An expert has argued that daily showering is largely ‘performative’ and primarily for the benefit of others, with no real health advantages.
For many, including myself, a daily routine involves brushing teeth and a thorough shower to feel prepared for the day. The idea of skipping a shower before heading downstairs, much less leaving the house, seems unthinkable.
While I was vaguely aware that daily showers might not be necessary, it still bothers me to hear experts suggest that my shower time serves more for social acceptance than personal health.
Environmental advocate Donnachadh McCarthy recently shared his perspective, grounded in his experiences with the indigenous Yanomami tribe in the Amazon jungle. His story adds a compelling angle to the ongoing debate about hygiene.
McCarthy, a former professional ballet dancer, told the BBC that prior to his two-week stay with the Yanomami people, he adhered to a typical shower regimen.
However, witnessing their lifestyle transformed his own habits, reducing his showers from daily to weekly and eventually to monthly.
McCarthy stated: “Why are we washing? Mostly because we’re afraid somebody else will tell us that we’re smelling… I faced that fear, and I live.”
Despite not showering daily, McCarthy says no one has complained about his smell. He does, however, maintain a daily routine of sink-based washes using a cloth and shaves with just one cup of water.
“I do think a lot of the showering is performative,” McCarthy claims. “I’m not alone in [not showering every day]. What I am alone in is being bravely willing to talk about it.”
Even some celebrities have expressed similar views. Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher have openly stated that they don’t shower every day, with Kutcher admitting in 2021 that he cleans his ‘armpits and crotch daily and nothing else ever’.
Other famous personalities have also joined the conversation. Jake Gyllenhaal told Vanity Fair that ‘more and more I find bathing to be less necessary, at times’, though he later noted he was being sarcastic.
Dermatologists also weigh in on the debate. Dr. Julie Russak from Manhattan told The New York Post that daily showers are not recommended by professionals in her field.
She added that bath soaps ‘really remove and destroy the skin’s microbiome’, which she described as ‘extremely important in overall health of the body’.
Physician James Hamblin also explored the topic in his 2020 book about his decision to stop showering.
Hamblin told the BBC that those who ‘mock’ people for not showering frequently ‘are betraying profound ignorance of the skin microbiome’.
While the potential health benefits of less frequent showering are intriguing, the personal enjoyment and perceived cleanliness from a daily shower are too significant for me to give up.