What Happens When You Stop Showering?

The average American showers once a day not knowing the importance of your gut microbiome which may be found throughout the body. Some people avoid antibiotics and eat fermented foods to support a healthy balance.

A No-Shower Experiment

“I started using less soap, and less shampoo, and less deodorant, and showering less. I went from every day to every other day to every three.

And now I’ve pretty much stopped altogether. I still wash my hands, all the time, which remains an extremely important way to prevent communicable diseases.

Showering daily wastes time and money.

“I still rinse off elsewhere when I’m visibly dirty, like after a run when I have to wash gnats off my face, because there is still the matter of society. If I have bed head, I lean into the shower and wet it down. But I don’t use shampoo or body soap, and I almost never get into a shower” says Dr. James Hamblin, a senior editor at The Atlantic.

You may have greasy skin and hair initially, but the ecosystem will right itself and bad body odor largely disappears later. Body odor is the result of bacteria feeding on oily secretions from your sweat and sebaceous glands.

“Your ecosystem reaches a steady state, and you stop smelling bad,” Hamblin explained. “I mean, you don’t smell like rosewater … but you don’t smell like B.O., either. You just smell like a person.”

How Shrewd Marketers Sold Americans the Idea of ‘Clean’

Hygiene products were invented in the 20th century but are inferior to our body oils witch clean and moisturize our skin.

Are There Risks to Excessive Showering?

If you shower too much you may cause disruption of your skin’s microbial balance and eczema. If you omit shampoo and conditioner your hair becomes healthier.  You are environment friendly, and avoid product dependency. You may be exposed to carcinogenic chlorination byproducts – trihalomethanes (THM) which is associated with bladder cancer, gestational and developmental problems. You may experience birth problems. Also scrubbing your body daily will damage your skin.

Try This for a Happy Medium

Try washing the areas that really need washing such as underarms, groin area and your feet.

“It’s the hardest thing to get people to use soap only where they need it … People don’t realize that the skin does a pretty good job of cleaning itself” says Dr. Casey Carlos, assistant professor of medicine at the University of California.

A pinch of baking soda mixed into water can be an effective all-day deodorant and a clean diet helps too.

Tips for Giving up Your Shampoo

Make the period between shampooing longer and use a natural shampoo, without harmful chemicals like sodium silicate and borax for best results. Try ones that contain triticum vulgare (wheat) protein, ones that are non-toxic and use coconut oil.

Will Bacterial Sprays Be the Showers of the Future?

Live bacteria spray contains ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and protects your skin’s microbiome and cleans it of sweat and excess oil. You can also use probiotic (beneficial bacteria) soaps, lotions and topical treatment.