The Shower Debacle: How to Maintain Hygiene Without Overwashing

Mandatory Shower Time

Almost everyone can agree that when you’re dirty you should take a shower. However, the definition of “dirty” varies. Some believe that sweating means you need to shower, while others are comfortable just changing clothes and continuing their day. Whether or not to wash off after sweating is a gray area.

However, it’s generally accepted that a shower becomes necessary when there is physical dirt on your body. This applies to those working in outdoor manual labor, handling oily car parts, working with large animals, etc., as these tasks often lead to noticeable grime or residue that needs to be washed off.

The Dangers of Hygiene Products

It is no secret that many hygiene products contain ingredients that can be harmful to your health. In most cases, the ingredient labels on hair products and body washes are filled with unpronounceable, unrecognizable chemicals. Some of the most common harmful ingredients and their side effects include:

• Sulfates – dry skin and a known carcinogen
  • Ex. Ammonium lauryl sulfate, Sodium lauryl sulfate, Sodium laureth sulfate
• Parabens – skin irritation, suspected hormone disrupter, and possible carcinogen
  • Contain formaldehyde often referred to as Methylene glycol or Formalin
• Phthalates – suspected hormone disrupter and possible carcinogen
  • Currently under investigation for their potential to cause significant harm to reproductive, neurological, and developmental systems in the body¹
• Triclosan – hormone disrupter and bacterial resistance
  • Banned in 2016 from antibacterial soap and body wash², still found in some shampoos
• Benzene – may weaken the immune system and cause birth defects, known carcinogen
  • Ex. toluene, methylbenzene, phenylmethane and toluol
• Chemical dyes – skin irritation and other currently unknown side effects
  • typically derived from petrochemicals. Still being studied by the FDA to determine long-term side effects
• Alcohols – dry skin and hair

This is a condensed list of potentially harmful ingredients found in hygiene products. Even high-end shampoos, conditioners, soaps, and body washes often contain chemicals or additives that may be harsh on your skin, hair, and health. Many of these ingredients can disrupt the skin’s natural pH balance, leading to dryness, redness, acne, excessive oil production (to counteract the dryness), and even premature aging. To reduce exposure to these harmful substances, it’s best to limit the number of showers you take each week.

Water Quality

Water quality has been a concern for many years. Unfiltered tap water can contain various contaminants such as chlorine, fluoride, lead, pesticides, and bacteria. Additionally, trihalomethanes (THMs), a colorless liquid, may also be present in the water supply. THMs are a byproduct of water treatment that forms when chlorine, used to disinfect the water, reacts with decaying organic matter in the water³. There are four primary species of THMs, chloroform, bromodichloromethane, dibromochloromethane, and bromoform.

Trihalomethanes (THMs) can have serious long-term health effects, including liver and kidney damage. Some studies have also linked elevated THM levels to an increased risk of cancer⁴,⁵ and negative birth outcomes⁶,⁷. Two controlled experiments found elevated levels of inhaled THMs due to showering⁸. Exposure to THMs has been found to significantly raise concentrations of chloroform, bromodichloromethane, dibromochloromethane, and bromoform in the blood potentially leading to major health complications.

Water Temperature

Water temperature plays a large role in determining the positive or negative effects of bathing or showering. One study found that hotter baths or showers (104°F and higher) increased the concentration of chloroform in the body compared to those who washed in cooler temperature water (86°F and lower)⁹. Hot showers can also have negative effects on the health of skin and hair. However, a hot shower has been proven to offer more benefits towards muscle tension relief and may aid in reducing stress.

Voluntary exposure to cold water has become a heavily debated topic, with new studies suggesting potential health benefits. It’s hypothesized that cold showers or baths could boost immunity, improve cardiovascular health, and reduce insulin sensitivity¹⁰, though these claims haven’t been fully proven by science. However, one undeniable benefit of cold water exposure is its ability to reduce swelling and inflammation. This type of cold exposure is often done through ice-water plunges, but a cold shower can also help reduce inflammation to some extent.

Shower Alternatives

When your body is not covered in visible dirt and you simply want to freshen up, there are great alternatives to showering. As the market for beauty and hygiene advances more products are made that allow people to feel clean without showers. Baby wipes have evolved into body wipes. Moist toilettes are designed to wipe away sweat, dirt, and odor to allow you to feel clean without a shower.

Another option for refreshing your hair without soap and water is dry shampoo. This popular product is designed to absorb excess oil, helping you extend the time between washes. When selecting a dry shampoo, be sure to check the ingredients, as some spray formulas contain propellants that may be harmful to both your health and your hair.

The Shower Debacle

Good hygiene is important. We can all agree on that. No one wants to be stuck in an elevator with someone who has sworn off showering and hygiene maintenance. However, science suggests that it is possible to overwash. As you wash off the day, you are being exposed to multiple chemicals and contaminants. While these things do not pose an immediate risk, repeated, daily exposure can lead to health consequences.

It’s recommended to wash with mild to moderate temperature water every other day at most unless there’s visible dirt or grime. If you can extend your shower frequency to every two or three days, you may notice improvements in your hair and skin quality, as well as your overall health.

If you are a die-hard daily shower or multiple daily shower sort of person, look into house water filtration systems that could reduce your exposure to water contaminants. It’s also important to research the hygiene products you use on your skin and hair to ensure they are safe and beneficial for your health. If you feel as though you need to freshen up on a no-shower day reach for your shower alternatives to give you that just-washed shine.

Supporting Research

1. Wang Y, Qian H. Phthalates and Their Impacts on Human Health. Healthcare (Basel). 2021 May 18;9(5):603. doi: 10.3390/healthcare9050603. PMID: 34069956; PMCID: PMC8157593. ↩︎
2. FDA. (2016, September 2). FDA issues final rule on safety and effectiveness of antibacterial soaps. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-issues-final-rule-safety-and-effectiveness-antibacterial-soaps ↩︎
3. Nuckols JR, Ashley DL, Lyu C, Gordon SM, Hinckley AF, Singer P. Influence of tap water quality and household water use activities on indoor air and internal dose levels of trihalomethanes. Environ Health Perspect. 2005 Jul;113(7):863-70. doi: 10.1289/ehp.7141. PMID: 16002374; PMCID: PMC1257647. ↩︎
4. Hildesheim ME, Cantor KP, Lynch CF, Dosemeci M, Lubin J, Alavanja M, et al. Drinking water source and chlorination byproducts II. Risk of colon and rectal cancers. Epidemiology. 1997;9:29–35 ↩︎
5. King WD, Marrett LD. Case-control study of bladder cancer and chlorination by-products in treated water (Ontario, Canada) Cancer Causes Control. 1996;7:594–604 ↩︎
6. ↩︎
7. Klotz JB, Pyrch LA. Neural tube defects and drinking water disinfection by-products. Epidemiology. 1999;10:383–390.  ↩︎
8. Xu X, Weisel CP. Human respiratory uptake of chloroform and haloketones during showering. J Expo Anal Environ Epidemiol. 2005;15:6–16 ↩︎
9. Gordon SM, Wallace LA, Callahan PJ, Kenny DV, Brinkman MC. Effect of water temperature on dermal exposure to chloroform. Environ Health Perspect. 1998;106:337–345. ↩︎
10. Esperland D, de Weerd L, Mercer JB. Health effects of voluntary exposure to cold water – a continuing subject of debate. Int J Circumpolar Health. 2022 Dec;81(1):2111789. doi: 10.1080/22423982.2022.2111789. PMID: 36137565; PMCID: PMC9518606. ↩︎