The scientific reason why you shouldn’t wash every day

I'm quite careless about bathing, and I'm fairly certain my body odour isn't particularly bothersome.

When I say I don't wash, I mean I don't wash my own body - not my clothing. They are given a thorough clean, but I just don't see the point of putting my own body through the same process. Primarily because they are covered by the clothes.

When I wash my hair, either weekly or 2 times a week at the most.

On an average day, I'll give the key areas (underarms and lower regions) a quick wash, using soap on the first, not the latter. In the summertime, as needed, I'll give my feet a thorough rinse under the bathroom tap.

Once or twice a week, I take a leisurely bath – more for the joy of relaxing in Epsom salts after a gym session and listening to an audiobook than for personal hygiene, as I'm not someone who needs to remove grime from their skin, like a coal miner, a rugby player, or a 19th-century agricultural labourer.

I'm rarely smeared with actual dirt; I don't recall the last time I had noticeable grime on my skin, except possibly after a gardening session – so why apply fragrant soap when body washes and shower gels are essentially just washing up liquid for the body?

Why have we become so accustomed to taking hot, bubbly showers every day? It's a relatively recent shift in social conventions in this nation, that's for certain.

– with daily flannel washing ensuring a crisp freshness in between.

Let's revisit that flannel concept, for multiple good reasons.

In a similar way to the way our microbiome in the gut is affected, the skin microbiome doesn't thrive when repeatedly washed with detergents based on petroleum products any more than the gut one responds favourably to antibiotics.

There are also some similarities between our two microbiomes. They are each composed of a diverse collection of microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses and fungi, some of which are helpful and others which can be harmful, and everyone has a distinct combination of these microorganisms.

The microbiome on our skin is also part of the immune system, and works hand-in-hand with the one in our gut, communicating through the body's network of cells and chemical signals.

We're forced to live alongside the array of viruses and bacteria dwelling on the outer layer of our skin, forming a delicate and mutually dependent balance.

do.

According to Dr Robert H. Shmerling, senior faculty editor at Harvard Health Publishing: "For our immune systems to produce helpful antibodies and a defence mechanism which remembers past threats, they require some exposure to harmless germs, dirt and other substances from our environment."

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Using too many strong cleaning products can remove the skin's natural oils, which are made from a blend of ingredients found in the environment.

So we wash these moisturising oils away with body washes and shower gels, typically contained in single-use plastic bottles, often filled with water, and then reapply them using body lotions that are also usually packed in disposable plastic containers.

It's ecologically unsustainable, albeit predictably entrenched, just like so many environments-harming practices, a massive industry has taken shape around assuring us that this plastic-packed double-whammy is an indispensable component of our regular lives and supermarkets.

It isn’t.

Just because some skincare advocates suggest a "no-cleanse" routine doesn't mean you should let your skin get clogged with dirt. As the body's key detoxifying organ, it's essential to keep it clear, so if you notice dirt on your skin, give it a gentle wash with warm water to keep pores open - though, I do think using soap is necessary for keeping your hands properly clean.

Water is very good at rinsing away everything that we produce naturally, such as sweat, along with dust and loose bits we pick up daily; meanwhile, soap does a good job of removing oils from skin.

Even if - like Prince Andrew - you're a heavy sweater, even after exercise leaving you feeling rather pungent (like my husband), warm water should be sufficient to dissolve the sweat. Do note, however, that it doesn't have to be scalding hot.

There's an additional incentive to reduce the daily indulgence in foamy hot drinks: financial benefits.

According to reports online, averaging across the country because water charges differ, it costs approximately £1.40 for a ten-minute power-shower session, which is the typical duration of a shower, typically taken by Brits. This equates to around £500 annually.

Even when I factor in my weekly treat nights, which I don't fill up to the top, at a significantly lower price of 85p a go, I'm saving £300 per year by not washing every day. As my husband is following the same routine as me, we're saving £600 in total.

That's a short break, complete with a pleasant evening meal.

What's also made me give up on daily showers is the significant amount of time you save as a result.

I can get myself ready to go out in half an hour, from waking up to leaving the house, with a full face of make-up and accessories, in a quick and easy way, rather than taking all day. It's had a huge impact on my life.

And you won't find permanently soggy bath towels cluttering the space.

For many individuals, there remains a certain stigma attached to not adhering to the regular bathing routine that society deems acceptable.

As I discovered when I got in touch with the pair of friends, a lovely couple, who inspired me to start doing my daily ablutions differently.

The gentleman in the partnership discovered the concept of the skin microbiome when he was studying biological science at university in the 1960s. Since then, he has made a conscious decision to use only water on his skin, avoiding the use of soap on any part of his body. His wife, whom he met 20 years later, subsequently adopted a similar approach after being influenced by him.

They are both committed soap-haters, but didn't want to admit it openly for fear of being judged or considered odd. To be honest, I initially hesitated before writing this article for the same reason.

I can confidently say that neither of my friends has an unappealing body odour or visibly unhygienic appearance.

At least once or twice a week I have my hair tended to at the hairdresser's. We've got a bidet for personal hygiene purposes, and we simply use warm water for that.

I do wash my hands with soap at all times. Given my training in health and safety while running a café, I'm well aware of the hazards involved and take the necessary precautions - I would never prepare food without first washing my hands.

We don't speak out about it, largely because people are often oblivious to what we're saying. Everyone has been conditioned to think it's abnormal to skip washing themselves or their hair each day. In the past, there were valid reasons to adopt better hygiene practices, but today it's become an excessive obsession.

Maybe there are more of us out there, secretly wearing our 1950s-style dressing gowns in the morning, but reluctant to publicly admit to it. Well, I'm taking a step forward now: I don't use a shower every day - and I hope this might encourage others to consider giving it a go.

According to the very reasonable Dr Shmerling, "Taking too many showers a day is unlikely to have a significant impact on one's health, yet frequent showers are unnecessary andunnecessarily wasteful of water."

Going back to the traditional way of washing that many people in the UK followed up until at least the mid-1970s will result in fewer single-use plastics, a stronger immune system, and savings on time, water, and money.

Not showering every day is actually a clean winner.

The best ways to maintain the cleanliness of your skin, as well as the health of the tiny life forms that exist there, and also contribute to a cleaner environment and a more balanced bank account.

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