Showering every day has no health benefits, experts say. However, although there are already many people who say they don’t do it every day, such as Jake Gyllenhaal and Mila Kunis, it seems that admitting that we don’t go under the tap every day translates into a lack of hygiene, but why?
According to environmentalist Donnachadh McCarthy in an interview with BBC, we shower every day “because we are afraid that someone will tell us that we smell bad”. The expert, author of ‘Prostitute State’, admitted that he showers only once a month to take care of the environment. A choice he made after spending two weeks in the Amazon with the Yanomami indigenous people. However, every two days, McCarthy does a general cleaning with a cloth and water for the areas that require extra hygiene.
Should you shower every day?
Although this trend may seem strange, the reality is that many experts have already pointed out that this modern obsession with hygiene can even be dangerous to health. In fact, dermatologist Julie Russak said that daily showers could eliminate the “skin microbiome,” which protects the skin and is “tremendously important for the overall health of the body.
The reality is that we shower a lot more than in the past, partly due to the arrival of the shower in our homes, a tool that facilitates washing. However, we don’t go under the faucet every day because of hygiene, but because it is socially accepted and “the normal thing to do”.
So… how often should we shower? As dermatologist Joyce Park points out, “there is no one-size-fits-all solution for washing body and hair, the ideal frequency depends on your skin and hair type, how much you sweat and how dirty you are.” In other words, with a little head and sense, we can know how often we need to get in the shower without endangering the skin’s microbiome.