Everyday Showering Is Not as Good as We Think

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We live in a society overwhelmed with commercials that sent many messages on the importance of body hygiene, causing a lot of stress around natural body odor. While maintaining regular hygiene is important for overall health, putting too much effort on it can do the opposite. But, how can we know how much is too much? And what is normal, when it comes to showering? Dermatologists say that there is no straight answer, and it is not all about how often we take showers. According to them, we have to reconsider our daily routine, change our habits and learn how to shower, if we want to have a healthy skin. The article “Too much showering or bathing” lists the tips on maintaining good skin condition.

• Take baths or showers a few times a week with minimal usage of skin cleansing products
• When bathing or showering, use warm water. Hot baths along with scrubbing break down protective lipid barriers that also facilitates absorption of toxins from the water
• Limit usage of liquid soap products. Use natural soaps whenever possible
• Avoid frequent usage of moisturizer lotions and deodorant products or use only on “as needed” basis
• Stay away from using Loofahs and washcloths as they are often a breeding ground for bacteria. What you have washed away today, will be re-introduced back onto your skin next time you use it
• Use mineral salt deodorants to keep underarm odors under control. However, be careful. Many mineral salt deodorants contain aluminum
• Take occasional Epsom salt baths for no longer than 10 minutes for each session to cleanse your skin
• Protect skin from over exposure to sun by seeking shades or wearing protective clothing rather than using sunscreen lotions
• Limit bath time and scrub your skin gently with hands
• Pat dry moisture from the skin or use hot air to dry the skin
• Pay attention to diet, avoiding simple sugars as sugars cause opportunistic bacterial overgrowth causing unhealthy skin conditions
• Manage daily stress level as an excessive adrenaline without physical activity causes build up of stress hormones in the blood stream which suppress immune function that often results in skin health issues
• In winter, use air humidifiers that boil water to produce a warm mist. Cold mist humidifiers are known to cause respiratory infections due to the active bacteria present in unpurified water
• Drink sufficient amounts of water, but not too much water

To keep our skin in balance is different for any of us. In order to find the most suitable shower routine, we have to take into account a type of skin, environment, season of the year, and daily activities. What really does matter is to protect the natural skin maintenance cycle, because the skin provides natural protective oils and bacterial flora as protection from toxins, microorganisms from the environment and makes us tolerant of fluctuations in temperature. Any aggressive products whether chemical like soaps and shampoos or mechanical as loofahs and hot water can remove protective sebum from the skin and make it vulnerable to allergies or other skin problems. Keeping the skin in a good balance is essential goal of proper shower habits.