Shower or Bath Every Day? Why You Should Skip It
Julie Bitely
| 2 min read
If you’ve ever felt guilty about how frequently you or your children bathe, we have good news.
Lathering up every day isn’t only unnecessary, it could actually contribute to less healthy skin. Find out why you should feel free to carry on with your unwashed self and tell the kids they get an extra hour of playtime tonight.
- As long as they’re getting regular diaper changes and you’re quick to clean spit-up, babies really don’t need a bath every day. In fact, according to the Mayo Clinic, “bathing your baby more than several times a week can dry out his or her skin.”
- For toddlers, a bath every few days should be sufficient, unless they’re really dirty. If your toddler runs cold when it comes to bath time, washing down the really messy bits with a damp washcloth is almost as good and could help you cut down on some nighttime stress, according to BabyCenter. The same frequency guidelines apply to kids ages six to 11, although the American Academy of Dermatology advises they may need to adjust if they’re starting to develop body odor or dealing with a skin condition.
- During puberty and beyond, tweens and teens may need to bathe more frequently, especially if they’re active in sports. If there’s no time for a shower, teens should at least wash their face twice a day to remove oil and dirt.
- Since adults typically aren’t producing as much oil as teens, they can reasonably cut back to two or three times a week. The amount of bathing you do per week will depend on how often you work out and how physically demanding or dirty your job is. While a nice hot shower can feel fantastic first thing in the morning or at the end of a long day, scrubbing up too often can actually compromise your skin by removing good bacteria and healthy oils. It can also dry skin out and exacerbate conditions such as eczema.
Do you feel a need to shower every day? As long as you’re not filthy, you might want to try skipping it every now and then – your skin will thank you!
Photo credit: Moyan Brenn
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