I recently read an article about whether one should shower daily or not and I was:
a) appalled that this was even questionable – you do need to shower daily. Not showering daily is like saying we do not need to use the washroom daily to urinate or defecate.
Daily showering or bathing should be part of your daily hygiene routine. It helps to remove dead cells and toxins and clean out sweat, which would otherwise accumulate on the body, and mixed in with the oils the body releases allow growth of certain types of bacterial or fungal species, which can cause various skin problems, especially for people who have overactive sebaceous glands such as acne and folliculitis.
b) surprised as to why we should not shower daily – and here are the reasons suggested: saving water and being more environmentally friendly – I get this one sure, other reasons: not showering daily keeps your skin moisturized, really? One of the best ways to moisturize your skin is to apply a good moisturizer after showering daily, but also making sure that your body keeps your cells hydrated. You can achieve this by making sure that you are drinking enough water (half your body weight in ounces). You also need to make sure that your diet is providing enough of the essential fatty acids – omega 3, 6 and 9 – which are found in foods like fish, flax, nuts and oils. The essential fatty acids help to keep the skin cells “plump” and healthy looking as opposed to dry and wrinkly, and when the cells are dry and wrinkling, you skin will look that way as well.
What was even more surprising is that companies are actually making products – hair products to encourage the scruffy, unclean look. I wonder what is next – should we really perhaps rethink this whole showering thing, and forget that we are part of a society that believes that cleanliness is next to Godliness? and just start going back to the old “hunter gatherer” ways, where may be we took a quick dip in water if it was available? I hope not!
By: Sushma Shah, Naturopathic Doctor at the Nature’s Intentions Naturopathic Clinic.