You Probably Don’t Need to Shower As Often As You Think.
If you shower every day (as many Americans do), you probably stopped doing it. In fact, showering too often can end up hurting your body.
As explained in Time’s public health column, the daily shower is more common due to social norms than any legitimate need for health. We associate the freshness of the shower with being attractive and pleasant, so we often shower to feel better. However, for strictly hygienic reasons, showering at least once or twice a week may be sufficient, depending on your lifestyle:
So what is the ideal shower frequency? In terms of your health – not how you look or smell – probably once or twice a week, says [George Washington University Associate Professor of Dermatology, Dr. K. Brandon Mitchell]. “Your body is naturally a well-oiled machine,” he says. “You don’t need a daily shower.”
Of course, your situation may be different. If you have a lot of dirty work, such as car repair or construction, it is obvious that you will have a visible layer of dirt that you will need to wash off every single day. Likewise, if you exercise every day, you may not have any health risks if you bathe every day, but you will still stink. If you feel like you need to shower every day for aesthetic reasons, at least give most of them a light shower:
“I tell patients who shower every day not to completely lather,” says Mitchell. Hit the pits, buttocks, and groin that give off a strong-smelling discharge. The rest of your body doesn’t need a lot of soap, he says.
Too much time under hot water, washing and washing can dry out your skin, cause cracks that can lead infections or germs to your skin, and strip it of the natural oils that help keep it healthy. So, even if you want to look as presentable as possible, try to do it in moderation so as not to damage your skin in the long term.