Scent and sensibility: How often should you shower?

In life, it helps if we turn on the shower before we consider turning on anyone else. 

At worst, we’ll smell a little fresher after a day of doing what we do.

But how often do people shower? The frequency of our showers should really depend on two things: how we feel and how much we sweat.

It’s best to follow your own scent on this before someone else does. 

How often should I shower if… I’m active most days

Maybe we’re living in a hot or humid climate. 

Maybe our day features the odd YouTube workout.

Maybe it’s both. Mind blown but remember:

• If we’ve spent the day working up a sweat, it’s better for our skin (and whoever we live with) to rinse off any odour-producing bacteria and excess oil. 
• About 5 minutes should do the trick. Enough to save time and water whilst still looking after your skin. Keep the water lukewarm rather than hot, to help protect your skin’s natural barrier (and avoid shrivelling to an octogenarian). 
• Show up having showered up by getting into the habit of showering straight after your HIIT rather than leaving it until the end of the day. Your mate will probably appreciate it if you rock up at theirs unnoticeably fresh (rather than smelling like the cheese board from last x-mas). 

How often should I shower if… I’m more laid back (literally)

If your day is a little more sitting down than jumping up, you probably won’t have to shower as often as your mate who keeps banging on about those YouTube HIITs. Showering too often when you don’t really need to can actually do more harm than good. So, how often should you take a shower if you don’t perspire very much at all? 

Remember:

• Avoid a soap opera by choosing a body wash that will help protect your skin’s natural barrier while making you feel fresh.
• Remember to keep the water lukewarm to avoid irritation and stepping out like your aged Grandfather. 
• Rinse off, be clean and smell great – ready to seize the day by the short and curlies. Speaking of which…

How often should I shower if… I’m hairy

If you’re a fine specimen of a man blessed with body hair, how often do you shower? And how often should you wash your body hair? 

Happily, the same rules apply, but we might want to keep the freshness topped-up with more regular rinses of the areas which produce the most sebum; namely our chest, armpits, and groin:

• Rather than washing the whole body every time, focus on these hairier areas.  
• Use a clean body cloth and some bodywash for a quick freshen up. 

Remember to keep it clean with fresh scents through regular but not excessive showering. Here’s to living soapily ever after.