Showering is essential for a lot of reasons, like maintaining personal hygiene and keeping one’s skin and hair clean. The frequency of showering can vary from person to person depending on various factors such as activity level, environment, and personal preferences.
Dermatologists recommend showering at least once or twice a day. While over-showering can strip away protective natural oils and bacteria and lead to dry skin, a shower a day is alright for the average person.
Now, I’ve heard of people who only shower once in a while, and it’s always sounded outrageous to me, but OP begs to hear him out. u/RealNunuOfficial wants to know if he’s wrong for showering once a week.
He Only Showers When He Feels Gross
OP (24M) lives very north, in an area where winters are long. As a result, he’s always cold and rarely sweats. As a result, he only showers when he feels gross. according to OP, this is usually only once every 5-6 days. During the summer, he only goes 2 – 3 days in between showers because of the warmer weather.
As expected, it wasn’t long before his girlfriend spoke up about it.
The incident occurred when OP ordered shampoo and commented on its increased price. It led to a conversation with his girlfriend, Garnet (29F), about his shampoo usage and showering frequency. Garnet was shocked that OP was averaging one shower a week, and she commented about him smelling bad.
Hearing “you smell bad,” from someone you care about, is surely going to rile up some emotions — especially anger or shame. In this case, we can conclude it was the former.
“How did it take you almost three years to go through a bottle of shampoo?” she asked. This led to an argument between the couple.
Body Odor
OP explained to her that he only showered once a week because he maintained good hygiene, groomed regularly, and wore deodorant. When his girlfriend brought up his body odor, he told her he didn’t believe he had any.
After the argument, Garnet went home. OP then discussed the issue with his mother, who agreed with his stance on showering. OP’s mother agreed that he never looked unclean or greasy, so his hygiene was satisfactory.
If his mother is fine with that, then we can easily assume he was raised that way — probably why his weekly baths are a normal thing to him. However, she suggested that he could consider showering a couple of times a week if Garnet had a problem with it. So he did.
In the end, he decided he might stick to his regular routine but lie to Garnet about showering every other day. But before he does, he wants to know if he’s wrong for deciding that and “not sticking to societal norms.”
His case sparked a debate among users who shared their opinions on personal hygiene.
Someone Call 911
Redditors are calling help for him and, more specifically, his girlfriend.
u/sillYgoose43211 is thinking several steps ahead. Someone maybe check on OP’s girlfriend?
“I wash my body every single day and wash my hair twice a week (lots of thick curly hair)…This grown man doesn’t wash his junk every single day?????? Yikes. That girlfriend is a champion.” Not all heroes wear capes, you know.
u/edemamandllama brings up the subject of how a person’s hygiene, or lack of it, might affect those around them. She thinks OP is TA and definitely has BO. It’s one thing to not take care of yourself, but letting it hurt others is on another level.
“She probably has constant UTIs. I’ve read so many posts about women not knowing why they are constantly getting infections. They use a course of antibiotics and a week later have a new infection. It’s shocking how many don’t take into consideration their partner’s hygiene. OP YTA. Please start taking better care of yourself.”
After seeing the responses, OP has decided to do some research on his own and might be changing his mind soon. I hope he does, too!
But while on the topic, how often do you shower?
Now, the frequency of showering is a personal choice and can depend on various factors. Also, listening to your body and finding a routine that works best for you while maintaining good hygiene practices is essential.
What are your thoughts on OP’s routine?
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This article was produced and syndicated by Wealth of Geeks.
