Are you over-showering, or over-soaping? Your skin says yes!
Showering everyday; Is this a necessary hygiene task, or have we been conditioned to think so for years by the big business body care industry?
Our vote is (and backed by scientific data)… it’s overrated and mostly overdone!
Over-showering (and over-soaping) you guessed it, fades your goGLOW color faster!
What are the impacts of showering every day?
Normal, healthy skin maintains a layer of natural oil and a balance of "good" bacteria and other microorganisms. Washing with sulfates removes these, especially if the water is hot. Over-washing can have these negative effects on your skin and health;
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Skin may become dry, irritated, or itchy.
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Dry, cracked skin may allow bacteria and allergens to breach the barrier skin, allowing skin infections and allergic reactions to occur.
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Antibacterial soaps actually kill off normal, healthy bacteria. This upsets the balance of microorganisms on the skin and encourages the emergence of less friendly organisms that are more resistant to antibiotics.
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Our immune systems need a certain amount of stimulation by normal microorganisms, dirt, and other environmental exposures in order to create protective antibodies and "immune memory." This is one reason why some pediatricians and dermatologists recommend against daily baths for kids. Frequent baths or showers throughout a lifetime may reduce the ability of the immune system to do its job.
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Washing your hair daily will strip your hair color faster. Minerals in shower water can dull blondes, strip color from reds, and cause brunettes to lose richness. "The more you shampoo, the more you potentially remove oils needed to protect hair shafts and keep the scalp healthy and moisturized."
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Washing your body daily with 'soap' and hot water will ultimately fade your goGLOW sunless tan color much faster!
When you do shower, it’s best to use a wash that does not strip your skin of it’s natural oils. We suggest using CLEANSE as your daily wash (on face and body) to preserve the pH balance of your skin, overall hydration and healthy hygiene!
Stop showering for the sake of thinking you need to take a shower, and just take one when you need to.
The case for showering (and/or ‘soaping’) less;
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Daily showers waste water (lots of the US is experience drought conditions!).
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Soaps with sulfates strip your skin of it’s natural fatty acids and oils making your skin dry and dehydrated. Look at the back of every soap bottle in drugstore aisles. We bet that you will see 'sodium lauryl sulfate' or 'sodium laureth sulfate' in 99/100 of those formulas. Those will strip your skin; steer clear!
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Your pH becomes unbalanced - which can cause eczema, skin inflammation, redness, acne and premature aging.
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When your skin is dry and dehydrated, you end up using more lotion and more body oils (waste of $!) and those products often just sit on the top of your skin, not fully absorbing or delivering moisture and hydration.
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The oils, perfumes, and other additives in shampoos, conditioners, and soaps may cause problems of their own, such as allergic reactions (not to mention their cost).
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Think about what you could do with an extra 30 minutes to an hour everyday? All of your unfinished errands and tasks may be easier to finish with that extra time.
How often should you shower?
While there is no ideal frequency, experts suggest that showering several times per week is plenty for most people (unless you are grimy, sweaty, or have other reasons to shower more often). Even if you just hop in the shower for a quick, cool burst of water, washing the important parts, but don’t spend an excessive amount of time ‘soaping’, it is better for your skin and your health than taking a long, hot shower.
Works Cited
Fern, Ashley. “The Science Of Showering.” Elite Daily, 26 January 2015, https://www.elitedaily.com/women/in-defense-of-not-showering/915527.
Hamblin, James. “You're Showering Too Much.” The Atlantic, 2020, https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2020/07/hygiene-is-overrated/612235/.