“Humans tend to perspire at night,” Dr. Goldenberg said. “When you wake up in the morning, there's all this sweat and bacteria from the sheets that's just kind of sitting there on your skin.” So take a quick shower in the morning, he said, “to wash all of that gunk and sweat off that you've been sleeping in all night.”
While you might not want to crawl into bed sopping wet (it's best to air-dry a bit if you can), showering at the end of the day can help wash off bacteria and sweat—both of which can lead to clogged pores and oxidative stress.
From a general perspective, showers are beneficial with regards to skin health. But morning showers are actually considered to be more advantageous. Indeed, a shower taken early doors is a greater help in combating acne, and also in terms of balancing the natural oils on the skin.
Many doctors say a daily shower is fine for most people. (More than that could start to cause skin problems.) But for many people, two to three times a week is enough and may be even better to maintain good health.
According to dermatologists, you should exfoliate first, then wash your hair, and then wash your body. This will ensure that each shower product you use has time to work. If you have concerns about your skin, you should follow this order as closely as you can. This will help prevent acne, razor burn, or dry hair.
According to sleep experts, one of the ways our bodies signal to us that it's bedtime is a drop in body temperature, and taking a hot shower or bath right before bed can actually raise your body temp, disrupting this signal and your night's sleep in the process.
“In fact, a daily shower may even be bad for your health.” Washing and scrubbing removes the skin's oil and healthy bacteria, and it can become dry, irritated and itchy. Dry, cracked skin can allow bacteria to get through, causing infections and allergic reactions.
Depending on texture, washcloths can help provide exfoliation that ranges from gentle to intense. You can also easily control the amount of pressure you use to concentrate on tough areas such as the knees and elbows and a gentler touch on more sensitive areas.
For the average person, every other day, or every 2 to 3 days, without washing is generally fine. “There is no blanket recommendation. If hair is visibly oily, scalp is itching, or there's flaking due to dirt,” those are signs it's time to shampoo, Goh says.
Health Risks Of Not Showering Enough
Yikes. “Some adults who go longer than 3-4 days between showers run the risk of accumulating patches of dark, scaly skin, especially in oily areas, and an accumulation of 'bad' bacteria which can lead to fungal or bacterial infections,” adds Dr. Young.
Doing so twice a day is generally fine for your skin and scalp, Dr. Goldenberg said, as long as both showers are quick and you don't have severe eczema or dermatitis.
It may sound counterproductive, but a shower every day could be bad for your skin. Some dermatologists only recommend a shower every other day, or two to three times a week. Many people hit the shower at least once a day, either in the morning or at night before bed.
In general, showering every other day or every few days is typically sufficient. Keep in mind that showering twice a day or frequently taking hot or long showers can strip your skin of important oils. This can lead to dry, itchy skin.
"You can actually make yourself more prone to infection if you over-wash because the skin is protected with some really nice natural bacteria and things that protect it and you want to preserve those," she said. So typically showering multiple times a day isn't a great idea, she shared.