# Should we stop shampooing, showering & using deodorants daily? Is being over clean unhealthy? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 30, 2010, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-stop-shampooing-showering-using-deodorants-daily-is-being-over-clean-unhealthy/558920 "2010-10-30T22:02:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-stop-shampooing-showering-using-deodorants-daily-is-being-over-clean-unhealthy/558920/21 "2010-11-01T00:48:34Z")
I’ve had some epic skin problems in the past and on recommendation of a dermatologist started bathing much less often than before as well as changing skin cleaners from soap to other, milder things. However, the doc didn’t mandate a ridgid schedule, he told me how to judge if my skin really needed to be cleaned or not, sort of like the difference between eating because it’s time or habit and only eating when you’re hungry. So, if I’m at home and not doing much I don’t always shower - though I do hit face, hands, pits, crotch, and feet at least once a day and use deodorant. But in summer when I’m working outdoors and getting incredibly sweaty I might shower more than once a day - one using “soap” and the others being just water rinses to get sweat/superficial dirt off. Basically, I’m cleaning when I’m actually dirty. Because humans are humans, even if you aren’t doing anything but lying in bed watching TV you will, after a couple days at most, start to reek. But if that’s all you’re doing no, you probably don’t _need_ to shower daily, even if you prefer to. As long as you aren’t suffering actual ill effects from daily showering there’s no harm in it. Now, 3-4 showers a day, I’d start to wonder… but I assume that’s rare. And people will vary in how much they sweat and so forth. ---
**Author:** ![brainstall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@brainstall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brainstall)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-stop-shampooing-showering-using-deodorants-daily-is-being-over-clean-unhealthy/558920/22 "2010-11-01T01:00:43Z")
I went through a period of not bathing or using deodorant during my 20’s. Combination of not needing to (didn’t have a job) and dodgy plumbing in the place I lived in meant that for a while I only showered once a week or so. I was probably pretty ripe, but still got laid. Got older, more mature, and got a real job and was told, politely and kindly by my manager that I needed a better deodorant. So my personal hygiene has improved significantly. A daily shower and deodorant are necessary for me at work or I notice my own body odour. On the weekends, I still revert to my dirty girl days and shower as little as I have to, but that’s just the weekend. There’s BO and then there’s BO. Hard working human who’s been working and sweating is one smell and is not overly offensive, to me anyway. Human who hasn’t bathed for a number of days and is festering in their own skin - kinda gross. ---
**Author:** ![aerodave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f08c70/32.png) [@aerodave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aerodave)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-stop-shampooing-showering-using-deodorants-daily-is-being-over-clean-unhealthy/558920/23 "2010-11-01T01:04:49Z")
There exists a segment of people who cannot accept that it’s even possible for someone to not use deodorant without reeking constantly. A few have already appeared in this thread, and some were mentioned in the article as well. The “_you_ don’t think you smell bad” folks. I, on the other hand, concede that it’s entirely possible that not everyone really needs to slather their pits in scented aluminum salts to keep from emitting noticeable B.O. People exist on a bell curve, and some are simply bound to be on the very low end of the stinky spectrum. Granted, some people are actually delusional about it…but others really can get away with it. I have a coworker and friend who has admitted that he doesn’t wear deodorant most of the time. I’ve spent plenty of time with him in close enough quarters over the years: around the office, away from work, traveling. And while I’ve certainly kept a nose out for it since his admission, I’ve never noticed anything like B.O. emanating from him. Seems like he’s not delusional, he’s just figured out he doesn’t need it. He bathes regularly, and that seems to be enough for him. I’ve never jammed my nose under his arm, but I’m not sure that’s a fair test, anyways. As for me, I reckon I’m on the left side of that bell curve, but not far enough to let myself get away with going deo-less. Whether I could get away with it or not, I keep my pits scented if I’m going to be around other human beings. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-stop-shampooing-showering-using-deodorants-daily-is-being-over-clean-unhealthy/558920/24 "2010-11-01T04:01:46Z")
> [@brainstall](#): > > \ > Got older, more mature, and got a real job and was told, politely and kindly by my manager that I needed a better deodorant. \ Wow - if you let it get bad enough for someone to have to tell you, you were STANK! ETA: Forgot to say, I don’t think showering every other day is going to make most people “visible waves coming off of you” stinky, especially if you wear a deodorant/anti-perspirant. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-stop-shampooing-showering-using-deodorants-daily-is-being-over-clean-unhealthy/558920/25 "2010-11-01T04:04:22Z")
The first woman in your link > [@](#): > > Ms. Palmer, a petite, put-together brunette, showers “no more than three times a week,” she said, and less if she hasn’t been “working out vigorously.” > > She contends that a soapy washcloth under her arms, between her legs and under her feet is all she needs to get “really clean.” On the go, underarm odor is wiped away with a sliced lemon. Eh? How’s that ‘not washing?’ That’s washing a lot. Then there’s a bloke who showers daily but doesn’t use deodorant. Then there’s a woman who uses baby wipes as she goes about her day and then showers before she goes to bed. Then there’s one bloke whose showering habits are not mentioned, just that he only washes his hair once a month, and a woman who just doesn’t use deodorant, and a woman whose ‘non-bathing’ season actually means showering 4 times a week. They really, really are not the great unwashed. They’re the very-well-washed. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-stop-shampooing-showering-using-deodorants-daily-is-being-over-clean-unhealthy/558920/26 "2010-11-01T04:10:32Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > I’m a public librarian. I deal every day with people who don’t bathe. They’re homeless and they _reek._ A cold winter day with a packed house will burn the hairs right out of your nostrils. It’s gotten so a smell has to be REALLY bad for me to notice it anymore. I have a medieval nose, I guess. But trust me - not bathing (especially if you don’t do such a great job of washing your clothes) does not make you smell like a nice healthy human. It makes you smell ass nasty. I don’t know any dogs who smell as bad as people who don’t bathe. Most homeless people I’ve known can’t wash their clothes very often, and the really long-term ones have alcohol or drug use problems, which can make you stink for various reasons. They’re not a good sample to use for people who don’t shower a lot. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-stop-shampooing-showering-using-deodorants-daily-is-being-over-clean-unhealthy/558920/27 "2010-11-01T04:11:30Z")
People shun deoderant in droves in South Asia, such as Nepal and India. Although there is a noticeable odor, after a couple of days it doesn’t seem to bother you anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-stop-shampooing-showering-using-deodorants-daily-is-being-over-clean-unhealthy/558920/28 "2010-11-01T04:21:17Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > My wife takes a shower every day, but she does not use deoderant. She doesn’t smell. In fact, it wasn’t till I had been dating her for a long time that I even knew that she didn’t use deoderant. I never got underarm odor at all until halfway through college, and I’d been sharing clothes with my roommate. I’ve always thought I must have just not been colonized with the relevant bacteria until I got them from her. Damn you, Jamie! ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-stop-shampooing-showering-using-deodorants-daily-is-being-over-clean-unhealthy/558920/29 "2010-11-01T15:36:39Z")
> [@brainstall](#): > > I was probably pretty ripe, but still got laid. Women’s lives really are quite different from men’s in some ways. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-stop-shampooing-showering-using-deodorants-daily-is-being-over-clean-unhealthy/558920/30 "2010-11-01T15:51:44Z")
Some stink without showering/deoderant, some don’t. I can skip showering for a day if I haven’t been engaged in vigorous physical activity (or a hot summer day outdoors), but I can’t skip a daily dose of underarm deoderant. OTOH, my wife has never used deoderant, and never ever has any underarm odor at all, even if she skips a daily shower. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-stop-shampooing-showering-using-deodorants-daily-is-being-over-clean-unhealthy/558920/31 "2010-11-01T15:58:03Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > Some stink without showering/deoderant, some don’t. I can skip showering for a day if I haven’t been engaged in vigorous physical activity (or a hot summer day outdoors), but I can’t skip a daily dose of underarm deoderant. OTOH, my wife has never used deoderant, and never ever has any underarm odor at all, even if she skips a daily shower. Do you put the deodorant on even if you haven’t showered, or do you mean you never skip deodorant right after showering? Because putting it on without a shower feels gross to me…like putting on perfume to cover up a smell or something. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-stop-shampooing-showering-using-deodorants-daily-is-being-over-clean-unhealthy/558920/32 "2010-11-01T16:14:13Z")
I generally shower every other day and wear minimal deodorant. I figure that’s a good compromise. If I get sweaty/dirty I will shower as needed. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-stop-shampooing-showering-using-deodorants-daily-is-being-over-clean-unhealthy/558920/33 "2010-11-01T16:31:27Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > Do you put the deodorant on even if you haven’t showered, or do you mean you never skip deodorant right after showering? Because putting it on without a shower feels gross to me…like putting on perfume to cover up a smell or something. I put deoderant on every morning, even if I haven’t showered the night before. It’s not just one smell masking another, I think the deoderant contains chemicals that exterminate/inhibit the bacteria that are producing the odor. ---
**Author:** ![BigBertha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d78d45/32.png) [@BigBertha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigBertha)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-stop-shampooing-showering-using-deodorants-daily-is-being-over-clean-unhealthy/558920/34 "2010-11-01T16:56:45Z")
Its said Tiny Tim showered 4 times a day and today he is dead. Take it as you will… ---
**Author:** ![Number](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/number/32/242_2.png) [@Number](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Number)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-stop-shampooing-showering-using-deodorants-daily-is-being-over-clean-unhealthy/558920/35 "2010-11-01T17:03:18Z")
> [@Lobsang](#): > > > [@Bosda Di'Chi of Tricor](#): > > > > I smeel OK > > How do you know? Terrible! No wait, that’s not how it goes. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-stop-shampooing-showering-using-deodorants-daily-is-being-over-clean-unhealthy/558920/36 "2010-11-01T18:09:17Z")
> [@lindsaybluth](#): > > I read the piece earlier today. What I really dislike is that they equate not washing your hair daily (and the rise of dry shampoos) as token that people aren’t showering every day. > > I shower every day, in the summer often twice a day, but I only wash my hair every other or every third day and use dry shampoo. Washing your hair every day is generally accepted as drying out your hair follicles while simultaneously producing more oil at the scalp. Right. I shower daily, but if I shampooed daily, I’d have the brittlest hair in town. In fact, my hair looks _best_ the third day after a shampooing. But enough about my personal styling. Regarding hair: I was reading a hit piece on Locks of Love some months ago, and one of the chief complains was that LoL sells a great deal of what they deem “unusable” hair, and keeps the rest to make wigs. Apparently, pair of their process is to take bundles of similarly-textured hair, wash and dye them the same color, and then make them into a single wig. Unfortunately, so many people’s hair is over-washed so that by the time their process is complete, much of the hair is too weak to be used in a wig. Still, it’s apparently strong enough to be used in a wig for whoever they’re selling it to. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-stop-shampooing-showering-using-deodorants-daily-is-being-over-clean-unhealthy/558920/37 "2010-11-01T18:17:46Z")
> [@aerodave](#): > > I, on the other hand, concede that it’s entirely possible that not everyone really needs to slather their pits in scented aluminum salts to keep from emitting noticeable B.O. Just to make a clarification on terminology (I spent three years working in market research in this category): A **deodorant** does not necessarily contain aluminum salts. It typically will contain a fragrance, and probably an anti-microbial agent (such as triclosan). An **anti-perspirant** , on the other hand, does contain aluminum salts. In the U.S., at least, an anti-perspirant is considered to be an OTC drug (since it’s affecting a bodily function, i.e., perspiring), and, as such, the only anti-perspirant active ingredients recognized by the FDA are various aluminum salts. The vast majority of anti-perspirant products are also considered to be deodorants (i.e., they almost always contain some sort of fragrance, and the aluminum salts can act as an anti-microbial). Most “deodorant” products sold in the U.S. are actually anti-perspirant / deodorants. You can find deodorant-only products, though you have to look for them – the vast majority of deodorant-only products are targeted towards men; brands like Right Guard and Speed Stick offer both anti-perspirant and deodorant-only items. Secret used to offer a single deodorant-only SKU. I guess the thinking is that some men don’t mind if they sweat, so long as they don’t stink, but most women don’t want to sweat, either. ---
**Author:** ![ENugent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/4af34b/32.png) [@ENugent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ENugent)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-stop-shampooing-showering-using-deodorants-daily-is-being-over-clean-unhealthy/558920/38 "2010-11-01T18:26:31Z")
I shower and wash my hair daily, but I do not even own deodorant or antiperspirant. I have checked with a few intimates to confirm that they cannot smell me. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-stop-shampooing-showering-using-deodorants-daily-is-being-over-clean-unhealthy/558920/39 "2010-11-01T18:28:43Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > People shun deoderant in droves in South Asia, such as Nepal and India. Although there is a noticeable odor, after a couple of days it doesn’t seem to bother you anymore. Underarm odor is caused by a combination of a couple of factors. Your body creates two kinds of perspiration: - Eccrine perspiration is produced all over your body. It’s clear, consists almost entirely of water and sodium chloride, and primarily acts to cool your body. - Aprocrine perspiration is only produced in certain parts of your body – your underarms, around your nipples, and in your genital area. It’s of more of a milky consistency. (Well, there’s actually a third kind, too…sebaceous perspiration…but that’s another story.) Apocrine perspiration is excellent food for bacteria. They munch it, and produce what bacteria tend to produce as an end-product of their food – odor. Now, you place some apocrine sweat in an area that’s warm and damp (such as an armpit or a crotch…especially if it’s hairy), and you have a perfect storm for stank. Asians tend to have less of a problem with body odor than other races, for a couple of reasons: - They usually have fewer apocrine sweat glands - They often have less body hair As a result, deodorants are not nearly as popular (or, arguably, as needed) as they are in the west – and, at least in some Asian cultures, noticeable body odor may be seen as a medical issue. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-stop-shampooing-showering-using-deodorants-daily-is-being-over-clean-unhealthy/558920/40 "2010-11-01T18:31:26Z")
> [@ENugent](#): > > I shower and wash my hair daily, but I do not even own deodorant or antiperspirant. I have checked with a few intimates to confirm that they cannot smell me. For some folks, a daily shower may be more than enough to fend off body odor. For others, a daily shower _and_ a deodorant still can’t do it. 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-stop-shampooing-showering-using-deodorants-daily-is-being-over-clean-unhealthy/558920.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-stop-shampooing-showering-using-deodorants-daily-is-being-over-clean-unhealthy/558920.md?page=3)