{"id":14181,"date":"2021-11-05T10:30:21","date_gmt":"2021-11-05T15:30:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.osfhealthcare.org\/blog\/?p=14181"},"modified":"2022-02-11T10:09:23","modified_gmt":"2022-02-11T16:09:23","slug":"how-often-should-you-shower","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/how-often-should-you-shower\/","title":{"rendered":"How often should you shower?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Still have questions?<\/p>\n

> Contact your primary care provider<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Spend enough time online and you\u2019re almost bound to encounter a debate about how often you should wash yourself with soap. Is every day too often? Is it gross to not shower or bathe every day? How often should you shower or bathe and wash your body with soap?<\/p>\n

One reason why the topic seems so ripe for ongoing debate is that there isn\u2019t a lot of clear clinical data on the issue.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think sometimes there are conflicting recommendations among doctors,\u201d said Hayley Ralph, MD<\/a>, a family medicine physician at OSF HealthCare. \u201cThe societal norm is you bathe every day. What we know clinically is you don\u2019t necessarily have to do it every day. It likely won\u2019t harm your health to skip a day if you don\u2019t do anything that gets you dirty.<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe some doctors think overusing soap can strip your skin or immune system from microorganisms that create protective antibodies. So, they suggest not to wash with soap daily for that reason.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, not bathing often enough can lead to overgrowth of the bacteria that causes pimples, resulting in acne as dirt clogs pores. Plus, dandruff increases with lack of bathing, causing the scalp to flake.<\/p>\n

And, of course, if you do not wash often enough, there can be an issue with body odor.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s all dependent on what you do. If you\u2019re active, you\u2019re going to want to shower at least once a day. If you\u2019re on a camping trip, for example, and you\u2019re not doing any really sweaty activities, you\u2019re probably fine to wait 2-3 days to have a shower.\u201d<\/p>\n

General bathing tips<\/h2>\n