Anyone stop using soap/shampoo or bathe infrequently?

[Busty St Clare]

I can appreciate not using soap as my kids skin is sensitive to perfumes and the like so we use soap free products, but not even bathing using water is socially unacceptable. I can even accept that some people can get away without wearing deodorant, but unfortunately you are never going to be able to tell yourself if you stink or not and society as a whole is far too polite to out right confront someone they know. Usually people will just whisper behind your back that you stink and slowly start to avoid you.

I am curious if this whole "non washing" also includes not washing your hands after you go to the toilet? Also in cold and flu season it is a great vector for transmitting viruses if you don't wash your hands regularly.

 

[ohshea]

First off, ever seen your cat licking itself? Its bathing itself so dont justify your filth using your poor cat as an example.

Second, washing with solely water usually is ineffective because the lather soap and non soap body washes produce is what lifts oil from the skin helping to rinse it away.


Obviously you are not a woman because that would be one horrible vagina. I assumed you never had sex during this period and if you did I hope you washed your bits. The part about shampooing often over stimulates your oil glands is true but thats if you wash everyday I wash once every 3. I sweat immensly in my sleep and I love getting in the shower and washing it all away. I relish in the feeling of being squeaky clean. When I was a homeless meth addict I never brushed my teeth but it seemed when I did plaque would seem to multiply faster afterwards. I pride myself in taking care of myself after neglecting my body for so long as an addict.

Also are you saying good bacteria doesnt stink and bad bacteria does? Your theory confuses me. I dont know much about skin bacteria but I thought skin odor, aside from sweat, was attributed to these bacteria eating skin cells and their feces.

 

[-Guido-]

Never. Even when I was a heroin addict I showered all the time. I shower even more now since I am using steroids, thermogenics, and metabolic boosters. I have a severe fear of smelling bad and being dirty. I will shower, use cologne, scrub every inch of my body, use deodorant, and use body powder.

My ex-girlfriend had issues with her hair splitting and drying out when she would wash her hair too often so she would shower everyday but with a shower cap and she would only wash her hair once a week. Her hair always smelled good. I still remember how it smells.

 

[addictivepersona]

Last Fall, I did an experiment: I stopped using anything other than water on my hair and would only wash my body once or twice a week. This experiment lasted two or three months. I really didn't notice how greasy my hair had become and could not get truly honest remarks from those around me--Until an instructor told me at my end-of-clinic performance review. She politely told me that I should go back to whatever I was doing at the start of clinical, and that she would not hire me in my current state.

Currently, I bathe every day. I bathe twice a day if I did a lot of yard work and feel "buggy." I use bar soap on my entire body every few days, but wash my pits and privates with soap every day. I use the same bar soap (I alternate as they run out between this and this) on my hair every other or every third day as needed.

 

[Bagseed]

i think it is about moderation. i shower every other day, sometimes i go 2 days without a shower, but when i shower, i clean every inch very thoroughly. i wash my hair once or twice a week (long hair), depending on how much i've sweated (i ride my bike most days of the week). if you wash it too often, it's bad and they get dry and get greasy even faster.
if i arrive at work and feel like my armpits are starting to smell, then i'll wash them in the bathroom. in terms of smell, this is almost as effective as taking a shower imo. 2 years ago i showered daily and washed my hair more often, but actually i feel more hygienic now. my hair takes longer to get greasy and it never gets disgusting, i even stopped using deodorant/antitranspirant and feel like i stink less often than before. drinking lots of water and doing sports also improved the smell of my sweat imo (plus i keep up a pretty healthy diet).

i think overdoing the hygienic stuff is as bad to the body as not being hygienic at all. it just is a little less gross^^. also i hate most types of fragarances, and if someone uses too much of it, i find it really disgusting. clean but natural body smell is the best imo.

 

[xxsicknessxx]

a agree when don't shower for awhile you don't smell it anymore (when I was bad for awhile) I simply lacked the ability to shower I was to scared I would fall and crack my head in the shower and I was to weak anyway after a week or so my folks demanded I shower and I swear at the time I didn't smell at all even though my hair was thick with grease and I was a shade darker from the dirt and grime plus I had a grizly adams type beard going on...

You just don't smell it, I agree after going through that I shower no matter how shitty I feel... I can't stand not
though im sure if I went a week I wouldn't mind so much but my friends would

 

[MissNervosa]

Wow some pretty harsh reactions on this thread,but fuck it,I'm gonna share anyway!

I should mention that I have MDD and panic disorder with agoraphobia and often go days without leaving the house.

But yeah,since starting a very powerful antidepressant,which leaves me weak and exhausted most days (still trying to tweak the dose) I'll often go 3-4 days without showering.A warm to hot shower leaves me feeling very weak and drained,and I'm often worried about passing out in there.I compensate by using baby wipes daily for pits and privates,and always apply deoderant.I also cleanse my face twice a day and brush my teeth

I always shower before going out,and love feeling clean and fresh,but with MDD it doesn't always happen.My boyfriend always swears that I don't smell bad though *shrug*

 

[Bagseed]

a agree when don't shower for awhile you don't smell it anymore (when I was bad for awhile)

obviously, but that's not what this thread is about. you can keep yourself clean and good-smelling without fucking your skin and hair with soap and cosmetics all the time...

 

[RedRum OG]

I use tons of old spice body soap cuz hey it's necessary when you're a partying sweaty college kid. Plus being an ex junky makes me sweat like jabba the hut.

But I haven't shampooed my hair in almost 3 years and it's incredibly silky and thick and strong. I just wash with water when I shower. It doesn't smell, and it naturally forms a mohawk/spikes and i can sculpt it however I want because there's no grease