How Often Should I Shower?

We’ve all heard the arguments about how often we should shower, and while everyone agrees a regular cleaning is necessary not everyone agrees on how often is good for you.  Add to this arguments about how often you should wash your hair, whether conditioner is a good choice, and which type of soap, bar or bath gel, gets the best results there’s a lot of confusion on this topic.  The answer, as you might imagine, isn’t as straightforward as ‘wash every day’.

The General Guideline: Every Other Day

Showering isn’t something you need to do every day, and in fact it can be bad for your skin to do so.  There’s a ton of factors involved in the answer beyond that, including your age. Young children and baby’s do not need to be bathed every day, and teens to adults can usually get away with showering every other day or so.  Due to changes in our chemistry and skin, however, we may need to shower more or less often, and as we age we almost inevitably should be bathing less.

But Isn’t Showering Healthy For Us?

Not really, certainly not in a way that makes it necessary for you to shower every day.  Yes, personal hygiene is important and you certainly don’t want to go too long without showering, but showering every day isn’t going to help you.  In fact, you could end up doing more harm than good by washing away protective oils, killing healthy bacteria that live on your skin (your body is always covered with bacteria, in case you didn’t know) and damaging your hair.

So How Do I Manage Proper Hygiene?

While a full body wash is rarely a daily necessity, you do need to make sure you wash your hands several times a day to keep from transmitting germs.  Your hands contract more germs than anywhere else on your body, and touching your face, food, mouths, eyes, and nose can transfer them about and get you and others sick.  This is especially true when the weather turns and cold or the flu is on the prowl.

Facial Cleansing Should Be A Daily Ritual Too

Our faces tend to need to be washed more often than any part of our body outside of our hands.  This is especially true if you wear make-up, but even if you don’t its important to get rid of the grit and grime of the day that’s collected on your face, as well as cleaning away excess oil to prevent acne outbreaks.

Ultimately how often you shower is a personal choice, and how often it is necessary is tied to certain physiological differences in your body.  Jobs that get us grimy and filthy may require us to shower more often, but if you work in an office or your job isn’t very physical, give your skin a break and try showering every other day.  If you want more information you can contact Dr. Sam Olu Faleye at the Prime Health Medical Center in Memphis, TN. Just call and make an appointment today!