In the western world, it was Queen Victoria who first mandated bathing among her subjects. I believe it was something like once a month but it could have been 6 months. At one time, doctors working in hospitals were horrendous about washing and bathing believing that the bloodier one’s smock and hands were, the better doctor they were considered to be.
I agree. There's nothing like "feeling clean." But if you search on "Is showering once a day bad" you get hits like this one: It may sound counterproductive, but a shower every day could be bad for your skin. Some dermatologists only recommend a shower every other day, or two to three times a week.
Yeah, that may be what dermatologists say but that could be because all they are interested in is the skin. It is indeed the largest organ we have and it is also the first line of defense against numerous toxins and bacteria. That said, the body is constantly getting rid of toxins that are already IN the body via the liver, kidneys, intestines and just as importantly, the skin. If the skin becomes compromised in any way then it’s harder to leach out the bad stuff and believe it or not, easier for toxins to enter in. When I was in Ekuk, Alaska, the natives would go to the community sauna / steam hut which is where I learned the value of using the steam room. When I’m finished with a workout, 15 minutes or so in a good steam room helps remove a major portion of toxins that are in my pores. A good rinse off in the shower with hot water and I’m good to go. A regular shower with soap leaves a film over my skin no matter how much I rinse off but the steam room and rinse leaves the skin much cleaner and also jump starts the body to burn fat and produce fresh natural oil and collagen that the skin needs.
I agree. But all this hyper-hygiene is a social construct thing, not a medical thing. I would argue that this "shower at least once a day" stuff is more of a sales pitch to consume more shampoo, soap, etc. I bet we're washing away a line of defense. In the near future, when the Greenies and the government get together and blame The West for water shortages in Africa and swear it's all because of our daily baths, and the "Experts" tell us that a weekly wash is more than sufficient, you can come back to this thread and congratulate me on being so prescient.
i have a whirlpool bath and separate shower here the bath very rarely gets used the shower daily every day sometimes more depending on what I am doing during the day. Soap Irish Spring any color