How often do guys actually shower?

Of course... I’m not suggesting you need to scrub down once a week—I wouldn't want anyone getting the wrong idea about that... That would be a little, erm, fragrant 🙂

I am simply stating what I know to be true, based on my own experience dealing with sensitive skin and following the advice of my doctor... You really shouldn't be scrubbing your entire body with soap every single day.

What kind of question is that? Of course you need to wash up a few times a day, otherwise you’re going to start smelling pretty bad.

You can always take a quick rinse—just hit the essentials with a light liquid soap and call it a day. But taking a proper, relaxing shower with nice warm water? You can do that as often as you like, provided you don't have skin issues, like a nasty sunburn or something.

Good grief, nobody is suggesting you grab a scouring pad and some industrial bleach 😬 just to scrub yourself raw until you’re bleeding... but apparently, taking a five-to-ten minute shower every single day is going to be the death of us. 🙂 🙄

Unless, of course, you happen to be allergic to water. 😁

And for anyone with sensitive skin, there are specialized products designed specifically for that.

It’s honestly no wonder I feel like wearing a dunce cap sometimes... there are clearly plenty of people out there falling for this nonsense.

Gregory Turner71 said:I’m just saying what I know from dealing with my own skin issues and what my doctor told me... scrubbing your whole body with soap every single day? Probably not a great move.

Scrubbing hard and actually washing isn't even the same thing.
Just use some super mild soap and you'll be fine, I guess.

Gregory Turner71 said:If you just hit the feet, pits, and bits, you can manage to be tolerable to the people around you for a few days.

But let’s be real—that doesn’t give you that genuine sense of being "clean" that only comes from an actual bath or shower.

I remember back when I had stitches I wasn't allowed to get wet, so I had to clumsily dab myself down with a washcloth; I was counting down the minutes until I could finally take a proper shower again.

Sure, you can wipe yourself down with a baby wipe if you have to, but in my book, nothing will ever truly replace a nice, steaming hot shower.😵

🙂 🙂 🙂

Megan Reed said:I remember having stitches that I wasn't even allowed to touch, so I just had to clumsily wipe myself down with a wet washcloth, basically just counting down the days until I could finally take a real shower.

That's pretty brutal, right?

Even though I was being super careful around the stitches, I was still just dying to get properly cleaned up!😁

Yeah, it was awful!

Luckily, after my last surgery, I had to clean the wound three times a day, which actually felt way better than those days when you can't even take a proper shower. 😬 😲

Look, I get it. Nobody wants to smell like a dumpster, but let’s be real: once you account for your feet, junk, pits, face, and brushing your teeth, there’s about 70% of your body that doesn't need a daily scrub unless you're hitting the gym hard. If you aren't sweating constantly, you aren't going to start smelling bad after four or five days. Just rinsing those areas with water works fine; using soap every single day is overkill. Plus, when you constantly strip away your skin's natural oils and that protective layer, you're messing with your hormones. Those levels fluctuate to compensate, and over time, that can really mess with a guy's cardiovascular health. It won't drop you dead tomorrow, but playing that game for years? Not great. That's just what the experts say. I haven't fully committed to the "water-only" lifestyle yet, but I'm thinking about testing it out. We'll see what my wife says if I suddenly start smelling like a locker room—assuming that even happens. I doubt it, but hey, we'll see. Just some food for thought. Maybe this isn't something to mess around with.👋

duh, obviously it isn't bad
like, say you spend a day hanging out in the city.
it’s totally normal if only your junk and armpits get dirty😛

Hannah Davis18 said:Scrubbing with just soap isn't quite the same thing.
If you use an ultra-gentle cleanser, you won't have any issues with sensitive skin.

Well, if that's the case, I clearly have incredibly problematic skin then.😢>

Gregory Turner71 said:So I clearly have super problematic skin😢

lol, yeah, I highly doubt your skin is any weirder than mine.
ever tried stuff from CeraVe or whatever?
there's like so many options at the drugstore now, just ask for some samples if you haven't already.

Arslan said:What question? Obviously you gotta wash up a few times a day or you're gonna stink.

Nah, you won't actually stink if you don't wash multiple times a day. That's just stupid...

Gregory Turner71 said:Well, then I clearly have a HUGE issue with my skin!😢

🤔Maybe you're actually allergic to water!

Anyway, the main point here is 👍

Hannah Davis18 said:What if we just used shampoo on specific animals—or maybe even entire species?

Honestly, what’s the big deal? Nothing. I wash both my dogs with shampoo all the time, and they’re still alive, healthy, and smelling great enough.👍

Hannah Davis18 said:Haha, I highly doubt your skin is any weirder than mine.
Have you tried brands like La Roche-Posay or something similar?
There are honestly so many options at the drugstore these days—just ask for some testers if you haven't already.

I don't know... my skin and I just don't really get along. 😢

I've eventually figured out how to balance my routine so that my skin doesn't act up too much—while still making sure I don't smell bad, of course—so I don't think I actually need those super expensive luxury products.

Gregory Turner71 said:I don't know... my skin and I just don't really get along.😢

I figured out I can pretty much adjust my routine so my skin doesn't freak out too much, and I don't end up smelling like a swamp either, so I guess those super expensive products aren't even necessary.

Well, they aren't even that pricey, they're just unscented and made for sensitive skin.

$4 isn't actually a lot, I think that's about what that Dr. Wolf cleanser costs.

Showering is amazing—great for circulation and total refreshment, especially if you alternate between cold and warm water.
For anyone dealing with sensitive skin or those pesky "dermatitis" issues where people mention fluid buildup or
just using soap without harsh chemicals.

I still remember washing up in a basin back in Washington, D.C.... thinking about the hassle of it all makes me feel a bit uneasy.

I’ve been living in Australia for 36 years now, and depending on the day, I take at least two showers. It's a necessity when it hits 105 or 115 degrees out there. I’d love to see someone who tries to get by with just one shower every couple of days... though I know some people manage.

I agree with the sentiment; having worked heavy industrial jobs that absolutely wreck your hands because you have to wash them constantly with harsh chemicals, almost nobody I knew escaped with dermatitis... even if they didn't get it all over their bodies.

Thank God for showers... even though I live somewhere with water restrictions, the need for water and washing will always be there.

👋 👋

qsebastian said:Plus, when you're constantly stripping away that top layer of skin and all that grease, you end up releasing a massive amount of hormones... and apparently, those mess with a guy's blood and cardiovascular system. It’s not like it'll drop you dead on the spot—it's not *that* lethal—but if you keep it up for years, you're basically screwing yourself over... anyway, it's your life if you want to go that route, but according to "experts," it's just a fact. I haven't started testing that theory myself yet, but I guess I will eventually...

Which hormones we talking about here? Insulin, glucagon, TSH, thyroxine, prolactin...? Like, seriously? It feels like you don't even know what a hormone actually is...

And which experts?

Name the hormones and the experts, please.

rustymoose54 said:just name the hormones

Oh please, as if spending too much time hanging out with guys would somehow trigger an overflow of estrogen and progesterone. 🙂 🙂 🙂 That’s clearly what he’s actually terrified of. 😲 😬

🤣 🤣 🤣

magic blue said:What would happen? Nothing. I wash my two dogs with regular shampoo all the time and they’re still alive, healthy, and smelling great.👍

Sure—but if you let those dogs live out in the wild with their coats stripped bare like that, they'd be in serious trouble. Once that first cold snap hits, they'll be shivering and sick because they've lost all that natural oil protection...
They aren't wild animals anymore; they're domestic pets.

If you actually dropped any of them out in the wilderness, they wouldn't last a single month.