Okay I'm just going to come out and say it, people bathe entirely too often for their own good. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with cleanliness, or personal hygiene by any means, if you're dirty, wash up it's that simple. However, there is no use in bathing when you don't need to and really too much bathing can cause more harm than good.
I take a full shower every 4 days. Now that doesn't mean I'm not bathing in between. When it's really hot out I'll jump in every day, but I don't wash my hair every day and I don't use soap every day. Most soaps (shampoo included) strip our bodies of their natural oils that are necessary for protecting our skin and hair and keeping them healthy. Why should we subject our selves to this on a daily basis to then mask our self-abuse with lotions, conditioners, and other chemically based beauty products.
Still not convinced? Let's start with our hair. Did you know that our hair (for the most part) naturally produces as much oil as it needs to keep it healthy. You know what that means don't you? Every time you wash your hair and strip it of it's natural oils your sending signals to your scalp to create
more oil. It stands to reason that if you wash your hair less your scalp will secrete less oil, and since it's the oils in our hair that attract dirt and pollutants washing less will actually keep it cleaner longer. Does that mean we should all stop washing our hair? No. Everyone gets dirty and everyone's body chemistry is different. Some people will need to wash their hair more than others. What it does mean though is that people should pay attention to the needs of their own body. If you're someone who washes your hair every day try switching to every other day for two weeks. In the beginning your hair will still get oily every day so on your off day work a little baby powder into your scalp to absorb the excess oil. By the end of the second week you may notice you don't need the baby powder. You might even be tempted to try going every 3 days. Try to find an amount of time that works best for you.
For the ladies who shave you might be thinking to yourself, well if I don't shave every day my legs and underarms will get all picky and I just can't stand that. Let's think about this for a minute. Our bodies are constantly working at an imperceptible level, our dead skin cells flake off, our hair and nails grow, teeth accumulate plaque, we secrete water and oil (truth be told the human body is starting to sound a little gross), anyway, the hair on our bodies doesn't all grow at the same rate. You shave in the morning, your all prickly by night time right? That isn't the hair you shaved that morning. It's latent hair from beneath the skin that hadn't grown long enough to be shaved that morning. If you shave less than every day your actually shaving more hair. That's right, shave less and your legs and underarms will stay smoother longer.
Thinking all of this is sounding to good to be true, just wait, it gets better. Did you ever think that showering or bathing less might actually make you more desirable sexually? My guess is going to be no. We all have our own personal fragrance, over bathing washes that scent away. No I'm not talking about BO, I'm talking about an almost indiscernible scent that attracts other people to us. I've never been one to shower every day, it dries out my skin. However I've been told on multiple occasions that I smell nice.. particularly to men, although I've had a woman or two pick up on it as well ;-). What do I smell like I ask? Their answer every single time is that there is nothing like it and nothing they can compare it to, I just smell like me. It's also interesting to note that the less I shower the more my husband is all over me. Now don't get me wrong, he still loves my cherry vanilla perfume, but just a tiny hint of it to enhance and add an exotic accent to the scent that is all me.
So for those of you I've hooked into my way of thinking or just need a little bit more of a push, here are some simpler but still important benefits. Less bathing means less water and product usage (i.e. greener and more economical). You can devote all of that extra time into doing other things, and now that it's not an every day chore it can be a sumptuous ritual of self.
Take your time ( you don't have to feel guilty for spending a long time in there when you barely shower once a week. Work a small amount of your shampoo of choice into your hair for an initial clean. Once you've rinsed it out completely lather up again. Now you're really getting that rich lather they're always talking about. When you rinse it the second time you'll feel the difference. Your hair will feel thick and smooth. Work as much conditioner as you need into your ends. Leave it in while you lather your body. Smell the wash, gel or soap you plan on using and really enjoy it. When your ready rinse and feel how fresh you are all over. Have a fluffy towel waiting for you. Take your time getting dressed. This is when I pluck my eyebrows and give myself a facial.
All of this is my own opinion and based on my own personal observations of course. Feel free to disagree. If you have a comment or a question don't be shy.
