Is it bad to wash every day. If you love sports. Research by researchers

Taking a shower or bath is an essential part of daily hygiene for most of us. Some even do it 2-3 times a day to feel fresh and comfortable throughout the day. But is it worth doing? How often should an adult shower?

How many times does a person need to wash? More often, the better? Many people think so - and they are wrong. Scientists say that the need for a daily shower or bath is a myth, and not so harmless. Let's see if it is possible to wash every day, how often a girl, man or, for example, an elderly person needs to wash.

Problematic hygiene, or Is it possible to wash every day

From time to time, scientists make attempts to find out how much their compatriots like or dislike water procedures. For example, studies have shown that approximately 30 percent of Britons do not bathe every day. And, for example, in Poland there are 17 percent. For some, this data can cause a grimace of disgust. But it turns out that people who avoid warm water and soap are not at all as dirty and unhealthy as someone thinks about them.

An expert from Columbia University, Dr. Elaine Larson, who studies infectious diseases, believes: many people shower or bathe often, 1-2 times a day, not only because they want freshness, but also because they are convinced that this way they will cleanse their skin. from bacteria and viruses. However, it is not. Bathing removes unpleasant odors, but does not guarantee that we will not get sick.

The only really important thing is how often we wash our hands. It is on them that there is a large number of microbes that can cause a number of diseases - from not very dangerous (such as colds or food poisoning) to serious bacterial and viral infections.

But how often should you take a whole shower? Experts, answering the question whether it is possible to wash every day, say that this does not make much sense - if we are talking not about body odors, but about health. Moreover, too frequent washing in the bath or shower not only does not help, but even harms health. Washing the body with soaps and gels deprives it of natural oils and beneficial bacteria that have a protective function. Skin without a greasy "filter" is more susceptible to infections.

How often should you shower?

Since it turns out to be harmful to wash every day, is it worth in this case the need to give up frequent baths and, so to speak, return to nature? It is difficult to unequivocally answer this question.

Some experts argue that it is enough to wash the areas that sweat the most every day, and not touch the rest of the body, since they do not require cleaning. The aforementioned American expert Dr. Elaine Larson claims that it is quite enough to take a bath or shower twice a week. Dr. Brandon Mitchell of George Washington University also argues that the human body is a well-functioning machine that does not require a daily shower.

A long hot shower is one of the simple pleasures of life. Despite such a pleasant pastime, sometimes the reality is that you need to wash yourself quickly. If you've overslept or just want to get the most out of your bathroom in a short time, here's a quick guide on how to shower properly.

1. Avoid overheating in the shower

The hot shower and steam wrapping around the shower is awesome, but high temperature water dehydrates the skin, says Lauren Ploch, M.D., a dermatologist at Oshner Medical Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. Hot water removes most of our skin's natural oil. Therefore, if you want to warm up at first, wash yourself in hot water for a couple of minutes, and then make it moderately warm. Please note: the skin should not turn red. Consider what some experts say a lot about. Try to choose the best option for yourself.

2. Stock up on a heater in the bathroom

Ideally, your shower time should be no more than 5-10 minutes, says Marie Jean, MD, a dermatologist based in San Francisco, USA. According to the expert, if a person takes a shower 2 times a day, it seriously dries out the skin. At first glance, it seems that the more water, the more moisture. In fact, everything is completely different: the skin becomes drier.

If you don't want to give up the warmth in your shower, there is a good alternative - an electric bathroom heater, says Karin Grossman, M.D., a dermatologist at the Grossman Dermatology Clinic in Beverly Hills, California, USA.

Many experts claim that they will shine if you rinse them with cold water after washing your hair. Grossman says that if the heater is on, the hair does not need rinsing. In this case, if you are not a fan of ice diving, you should not endure discomfort.

3. Learn to wash your hair correctly

After you have chosen the optimal water temperature for yourself, Grossman recommends shampooing your hair only once. Apply the shampoo twice to the hair and scalp only if the scalp is oily.

Then apply conditioner only to the ends of your curls. Despite the many, as a rule, more conditioner is needed for thick hair, and if it is thin, then less. Such a warm, moist environment acts magically on the hair. The hair follicles open up allowing the conditioner to penetrate deeper into the hair structure. If you immediately start drying your hair after shampooing and not using conditioner, the difference will become obvious, explains Grossman. Comb your hair after showering.

If your skin is prone to inflammation, wash your face after rinsing off the conditioner because the oils in the conditioner can cause acne, says Jay Scott Kasteler, M.D., dermatologist and Greatist expert.

4. Get rid of your regular washcloth

As a rule, we always have a washcloth hanging and hanging in the bathroom. ? The skin does not tolerate hygiene items on which dirt and bacteria accumulate. Lauren Bad says that people usually don't wash washcloths, and because of this, they develop a huge number of bacteria. The best option is a terry cloth napkin, used as a washcloth, which is easy to hand wash every week.

5. Do not lather your entire body.

Karin Grossman advises to thoroughly clean only a few so-called contaminated areas of the body, i.e. those places where the sweat glands of the greatest density are located:

• in the groin area;
• buttocks;
• under the breast;
• armpits.

If you lather the whole body, then the skin loses its natural sebum, especially in the area of ​​the legs and arms.

Yes, shower products that smell like Amazonian forests or lavender fields smell tempting! But you'd better give preference to simple flavors. ! Look for a shower gel or soap with a delicate scent (Dove Beauty Bar Soap is Poorly Recommended) and don't overdo it.

6. Forget about scrubs in the bikini area

• brush your teeth;
• get shaved;
• remember the pumice stone for the feet.

The warm, humid environment has softened the skin and dead skin cells can be easily shed.

According to Karin Grossman, there are many misconceptions in the world about. She asks to remember that if you are shaving your hair in the bikini area, there is no need to exfoliate the skin in that area and use a grainy scrub.

7. Apply body lotion to damp skin

Apply moisturizer just before towel-drying after a warm shower or after drying, Grossman says. Yes, you read that right, you can apply the cream directly to wet skin in the shower. An expert recommends a moisturizer such as Nivea In-Shower Body Lotion or even just coconut oil for such purposes.

If you find yourself flaky, opt for an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) chemical exfoliant lotion, Ploh says. While physical scrubs can be rough, exfoliants based on ammonium lactate or salicylic acid get rid of dead skin cells while moisturizing the skin. The dermatologist claims that AmLactin and CeraVe SA lotion moisturizing body lotions do just fine.

Finally, if you want to moisturize your skin immediately after a shower, apply a generous amount of cream for 3 minutes, says Ploh. In addition, Jin reminds you to keep the door closed and turn off the fan. This traps moisture and vapor in the air and softens the skin so that the skin gets more moisture instead of evaporating.

Sometimes in the morning we only have time to jump into the bathroom, soap up and jump out. , its dryness and peeling directly depend on how we wash. Now that you know how to shower properly, you can focus on what really matters, be it singing in the shower, meditating, or thinking about what to eat for breakfast.

How many times a week you need to wash. There are many opinions on this matter. Whoever claims that once a week will be enough, others believe that you should swim every day. And at the same time, it turns out that opinions differ.

Today, people are very careful about their appearance and hygiene. In any Market you can see and buy a lot of different gels, shampoos, body wash lotions. All of these new hygiene advertisements are enticing shoppers to purchase and use them frequently. It is necessary to figure out how often to swim and whether it might have any impact on human health.

How to determine the amount of bathingteenager?

From the age of thirteen, boys mature and begin to function gonads, they affect all processes in the body. Personal hygiene of adolescents is especially important during this time. The body is rebuilding, there is an increase in the functions of the sebaceous glands, this leads to blockage of their ducts. Therefore, acne and pimples appear on the face. They become inflamed, fester. Profuse sweating appears.

It is at this time that the boys must swim without fail twice in 7 days with soap and a washcloth. It is advisable in the shower, since the water in the bathroom is stagnant and all microbes remain in it. On other days, you can swim, but only in the shower and without detergents. It is not recommended to use eau de toilette abundantly, the best is the smell of a cleanly washed body. At the age of twelve, thirteen, a girl first of all needs to carefully observe the rules of her own hygiene.

Just like boys, girls undergo a restructuring of the body. Hair appears under the arms, the menstrual cycle begins, acne may appear on the face. You can swim every day, but with detergents, preferably two or three times in 7 days, then a shower without soap and a washcloth. During the menstrual cycle, it is imperative to wash yourself in the morning and evening. It is recommended to do this very carefully to avoid infection.

It is necessary to change the pads three to four times during the day, and maybe more often, depending on the abundance of secretions. It is advisable to remove the hair under the armpits no more than once a month. Once a month you need to see a gynecologist.

How often to shower man?

It is very difficult to answer this question. The number of baths depends on the type of activity of each man. The work is related to technology; wash themselves with soapy water, rub themselves every day. And you can wash with soap and rub the skin only on very dirty parts of the body, and refresh the rest with warm water. Office workers can bathe 1-2 times every seven days.

Some men bathe every morning and evening with shampoos, foams and other scented products that are abundantly supplied with chemicals. In villages, the population bathes in a bathhouse once every 7 days, and on other days, separate parts of the body are washed. Surprisingly, they get sick less often than the urban population.

Research by researchers

Have you ever wondered why doctors suggest splashing less in water, or using different detergents? Children are recommended to swim only with baby soap. German professors made an observation. The group of people did not swim for nine months. Not a single person, during this time, has had a cold. Although there have been two flu epidemics.

Three of the observed patients got rid of stomach ulcers, twelve of them forgot about heart problems. It is very interesting why there have been such amazing changes in the state of people's health. The explanations were as follows; by frequent bathing with various scented agents, a person washes out the protective microorganisms of the skin, thereby giving easy access to infection.

Israeli studies affirmatively state that the current hygiene standards are very high. Our body doesn't really need daily washing. Western norms of body cleanliness were dictated by social proposals, not by doctors. The doctor, without hesitation, says that swimming every day, using soap products, is harmful to the whole body.

The acid-alkaline epidermis of the skin is disturbed. After bathing, the protective elements are restored for eight hours, and if you take a shower very often, then they cannot recover. The defenseless cover of our body accepts all bacteria from the outside.

Hygiene of expectant mothers

Almost all girls expecting the birth of a baby are constantly splashing in the shower, which is very harmful for them and the unborn baby. Not only do changes occur in the body, frequent washing can harm the skin of the body. If you are pregnant, you need to bathe with soap once. On other days - to carry out wet rubdowns of the whole body, preferably twice a day.

The same number of times you need to wash yourself with water at room temperature with baby soap. Direction of washing from the pubis to the onal passage with clean hands. You cannot swim in the bathroom, for the reason that the water is polluted by the microbes washed off from you, if it gets into the vagina, you can infect and harm future offspring. You should not take a shower for a long time in winter. Do not practice bathing in hot water, there may be cramps, and they are known to lead to miscarriage.

Fear hypothermia. For pregnant women, colds are very dangerous. When in an interesting position, pay very much attention to your skin. Take care of beauty! After all, frequent washing, rubbing the body has a good effect on blood circulation. These treatments make it possible to feel energized all day long. And this is so necessary for the expectant mother.

Children's personal skin care

Do not hope that doctors should teach children to watch their bodies. This is a misconception. A child in the family learns to wash with warm water every morning, rub his face and hands with his own towel. Doctors suggest bathing children with soap once. Wash your private parts daily, as well as your feet. Evening and morning washing, helps to harden the child's body, to fall asleep quickly.

The child should give special attention to hand washing. Adults should explain that on the street, at school, he takes objects with his hands, holds on to a desk, a table. For which the masses of hands are taken. Therefore, upon arrival home, before each meal, you must conscientiously wash your hands with soap and water.

How many times a week do you need to wash? Health professionals helped to answer this question. You need to bathe in the shower with soap (but not liquid) and a washcloth once every 7 days. In the hot season, every day, but without soap. Just stand under a stream of warm water and it will wash away all daytime dust from you. Swimming once does not mean that a stench should come from you.

In general, bathing often or not bathing is a personal matter for each person. But many listen to the opinion of doctors. We sometimes harm ourselves without knowing it. Then we wonder why, for example, gypsy children do not get sick as often as well-groomed, clean children of other nationalities. Probably, the professors who investigated the causes of frequent illnesses due to constant splashing in water and the use of detergents are right. Take care of your health!

In this article, you will find out whether it is good to swim every day, and how much doctors advise to swim.

Some people bathe once a day, others - 2 times a day, and still others advise to bathe with soap no more than 2 times a week. So which one is right? Let's find out in this article.

Is it useful or harmful to wash, swim every day for men and women: the opinion of scientists

Do I need to wash every day? Scientists from different countries, among them Germany, Israel, the USA, dealt with this issue, and came to the following conclusion:

• You need to bathe with soap and shampoo no more than 2 times a week, and every day you need to wash your hands, armpits and intimate places with soap or gel.

According to doctors, dermatologists and scientists, washing with soap every day is harmful to our skin:

• The acid-base balance of the skin is disturbed.
• Reduced immunity.
• After soap, scrubs and shampoos, especially in the autumn-winter time, the skin becomes dry, becomes irritable, red, begins to peel off - and this is an open gateway to infections.
• Washing every day with the chemicals abundant in modern body and hair care products destroys much needed vitamin D from the skin.

How often and correctly does an adult need to wash?

Scientists sometimes poll the population about how often they wash. After one such survey, it turned out that some people take a shower several times a day. When asked why, they answer in order to wash off infections and bacteria from the body. In reality, there are not so many infections on the body. Often only hands need to be washed, with them we in public places touch objects on which there are a lot of infections. And through the hands you can get infected with both colds and sexually transmitted diseases.

American scientist Brandon Mitchell compares the human body to a working machine that does not need a shower every day.

Dr. Mitchell is joined by another American doctor, Elaine Larson, they claim that you need to swim 2 times a week, every day it is enough to wash only some places, meaning intimate ones.

Is it possible and necessary to wash every day in the shower, bathroom with soap?

But what if a person is physically working hard, playing sports or sweating a lot in the heat? How often should I wash myself? Do I need to wash every day?

Every day you do not need to wash your hair and the whole body with soap, shampoo, you just need to wash off those areas that are contaminated, and rinse off the rest of the body simply with warm water without anything, so the skin will be less in contact with chemistry.

And for people who are not engaged in physical labor, sitting in offices, dermatologists advise to wash in the shower, even without detergents, once every 2-3 days. Your skin is not as dirty as you might think.

Can I wash myself with tar or laundry soap every day?

Tar soap

Tar soap consists of 90% regular soap and 10% birch tar.

Useful properties of tar soap:

• Destroys fungi and bacteria on oily skin prone to acne and rashes
• Prevents purulent formations on the face
• Eliminates skin diseases such as dermatitis, psoriasis
• Gives sore skin a healthy look
• Eliminates dandruff in hair

Tar soap is suitable for oily and normal skin... Soap can be washed:

• Whole body for preventive purposes
• The whole body for healing purposes
• Intimate parts
• Hair

For what diseases can you wash with tar soap, and how often:

• For the treatment of oily skin from acne and rashes, you can wash with soap no more than 2 times a day.
• A person with normal skin type, for prophylactic purposes, can be washed with soap 3-4 times a month.
• Intimate areas with tar soap are washed with thrush in the morning and evening.
• After curing the disease in intimate places, for prophylactic purposes, you can wash with soap 1-2 times a week, the rest of the week use a more gentle, special gel for intimate places.
• Hair with tar soap is washed to remove excessive oiliness, with dandruff and head lice, to strengthen the hair. They are lathered and the foam is kept like that for 15-20 minutes. Soap can be washed once a week.

Contraindications: Tar soap should not be washed for people with dry skin of the face and head, as well as those who are allergic to birch tar.

Laundry soap

Laundry soap- an effective antibacterial agent, washes away fuel oil, paint from hands. It is an environmentally friendly product consisting of sodium salt and fatty acids. According to the content of fatty acids, soap is divided into categories:

• With a content of 72%
• With a content of 65%

Laundry soap is the basis of other types of soap, but with the addition of dyes and fragrances, and, accordingly, the percentage of fatty acids decreases.

Sodium alkali in soap during washing corrodes dirt well, kills germs. Soap also copes well with bacteria on our skin, destroying its protective layer. If we wash ourselves with laundry soap every day, then we are provided with:

• Redness and irritation of the skin
• Dehydration of her
• Premature aging

If there are no problems with the skin, then you should not wash with laundry soap, but if popped acne, then the soap works well, but you only need to apply it on the pimple, and not on the whole face.

It is not worth washing intimate areas with laundry soap, it can cause serious consequences:

• Dryness, cracks and redness
• Destruction of beneficial microflora
• Treatment of thrush only for the duration of use, and after stopping washing with soap, thrush returns again

As for washing your hair, only healthy, shiny hair can be washed with laundry soap, and if you wash dull, brittle hair, you can further aggravate the problem. According to doctors, laundry soap has a detrimental effect on hair., they become lifeless, covered with a gray coating, which is then difficult to wash off.

What will happen if you wash every day, swim 2, 3 times a day?

Washing often in a bath or shower with soap is not helpful, and even harmful to the skin- this is how you wash away the natural oils secreted by the skin for natural lubrication. To restore natural lubrication, the skin needs 8 hours, at least, and if you bathe 2 times a day, then the protective elements of the skin are not restored at all, and unprotected skin is more susceptible to infections, and you often catch various infections and allergies.

So, now we know that swimming every day will not be beneficial.

Video: 6 reasons why you can't shower every day

What is more beneficial for the skin and general health of a person: to be "unwashed barbarian" or "clean"?
Does our skin need to be washed frequently?

The top layer of the skin, the epidermis, consists of several layers of cells. In the lower one, new ones are formed, and then, moving to the surface, they gradually turn into horny scales and fall off over time.
Normally, horny scales mix with sebum and form a kind of protective film on the skin surface.

Also, some microorganisms are constantly present on the skin - representatives of normal microflora. It performs important functions: it maintains a normal level of skin acidity and displaces pathogens.

Studies show that if a person takes a daily bath for several weeks or does not wash for the same time, this does not affect the state of his permanent normal microflora in any way.

Some microorganisms may be temporarily present on the skin, but eventually the normal microflora displaces them. If the skin is damaged and its protective functions are reduced, then these bacteria and fungi can colonize it and form a new, pathogenic microflora. They are capable of causing disease. Under normal conditions, the skin has a pH of 5.0. This is very important to protect her.

It turns out that, on the one hand, while taking a shower or a bath, we remove everything "superfluous" from the skin: dust, sweat, horny scales, "foreign" microorganisms that have settled on it. At the same time, frequent washing leads to the fact that we erase the natural protective layer from the skin, and it simply does not have time to recover. However, it is not the washing itself that is important, but the quality of the water and the composition of the hygiene products that you use.

The water you wash with

In accordance with the sanitary rules and regulations approved in Russia in 2002, the water that enters your tap must be "safe in terms of epidemic and radiation, chemical composition and have favorable organoleptic properties."

The main indicators and the content of a number of chemicals in tap water are regulated, standards have been established, but in fact, water does not always meet these criteria (especially in small towns and villages). People who have to take water from columns and wells are even more at risk.

Excessive content of certain substances in water poses a threat not only to the stomach and intestines, but also to your skin, if you often like to sit in the shower or bath.

Chlorine is used to purify water from microorganisms in a centralized water supply system. True, there is also a safer technique - using ultraviolet radiation - but it is so expensive that its widespread introduction is still unlikely.

If a person washes with water with a high chlorine content, the hair will be the first to react. They will fall out more, lose their natural shine, become brittle, and the tips will begin to split. The skin becomes dry, tight, irritated, an allergic reaction may appear.

The effect of chlorine on the skin also has long-term consequences - it destroys the normal microflora of the skin and reduces its protective properties. Acne and rash may appear. Chlorine is a good disinfectant as it is a powerful oxidizing agent. Once in the body, it forms free radicals that damage living cells. And this is one of the mechanisms of aging and the development of malignant neoplasms, in particular.

A second common problem in tap water is high hardness associated with high levels of calcium and magnesium salts. Young children react most strongly to bathing in hard water - by the age of three months they may have their first symptoms, which transforms into eczema with age.

Frequent washing in hard water destroys the skin's natural protective layer. In addition, such water washes away the soap applied to the skin worse. Bottom line: increased dryness, irritation and allergic reactions, an increased risk of cracks and skin infections.

Soap and Shampoo: Friends or Foes?

Shampoos and shower gels usually say on the labels that they contain "natural ingredients", "herbal extracts" and other health benefits. Few people read the fine print describing the full composition. And there, by the way, you can find a lot of interesting things.

Many disinfectant soaps contain a substance called triclosan. In 2014, scientists from the University of California-San Diego (University of California-San Diego) conducted a study, during which they found out that triclosan does not have the best effect on the health of laboratory mice: it can cause fibrosis and liver. Of course, when you wash and apply soap to your skin, the body receives a small dose of this substance, which is almost harmless. But frequent washing over several years can take a toll on your health.

In 2008, American scientists were alarmed by another discovery. After examining the urine of 163 children, they found that many of the samples contained phthalates, chemicals found in baby shampoos. Penetrating into the body, they can disrupt the development of the organs of the reproductive system.

Various surfactants are used in the manufacture of soaps and shampoos. When used frequently, they can be detrimental to the skin and hair, especially if they are cheap. The first symptoms: itching, dandruff, dry skin,.

Of course, the composition of hygiene products is not limited to those listed above. The lower the cost of a soap or shampoo, the more likely it is to contain harmful ingredients. With a single and infrequent use, they are unlikely to cause problems. But often it's best not to use them.
The worst effect on the skin is hygiene products, which contain a lot of alkalis (as we have already said, the skin has a pH of 5.0, that is, slightly acidic). Contact with alkalis leads to an increase in the pH level and a decrease in the protective functions of the skin. If you wash several times a day, then the acidity of the skin simply does not have time to return to normal.

Of course, you need to wash regularly. Especially in the summer, when the skin actively produces sweat and becomes covered with dust. But in everything you need to know when to stop:

• Prefer a shower over a bath. It is more hygienic.
• Do not use a one-piece shower horn. Pathogens can accumulate in it, so it must be collapsible, it must be washed regularly.
• Use soap and shampoo only when needed. During the daily morning and evening shower, it is quite possible to do without them.
• Choose hygiene products carefully. Look at their composition. Do not buy products that contain a lot of alkalis, harmful components.
• It is advisable to give preference to baby and organic hygiene products. They usually cost more, but your health is at stake.
• Pay attention to the quality of the water you are washing. If you live in an area where your tap water contains a lot of impurities, consider installing a purification system.

The choice of household chemicals really needs to be given special attention. According to the latest data, it contains up to 15 substances hazardous to health.