What's your daily routine? Do you wake up, take a shower, brush your teeth, and head out into the world? Or do you prefer a nice relaxing shower before heading off to bed for a good night's sleep?
Whichever time of day you like to bathe, you probably do so fairly regularly, at least several times a week. After all, cleanliness is key when it comes to being healthy and attractive, right?
Well, maybe not. Maybe, just maybe, you should actually be showering way less than you are.
According to several people, including MIT graduate Dan Whitlock, who invented a line of alternative products designed to replace traditional soaps called MotherDirt, and Atlantic writer James Hamblin, you should maybe stop showering altogether.
Seriously.
Although not ever showering seems too extreme for most people, there is evidence that cleaning yourself too much, especially with soaps and detergents full of drying and artificially-scented materials, can in fact have a detrimental impact on your body, and that people who do not regularly bathe in the manner we do, with hot water and soaps, tend to have healthier and more robust populations of friendly bacteria in and on their bodies, meaning they get fewer infections and have stronger immune systems.
So that means if you're the sort to shower every day, maybe you should reconsider.
But do you think that's really the answer?
[H/T: Metro, IFLScience]
If you're like most people, you see the inside of your shower quite a lot.
Depending on the weather, temperature, physical activity, and your body's natural chemistry, you may shower multiple times a day or just several times a week.
But some argue that we shouldn't be showering at all. Like, ever.
While showering seems healthy, proponents of the non-showering lifestyle say that scrubbing your body with soaps and detergents, many of them made with harsh chemicals, damage our bodies' microbiomes — the diverse population of bacteria that live on and inside us and keep us healthy.
To that end, they say that we need to stop showering and find an alternative.
Science does, to an extent, support this. A healthy and diverse population of bacteria has been shown to strengthen the immune system and ward off infections.
Our skin might end up healthier too, as its natural oils aren't being stripped away, leaving it dry and more vulnerable to infection.
But, you're probably thinking, I prefer not to smell like hot garbage. What about that?
Dan Whitlock, an MIT grad and proponent of not showering, has developed a line of soap alternatives.
These formulas contain strains of living ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOBs), which consume bad-smelling ammonia and urea from sweat and use it to produce beneficial byproducts.
They can be used in place of soap, but they can also be used along with your favorite soaps as a way to replenish your skin's natural bacteria population.
It comes in a moisturizer, cleanser, and shampoo, as well as in a spray.
For many people, though, replacing your soap with bacteria spray might not be a realistic option. For one thing, let's face it, fancy soap is awesome.
However, if you're concerned about overdrying or stressing your skin, look for soaps and cleansers with natural, moisturizing ingredients, and be sure to use a lotion too, especially in the winter.
You might also want to consider using less soap in the shower, or only on the places that feel really grimy.
As it stands, giving up showering isn't realistic for many people, because showers are more than just about getting clean.
The shower is also a place to prepare for your day or relax from it, and many people have great ideas in the shower!
When it comes to what works best for you and your body, there is no right answer. You ultimately have to do what works for you.
If you're curious, see what happens if you skip a shower day. You might find it's not so bad!
Would you ever cut down on showering? Would you ever stop altogether? Or does the very concept make you want to hop in the shower right now?
Let us know, and SHARE this strange take on hygiene with everyone you know!
