Guest Post by Kathleen of Becoming Peculiar
The other day I was listening to CBC radio in my van when I heard some disturbing news: in many parts of the world, we’re using up groundwater faster than it can be naturally replenished through precipitation. By the year 2040, experts are predicting major water shortages on many parts of the globe.
After more research I discovered that it’s mostly poor agricultural practices that are to blame, and it’s mostly occurring in the Middle East and North Africa. But it got me thinking a lot about our water use in general.
I was reminded that clean water is a precious commodity that we mustn’t take for granted, even here in Canada.
I’ve never before given too much thought to water consumption, focusing instead on reducing my consumption of more tangible things (i.e. “stuff”).
Water just seemed like something we couldn’t run out of. But this radio program compelled me to start thinking about how I can reduce our family’s water use, and start talking to others about the same.
There has to be enough clean water to go around, if we all learn to steward it well. I do not want to contribute to global water shortages in any way.
There are lots of things we can do. We can stop wasting water on lawns. We can say no to individually-owned pools and hot tubs in favour of community pools. We can stop buying and drinking bottled water.
Water should NOT be a commercial commodity, but a common good!
However, one of the easiest ways I feel I can reduce water overconsumption as an individual citizen is by showering less often. There is no way every single person on the continent needs to immerse his/her entire body in water every single day!
Without my current sense of urgency, I’ve actually already been working to reduce the number of showers I take. It varies throughout the year, but I typically shower 3-4 times a week. I think I could reduce that to two times if necessary.
Here are a few tips and tricks I’ve used to stay fresh and clean while reducing the number of showers I take. Maybe you’ll find them helpful, too!
How to Naturally Reduce Body Odour
We live in a culture obsessed with not smelling like we have bodies. We are pathological about deodorizing and re-odorizing our bodies, often in terribly unhealthy ways.
Fortunately, it’s not that hard to naturally reduce B.O. Healthy bodies don’t actually stink all that much, even with regular sweating, and without daily showers, antiperspirants, and commercial perfumes. Here’s how:
1. Switch to Natural/Homemade Deodorant
The first thing you can do is break your body’s dependence on antiperspirants and artificial fragrances, which actually make you more prone to stink in the long run.
When your sweat glands are used to being blocked up and oozing chemical fragrances, they can’t function the way they’re supposed to.
(Read Beth’s article on How to Find a Natural Deodorant That Actually Works.)
Ever since I made the switch to natural deodorant three years ago, I don’t start to smell nearly as quickly after application – I can often skip a day without noticing. Back when I used commercial deodorant, I had to be vigilant about applying every day or I’d start stinking by evening.
There are lots of homemade recipes out there: I use this simple baking soda, corn starch, coconut oil and essential oil recipe (adding beeswax in the summer to prevent melting).
Folks with more sensitive skin might prefer this recipe from Stories and Thyme, using bentonite clay. Crunchy Betty has a number of recipes you can try. I also know some people have had great success with those mineral salt crystals you can buy in health food stores.
Give it a try! You’ll be glad you did.
2. Use Magnesium Oil
I started using magnesium oil about a year ago for various reasons, but I learned that a happy side effect was less body odour! Most of us are chronically deficient in magnesium (read more on the subject from Wellness Mama), and balancing the minerals in your body can lead to all kinds of improvement in your health – better sleep, improved fertility, etc. It only makes sense that your body would be less stinky as well!
Interestingly, the best way to boost your magnesium is to absorb it through your skin. I make my own magnesium oil (check out Food Renegade’s post) and keep it in a spray bottle in the bathroom. I just apply a few spritzes to my skin (arms, belly) after most showers and rub it in. Simple!
How to Stay Clean Between Showers
So now you can go longer stretches without showering, because you have less body odour. But now it’s morning and you don’t feel totally fresh. What else can you do to look, feel and smell clean between showers?
For me, I’ve found that it’s mostly important to focus on underarms and hair to look and smell clean without getting my whole body soaking wet and scrubbed.
With a few quick steps, you can freshen up to face your day.
Step One: Change your Underpants
Sorry to even mention it. But it’s a really quick and easy way to immediately feel cleaner. And adding one more pair of underwear to the wash takes a lot less water than a full shower. Just sayin’.
Step Two: Wash Your Underarms
If you’re paranoid that your underarms will be smelly, just give them a quick wipe-down with a damp washcloth and a dab of soap. Insta-clean. Then you can go ahead and reapply your natural deodorant.
Step Three: Use Dry Shampoo on Your Hair
I’ve always tended to get oily locks pretty quickly. It has improved significantly since I switched to the no-poo method, but sometimes my hair still needs a quick clean-up between showers.
Dry Shampoo to the rescue!
(How to make DIY dry shampoo with just 2 ingredients)
Allow me to demonstrate with some visuals:
My hair on a bad no-shower day:
I generally just apply it to my bangs, since my hair is so long – it would be a huge ordeal to get it all out effectively if I did my whole head. If you have shorter hair, you could probably pull off a full-head dry shampoo.
I apply a tablespoon or so of my dry shampoo to my bangs (standing over the sink) and rub it in. It looks kinda like this:
Then I brush and comb and shimmy my hair (still over the sink) until it’s all out.
I generally throw my hair into a sock bun on no-shower days and voila. You’d never guess my head was a big old grease-ball ten minutes ago.
Congratulations for saving yourself a bunch of time, water, and energy! You just skipped a shower!
If you want, read more about the benefits of showering less here!
chi
Doesnt work for everyone. some people smell behind their ears their necks..back. genitals and behind…bigger people..people who work out.. women on their cycle.. teens in puberty. please shower..im one of those people who can smell a stale smelling body.. you really get a whiff when the persons body temp rises or they are near you..there are other people like me that can smell a stale unwashed body and it gets bad. you dont smell it because you are around yourself (your scent) 24/7 . worst is dirty hair.
I would simply recommend a dry bath shower solution. like the foamy wash used on bed ridden people by nurses. or to simply wash with a wash cloth and a bucket. wet a washcloth with soap, scrub and fill a bucket with 1-2 gallons and use a little bowl or pour the water straight from the bucket to rinse yourself off. VERY SIMPLE.
VibeRadiant
I have been taking a bath every 2-3 days (baths use less water than showers right?), and I often wouldn’t wash my hair until bath time. Often, in between, I take a sink bath, soapy facecloth and wash the smelly bits. We had a special name for that when I was growing up, but it is a rather crude description. I like bird bath though.
I went no-poo last weekend and I’m not liking it thus far (using baking soda and ACV). My hair feels weird and it isn’t silky and can’t comb it easily.
But, I used a 2 ingredient dry shampoo this morning and my hair roots don’t look so oily, easy recipe; 4 tbsp cornstarch, 3 dessert spoons of cocoa (shaken well) and applied to the visible roots with a big blush brush, then shook it out and combed my hair. Chocolate, it’s not just for eating any more!
Barbara Eberly
Re: Underarm odor. I used to use Mitchem’s – bad news. The aluminum clogged my pores and my underarms felt like plastic. I read on the Internet to try plain, no flavor, no sugar, store brand, Milk of Magnesia, and I LOVE it. I used a cleaned out hair product container and poured some MoM in it. When I use it, I dip two fingers into it and rub into my armpits. I try to let it dry before I dress… No marks on my clothes and I have not noticed any discoloration on my bra, clothes, etc. and there is no body odor. Yes, I have to wash the next morning because there is some overnight odor, but I just do a sink wash and reapply the MoM. So glad I found this remedy!
ann
I used to bathe every day (in a hurried frenzy before I went to work) but that has changed over time. At my old house I had a fantastic hot tub that I soaked in about 15-20 minutes a day. Every other day I’d wash my hair in the sink. My skin was very soft and I didn’t have to apply any moisturizer but then I lived by the beach and humidity was on the high side. Then I moved to the high desert. Great for allergies, bad for the skin. Showers would dry me out but a soak in the tub would make my skin feel better. Not what’s recommended but works for me. The good thing about living where there’s low humidity is that you don’t sweat as much so you can get away with not bathing so often, especially in the winter. Whatever you do to maintain “freshness” between baths and showers, just remember “You’re comfortable in your own skin!” Go girl!!! One thing that also requires cleanliness are your feet so don’t forget them on your shower-free days. Btw, if you’re going out on a date for the first time, I highly recommend washing up with water, soap, and shampoo!! Lol. I had a second date with a guy and we were cuddling. He wanted to smell my hair and I think he was expecting a freshly shampooed head. His reaction was “You smell like you!” I wasn’t sure how to respond. So after that, I’d spray some body spray on my hair and rub some into my scalp. Luckily I don’t have greasy hair. Oh well, it didn’t appear to bother him. I worry about “reeking” but I think that’s just me. I have friends that don’t bathe every day either. Still miss that hot tub. No water wasted there and my skin was always just right. Recirculated water that was treated safely with moisturizing water conditioners.
Kate
Actually the Best way to stay clean between showers is actually a good old fashioned strip wash! It gets you just as clean as a shower and only uses a basin of water. I can understand not showering everyday, I’ve got no problem with that, but there is no excuse to not have a full wash everyday.
Abigail C Smas
Yup! I agree with Kate. I stopped showering/bathing/shampooing everyday because my skin got so dry. The spot wash and/or strip bath can be perfectly adequate. I just can’t go without being clean, but there’s clean and then there’s “every bit of oil and defense against infection is stripped from your skin and I itch!”
Everybody has to do what is right for themselves. And have a good buddy to say…”how about I run you a nice bath? Here’s some bath oil.”
Abby Smas
hahahah! Look! I just saw I commented twice. That was probably not necessary but oh well.
Amy
Love it!!!! I actually already do these things. ..with the exception of the magnesium oil. Which I am VERY eager to try! Thank you! Keep up the great work!
Wendy
Great post! I am an every day showerer. Very, very oily skin and hair. I’m going to try the dry shampoo recipe! What is a sock bun?
chris
I’ve very interested in the oily hair bit, my hair gets very oily very fast and if I don’t wash it at least every other day sometimes I can go 3. Then I start to get sores on the back of my head where my hair is the thickest. Not sure how to void that. I often forget deodorant, just never got in the habit of using it. Unless it’s really hot out I find there usually isn’t any need (no stink affect). I dab a bit on here and there but it’s clear, thin and mostly no fragrance.
Bethany
I have waist-length, fine, fairly oily hair. I shower & wash my hair twice a week, generally. When needed, I use dry shampoo consisting of corn starch (use arrowroot powder if you don’t like corn starch) and enough cocoa powder to match my hair color. I have heard of others that add turmeric or cinnamon to match golden or red hair color. I keep my dry shampoo in an old plastic 8 ounce sour cream container and apply it to my roots with a big makeup brush (face powder brush). I part my hair in a few places around my face & dab the powder in. After I’ve gotten everywhere I wanted to cover on my scalp, I brush my hair well. This distributes the powder down the length of my hair & takes care of the oiliness there too. I would guess that I use between a teaspoon and a tablespoon each time I use it.
Crystal
I shower regularly, mostly daily, absolutely if I sweat or use sunscreen or something like that. I do not wash my hair every day. I slowly over time worked from everyday, to every couple of days, to now just once a week. The more you wash the more you are stripping the oils out of your hair so your hair decides it makes more, which makes your hair look greasy, which makes you feel the need to wash it more, and it is a never ending cycle. I don’t use shampoo any more either. I wash with baking soda and condition with vinegar.
Cyrus
Very interesting stuff! I’ve been experimenting with how showers and deodorants affect my body for the last six months. I found that going from daily showering, to every other, to weekly, to monthly+ very interesting. From my experiment, it would seem that the “gross feeling” of not showering is worse the day after a shower, then lessens during the first week. By the beginning of week 2, the oils in my hair actually begin to lessen as the scalp starts to actually moderate on its own (more than likely due to the fact that I’m not washing the oils out), such that by the end of week 2 people assume I’ve gone back to showering daily! Since, after all, people assume clean looking hair =’s taking a shower that day. From the end of week 2 forward, there is no noticeable difference in skin composure, body scent, or hair change. The body appears to just regulate at that point, requiring less or no deodorant, smelling less in general, having fewer if any zits/break outs, and generally being less… well gross feeling. xD
I think it would be beneficial to everyone to break their conditioning (and conditioner!) and not take a shower for a month for themselves, and journal the process. It’s quite interesting.
One last thing, from my experience you are spot on about the commercial deodorants. For people using them, and trying the no shower month thing, I highly recommend normal use of them for the first week, every other day the second, and then you should no longer require them.
Good luck and have fun with your life experiments all!
Kayla
I love that you wrote this. I don’t shower everyday myself, more like every other day, and in the winter sometimes every 2 days (but that’s my limit)! I use a solid moisturizer as my deodorant, and it works well. It is based with beeswax, when I sweat, I actually smell great lol As far as my hair, I only wash it 2x per week. My skin gets very dry, I am struggling lately with my face. I want to try the coconut oil. I am prone to hormonal breakouts, not so much clogged pores. My skin is classic combination and if it gets too dry it freaks out and over produces oil. I like the Yes to Tomatoes moisturizer very much. It’s heavy and not hypoallergenic or noncomedogenic and it is great but a little pricey for as much as I go through. I’d be curious to hear anyone else’s experience with coconut oil as a moisturizer? I’ve read praise and horror stories. I can’t use argan oil on my face. It makes it itch. No sign of anything…and I use argan shampoo so I don’t think I’m allergic. Anyway, I was googling coconut oil and found your blog. I really dig it!
Sheri
Hi – I have been using coconut oil as a moisturizer for a little over a year. I have fairly dry skin but I also get hormonal breakouts. I have really been enjoying it. You only need a small amount, much less than I was using with lotion. It feels a little oily at first, but is quickly absorbed. Make-up goes over it really well. My skin is very soft and smooth. In the winter, when it is really dry, I exfoliate any dry skin in the shower with a soft loofah. I was worried about not having any SPF like I would in face lotion, but I believe it is helping protect my skin just as well – no sunburn. You can Google those benefits. Hope this helps!
annie
Coconut oil is great for the skin. A little goes a long way. Tge skin absorbs it very quickly so their is no greasy feeling. It naturally has an spf of around 8 so you still get some Sun protection
Laura
Coconut oil is wonderful, I cook with it and take 1 T daily for internal benefits (including sun protection). Unfortunately I had to give up on it for my hair and face. I found it cased acne (the hard bump kind) and made my hair very greasy, even only using a couple of drops. I do recommend grape seed oil (do not eat or cook with it, too many Omega 6). I use it in my hair (very sparingly as I have fine hair) and on my face. I take off my eye makeup, cleanse and use it as a moisturizer (face and body). Grape seed oil has a high vitamin C amount, so another benefit! Also, I use left over coffee grounds (organic) from my Sunday coffee through the week as a weekly face scrub and weekly body scrub.
Violet
I only shower every third day in the winter, otherwise my skin gets so viciously dry and itchy. I also work from home so when I know I won’t be seeing clients or going to a health practitioner, I don’t even worry about my hair. If I need to freshen my fairly short hair, I just run my wetted hands through my hair until thoroughly damp and then towel dry vigorously. When gardening season comes, I have to shower after playing in the dirt. People might wonder if I have body odor, but I have asked my friends after I made them give me a hug and they all said no they did not smell anything.
Here is another way we save water. We don’t flush the toilet just for pee. It’s just my husband and me. Of course if it’s number 2, it’s time to flush. We also flush before company comes.
I have also cut back on washing clothing since I realized that I can wear the same outfit, usually jeans, underwear, and a shirt from one shower to the next. If it’s time for a shower that means my clothing also needs washing. Truth be known, I don’t conserve water to conserve water, although I think it is important. We have municipal water and sewer, which means we pay for ever drop going in and out of this house. I can think of lots better things to do with money than having it run down the drain.
Colleen
my mom always called these Airplane baths, just wash under the wings and tail.
Maryellen
My Auntie was a career Army nurse (married to an Army doctor), and she taught me what, in the Army, she and her peers called the PTS bath – Pits,Tits and Sits! I’ve used it daily to keep myself feeling fresh between showers. You just squat in front of the tub faucet, turning the water on only when you need it, and then soap up the appropriate “bits” (as they say in the UK), and then turn on the water to rinse off. Done in a jiffy. Something similar could be done in a shower, I think.
Lily
I don’t shower every day either. My skin is much less prone to drying out when I don’t, and I just give myself a freshen up if I’m feeling a little funky. I haven’t gone no-poo, but I’m down to shampooing only once or twice a week and I will condition my ends once in-between (I have curly hair, so while I haven’t yet tried dry-shampoo, I’d have to figure out another way to work it in as brushing will just turn me into a fluff ball).
My only challenge with reducing showers is when I am diligent about working out most day per week. I end up getting sweaty and feeling like I need at least a rinse-off. And my hair tends to start looking greasy much more quickly. But, on the other hand, I feel better when I exercise to the point of getting sweaty.
In addition to your tips, I’ve found that when it’s warm out and I’ve been running around barefoot or in sandals, just a simple foot wash before bed makes me feel so much less grimy.
And I want to echo your recommendation for magnesium oil. I started using it almost a year ago and found it helped immensely with my chronic migraines, in addition to other benefits.
brittany gough
I think treseme has a mousse dry shampoo for curly hair so you don’t have to brush it out.
Emily @ Live Renewed
Great tips! I’m definitely a no-shower-every-day kinda mama and I’m blessed that my hair is pretty dry and not oily, but I have been thinking that I should try dry shampoo to see if I can stretch another day or so in between showers. Thanks for the tip to just use it on my bangs – my hair is really long and thick and I’m not sure it would work well for all my hair, but I wouldn’t have thought to just try it on my bangs!
Jaimie Ramsey
I’ve hardly ever showered daily. It dries out my skin too fast. I second the homemade deodorant and just washing under your arms if you feel stinky. I’ve gotta try that dry shampoo though…do you have a recipe for that?
Kathleen | Becoming Peculiar
Hi Jaimie! I included a link to the dry shampoo recipe in the post (easy to miss!), but here it is: http://petitelefant.com/how-to-dry-shampoo/
joanna n.
this makes me think of the “bird bathes” we would take growing up. we’d wash our whole bodies standing at the sink & turning the water off when not in use. we sure got clean, but w/ a whole lot less water than a shower. love your tips, too!
Kathleen | Becoming Peculiar
Aww — I like the name for those kind of baths. Makes them sound cute. 🙂
Amy Rogers Hays
I love these Kathleen! When I was in high school, my French teacher told us that the French have this whole daily personally grooming routine “faire la toilette” that involved a special wash cloth, kind of like a mitt, but not necessarily a shower. It’s why there were sometimes just sinks in the bedrooms. So now when don’t have time (or as I could now say, being environmentally conscious), I just think I’m being very cosmopolitan!
Kathleen | Becoming Peculiar
Ha ha . . . sometimes it’s all in the way you frame it! 🙂
Alice
I’m french and allow me to say that this was used mostly during the Renaissance period, and if it used nowadays it is a complement to a shower.
Stacy @Stacy Makes Cents
🙂 I love this post. As a Mommy, I don’t have time to shower every day. And yes, change your underpants. LOL