (and perhaps those you share space with) how often you should shower to keep your skin comfortable — this is usually somewhere between once a day to two or three times a week. It’s really a matter of preference and how active you are: If you feel the need to shower multiple times a day, that’s on you. The more often you shower, though, the shorter and less hot they should be for the sake of your skin. 

But if there were ever a time to experiment with getting that water bill down, it’s now. You might even find that your hair and skin look better with fewer showers. Remember, no one can smell you through a webcam.

By Danielle Dresden
https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/how-often-should-you-shower-coronavirus-quarantine