Taking showers everyday is very American and unnecessary

[quinnox]

I was reading articles about this, and it is even bad for your skin to take daily showers. Lots of Europeans apparently take a shower twice or even once a week. The rest of the time they do sponge baths. I do this as well. It is quick and easy. And I am a clean person, I don't smell. Some guys or people seem to have strong b.o., or they don't wear deodorant. I'm not one of them. Daily showers also waste huge amounts of water.

[madokie]

1. In the summer

some days I might take two or three showers a day. Always before I jump into the pool.
One thing I can't stand is to not take a shower after I do some work where it makes me sweat.
I'm 65 and been doing this for years.

[brewens]

2. Two a day in warm weather if I plan on sleeping. I'm under the impression

that water falls out of the sky. Enough does in my area anyway. Not stopping!

[Xipe Totec]

33. In the Summer Time

[SleeplessinSoCal]

78. Watch out for Eczema. It comes along with old age.

And you could be forced to cut back on the showers.

[madokie]

88. That doesn't sound like fun

I've been out playing catch with our grand child and I'm about ready to take my second shower of the day.
I guess the reason I like showers so much now it because when I was a kid we didn't have running water so it was mostly a sponge bath, or to be more accurate it was a wash cloth bath.

Is there a way to avert eczema?

[SleeplessinSoCal]

130. My husband takes expensive herbs for his.

Not everyone gets it. But dry skin can cause it. He has always showered daily, but can't anymore. And hot water is the worst. The expensive herbs have offered the only successful results. Hopefully it won't happen to you. I've cut back on my showers, but inevitably give in and take a very quick one when the urge strikes.

I think moisturizing more as you age and your skin naturally dries out and thins is the best way to prevent it from starting. It's not curable unfortunately.

[Scurrilous]

143. Me too.

I took one when I woke up this morning and took another an hour ago when finished mowing the lawn (in 91 degree heat).

And if I work up another sweat today (IOW, go outside for any reason), I 'll take one before going to bed.

[The Second Stone]

3. I shower every day and will continue doing so

I prefer not to be around people who do not shower daily. If you do not shower daily, I can smell you, whether you think so or not.

[blueamy66]

59. amen

I hear ya.

Taking a 5 minute shower isn't going to use that much water.

Ugh.

[Gormy Cuss]

173. A standard shower head emits water at a rate of 2.5 gallons per minute.

That's 12.5 gallons of water for each shower. The EPA estimates that shower use alone accounts for 1/6 of household water use. Even the more efficient shower heads emit water at a rate of about 1.5 GPM, or 7.5 gallons for that five minute shower. Multiply that by 365 days in a year and yes indeed that's a lot of water.

A sponge bath would use only a gallon or so. Substituting just one shower per week would save at least 300 gallons of water per year.

[blueamy66]

200. don't care about your stats

still gonna shower daily...deal with it

[Gormy Cuss]

208. Didn't tell you what to do..

just presented you with the facts on water usage. If you want to ignore facts that's your informed choice.

[Cali_Democrat]

278. Thank you for those facts BTW

Interesting

[Gormy Cuss]

280. Living in CA during a water shortage I learned a lot about little ways to reduce water use. n/t

[snooper2]

238. When you do a sponge bath do you start with your face first, or crotch?

It's like a catch 22, the water is clean in the bucket, then you start "sponging"

If you do your face first then it gets clean water, but then you have to do your pits- Do you wash your crotch with dirty water last?

Or

Start cleaning your crotch with the clean water then use the "crotch water" to clean your face?

[Gormy Cuss]

241. I recommend that you start with your nether regions

and work your way north.

[chimpymustgo]

270. EWW! Start north, work south. Or just take a damn shower!

[Paladin]

72. +1. (nt)

[vinny9698]

90. Soap manufacturers did large advertising to make people think they needed to bathe once a day.

During the advertising age, soap manufacturers wanted to sell more soap. Well just convince people to bathe every day.
I had a health teacher in college who also said bathing every day dried out your skin. Why do you think they sell so many lotions for dry out skin? It is all about the money, making you buy things you do not need or that are healthy for you.

[RobinA]

255. Do The Soap Manufacturers

make me feel scuzzy when I wake up in the morning? Is that oily feel on my face caused by soap? How about that sticky feeling after a day of summer garden work?

[SwissTony]

269. I shower every day - sometimes more than once, depending on temperature and activity.

I have never in my 62 years used a moisturizer and have never had dry skin which was not caused by some factor such as sunburn or infection. Manufacturers sell so much of that junk because they can convince people they "need" it. They also sell you sets of pans which contain 24 saucepans and 3 frying pans, juicers which will blend your food so well that it will make you healthy and make you lose weight, and a hose which will shrink when you turn the water off.

Just because there's an advert for it, doesn't mean you actually need it.

[lunasun]

276. +1

[Stuckinthebush]

91. Double Amen

Thank you.

[liberal_at_heart]

140. I don't shower everyday and don't care if you can smell me or not. I don't exist just to please you.

[NoOneMan]

162. You are only as valuable as your smell to me

Apparently

[LanternWaste]

249. Nor do we exist merely to offend.

"I don't exist just to please you..."


Nor do we exist merely to offend. I imagine a rational person may easily find a balance. Or simply get pissed off and defensive...

[maui902]

286. Hopefully you're not the person who passed gas at my local gym recently :-)

and didn't own up to it. Cleared out a few folks on the stairmaster. Not cool.

[bluestate10]

171. I agree. I can smell people that don't take two showers a day, through their cloths without

even trying. When I fail to take two showers a day, my skin responds like it is new when I shower, the feeling is refreshing and continues for hours.

[wtmusic]

184. Only one shower a day? I can smell you, whether you think so or not.

And I would prefer to not be around you.

[Eleanors38]

254. If I see a nose wrinkle, I let a daisy-killer -- shifts the blame.

[otohara]

257. I Used to Think Like You

then I got older.
Bathing everyday is exhausting and unnecessary - you'll see.

[wtmusic]

284. Have you tried wiping your butt instead?

[DirkGently]

4. A valid point. But those Europeans don't "not smell" as much as they

seem to think. I remember working summers at a certain rodentia-themed amusement park, and loading them on to various entertainments in the heat of July in Florida. The French, in particular, (and I harbor no stupid American Frenchie-hating point of view overall) were often surrounded by a miasma of b.o. When they raised their arms to hop in the the attractions, it was like a tiny, pungent punch in the face. Maybe they simply weren't aware of what Florida heat and humidity inspire in the human sweat gland.

And the sense of an appropriate amount of b.o. is cultural, too, of course. Americans expect everyone to smell like soap and shampoo all the time, and maybe that's ridiculous. Somewhere I saw a claim that Napolean would write to Josephine to say, "Do not bathe -- I am coming home."

I have also read that killing all your skin fauna every day can actually lead to more infections.

I shower every other day during the week when I'm working indoors. Past that my hair gets lanky and my American sensibilities won't tolerate the sense of not being "clean."

[elehhhhna]

22. Most of Europe is moderate in climate

Houston, for example, not so much



How often to Europeans shower when they're in a sub tropical climate?

[greatauntoftriplets]

44. A friend just returned from 12 days in France.

Specifically Paris and Normandy, so northern France. Daytime temperatures were in the upper 80s to 90s. Very little air conditioning, especially where she stayed.

Last year, she went to the Czech Republic and Hungary. Temperatures were consistently in the 90s. Again, virtually no air conditioning.

Ever been to Spain or Italy in the summer?

[Berlin Expat]

76. Air conditioning

is non-existent here in the Czech Republic aside from the newest office buildings, which generally have climate control.

Apartments, residential houses? Forget it. Your air-conditioning is doing what my ex-wife did when it was around 100 degrees, which is walk around the apartment nekkid.

[greatauntoftriplets]

86. Europe isn't immune from climate change.

I can't blame your ex. Back when I was a kid, my family had "fan conditioning". Sometimes in the night the power would failure from overload and we'd sit on the front porch because it was way too hot to sleep. Showers were one form of relief.

[Berlin Expat]

154. I've heard

of that, of people sleeping on the front porch during hot weather.

I sometimes wish folks here in Europe heard of little things called "window screens". They're not standard by any means. Typically, you have to get them custom-made at a specialized shop.

I'll sleep with the windows open at night, and if it's really hot, the balcony door as well.

[Beacool]

244. You're right about the screens.

They are not common, usually have to be custom made and are expensive. Therefore, all the bugs get in(particularly the fat summer flies).

[Berlin Expat]

248. It's cheaper

here to get a mosquito net that hangs from the ceiling and drapes over the bed. They run about $20 or so if I recall correctly, which is far less expensive than getting window screens made. Mosquito nets do restrict airflow to some extent, but it's better than being a sleeping buffet for parasitic flying critters.

[Beacool]

273. Yes, but you can't walk around with a mosquito net over your head.

Mosquitoes love me and eat me alive if I don't take precautions.

[JoeyT]

101. Ever been to the deep south in the summer?

It's 94 degrees and 65% humidity at my house right now. According to the heat index, it's supposed to feel like it's around 106-108 degrees because your sweat doesn't evaporate. By contrast, it's 79 degrees in Paris with 28% humidity and is supposed to feel like 79 degrees. Their high temp is almost the same as our low for the day. Their UV index is 0 compared to our 10-11.

Spain & France are pretty much New York. NY is 40N, Spain is 40N, France is 46N.

[greatauntoftriplets]

103. Yes.

[JoeyT]

105. Yeah, I just read what you said about too hot to sleep.

My god I know that feeling. You can adjust enough to survive it, but it's never comfortable.

[pecwae]

231. In Austria in June

and the first five days were hell! 96 one day and the rest were at least 90. No a/c, not even ceiling or box fans. The tourist attractions, public transport and restaurants were like an all out assault on my senses.

[Beacool]

242. That's why you won't find me in Europe in July and August.

Too hot and too many places that are not air conditioned.

[Jenoch]

92. I believe much of the

body odor of Europeans is not all about the frequency of their taking showers, it is also the frequency that they wash their clothing. They wear their clothes many more times between washings than do Americans.

[DirkGently]

109. Not to be overly crude, but it was the

... armpits mostly. Laundry could have been a contributing factor, certainly. But it was that raised arm as people swung themselves into the ride that could be eye-watering. Europeans treat their body hair differently (also a matter of cultural preference and not to be judged) and the experience of fragrant, furry female armpits in particular stood out to an American kid not used to either.

Again, culture. Human odor is something we all probably tolerate / enjoy / dislike largely according to how we were brought up. I would stress I found most of the Europeans I dealt with as tourists to be perfectly decently friendly people with whom I was happy to interact.

[JVS]

141. Among tourists opportunities to do laundry can be rare.

[Jenoch]

148. I wasn't referring

specifically to tourists. I know that in Europe, the municipal water is generally much more expensive than in the U.S. I had a German exchange student live with my family and when he went home, his family was host to an American student. My German friend had to tell the American kid that he could not shower every day because it cost too much. I also learned they had hooks out on the balcony of their house to air out clothing instead of washing it as frequently as a typical American family would.

[bhikkhu]

156. Olfactory fatigue - nobody can really smell themself very well

but I can guarantee that everybody has a smell - just ask a deer; they can smell you coming from a mile away.

Olfactory fatigue is the process that acclimates you to the smell of yourself and the surrounding environment, to the point that its no longer apparent to you. Typically, people within a given culture will have similar habits of diet and hygiene and will smell similarly, so they will all assume that none of them smell.

When people from two differing cultures come together, the first reaction of both may be "hmmf, what's that smell!"

[Major Nikon]

187. The old saying goes...

When you can smell yourself, everyone else has been smelling you for 3 days.

[Freddie]

229. This is true

I've heard that we Americans, while most of us shower daily, use deodorant and are proud of "not smelling", have a distinct odor to the Chinese because most of us eat much more meat and dairy than they do.

[Smarmie Doofus]

5. Strange. I thought guys *were* people.

>>>Some guys or people seem to have strong b.o., or they >>>

Seriously... I've fought about this with my ( foreign born) child for years.

I swim almost everyday and have the dried out skin to prove it. I do believe there is an argument to be made for less compulsivity in this area.

Looking at it from an evolutionary POV, it seems likely that raunchy body fragrance served some useful purpose that is no-longer so useful in the post-indistrial age.

That said... habits of thought ( and hygiene) are hard to break.

[a la izquierda]

6. I rarely shower daily...

And I wash my hair only twice a week. I rinse off before and after the pool or gym, but that's about it.

[RebelOne]

65. I don't shower daily anymore.

I did every morning when I was working, but now that I am retired and do not go out that much, I don't see the need to. I always only washed my hair once a week because I have very fine flyaway hair and it takes at least 4 days for it to build up some body so that I can control it.

[Fawke Em]

7. It's horrible for your hair, as well.

I have naturally curly hair and curly hair is notoriously dry (because the natural scalp oils have trouble working itself down the curled hair shaft) and my hairdresser advises her clients NOT to wash their hair, daily.

If you must wet it to style it, use conditioner only. The soap kills the oil that reinvigorates and shines your hair.

[RKP5637]

14. Same here, I just wet my hair to style it and let it dry, and the curls do the rest. n/t

[AgingAmerican]

15. My hair turns into a grease bomb

if I don't wash it daily.

[drmeow]

47. Me, too

I have lots of super fine dead straight hair. If I don't wash it daily it becomes like a tight fitting grease helmet on my head. It was so bad in high school that I was teased unmercifully about it.

[ellenfl]

95. except for weekends, i wash my scalp daily because it gets oily, but i only wash my scalp.

been doing that for years. of course, this doesn't work for short hair.

[drmeow]

163. Right now

my hair's about 2" long - I basically wash my scalp and the hair gets clean

[Fawke Em]

290. That was my point.

MOST (not all) people with straight hair have a far better chance of having greasier hair than those of us with curly hair (for the reason I stated).

I maybe should have added the caveat that my hair dresser specializes in those with naturally curly hair (an under-served demographic), so that's why she advises we dry, curly-haired folk take breaks from shampoo.

[bhikkhu]

153. stripping it of oils daily stimulates the oil glands to overproduce

It works the same as on the skin - if you strip it of natural oils, it will go into high gear to compensate. That's one of the big lessons we learned with acne problems growing...washing more often with astringent soap often makes things worse, while a milder soap and less often can calm things down considerably.

[anneboleyn]

195. Me too. No more than two days or it is root-to-ends grease

[JI7]

221. so does mines, in fact it's the greasy hair feeling that makes me feel most dirty

even if i shower but don't wash my hair i still feel dirty.

[treestar]

83. My hair I can leave for every other day

I take a shower each day and wash my hair every other day.

Then I don't bother with curling irons and the like. Not even blow dryers most of the time. Just don't have the time. The upside is not overtreating it.

[Fawke Em]

291. Same here.

I do wet it daily, except on weekends unless I need to style it for a date with hubby. I do dry it, briefly. Just a bit to get the solid wet off, but then I leave it to dry naturally after.

I don't have a need for a curling iron. LOL.

[JustAnotherGen]

121. I've co-pooed for a year now

Disclaimer - I'm a mixture of black/white with some native American mixed in - total curly sue. I "shampoo" with conditioner and and a touch of Moroccan oil every day - my hair has never looked better.

[Fawke Em]

292. I am dark Irish and Native American.

I'm essentially an olive-skinned white woman with dark auburn hair.

In the winter, I NEVER touch shampoo. Too dry.

What Moroccan oil do you use? I've found an olive-oil spray I love, but I suspect a Moroccan oil would probably be even better.

[Arugula Latte]

136. The problem is that I like to work out, and then I sweat, and I really need to wash it.

I haven't figured a way around that with my hair.

[Skittles]

149. these folk who advise not washing your hair daily

I am betting they do not exercise daily!!!

[Arugula Latte]

258. They probably don't...

Sometimes I fantasize about just shaving my head and being done with it. No more hair dye, no more blow dryers, no more clogged drains...Also, then I could just wipe off my head after a workout.

[Skittles]

283. OMG Arugula

if it was socially acceptable I would have shaved my head DECADES AGO!!! I have never dyed my hair but it is thick and right now it is 103 freaking degrees

[Fawke Em]

293. I do!

But, I use an olive oil freshener.

I can still wash my skin.

[bluestate10]

179. I have curly hair. I rinse my hair briefly daily and shampoo three time each week.

It works for me, my hair keeps a beautiful glow about it.

[Fawke Em]

294. Yep. Me, too.

I rarely shampoo in the deep winter, though. Once a week.

Conditioner most work days and a shampoo on Monday mornings after not washing it from Friday morning on (unless we go out on a hubby/wife date, but mostly weekends are for cleaning, relaxing, hanging out with the kids, grocery shopping - nothing I need to get spiffy for).

[snappyturtle]

8. K&R

[Brigid]

9. Apparently you've never been on a crowded city bus.

[RKP5637]

10. I don't really sweat and do not smell, it takes little deodorant for me. My dermatologist

said if one must shower daily, it is best not to use soap except on the hair and private parts ... the majority of soaps, he said, are way too drying, also he advised no hot showers. Anyway, he's one one the top rated dermatologists. That said, I think it varies a lot by the individual ... some people just plain easily smell.

[Auntie Bush]

311. Same here. My dermatologist told me to only wash my hair once a week and shower

2-3 times a week as needed. I have very, very dry skin and hair. I don't perspire at all and probably use deodorant three times a month. My daughter has a very keen sense of smell and has never told me I had BO...and believe me, she would if I did. Also, my feet, shoes and socks never smell either. I have sneakers many years old and they have no odor.

It's NOT GOOD or HEALTHY to be like this...the body needs to perspire to cleanse contaminates from the skin. The skin of those that need to shower often have good healthy skin. I get a lot of skin problems and my face turns beet red due to lack of perspiring. That makes me vulnerable to heat stroke so I have to be very careful not to really get overheated or stay in the sun.

It is nice not to have a perspiration problems...But, I'd rather have nice soft skin...not dry. I try to apply lotion daily.

[magical thyme]

11. I no longer have time to shower every day...

but in the summer, I tend to rinse off in the local lake while taking my dogs swimming. I only shower alternate days summer and winter, unless I've worked up a major, drenching sweat. My skin thanks me for it, I might add.

[ileus]

12. Uh...yeah that's why I don't use the patient family elevators

at work....plenty of them subscribe to your answer for saving water and money.


I work a pretty easy 50/50 desk job, then come home and work around the house, I'm not going to go to bed stinking of sweat dirty and nasty.

[bluestate10]

183. Same here. If I go to bed without bathing, my skin itches all night, I can't sleep. nt

[AgingAmerican]

13. When I wake up

I step straight into the shower. I admit it.

[RKP5637]

18. To me, a shower is a great way to wake up in the morning and get going. n/t

[cherokeeprogressive]

24. From the bed to the shower.

Daily. And if I do anything strenuous during the day, a rinse before bed.

[A HERETIC I AM]

31. Me too.

Wash the sleep off as I like to call it.

Not to mention shampoo is great for getting rid of bead head.

Ditto on the before bed as well. I can't stand sleeping when I stick to the sheets cause of dried sweat.

[cherokeeprogressive]

53. "Wash the sleep off" perfectly describes my thinking.

I start hot, and gradually decrease the temp until it's pretty well chilly. Lukewarm in the evening. I don't suffer from bedhead due to lack of hair LOL.

Long time no hear from, My Friend. How's tricks? Back behind the wheel yet? I'm thinking it's not going to be long before the eggnog machine cranks up. I'll call and see if I can get a specific date!

Hope all is well with you.

[A HERETIC I AM]

127. See your inbox. Don't wanna hijack the thread. n/t

[Bay Boy]

133. This seems the most wasteful showering regime...

...showering before bed and then showering again when you wake up? Sure it's your money but still...
I find just splashing my face from the tap suffices for 'washing the sleep off'.

[A HERETIC I AM]

142. To each his own.

Sometimes I run all the taps, flush the toilet repeatedly, do a load of laundry and water the lawn all at the same time, just to be a contrarian!

[Bay Boy]

170. You bastard!

Not to worry. I have no plans to monitor your water usage.

[CTyankee]

251. That's why I like to shower every morning. That great feel of being refreshed.

But I have to use hypoallergenic soap. Dove makes a good one that has no perfume.

Showers don't have to be lengthy. If you use a washcloth, you can get yourself clean really fast.

[Progressive dog]

16. We have plenty of water

in most parts of NY.

[sufrommich]

17. There are a lot of people who work hard,physical

jobs every day,I was one of them. It's easy to pooh-pooh the thought of daily showers if you work a desk job.I imagine,plumbers,miners,waitresses/waiters,auto workers,etc feel they've earned their showers.

[SomethingFishy]

51. +1 I'm a roadie, I live on a tour bus with 12 people who work 18 hour days..

Not showering is not in the cards for us


However when not on the road I shower as necessary.

[A HERETIC I AM]

128. What firm, if I may ask?

As a driver, I've thought many times of applying to Upstaging and the like. I sent them a resume' years ago but never heard from them.

Just curious what firm you work for.

[SomethingFishy]

199. I'm an independent contractor..

I do video, I have been working out of Nashville for the last 8 years with a major country act...

If you want to drive try some trucking companies or bus companies. For buses, Hemphill Brothers, Nitetrain, Roberts Brothers, are all out of Nashville. Xtreme Trucking is who hauls our gear.. If you are good with people I recommend trying the bus companies. Better pay and better working conditions...

[A HERETIC I AM]

211. "If you are good with people"......!

I operated marketing display trucks like this for 13 years;



Dealt with the public all the time!

Yeah...I'm pretty good with people. I get testy with some DU'rs though!! (Not you, of course)

[Codeine]

166. Exactly. After hurling myself willy-nilly around a retail store

for ten hours or more, inside the building and out in the parking lot, I need a shower.

[Xithras]

246. Heck, I go to the gym every day.

You wouldn't want to be within 100 yards of me if I didn't shower after going to the gym. If my shirt isn't sweat soaked and stuck to my body, I'm not working hard enough!

My wife won't even let me walk in through the front door after hitting the gym, because she doesn't want the smell in the house. I have to walk into the laundry/side door which is only three steps from the downstairs bath/shower.

I'm a desk jockey by trade, and coule probably get away with weekly showers if not for my gym time. But since I'm concerned about my health, and your noses, I'll continue exercising and showering daily.

[Triana]

19. I can just see the Freepers / GOOpers / Teabaggers laughing at the "smelly hippies"

on here who don't obsessively shower every day.

Not agreeing or disagreeing with your post, just imagining the RWNJ reaction.

I suspect it's a matter of lifestyle, climate where one lives, daily activities, personal preference, body type, etc. And yes, evolution too I suppose. Lawd knows cowboys had to be pretty smelly characters in the old days.

[KG]

20. i can shower and quickly and easily as a sponge bath.

and after all these years, haven't seen any deleterious affects...

[SCUBANOW]

21. Bath Everyday

Sorry, but it is hot in Texas all year, I bath at least once a day, sometime more.

[narnian60]

81. I am hearin' you on this, scubanow.

Heat + humidity + outside work/activity equals a rinsing off!

[SheilaT]

23. I shower every day, wash my hair three times a week.

In between I condition it while showering.

I also have terribly dry skin, and use lotion every day.

Perfume, I believe, was originally invented to cover up human body odor back when people didn't bathe very often and there was no deodorant.

Swimming every day in chlorinated pools will do terrible things to your skin and hair.

And I used to work in a job where we frequently saw foreign tourists, and we always noticed that the French were noticeably the most odorous.

[pipi_k]

38. The bus in Poland...

A few years back, my son and his wife took a vacation in Poland to visit my DIL's relatives.

They ended up taking a bus to some place in a downtown area and he said they could hardly stand the smell of dozens of, let's call them "aromatic", armpits.

Back 35 years ago I had a Pakistani friend who worked in a small store. He was a very clean man, but as soon as you walked in the door...even in summer when the AC was on...you could smell strong armpit odor.

OTOH, a Native American man I lived with never smelled no matter how sweaty he got.

Body chemistry is interesting...

[darkangel218]

107. ewwww@ french being the most odorous.

I remember that smell

[Bunnahabhain]

25. This Canuck

showers daily and I cannot imagine not doing it. Not withstanding what other people are saying spending 10-14 hours a day at my desk job does make me feel grungy. Cap that off with my daily workout and I would expect my wife to kick me out of bed if I didn't shower.

[hunter]

26. I haven't been on a long wilderness trip for many years...

... but I remember the feeling of "wow, this is what human skin is like in it's natural state."

It's not so bad. I think an entire ecology of benign microbes develops that simply eats the smellier and more pathogenic microbes.

There's a human smell just like there's a dog smell, but it's no so bad as the smell people who shower every day sometimes have when they miss a shower.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

48. And then there is camper ass or monkey butt when you camp too long without a shower.

There. I said it.

[hunter]

116. TMI and I don't want to know more.

My kilt, my cape, my hat, and my canvas boots let the air circulate.

[pipi_k]

27. I could shower

3x per day and still have someone comment on my stinky armpits. They start to smell less than ten minutes after drying off, no matter what soap or deodorant I use.

I have a problem with smelly urine as well...it's an actual disease. Certain proteins make my urine smell like dead fish.

So twice per day I use warm salt water to rinse the area, and change my underwear three times per day. Yes, I actually own over 65 pairs of underwear because of this problem.

[woolldog]

40. TMI

[Ed Suspicious]

69. Grow up please.

[pipi_k]

74. Sorry

you were offended by that.

It sucks having to live with it.

In any event, I always feel that it's good to give information that could help someone else.

The disorder is called Trimethylaminuria, also known as "Fish Odor Disease":


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trimethylaminuria

It's important for people to know about such things so they don't wrongly judge someone for being a dirty pig when it's something that has nothing to do with hygiene.

[Beacool]

250. I had never heard of that disease.

It must be uncomfortable for you, so sorry. Thanks for the information.

[Hekate]

300. You've educated a few people today

Sorry you have to live with it, but you seem to have worked out all the coping mechanisms.

[KT2000]

52. have heard of this

and sorry you have to deal with it. Is there nothing that can be done even in the alternative medical area? Have a friend who cured her excess sweating problem by taking taurine for 1 year.

[pipi_k]

71. as far as I know...

the only real remedy is to avoid the trigger foods.

For me, it's chicken, turkey, and...of course...seafood.

And certain spices in Chinese food. Garlic, as well, which literally streams off my skin.

Unfortunately, these are the foods I truly love.

For years I used to think that I might have an infection "down there" but no...and then I'm quite sure that various boyfriends figured hygiene was not important to me...also not true.

It's a genetic abnormality, which was a relief to find out after all these years...

[msanthrope]

198. I've heard that charcoal and chlorophyllin will work. I am sorry you have to deal with this. nt

[vanlassie]

67. Have you tried Kirks Castile soap? Only thing I know

that works on that problem.

[pipi_k]

80. Haven't

tried that, but I have tried Dr Bronner's Peppermint soap, which is castile also.

Have tried many different soaps, none of which have worked.

It started when I was about 12 or 13 and just kept going from then. I never realized until a friend told me I stunk.

My poor grandson is an early bloomer. He's 9 now, but it started when he was just turning 8.

We're just a family of skunks.

[vanlassie]

85. It's hormonal for sure. I think Kirks is miraculous but maybe it's chemically matched to some .

[narnian60]

87. One good thing that comes with age,

at least for me, is that I try my hardest not to judge people I do not know.

[Shankapotomus]

177. I don't remember where I saw it but

I think there is a surgical procedure now that, I think, removes excess sweat glands to reduce sweating in those afflicted with over perspiration.

I don't remember where I saw it or what the procedure was called. It was just something I randomly came across a few days ago.

[pipi_k]

264. Oh, I don't

sweat that much anymore, although that surgery would have come in handy when I was a teenager.

I remember sitting in class with my arms on the desk in front of me and perspiration would literally drip off my armpits like a leaky faucet.

Which would make me nervous and uncomfortable, which would cause even more sweating. Ugh.

Anyway, the major problem now (which started 35+ years ago) is the smelly urine. Sometimes it even makes me gag...

[KittyWampus]

28. After working in the garden, a sponge bath doesn't cut it.

[Gregorian]

29. Water waste is a function of population.

I dislike the concept that it's the act that is the problem. Of course, now that there are billions of humans, the act IS the problem. But don't confuse the issue. If we want to conserve stuff, we need to look at the source.

[RC]

30. I shower every night.

Why should I take the daily accumulation of crime to bed with me every night. If you are going sponge off anyway, might as well do it right, with a shower. Face, arm pits, back, crotch area, feet. How many people get all that with a sponge bath? None that I have noticed in my almost 70 years.

[csziggy]

32. When working on the farm I had to shower daily

Hard, manual labor when it is hot, dry, or dusty makes it mandatory to take a shower. There were times when the water rinsing off my body was muddy, especially after mucking out stalls or mowing pastures all day. And there were days when I was literally covered in shit - and other biological materials.

Now that I don't do that kind of work, I find that I still need to shower at least every 48 hours or I begin to react to my own sweat. If I don't use deodorant or if I need to shave my armpits, I smell in as little as three hours. And if my armpit hair is longer than a quarter of an inch, washing does not remove the smell that accumulates in the hair.

I can tell the difference if I don't stay clean - my skin gets irritated and I break out. Even with the drying type of soap I must use (because of my allergies to fragrances and ingredients in other soaps) my skin is softer and obviously healthier when I shower every 24 to 48 hours.

If I don't wash my hair every other day, it is an oily, stringy mess and my scalp breaks out. It does get too dry if I wash it every single day for weeks on end. I usually skip washing my hair a few times a week to let the natural oils refresh it.

[branford]

34. I'll stick with my daily shower, particularly in August. To each his own . . .

[abelenkpe]

35. Swim everyday in pool or ocean

certainly need to shower off the chlorine, salt water and sand.

Naturally long curly hair doing just fine. Skin seems ok too. Maybe the excessive dryness just depends on the individual?

[hfojvt]

36. in India they take baths daily

the daily shower is not so much American as it is "America post 1970". My parents never showered daily.

However, water is never "wasted". Maybe the chemicals and energy used to TREAT water are wasted, but the water goes into the drain or into the air and is recycled back into the water cycle.

The only water that is wasted is that which is in plastic bottles that people don't drink all of it and then the plastic bottle ends up in a landfill with the water still inside it.

But I don't think those plastic bottles are as indestructible as people think. The plastic molecules may last forever as a pollutant, but the bottle itself will break into little plastic pieces or be crushed and broken fairly quickly I am guessing and then the water inside can seep back into the ground.

[BlueJazz]

37. This says something

[ZombieHorde]

39. My shower frequency is based mostly on what I have been doing.

If I have been hiking or having lots of sex, then I will shower everyday. If I'm just reading, surfing the web, and watching shows, then I shower about two or three times a week.

[Populist_Prole]

41. Horse hockey!

Maybe those who live and work in mild climates can shower less, especially if "work" means an air conditioned office.

Working physical labor in a hot humid climate can have me from being completely clean and dry to clammy with sweat soaked through clothes and matted hair within a few minutes. So I take TWO showers a day during the summer months: Once before work because it's bracing and removes the sweat and rumpled hair of sleep, and one after; for obvious reasons stated earlier.

And sorry, while I don't think and believe everybody should have to smell like soap and shampoo, I find body odor to be a disgusting scent to the degree skin pores and sweat glands might as well be mini anuses.

[darkangel218]

42. I could not not shower everyday.

I would be tinky

[Coyotl]

43. If you are having sex everyday, it is a good thing to shower every day too.

Everyone else can save energy and water

[vankuria]

56. Agreed!

No one wants to get intimate with someone that stinks!

[darkangel218]

100. Not to mention, sex with a partner who hasnt showered can give you

UTIs.

Simply grossy!!

[Codeine]

167. Can you imagine two or three days of regular sex without showering?

Good god.

[Johnny Noshoes]

45. Back in the early 90's...

Back in the early 90's I was in the hospital with pneumonia and the complications it caused. I needed to have surgery to clean out a lung. I layed in that hospital bed, with tubes coming out of my side, and finally when they withdrew the tubes I was allowed to shower. I gotta tell you that felt SO DAMN GOOD after two weeks. Showering is a your mileage may vary kind of thing for me I like to shower once a day maybe twice if its a really hot day.

[cherokeeprogressive]

57. I SO hated showering on Navy ships.

The shower head was a big solid plastic thing with a button on the side and water only came out when the button was pressed. Also, it was on a flexible hose. So the ONLY way to shower was to wet down, hang the shower head up, soap, then rinse. I outsmarted them though, yes I did. I got a hose clamp the same diameter as the shower head. It held the button down. I also took a wire hanger and fashioned it so the shower head fit in it and I could hang it up. Problem solved. I was back to taking what Sailors call a "Hollywood Shower".

[cherokeeprogressive]

106. You have to understand that I was on an Aircraft Carrier and my job was aircraft maintenance...

There were days when I got off my 12 hour shift after literally bathing in hydraulic fluid, grease, solvents, fuel, and/or paint. Thoroughly washing every inch of my body was a huge pain in the culo using that infuriating showerhead.

I've camped (we call it "dirt farming" lol) lots of times where there were no restroom facilities of any kind. We have shower bags that hold five gallons and are black. Hang them in the sun, shower in the afternoon, and two people can easily shower with five gallons. That's different than trying to get 12 hours worth of petroleum products and synthetic oils off of my body though.

[cherokeeprogressive]

110. We used to joke about "out there" vs home...

When we were out on the ship there were times when it was easy to get teary over how much we missed home. When were home we talked about things ship related. Go figure.

Hygiene though was a very important thing. When the Navy can squeeze 15 guys and all their belongings into a 12x12 space, body odor was pretty much not allowed. Though I never saw it, I heard stories about guys dragged kicking and screaming to the showers and scrubbed with hard-bristle brushes and lye soap as a way of teaching them a lesson.

FWIW, I was in the old Navy. The one that existed before women were allowed on ships in battle groups. Proud Shellback here, and I'd go through the initiation again if I had to. It wasn't that bad.

[pintobean]

186. Do you know what ship?

I crossed in '83 and we had about 200 women in the crew of about 1200. In '84, they were going for a 50/50 ratio.

I thought Shellback initiation was a blast. There were a few assholes, but for most people it was just good fun.

[Revanchist]

122. Don't forget the times when the AC goes down.

Nothing worse than a 110 man berthing with no air conditioning and water rations due to problems on the ship.

[cherokeeprogressive]

124. Got caught once soaped up from head to toe when the water was turned off.

That sucked.

As far as the AC went though, my squadron's Skipper was the senior Skipper in the Air Wing and so we got choice of berthing areas. Ours was forward of the hangar bay, below the water line. It was always moderately cool and moderately quiet compared to the rest of the ship.

[Revanchist]

126. Lucky you, the majority of my time was spent above the hangar bays on the 02 or 03 levels.

When my squadron was stationed on the Forrestal in the 80s I was under the landing area behind the wires in the berthing that was flooded with burning jet fuel in 67.

[Kaleva]

196. On the "USS Leaky Larry", we often didn't get to take showers or bird baths...

when underway. The evaporators were always a problem and many, many times when we pulled out to sea, the first word passed after sea and anchor detail was secured was that fresh water was secured throughout the ship. Water was available at the scuttlebutts, for coffee and bug juice but not to shower or take a bird bath or even to brush your teeth.

[SammyWinstonJack]

114. Now that I live in a motorhome, that how I shower, daily. Sucked at first but now

it's just routine.

[wercal]

49. I stink, therefore I shower

Just take shorter showers if you're worried about water use.

I went to Disney in FL fifteen years ago...one of my strongest memories of the trip was, well, strong smelling people from Europe. They don't seem to mind...but its not the norm in this nation.

[ConcernedCanuk]

205. No - the saying goes like this:

.
.
.

"I stink, therefore I am!"



CC

[Rex]

50. I like super microbes.

nt.

[vankuria]

54. As a post menopausal woman

I resent anyone telling me how many showers I should take. If you're a woman over 50 your going to experience hot flashes and in the summer it's going to be even worse. Sometimes I'm drenched in sweat and it isn't pretty. I shower every morning and usually before bed. I don't wash my hair everyday because it doesn't need it, but usually every other day. As for skin drying out that's not true if you're using a really good skin softener. I use Shea Butter and it's awesome, it feels great to put on and leaves my skin very smooth and soft.

My husband like alot of men, works in a very physical job and comes home very sweaty and first thing he does is jump in the shower. The benefits of a good shower aren't just physical, they calm you down, relieve stress and sort of symbolically wash away the troubles of the day.

I happened to like the feeling of being clean and nothing will ever stop me from my daily showers.

[nolabear]

63. +1 on the Post-M shower AND the shea butter!

When, where and how much I shower is my own damn business. Personally, I like a hot shower to feel clean and calm down, and a cool one to cool off.

Jesus Christ people can find some strange things to climb up other peoples' butts about.

Menopause has also made me not have to be so damn nice.

[vankuria]

93. You go girl!

I'm with ya all the way!

[pintobean]

55. News from Foxx.

No comment from Elizabeth.

Film at 11.

[Revanchist]

123. And R. Crumb reminds you to wipe.

[Enthusiast]

160. Funny!

[blueamy66]

58. nasty

just nasty

I cannot fathom not taking a shower everyday.

I would not date a guy that didn't shower everyday.

just my opinion, but it seems to be the opinion of everyone I know

and while you're at it....don't wash your clothes either...yuck

[Yo_Mama]

60. If you do a lot of physical work outside, for example

You do need to wash. Maybe working in an office, that isn't true.

I would be miserable and filthy if I did not shower pretty frequently, and my skin would show it.

[REP]

61. Daily washing is one of my favorite affectations of modern life

As someone cursed with an exceptionally acute sense of smell, I'm very glad I live in a country where most people bathe daily. Done properly with the right cleansers, daily washing need not damage the skin or hair (though I confess to taking some showers in the winter hot enough to remove wallpaper).

[zappaman]

62. +100

I've met people who don't shower and claim they don't smell or perspire.
I can attest that they certainly do smell.

[laundry_queen]

129. +1,000

I'm also cursed with a very sensitive sense of smell. I know the type of person you talk about. They almost always DO smell. I took a road trip with a person like that once. It was awful. BO is one of my least favorite odors on earth. It literally makes me gag and retch.

I shower at least once if not twice a day. And I'm in Canada - not much for heat here except odd days in the summer. I'm also blessed with greasy straight hair, so that gets washed at least once a day too. And I like smelly perfumes and deodorant. Even though some perfumes make me wheeze with my asthma, I'd prefer wheezing to retching.

[lordsummerisle]

202. Well I guess that explains your screen name... n/t

[laundry_queen]

204. That was chosen because I have 4 kids. nt

[Humanist_Activist]

64. When I wake up in the mornings, I offend myself...

My hair is very oily, and its a matted mess in the mornings, and I'm a guy with short hair! My skin is greasy, just plain nasty, so first thing I do is take a shower, then I feel somewhat human.

[TRoN33]

66. I'm an American yet...

I take just two to three showers per week. I usually don't use American-made shampoo, conditioners, and liquefied body-soaps. I just simply use pine-tar soap because its healthier and guarantee to not have any carcinogenic agents like most of American-made industrialized soaps.

Big question mark is this, how often industrial companies cleaned their big machines in assembly conveyors for soaps? Some reportedly that some companies NEVER did that once.

[pnwmom]

77. Some pine tar soaps do contain carcinogens, or "likely carcinogens."

http://www.ehow.com/about_5465183_health-risks-pine-tar-soap.html


1. Creosote
◦ Most pine tar and pine oil is made using a closed-kiln process that keeps it pure. If pine tar is made in an open kiln, the smoke and little fragments of unburned wood can come in contact with the tar and result in the creation of creosote, a known carcinogen.
A 2003 study by the Scientific Committee on Cosmetic Products and Non-Food Products found that "wood tar and wood tar preparations do pose a health risk when used in used in cosmetic products."
For this reason, most commercially produced pine tar soaps say "Creosote-free" right on the label.


2. 1,4 Dioxane
◦ One potential toxin found in pine tar soap is 1,4 dioxane, also just called dioxane. This is not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration because it's not an ingredient itself; it's a byproduct of other ingredients. Studies done by the Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry have shown that dioxane at high doses can cause kidney and liver damage, and has been proven to cause irritation to the nose and mouth when inhaled as vapor. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1,4-dioxane is "reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen."
Though most soaps and cosmetics contain only trace amounts of dioxane, some exceed the FDA's recommended exposure levels.


3. How to Avoid Toxins
◦ As with anything you eat, drink or apply to your body, read the labels. Dioxane is a byproduct of the following chemicals, which are used to offset the harshness of other ingredients: PEG, polyethylene, polyethylene glycol, polyoxyethylene, polyethoxyethylene or polyoxynolethylene. Avoid buying pine tar soap containing these ingredients.
Also, if the label doesn't say "Creosote free," don't buy it. Or, contact the manufacturer and ask if the pine tar it uses is made via closed-kiln or open-kiln. Avoid soaps using open-kilned pine tar.



[The Velveteen Ocelot]

68. I can't imagine not showering every day. Ick.

I hate that grubby feeling - gotta shower and wash my hair every day or I feel gross.

[Vashta Nerada]

70. Taking a bath wastes water also.

How many gallons of water does it take to fill a bath tub?

[laundry_queen]

132. Showers generally waste less water than a bath does

especially if you have a low-flow shower head. My showers average 6-7 minutes. It takes at least that long to get our bathtub to fill to 1/4, so showers, in my case, save water over baths. I can have 3 showers that use less water than one bath.

[NRaleighLiberal]

73. the way I work in the garden, you wouldn't want to be near me after just a sponge bath!

There isn't much difference between me and the dirt and plants I tend after 5-6 hours out there in high humidity, 90 degrees!

[taught_me_patience]

75. Shower with soap every evening

Who wants to take grime and dirt into bed? Also, it preserves the sheets from getting dirty too quickly. I wake up and jump in the shower for a quick rinse and wake up. No soap in the morning.

[OldEurope]

79. Taking showers every day is necessary for some and unneccessary for others.

Depends on working conditions, climate, and personal requirement.

I don't think there is a general rule.

[narnian60]

98. Winner reply. nt

[ellenfl]

113. ditto. eom

[treestar]

82. I think the weather matters most

Just whether or not you've been sweating.

It's a lot to do with feeling dirty or clean.

Kids don't seem to mind it - before a certain age, they do all they can to avoid the shower!

[zappaman]

84. Gross.

Just ew.

[cbayer]

89. Agree. Wasteful and very american.

We have very limited water and it makes you think about exactly how you are using it.

People with open taps and unlimited water often don't think about it at all.

[eggplant]

96. For those of us with wells and septic tanks, this is just a silly argument.

We pump it out of the ground, and then it drains back into the ground. Tell me again where the waste part happens?

[pipi_k]

175. Well and septic tank

person here too...

Around this time of year, just when it's getting warmest, the well (and supplemental spring house) get a little "iffy" from a shortage of rain unless we get remnants from a tropical storm or something. It's easy to tell when water is getting low here...it smells of sulphur. That's when we have to conserve a bit.

The other issue is with the septic tank...during rainy times there's the danger of flooding of the tank if we use too much water.

Many septic tank owners (around here, anyway) live by the saying, "If it's yellow let it mellow...if it's brown flush it down".

We've lived here nearly 18 years and, following the rules, have never had a problem with water or sewage.

I know lots of people think those "rules" are kind of gross, but if they ignore them, messy and smelly things can happen...

[liberal_at_heart]

180. except for when living in an apartment we've always had septic tanks where we live.

In every house we've rented they've had septic tanks. We've always been advised to conserve as to not flood it. The one we're at now has a bit bigger septic tank so we don't have to conserve as much, but it's always a good idea to conserve when possible.

[eggplant]

207. We're lucky.

Our tank is properly sized and the leach field is functioning properly.

Our water table is fairly high. There is a creek running through the backyard. Ironically, whoever dug our well picked the unluckiest spot, since they had to go down about 300 feet to hit water. Next door, their well is 25 feet, tops. Four doors down, they have an artesian. go figure.

We've only run the well dry a few times. The last time was when our water filter got stuck backflushing and drained the whole damned thing straight into the septic tank. We switched to a passive filter after that.

Lately, though, the guy we hired to restain the house has been power-washing it and keeps running the well dry. Hopefully he'll be done after the next try.

But aside from the rare "no water in the well" event, it's great. Best tasting water I've had (once we run it through a carbon cartridge).

[Neoma]

97. After a class of hot yoga?

Every bit of my clothing is soaked like I dipped into a pool. Otherwise I don't shower everyday.

[BainsBane]

99. Depends on the climate and time of year

When I lived in Brazil they took MULTIPLE showers every day, not just one.
In the summer, I have to take a shower every day. In the dead of winter, no.

[darkangel218]

102. Quinox, i dare you to come to FL and shower just twice a week.

You wont be able to bare your own tinkiness.

[JoeyT]

104. You might be able to get away without showering or bathing if you

work a desk job in a climate controlled building. Last job I was on the boiler I was in never went below 100 degrees even at night. If I'm not on a job, I'm in fields getting both hot/sweaty and covered in dust. I'd never be able to go to sleep if I didn't take a shower.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

111. Remember the "Save Water - Shower with a Friend" campaign?

[locdlib]

112. I think it is to each his/her own.

I take a shower every day. I do not use soap, however as most of them tend to irritate my skin. I exercise daily, so I take extra care to scrub myself until all traces of dirt and sweat are gone. I am a married woman and get no complaints from hubby (know what I mean)? I get very few skin breakouts, with the exception of monthly hormonal ones.

[Denninmi]

115. At least twice a day.

Many days now 3 times, since I have started hitting the gym on my lunch hour.

Why people think it is ok to go out in public dirty, disheveled is beyond me. If it's something specific, like being in the middle of some project and needing a part, so you run to Home Depot or the auto parts store, one thing. But reall, yuck, I don't want I have to smell you at the grocery store.

[steve2470]

117. As many others have said, once a day is preferred

I know I smell and my hair looks gross from too much oil unless I shower daily. As water becomes more precious, I'm sure the amount of water per shower will decline, but I can't see the daily showering (or 2 or 3 times a day) going away any time soon.

[spanone]

119. i've spent time around a lot of europeans...i'll take the american 'unnecessary' way thank you

[JCMach1]

237. +1000

[LittleBlue]

120. We have plenty of water in the northwest

Do as you please, that's your business. Don't pester those of us who want to shower.

[Link Speed]

125. I sometimes wear the same clothes for a week.

I shower when my hair needs washing.

[Link Speed]

137. I do not understand what you mean

I was not attempting to make fun of the OP, just stating fact. I rarely ever get dirty and even more rarely break a sweat.

By the way, what is 'MIRT'? I have seen the word used, but have no idea what it means. Is it the NSA of DU?

[darkangel218]

139. NSA of DU? lol

Obviously you know exactly what im talking about.

Bye bye.

[Link Speed]

145. No, I really don't

I made that reference because of the context in which I have seen the word used.

'Bye bye'?

This is all kind of confusing, so I'm going to go play with my dog in the pool.

[darkangel218]

146. I wont miss ya.

[Codeine]

168. Gross.

Why? That's filthy.

[Link Speed]

188. I don't get dirty

The only time I get dirty is on day-long motorcycle outings, which I rarely do anymore. I don't like any physical exertion and do not need to exercise, being genetically blessed with good health and physique. I shower maybe twice a week, or before parties if my hair needs washing.

I see no need to change clothes that are clean. I lead a pretty simple lifestyle.

My pool evaporates more water than my house uses.

And I am never 'filthy'. I grew up on a ranch and made a pact with myself to never again work hard or get filthy dirty and sweaty. Fortunately, I am able to pay people to do the dirty, hard work on the property.

I am a pretty well-known local and my 'uniforms' are kind of a running joke. As a matter of fact, I have worn what I have on every day for the past week except for Friday when I got dressed for the Zucchini Races, which are a big deal in our little town.

[malaise]

131. To be truthful, Europeans didn't know what a bath was until they ran into the Arabs

in the Crusades - hence perfume, wigs, etc. They bathed so rarely and the entire family used the same water that we got the proverb throwing out the baby with the bath water since the baby was bathed last. To be kind they were real nasty.
We shower twice a day in the tropics.

[darkangel218]

134. +1

[JVS]

158. Not true

http://listverse.com/2009/01/07/top-10-myths-about-the-middle-ages/

[Freddie]

138. Shower and wash hair daily

I have fine, straight hair that gets dirty overnight, plus I have to wash out the spray and gel from the previous day. On days off work I usually let God dry it and use no styling products; still gets dirty overnight.
My Mom was one of those weekly wash-and-set at the beauty parlor ladies; her hair always looked nice but I absolutely can't imagine only washing my hair once a week! When that generation is all in Heaven with Mom there's going to be a lot of beauticians out of work.

[Warpy]

144. I agree and I've lived in enough "bathtub only" apartments,

the tub tucked in under an eave and impossible to stand in, to have bathing facilities that are too uncomfortable to use every day. Bird baths have done quite nicely between the soak everything baths.

The difference in my skin and hair from twice a week showers instead of daily ones is remarkable.

The only days I take quick daily showers are days like today, with relatively high humidity with the heat and no thunderstorms in the right place to cool us off.

[Skittles]

147. I live in Texas and exercise daily

no WAY would a sponge bath suffice but I do take very QUICK showers - I soap up and rinse off - there's no need to linger

[liberal_at_heart]

150. I don't shower everyday but boy do I cherish the days I do. I have really bad lower back pain.

I turn the water on almost as hot as it will go without scalding me. My dad used to have a great heating pad that had stones in it. The stones would get really hot if you wanted them to. We wore it out. I need to get another one.

[bhikkhu]

151. Every other day works fine for me

same with the kids. I give them a hard time if they go more than two days though.

When I was a kid it was a bath once a week, but my mom washed our hair more often (over the sink like in the salons).

[politicat]

152. Most of the US is S of 40N latitude, the same as S. Spain, N Egypt, and Tel Aviv.

Northern Europe is a much, much cooler climate with far more moderation than the US -- that Gulf Stream keeps it much warmer in winter. (Paris is at the same latitude as New Foundland and Winnipeg; Sitka, Alaska is on the same line as Kiev, and Calgary with Dresden.) Much of the US is subtropical in climate. (Do recall, they're in the midst of a heat wave, of daily high temps in the 80s. This is very uncomfortable for them, while most USians find the 80s comfortable enough even without AC.)

It's a better comparison to peg New York City to Naples or Istanbul, both of which have a long tradition of near daily bathing (going back to the ancient world). (The big difference of course is in having many public and communal baths which are less water intensive.)

Do we bathe too much? Eh, not compared to other subtropical climates. We do use too much water and could reduce that with more public pools and water infrastructure. We certainly use too many detergents and products and would probably be better off with a daily 3 minute sluice/scrub.

[Niceguy1]

155. if my girl didn't shower every day?

That would be a deal breaker. Yikes!!!

[Codeine]

169. +a million. nt

[liberal_at_heart]

174. luckily some of us have partners who love us no matter what. After you've been

married for a few years you even start to like each others smell. When one spouse goes off on a trip you find yourself smelling their pillow or jacket. When you're in love your partners smell can actually be quite nice.

[Niceguy1]

176. I agree, if it is a nice smell.

An unwashed smell, however, Is not nice.

[liberal_at_heart]

182. that's just it. when you're in love your partners natural smell is nice. Let's say you're in love

and your partner showers every other day. Their natural smell should be appealing. I think it has to do with love hormones, oxytocin or something. Now, if your partner just ran a marathon and has not showered for a week that might be a different thing altogether. But I find my husband's natural smell very appealing, and he has told me he finds mine appealing too.

[uppityperson]

214. Do you ask your "girl" to douche also?

[Niceguy1]

216. don't you think

That's a bit overboard?

[uppityperson]

217. My question is do you?

[Niceguy1]

218. um,

No. ?!?! There is a difference between good hygiene and voing overboard. You are just being rude.

[uppityperson]

220. Not meaning to be rude, just wondering as I was with a "nice guy" like that once.

[Agschmid]

225. So this subthread made me happy to be gay.

[bluestate10]

191. When I was younger I met a smoking hot european woman from one of the Germanys.

She was an amazingly hot beauty of the scale that I had never met in my young life up to that time and I was into her, until time came for us to get intimate. My young hormones got me through it, but once was enough for me. Her facial hotness and worldliness couldn't make up for her stinky private parts.

[Niceguy1]

194. eek

That is the first thing that popped into my head when I read the OP. Good hygiene is a must if you are going to be intimate.

[GObamaGO]

260. Is your female partner over 18?

Last edited Mon Aug 5, 2013, 01:58 PM - Edit history (1)

If so, she is not a "girl" anymore.

And you did not state whether you hold yourself up to the same hygiene standards as your female partner. Because we all know women are nasty

[Niceguy1]

279. of course I shower

Everything is 50/50 in s relationship. Duh.

[GObamaGO]

297. Does she call you boy?

That would be 50/50.

[Niceguy1]

298. please

This is silly

[GObamaGO]

312. Calling a grown woman a girl is not only silly

It is insulting.

[Union Scribe]

301. FFS.

Have you never heard the terms boyfriend and girlfriend? Are those offensive as well?

[ForgoTheConsequence]

157. I do landscaping in the summer.

I work in the sun and play in the mud, grass and dirt for 8-10 hours a day. So I'm sorry if it assaults your sensibilities but I'll have a shower every evening if I feel like it.

I know its hard to believe but there are people who work in the elements and in garages who go home a little dirtier than the office worker who gets a little toner on his/her khakis.

[rdharma]

159. It's simple..... use water like you were on a Navy ship at sea or camping....

..... wet down, lather up body and hair..... rinse off!

[Codeine]

164. Screw that. People who don't shower daily stink, especially the ones who are sure they don't.

And most Europeans shower daily now, btw.

[laundry_queen]

226. "Especially the ones who are sure they don't"

Yup.

[bluestate10]

165. I seem to get to threads like this late. Enough said. nt

[Butterbean]

178. When you work in healthcare

No matter how much PPE you wear (a ton), no matter how many times a day you wash your hands AND arms (a million), I swear to you, you can practically FEEL the germs crawling all over you. After wading in amniotic fluid, blood, and bodlily secretions of various types all day, I want a shower. I also want my shoes nowhere near the inside of my house. o_O

[likesmountains 52]

189. I'm with you on that. Sometimes I want to shower before I

even get in the car. I have an OB nurse friend at work who left a blood and amniotic fluid stained scrub top in her car and a bear broke in and totalled her Rav4. Must have smelled good to the bear!

[Butterbean]

210. Oh gross. I am so eternally thankful that my washing machine

has a sanitize cycle and that the hospital provides our scrubs and launders them. *shudder* There are days when you just get NASTIFIED at work. I actually put deodorant on my ass before work because I get tired of my ass sweating when we're busy. It gets so insane.

[flvegan]

181. I shower in the tears of dirty Europeans!

LOL, but this thread is awesome.

Seriously though, I just let the shower run all day and night. I get in under it to wash when I feel like it.

[Codeine]

193. I have a whole extra shower just for running. nt

[Arugula Latte]

261. We have drinking fountains like that in Portland, Ore.

The "Benson Bubblers" run day and night. It's okay, though, because they're "historic" ...

[Hekate]

302. I thought those were so cool. I assumed they were from artesian wells or something...

I read that Mr. Benson provided them for the benefit of the working man, which I thought was nice of him. And all these years later, imagine how many plastic bottles this arrangement prevents from clogging up the landfill.....

[Renew Deal]

185. People that shower once a week are not "clean"

You can make this an ethnic issue all you want. But people that shower once or twice a week are not clean. Hopefully they avoid the public.

[one_voice]

190. Ew...

There's no way I could get in bed at night without a shower. I shower everyday--I always take one at night before bed. Depending on what I do that day, I may take more than one. I also may take one before bed and one in the morning.

I wouldn't be able to sleep if I went to bed without a shower.

[Ilsa]

192. In winter I bathe every other day,

But wash my hair almost every day. It looks lousy if I don't.

In nursing, we don't bathe the elderly every day, especially if they are hospitalized. It's too hard on their skin.

[peace13]

197. Deodorant is linked to breast cancer. N/t

[Hekate]

304. In college I had a landlady who claimed that. I could smell when she had let herself into my room...

She lived in a converted carport below my window -- had subdivided the house to rent out to as many college girls as possible, and liked to come in to "inspect" when we weren't there. She left an olfactory trail in her wake like you would not believe.

This was in the late 1960s, so this particular story has been around for a long time. I have no idea how much credence to give it myself, as I have never seen whatever study might have been done that caused her (or for that matter, you) to believe it.

All I know is that in this rather personal matter, I prefer to use an antiperspirant. I'm sure you are much nicer to be near than my former landlady, but that was her story and she was sticking to it.

[Ohio Joe]

201. Sorry but... Not even I can tolerate my feet unless they are washed every 12 hours or so

They get wicked smelly.

[tularetom]

203. If I don't shower where am I gonna shave and brush my teeth?

The last thing I want to look at first thing in the morning is me in the mirror.

[Codeine]

232. Or pee? nt

[lordsummerisle]

206. I can remember

a TV ad from the 60s or 70s saying that you should shower every hour or else get this certain soap so you don't have to.

Also I'm not sure how pheromones is related to how often you bathe. A pheromone: (from Greek φέρω phero "to bear" and hormone, from Greek ὁρμή "impetus&quot is a secreted or excreted chemical factor that triggers a social response in members of the same species.
I only say this because I can remember reading about a therapist saying that she was frequently hearing from women in problem relationships saying that they couldn't stand how their partner smelled. Was wondering if more frequent bathing/showering would address this or not?

[ConcernedCanuk]

209. Most in this thread would be horrified by my "sanitary" habits.

.
.
.

I rarely shower or bathe.

In the past 3 months, had one bath in my outside bathtub,

and one shower, both without benefit(?) of soap or shampoo.

I almost never use soap or shampoo, and NEVER use deodorant,

yet, I do not stink, all my past partners have told me so

I smell like me, not Irish Spring, Dove, Ivory etc.,

The only time I use soap is if my hands get greasy,

or with something else that will not come off with just plain old water and scrubbing.

One bar of soap will last me over a year.

It is not about saving water or money.

My skin has an extreme dislike of any chemicals, especially cleansers.

Most body odors come from dead skin, especially in the armpits and groin area.

My solution?

A complete body shave - yep -COMPLETE

Therefore I exfoliate, getting rid of the dead skin that harbors body odor.

Works for me, and I'm chemical free.

And I got great skin.

CC

[pipoman]

268. Ugg..way too much information..

[ConcernedCanuk]

282. pipoman - You, Sir, have gained a special position in my relationships with DUers.

.
.
.

In over 10 years here I have made many provocative statements,

Had posting privileges revoked, posts hidden, etc.,

but no one, I repeat

NO ONE has ever thrown that puke thing at me.

I think it was unnecessary,

and downright rude.

CC

[pipoman]

295. I found myself reading it as if passing an accident..

Actually your post combined with the meter reading post, reminded me of a very good friend..he is very earthy and a total child of the early 70's..I tend to befriend the more eccentric personalities..

I think the gag reflex was triggered by the thought of shaving without bathing or using soap..not trying to hurt your feelings..

[ConcernedCanuk]

296. pipoman - You did not hurt my feelings

.
.
.

I have thick skin.

And yes, I guess I could be could be classified as eccentric by many, - I prefer to think of myself as an individual,

not easily swayed by the crowd.

My post was intended to inform those concerned with their health, and my own health improved greatly with my new habits.

I noticed in the thread peoples different concerns and habit, so I attempted to offer my experiences as a solution to all the chemicals people use on their bodies.

Want to impress me?

Self delete your post with you puking at me

and I will self delete this one

PM me if you do so,

then all of this will disappear.

CC

[Dash87]

212. I'm too much of a prima donna to consider this.

Others who are less high maintenance may agree.

[spike1807]

213. Too smelly for me ...

I love that we (Americans) take showers every day. We feel good, smell good, and look good!

[Agschmid]

223. Welcome to DU...

We (I) appreciate the cleanliness.

[William769]

219. Thank God it's very American.

Speaking as someone who deals with European Travelers that have just gotten off a long flight.

[CreekDog]

222. I'm going to spoil your bliss by telling you what you think about Europe is probably 40+ years old

and not the the case now.

and on DU, you mostly just want to say things that cause trouble.

[Safetykitten]

224. I shower twice a day and I live in PHOENIX! I am a criminal water waster.

[Peaceplace80]

227. I guess it depends

On where the person works and how much they sweat. I have the habit of having to take one every morning to wake me up. I find it difficult to start my day without one.

[Demo_Chris]

228. Along with quitting showers I have stopped wiping my butt. Saves a lot of trees and...

My dog still thinks I smell wonderful.

[FSogol]

233. Make sure you use both sides of the toilet paper.

[pecwae]

230. There are lots of people

who are certain they don't smell. Maybe they become inured to their own odor. Even though those folks may think they don't smell, they probably do smell to others. If they don't care, that's fine. They do need to realize that when others keep their distance, back away or flee the BO is the reason. I am cursed with an ultra sensitive nose and I can smell BO, unwashed hair, unclean clothing from several feet away.

[Shrek]

234. Showers don't "waste water"

Once you're finished with it, it's still water.

[pipi_k]

235. Hah...try that one

in a bar!

Grab a pitcher of beer and pour it out on the floor...

"Hey, what's wrong with you people? I didn't waste it! It's still beer!!!"

[Baclava]

236. Stay out of my bathroom! You gonna tell me how many times a day I'm 'allowed' to shit next?

"I am a clean person, I don't smell."

Oh you stink, stinky - once your stink passes people turn and point at you and say 'there goes stinky"

[Beacool]

239. I have family in Spain, France and Belgium.

I also have some family in Argentina. Everybody showers every day and many even wash their hair daily.

Yes, I do agree that other Europeans may not do so. One of my brothers at one time owned a large business in France. He said that the ones that smelled the worst were the women, ironically enough.

As for the Argentine, they shower daily and their homes have a bidet in the bathroom. It's standard. I love bidets, but very few people have them here in the States. I know people from other Latin American nations and have traveled to several of these countries, they shower daily too.

I can't foresee ever giving up my daily shower, particularly in summer when I may shower twice a day.

[CTyankee]

253. whatever you do, don't start a bidet thread here on DU. People here get incensed over the whole

idea of the bidet. I can't figure that out...

[pipi_k]

262. Bidets?!

Pooh on them!

I just use one of my hands.

Forget which one, though...

[Orrex]

265. It's quite simple, in fact

When you have previously brought up the topic, you have tended to frame it as "why are Americans so prudish that they refuse to wash their anuses to my satisfaction?" and "what's the matter with Americans here?"

In the future, you might consider framing the question in a way that doesn't attack the people who might otherwise give you an answer.


Just a thought.

[CTyankee]

267. I was awaiting that. Congrats on being so speedy.You are to be commended!

[Orrex]

271. Bidet! Bidet! Bidet! That's all, folks!

[Beacool]

275. Well, I love them.

The first apartment I rented in this town, it was a gorgeous place with two bathrooms. The master bathroom had a bidet. I was in heaven. As a woman, it's such a joy to have one. I still miss that bidet.

[CTyankee]

281. when I travel to Europe it's great to have it in the hotel room. It's a good thing.

But I understand if some people really don't care for them. Personal choice.

[Beacool]

288. I don't know why anyone wouldn't avail of it.

Particularly when they go to the bathroom, if you get my gist. It leaves one nice and clean.

[CTyankee]

289. Trust me, don't go there. You will get SUCH a pushback, it is amazing and discouraging...

but, yes, it is a nice and lovely thing that is an extra help. I particularly loved it in Florence when I was on an art intensive in September, it was hot and I was rushing around like crazy to get to everything. It was a refreshing little thing that made life nicer. I don't know what is wrong with that, but some people here did...OK, I guess, but....

[pecwae]

305. You know you can get

small bidet attachments to hook up to your existing toilet? They're fairly inexpensive. I got one online for less than $60. Easy to install. You can even get the type that uses hot water; less easy to install. Mine might use cold water, but it leaves me with a fresh feeling after certain activities.

[Beacool]

310. Thanks, I know that they exist.

I just never looked into it. Thank you for the suggestion.

[xoom]

240. I take daily showers. Love it. Won't change.

I can't control anyone else though.

[AngryAmish]

243. Today I learned that many DUers smell

[adirondacker]

245. must have one of these....

(not necessarily the cat)

[Puzzledtraveller]

247. Stinky ass, no thanks

I shower daily. If I had to have a rule it would be that if you take a shit then you need to shower that day. I don't need to worry about that since I shower daily. And when getting intimate with someone you will find yourself wishing they had the same rule.

[Th1onein]

252. Damn! And here I was developing a major crush on you, quinnox!

LOL! Just kidding.

[Zorra]

256. Showering with friends saves lots of water. nt

[MicaelS]

259. Lots of things waste lots of water.

If you expect people in the US to give up showering on those grounds, then you are deluded.

I do not want someone who smells of B.O. making or serving me food. If they don't wash their body, they may not wash their hands.

B.O. is grounds for counseling and disciplinary action in some businesses.

If I ran a business I would make it my policy that you WILL bathe or shower every day, and you will use deodorant. Catch you smelling once, it's a verbal warning, second time it is a write-up, third time you're gone. I do not want to smell your stink, no matter B.O. or excess fragrance.

I don't care what Europeans do, or don't do in this respect.

[tabbycat31]

263. I'll take my daily showers

Even if it's considered a luxury in other parts of the world (I've never been overseas), it's something that is important to me.

And I would not date someone who did not shower daily.

[Wolf Frankula]

266. It's articles Like This that has Lead to Research

getting into bad odor with many people. I wonder if the group might accept the term 'lousy' not as a perjorative, but merely as a descriptive term for these 'articles'.

Couldn't help that, I pinched the sentiment from the late Winston Churchill, a gentleman who was never unnecessarily rude.

Wolf

[Ganja Ninja]

272. And quite frankly this whole brushing and flossing thing has gotten way out of hand.

[LanternWaste]

274. I imagine many people believe they themselves do not smell unpleasant to others...

I imagine many people who do not shower daily believe they themselves do not smell unpleasant to others... regardless of whether it's factual or not.

[Glassunion]

277. Apparently you've never met my nether regions on a hot sticky day...

My thinking is that most Americans are not historically from this region. The vast majority of us descend from ancestors from a vastly different climate. Those ancestors had thousands of years to acclimate to the climate. Then in the past few hundred years they migrated to this part of the world. I do not fare well in hot and humid climates. In the central desert of California I was fine, however the humid summers in the Northeast wreak havoc on my skin, and I get quite oily.

So I shower daily.

[quinnox]

285. very funny folks, so now I am a stinky hippie who is one of those people

walking around like a human stink bomb. No, I really am not. Trust me on this. I smell clean 99% of the time, I use fancy nice smelling deodorant, and my sponge baths I have between showers do the job very nicely. But I guess I deserved the ribbing a bit for this OP. Oh well.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

287. I have done alot of business in Europe,

And I have a very hard time believing that anyone in any sort of professional employment isn't bathing daily. Either than or their deodorant technology is decades ahead of ours.

[Hekate]

299. You ever live in the tropics? I remember it well. Sticky, sticky, sticky skin.

Kindly don't tell the rest of us how to carry out our personal hygiene. I've only ever known one person whose skin couldn't take cleansing with water -- a child with terrible eczema.

Those of us who live in drought-prone areas get enough advice on how to save water, and we follow it. It starts with low-flow faucets, low-flow shower heads, and low-flow toilets. It continues with xeriscaping our yards with drought-tolerant (yet attractive) landscaping. We are advised to operate the dishwasher and clothes washer only when full.

The above is what most of us do all the time. (When the reservoir gets really low, we flush the toilet infrequently and water the garden with grey-water.)

Back to showers: a low-flow shower head maintains a comfortable pressure in the stream of water so there's no feeling of deprivation. You save many, many gallons that way. I recommend you start with that, then get going on the rest of your plumbing and water usage.

[nolabels]

303. At least twice a day here

Before going to work and then just after, then sometimes more between. Depends how dirty i happen to get working around the homestead acreage or the garage. Yea if you don't do much once a day is okay but sweaty, greasy, oily, smelly and dirty is not an option. Thank you

[B Calm]

306. I wish the hell my neighbor took a shower everyday! He'll come

over and want to chat and I swear I can smell him a mile away.

[Quantess]

307. I don't know... this seems like gross overgeneralization to me.

As if all Americans have the same bathing habits, or as if all european cultures are the same. European culture differ wildly from each other. Sweden for example, is very similar in bathing habits and and deodorant use, compared to the US. Other places in europe may not place as much emphasis on absence of body odor.

[pink-o]

308. I work out 5 days a week...

Believe me, you do NOT wanna smell me after I've run a 10K or done a long bike ride! And as for the shower, any athlete will tell you it's an essential part of the workout. You're not just getting clean, you're loosening up your muscles and relaxing your whole body.

I watch my resource use in many ways, but I'm not giving up my hot showers.

You can thank me later!

[DainBramaged]

309. It is necessary, especially if you work in the automotive industry or any manual labor job

Jesus I take two a day most days in summer.


If it's one thing I've noticed about DU, it's people trying to foister off their ideas about hygiene as normal.

[In_The_Wind]

313. I wash my hair every other day while I shower.

If I feel like I need a shower every day, then it's every day.