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Okay I am really ready for the ewwws coming my way

I only shower every two days. I develop major rashes on my body when I shower so it's not a pleasant experience.

I saw a dermatologist and he recommended showering every three days! He advises against every day for most people as for the skin integrity when you get older (have heard that from multiple qualified sources before)

Thoughts? I don't sweat much and the only thing that seems to get dirty is my feet (which I wash daily)

really weird hey?

I used to shower every other day... but now I shower every day because my hair requires washing everyday to get it styled the way I want.

But since I live in Florida and it's hot and I do have to spend some time outside everyday at work (doing hall duty and walking kids around campus) I sweat too much to skip.

Also, nightly hot flashes have kinda made it necessary also.

But I wouldn't be opposed to skipping to every other day.

Not ewwww at all. All the older folks I know don't shower every day because their skin can't take it - it dries them out too much. They just do a sink bath kind of thing where it's needed. Everyone's different - I imagine there are plenty of people that don't shower every day. I work at a college and I know there are lots of kids that don't! Personally, I have to. I exercise every day and I sweat just at the mention of the work exercise, so no choice, at least at this stage in my life.

It's totally fine. Especially if you are not getting dirty. For people with skin problems, showering every day plus our chemical-filled soaps/shampoos is very bad.

Once I stopped bathing my babies daily and especially when I stopped using "baby soap", their skin problems cleared up.

I shower daily, but I only use shower gel about once a week. I just let water run over my body, then get out, towel off, call it good, a little moisturizer, and I'm done.

Seriously. Water can't really be making you break out. Ditch the soap. Just rinse.

I really don't think it's a big deal. I have very sensitive skin, and super curly hair, so I don't shower every day. Nor do my children . I have heard the same thing you have from a very well respected dermatologist. I think all people are different. There are probably people who do need to shower everyday, and people like us who don't. No judgements here.

Every other day usually, sometimes three days. I wash what needs washing in between (usually "pits and parts" ) and call it good. This is for every day when I am mostly sitting at a desk all day -- if I get sweaty or mow the lawn or something I shower.

It's why most European bathrooms have a bidet.

I shower every other day myself. I don't sweat much unless it's *really* hot and humid.

If you're getting a rash I'd bet good money it's the soap. I went through a period where soap made me itch like hell and I had to shop around for one that didn't. For a while it was Dove. Then *that* made me itch. I've been using Oil of Olay for a while now and so far so good - no itching.

I know it can be a pain finding a soap you can tolerate especially since you can't buy just a single bar any more - you have to buy at least two only to find you have an adverse reaction to it.

So my advice is try the travel-size soaps or body washes until you find one you can tolerate then you can get the full size without wasting money looking for what works.

Water can't really be making you break out

Actually it can. I get hives from hot water. Try turning the temp down to lukewarm when you do shower.

I'll second the hot water issue. My poor dd turned into a lizard (her words, not mine) last winter. Her skin was so itchy she had trouble sleeping. She had to turn down the heat , cut the length of her showers in half, and switch to every other morning. Her skin is perfect again. It really is drying and not too good for sensitive skin.

My mom used to only wash her face and um... private parts... every day. She took a bath once a week and washed her hair that same day. It's been a while since I've seen her, but I don't remember her being stinky or gross. I tend to get very oily, so I shower daily. More power to you if you can get away with less!

ETA: Might you have an allergy to your soap?

[This message edited by krazy8516 at 12:28 PM, September 14th (Saturday)]

I used to shower every day--twice if I were going out at night--because my hair is fine and thin, and then, oily. Now that menopause is in my rearview mirror, my hair behaves itself and my skin dries out easily, so I shower every other day, but wash any "stinky parts" with just water and a facecloth.

[This message edited by lynnm1947 at 8:50 AM, September 16th (Monday)]

My dear late Mom used to refer to a "sink" bath as a "whore's bath" - lol! - I have NO idea WHY, btw. I have no idea where she would have ever even have heard that term. I used to shower every day because my hair got greasy overnight, but since I turned 60, my skin and hair have become much drier, especially in the wintertime. So on in-between shower days, I thoroughly wipe down with scented baby wipes. That way I feel fresh and clean and my skin stays moist as well. I also keep them in the fridge for freshening up on summer days, even though I am showering that same day - I hate feeling sweaty.

My darling late MIL used to call 'em "PTA baths". I won't elaborate, but the "a" stands for armpits. Fill in the "p" and "t" for yourselves!

Aquagenic urticaria, also known as 'water allergy' and 'water urticaria', is a rarely diagnosed form of physical urticaria. It is sometimes described as an allergy, although it is not a true histamine-releasing allergic reaction like other forms of urticaria. The defining symptom is a painful skin reaction resulting from contact with water. This may also be the effect of different temperatures of water, such as cold or hot, and can flare with chemicals such as fluorine and chlorine.

Aquagenic urticaria causes the skin to itch extremely and occasionally burn after being exposed to water of any kind.[1] The skin may develop hives or spots. Showers may result in severely dry eyes and soreness. Higher water temperature tend to expedite the formation of hives. Shortness of breath or swelling in the throat can occur when drinking water. The pain usually persists for between 10–120 minutes.

Contact with any form of water can cause symptoms to appear. One's own or someone else’s sweat can cause a reaction, so most affected people try to stay cool in summer to avoid sweating as much as possible. Tears on one's face from crying can also cause pain. Most people with aquagenic urticaria try to stay out of the rain and carry umbrellas as a precautionary measure. Cleansing the body often induces such an intense reaction that affected people may take very short showers to lessen the severity of the pain. Aquagenic urticaria, although rare, is more common in young teens (14-16 years old) and is almost unheard of in adult and older years.

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

My wife and I were talking about this recently as there is a boy in my sons class with this condition. Dunno if that is what this is, does not sound like it but this stuff does exist.

The witch in Oz the Great and Powerful just needed a good dermatologist and she could have been invincible.

Lynn.....the elder aunt of my family tree always referred to them as PTA too!

I have to laugh now when I think I had to be only 4 or so when they explained what that was (in the vulgar terminology, of course).

Edited to say.....Sorry for the T/J Lauren! I have also heard from drs that the daily showering is unnecessary.

[This message edited by EvenKeel at 12:11 PM, September 16th (Monday)]

When you do shower, luke warm water, sulfate free soap, and apply lotion/body oil within 5 minutes of drying off. Also, I've yet to meet a person who is unfamiliar with a pits and slits bath, so no shame there.

My dear late Mom used to refer to a "sink" bath as a "whore's bath"

My aunt still does.

This is actually becoming more and more common. IN fact there are multiple product lines out there for waterless shampoo's.

If your skin is drying out, and you don't stink then what's the issue?

My Gram used to call them Bird Baths (whores bath) because you fill the sink and splash around like a birdie. LOL . I am a shower a day kind of girl, but I cannot use real soap on any of my body parts. I use a face wash on my face and chest, the soap that runs down from shampoo is enough for me to rinse the stink off. But as far as using soap in the private regions, YIKES no WAY!!! I have been like that since I was a kid. In the winter, I love the neutrogena oil. After shampoo and rinse i spray it on my back, and let it run down, and mix in with the water, keeps my back from getting the winter itchies.

Our skin was never designed to have that much soap use. IT's amazing in fact how good our skin holds up when we get dirty, and sweaty, but when you start scrubbing all the natural stuff away, look out.