After a long hard day spent working up a stinky sweat, nothing feels quite as good as a nice, relaxing shower does. The flowing water seems to just wash away stress, dirt, and odor, leaving you clean and refreshed. Nothing really compares to that awesome feeling you get once you step out of the bathroom, it’s hard to describe but you know what I’m talking about!
However, while we all have our own shower habits and routines, you could potentially be showering wrong. As strange as that may initially sound, and as simple as a shower may seem, there are actually right and wrong ways to go about doing it. If you happen to be guilty of any of the following habits, you may want to change up your shower routine because they are not the best or cleanliest things you could be doing!
1. Washing Your Hair Daily- You don’t need to wash your hair every day and if you do, it can actually end up damaging it. Hair becomes dry and frail when you’re constantly stripping away the natural oils with hot water and shampoo. It’s recommended that those with oily hair only wash and shampoo it every other day, and those with dry or curly hair should wash about 2-3 times a week.
2. Leaving Your Razor In The Shower- Metal razors and water are not friends so if you leave a razor in the shower, it’s bound to start rusting at some point. It’s also going to become infested with gross bacteria. All the tiny parts and holes that most razors feature, like the rubber grips and cartridges, retain water and in a warm, moist environment like a shower, bacteria thrives. That’s why every time you shower, you should take your razor with you when you’re done. Dry it out, hang it up, and store it somewhere safe outside the shower. Also, make sure to replace or change out the blade regularly because it gets dull and when it does, you’ll end up with itchy, bumpy, razor bumps.
3. Failing To Wash Your Feet- An often overlooked body part that many people fail to wash is their own two feet. Just like the rest of your body, feet should be scrubbed with soap and rinsed well to help clear them of dirt, grime, sweat, and odor causing bacteria. Don’t think that by simply allowing the shower water to passively run over them they get magically clean, it doesn’t work that way. Feet especially need to be scrubbed and using a pumice stone can work wonders at helping to remove dead skin and bacteria.
4. Washing Your Face In The Shower- Many of us bring our face wash into the shower in order to kill two birds with one stone but convenience may be the only thing that it’s good for. You’re really not supposed to use hot water when you wash the sensitive skin on your face, and since most of us shower in water that’s much hotter than what we normally wash our faces with, it ends up doing more harm than good. Skip the in-shower face washing unless you want dry, irritated, or red inflamed skin.
5. Using The In-Shower Soap Dish- Nothing is grosser than a bar of soap that has been sitting in a stagnant puddle of water for who knows how long. Most soap dishes are obsolete, people just don’t use bar soap anymore and liquid body wash is the way to go. For those who happen to prefer bar soap, make sure to use a soap dish that drains well so that the soap doesn’t sit in stale water. When that happens bacteria quickly begins to grow on the soap because it thrives in moist, dark places, making the shower an ideal spot. Many people assume that soap is always clean and so they end up spreading bacteria all over their bodies when they use a bar that has been sitting for too long in a watery dish.
6. Not Taking Cold Showers- Cold showers are not only wonderful for skin and hair, they also help to energize and will wake you up better than a cup of coffee can! Best of all, you don’t actually need to take a full length cold shower and stand in freezing water the entire time. Instead, try ending your shower by turning it to cold and spend at least 30 seconds experiencing the icy rush wash over your head. This serves to increase metabolism and studies even suggest that over time regular cold showers lead to weight loss. They also help to seal cuticles which makes your hair appear glossy and cold water closes pores and won’t dry out skin the way hot water does.
7. Not Replacing Your Shower Pouf or Loofah Regularly- Scientists recently confirmed what many of us already knew about the popular shower accessories, they are filled with all sorts of gross, nasty germs. A recent study published in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology found that mesh sponges and loofahs are the perfect breeding ground for bacteria. Most of us leave them in the shower where they end up sitting in the damp warm bathroom, which is already filled with a wide variety of bacteria. All the tiny holes, netting, and folds in loofahs and poufs act to help trap dead skin cells, mold, bacteria, yeast, germs, dirt, grime, and more within them. When it comes time to use them, you end up smearing all of that disgusting stuff all over your body and instead of cleaning yourself, you’re rubbing even more germs on!
To minimize and cut down on the risks of a possible skin infection caused by a shower pouf, it’s recommended that you replace them every three weeks. The longer you wait to replace it, the more infested it becomes. Check out the accompanying video to learn more about this and some of the other health dangers that may be hiding in your shower and bathroom.
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