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How often do you bathe?

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    CycloneRangerCycloneRanger Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    I, uh, I don't wash my hair any more.

    I soap the hell out of my body, and I take care to rinse my hair thoroughly, but... I don't wash it any more. I stopped over Christmas break. I endured an awful week of greasiness, but now it's just really soft and smooth and extremely manageable.

    >.>

    I've heard people advocating this stance. It must work for some people because the first person who told me showed me her hair and it was fine, but I don't buy that it would work for me.

    Well again, there was an initial INCREDIBLY greasy stage that lasted for about a week. If I hadn't been on break I never would have gone through with it.

    Glad I did though.

    I think that once summer and daily sweating becomes a factor I may have to reassess this method.
    I'm sort of skeptical of this, as I can't think of a convincing mechanism of action. Why would the daily oil production drop after a week without washing? I don't think your scalp is equipped to detect the greasiness of your hair and modulate its oil output accordingly. Are you sure you didn't just change your standards of greasiness over that week?

    Positive. It actually happened again for a couple of days recently as well. It was literally so greasy (both times) that I had difficulty running my fingers through my hair, and water had difficulty penetrating to my scalp. Now it's just silky. The second time, I'm pretty sure, was because I only (initially) had four towels at college initially, and didn't wash the one I used to dry my hair with for about four days. (When I washed my hair with soap regularly, this was not a problem). Since then, I have stolen about ten towels and use a different one every two days, and my hair is back to the non-super-greasy-yet-unsoaped ideal.
    Ah, so the excess oil ends up in the towel. I suppose that makes sense. I still don't know why the excess of the first week would disappear subsequently.

    Come to think of it, I have no idea what "excess" even means in this context. How oily is hair "supposed" to be?

    CycloneRanger on
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    Loren MichaelLoren Michael Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Positive. It actually happened again for a couple of days recently as well. It was literally so greasy (both times) that I had difficulty running my fingers through my hair, and water had difficulty penetrating to my scalp. Now it's just silky. The second time, I'm pretty sure, was because I only (initially) had four towels at college initially, and didn't wash the one I used to dry my hair with for about four days. (When I washed my hair with soap regularly, this was not a problem). Since then, I have stolen about ten towels and use a different one every two days, and my hair is back to the non-super-greasy-yet-unsoaped ideal.
    Ah, so the excess oil ends up in the towel. I suppose that makes sense. I still don't know why the excess of the first week would disappear subsequently.

    Come to think of it, I have no idea what "excess" even means in this context. How oily is hair "supposed" to be?

    I assume there's sort of a natural equilibrium that depends on the person and their haircare habits. My hair is super greasy when I don't change towels and (apparently) immediately after I stop using shampoo. I'm not sure why it got less greasy after that first bit, but I recall stories of others having a similar initial experience. I assume there's some mechanism in the scalp that regulates the oil. The oil in my hair is probably just a factor of the oil on my scalp.

    Loren Michael on
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    ZombiemamboZombiemambo Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Positive. It actually happened again for a couple of days recently as well. It was literally so greasy (both times) that I had difficulty running my fingers through my hair, and water had difficulty penetrating to my scalp. Now it's just silky. The second time, I'm pretty sure, was because I only (initially) had four towels at college initially, and didn't wash the one I used to dry my hair with for about four days. (When I washed my hair with soap regularly, this was not a problem). Since then, I have stolen about ten towels and use a different one every two days, and my hair is back to the non-super-greasy-yet-unsoaped ideal.
    Ah, so the excess oil ends up in the towel. I suppose that makes sense. I still don't know why the excess of the first week would disappear subsequently.

    Come to think of it, I have no idea what "excess" even means in this context. How oily is hair "supposed" to be?

    I assume there's sort of a natural equilibrium that depends on the person and their haircare habits. My hair is super greasy when I don't change towels and (apparently) immediately after I stop using shampoo. I'm not sure why it got less greasy after that first bit, but I recall stories of others having a similar initial experience. I assume there's some mechanism in the scalp that regulates the oil. The oil in my hair is probably just a factor of the oil on my scalp.

    My hair gets greasier the more I use shampoo. If I only wash it with shampoo every 2-3 days and use a little conditioner in between I get better results.

    Zombiemambo on
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    Loren MichaelLoren Michael Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Positive. It actually happened again for a couple of days recently as well. It was literally so greasy (both times) that I had difficulty running my fingers through my hair, and water had difficulty penetrating to my scalp. Now it's just silky. The second time, I'm pretty sure, was because I only (initially) had four towels at college initially, and didn't wash the one I used to dry my hair with for about four days. (When I washed my hair with soap regularly, this was not a problem). Since then, I have stolen about ten towels and use a different one every two days, and my hair is back to the non-super-greasy-yet-unsoaped ideal.
    Ah, so the excess oil ends up in the towel. I suppose that makes sense. I still don't know why the excess of the first week would disappear subsequently.

    Come to think of it, I have no idea what "excess" even means in this context. How oily is hair "supposed" to be?

    I assume there's sort of a natural equilibrium that depends on the person and their haircare habits. My hair is super greasy when I don't change towels and (apparently) immediately after I stop using shampoo. I'm not sure why it got less greasy after that first bit, but I recall stories of others having a similar initial experience. I assume there's some mechanism in the scalp that regulates the oil. The oil in my hair is probably just a factor of the oil on my scalp.

    My hair gets greasier the more I use shampoo. If I only wash it with shampoo every 2-3 days and use a little conditioner in between I get better results.

    Yeah, I expect that there's a fair amount of variation between people. I was never satisfied with how dry my hair was when I washed it all the time, and whenever I didn't wash it it got incredibly greasy after about four days. I essentially had one relatively good day (the third day) for every three days if I washed accordingly. With my current methods, it's good pretty much every day, with some mild variation. (I chalk that up to the weather, but I dunno.)

    Loren Michael on
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    ZombiemamboZombiemambo Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Positive. It actually happened again for a couple of days recently as well. It was literally so greasy (both times) that I had difficulty running my fingers through my hair, and water had difficulty penetrating to my scalp. Now it's just silky. The second time, I'm pretty sure, was because I only (initially) had four towels at college initially, and didn't wash the one I used to dry my hair with for about four days. (When I washed my hair with soap regularly, this was not a problem). Since then, I have stolen about ten towels and use a different one every two days, and my hair is back to the non-super-greasy-yet-unsoaped ideal.
    Ah, so the excess oil ends up in the towel. I suppose that makes sense. I still don't know why the excess of the first week would disappear subsequently.

    Come to think of it, I have no idea what "excess" even means in this context. How oily is hair "supposed" to be?

    I assume there's sort of a natural equilibrium that depends on the person and their haircare habits. My hair is super greasy when I don't change towels and (apparently) immediately after I stop using shampoo. I'm not sure why it got less greasy after that first bit, but I recall stories of others having a similar initial experience. I assume there's some mechanism in the scalp that regulates the oil. The oil in my hair is probably just a factor of the oil on my scalp.

    My hair gets greasier the more I use shampoo. If I only wash it with shampoo every 2-3 days and use a little conditioner in between I get better results.

    Yeah, I expect that there's a fair amount of variation between people. I was never satisfied with how dry my hair was when I washed it all the time, and whenever I didn't wash it it got incredibly greasy after about four days. I essentially had one relatively good day (the third day) for every three days if I washed accordingly. With my current methods, it's good pretty much every day, with some mild variation. (I chalk that up to the weather, but I dunno.)

    I would highly recommend that, whatever your hair is like, don't use shampoo every time you shower. It strips essential oils from your hair and makes it dry and brittle.

    Zombiemambo on
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    VariableVariable Mouth Congress Stroke Me Lady FameRegistered User regular
    edited January 2010
    My hair gets very oily if I don't wash it for even a day. If I do wash it gets nice, soft and shiny...

    so I know that's regular advice but I don't believe it applies to everyone.

    and this is for a long time.

    Variable on
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    ZombiemamboZombiemambo Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Variable wrote: »
    My hair gets very oily if I don't wash it for even a day. If I do wash it gets nice, soft and shiny...

    so I know that's regular advice but I don't believe it applies to everyone.

    and this is for a long time.

    You know why that is? Because when you strip your hair of all that oil at once, your glands kick in and produce more. It's going to suck for a bit, but if you lay off it will get less greasy in the long run.

    Zombiemambo on
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    VariableVariable Mouth Congress Stroke Me Lady FameRegistered User regular
    edited January 2010
    damn

    Variable on
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    The CatThe Cat Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited January 2010
    The Cat wrote: »
    How long is your hair, Loren?

    I can juuust see my bangs if I pull them down in front of my eyes. I'll see about maybe taking a picture tomorrow. I could definitely use a haircut, but I want to grow my hair out a bit, and I wear a hat almost all the time given that it's winter up here.

    Yeah, its short enough that you can probably get away with it, even in summer. You're able to scrub the scalp effectively.

    That said, even when mine was that length I had trouble, because my hair is insanely thick and its very humid here. Still, shampooing more than a couple of times a week is asking for trouble.

    The Cat on
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    FalloutFallout GIRL'S DAY WAS PRETTY GOOD WHILE THEY LASTEDRegistered User regular
    edited January 2010
    my scalp is all crusty and shit. some fungal infection or whatever

    gotta get it treated with some special dermatamalogical shampooligig every once in a while

    being a favored child of Nurgle has its downsides, i suppose

    Fallout on
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    FyreWulffFyreWulff YouRegistered User, ClubPA regular
    edited January 2010
    I wash mine every day with Head and Shoulders

    thanks genetics

    FyreWulff on
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    MrMisterMrMister Jesus dying on the cross in pain? Morally better than us. One has to go "all in".Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    FyreWulff wrote: »
    I wash mine every day with Head and Shoulders

    thanks genetics

    Yeah, same.

    My hair has great volume, texture, and etc., but I get dandruff if I don't wash it on an at least semi-daily schedule.

    MrMister on
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    OremLKOremLK Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Right after I wash my hair it goes POOF. Like, it refuses to stay in a configuration that looks remotely good. I think a little natural oil isn't such a bad thing.

    The ideal for me is probably once every three days washing my hair, but I shower 1-2 times per day, and must shower in the morning, or I won't ever feel like I've truly woken up for the day. The second shower depends on the day's activities and how dirty/sweaty I got.

    OremLK on
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    OremLKOremLK Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Also, I have a question for those of you who don't shower daily: Are you married, or do you live with a significant other?

    Because it seems to me that when you're going to be in that close of proximity with a person on a daily basis, the need for a daily shower then becomes that much more important. I'd feel bad about my lack of cleaniness touching my wife if I went over a day without a shower.

    OremLK on
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    MovitzMovitz Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    I'm just thinking this thread is useless without locations and weather conditions. If you live in Florida, why yes, you might need to shower 5 times a day. If you live in Sweden (which I do) it's perfectly normal to shower every 2 days with washing up in the sink in between. The temperatures up here are about the same as in New England but we have no humidity to speak of.

    Movitz on
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    MrMisterMrMister Jesus dying on the cross in pain? Morally better than us. One has to go "all in".Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Why would you prefer washing yourself in a sink to showering?

    It just seems messier and less pleasant.

    MrMister on
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    OremLKOremLK Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    MrMister wrote: »
    Why would you prefer washing yourself in a sink to showering?

    It just seems messier and less pleasant.

    Maybe he means just face and armpits or something?

    OremLK on
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    taliosfalcontaliosfalcon Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Movitz wrote: »
    I'm just thinking this thread is useless without locations and weather conditions. If you live in Florida, why yes, you might need to shower 5 times a day. If you live in Sweden (which I do) it's perfectly normal to shower every 2 days with washing up in the sink in between. The temperatures up here are about the same as in New England but we have no humidity to speak of.


    Pretty much, with where I live in Canada it's drier than most deserts for the majority of the year, these two showers a day guys would have skin like sandpaper if they tried it here.

    taliosfalcon on
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    MovitzMovitz Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    OremLK wrote: »
    MrMister wrote: »
    Why would you prefer washing yourself in a sink to showering?

    It just seems messier and less pleasant.

    Maybe he means just face and armpits or something?

    Pretty much. I rinse my hair as well. For me it's about time constraints. If I get in to that shower I'll stay there for a looong time which doesn't go well with getting to work in time.

    It's also, as pointed out, a matter of skin care. I get all crusted up if I shower to often and pretty regularly you can hear medical advisers tell people to shower less. It's just not healthy to dry your skin out everyday.

    During summers, I shower more often though.

    Movitz on
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    Mega PlayboyMega Playboy Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    I shower on average 2 times a day. On most winter days it once in the mourning and once after a activity that warrants a shower i.e. (yard work, pool work, motorcycle work or feeling icky). In the summer it goes up to 3 times a day. My primary commute vehicle is my motorcycle. Riding in Vegas during summer is like riding in a hair dryer. You start with a average temp of 115 combine with hot exhaust and hot cars. The layer of salt on my body when I take off my gear makes my dogs think I am a salt lick.

    Mega Playboy on
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    KlykaKlyka DO you have any SPARE BATTERIES?Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    I don't shower much cause during cold seasons the bathroom with the shower in it is super fucking cold.
    So I usually bathe every two days (sometimes after three days) but I wash my hair every morning. If I don't wash my hair I can't style it right at all.

    Klyka on
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    ueanuean Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Cold shower club for me. Not literally cold, but anything over "moderately warm" has me adding cool water.

    Of course, it's like 30 degrees here every single day, so it's always nice to have a cold shower to cool down.

    I wonder how clean I get in a cold shower?

    I wonder how clean I get considering I've been showering with a shower-bag for the past year and a half.

    I wonder how much less water I've used in that year and a half considering I only use 3 litres to shower? How much water is used on average? How much time do you guys spend standing in the shower with the water on?

    uean on
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    The Black HunterThe Black Hunter The key is a minimum of compromise, and a simple, unimpeachable reason to existRegistered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Shower every morning

    otherwise I feel gross and dirty

    The Black Hunter on
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    The Black HunterThe Black Hunter The key is a minimum of compromise, and a simple, unimpeachable reason to existRegistered User regular
    edited January 2010
    In fact i think the only time I skip is when I am hung over as fuck

    even then I usually give in because I feel gross

    The Black Hunter on
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    Modern ManModern Man Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Movitz wrote: »
    I'm just thinking this thread is useless without locations and weather conditions. If you live in Florida, why yes, you might need to shower 5 times a day. If you live in Sweden (which I do) it's perfectly normal to shower every 2 days with washing up in the sink in between. The temperatures up here are about the same as in New England but we have no humidity to speak of.
    Do you think that might partially be a cultural/logistical issue? Unless you work outside, we all tend to spend most of our days in similarly heated/cooled environments (homes, offices, stores etc.), regardless of where we live.

    But I've lived in Europe for a few summers, and I've noticed that European homes tend to be less shower-friendly than ones in the US (i.e., showers are smaller or don't have a shower-head that lets you shower while standing up, the water heater is a lot smaller etc.).

    Modern Man on
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    Greg USNGreg USN Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    once sometimes twice a day. I don't often shampoo my hair as god was unkind to me and i dont have a lot left.

    Greg USN on
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    LeitnerLeitner Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    'europe'

    Leitner on
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    iTunesIsEviliTunesIsEvil Cornfield? Cornfield.Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Leitner wrote: »
    'europe'
    I understand that the entirety of that continent is pretty homogeneous in every way possible.

    iTunesIsEvil on
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    SynthesisSynthesis Honda Today! Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    OremLK wrote: »
    Right after I wash my hair it goes POOF. Like, it refuses to stay in a configuration that looks remotely good. I think a little natural oil isn't such a bad thing..

    Same here. Very much *poof*.

    I mean, a lot of people like volume or whatever, but it's kind of annoying for me. Especially since I have a lot of white hair, and by itself, all my hair looks like it was exposed to about 20 minutes of nuclear fallout or a few centuries of sun and wind.

    Hair gel fixes that right quickly though.

    Synthesis on
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    Richard_DastardlyRichard_Dastardly Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    In fact i think the only time I skip is when I am hung over as fuck

    even then I usually give in because I feel gross
    That's usually the worst time to skip, cuz you're probably gonna reek of alcohol and most likely stale smoke as well.

    And, that's another thing. Non-smokers can get away with skipping a shower or two. Smokers, especially if you do it in the house, please bathe daily. And open a fucking window.

    Richard_Dastardly on
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    MovitzMovitz Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Modern Man wrote: »
    Movitz wrote: »
    I'm just thinking this thread is useless without locations and weather conditions. If you live in Florida, why yes, you might need to shower 5 times a day. If you live in Sweden (which I do) it's perfectly normal to shower every 2 days with washing up in the sink in between. The temperatures up here are about the same as in New England but we have no humidity to speak of.
    Do you think that might partially be a cultural/logistical issue? Unless you work outside, we all tend to spend most of our days in similarly heated/cooled environments (homes, offices, stores etc.), regardless of where we live.

    But I've lived in Europe for a few summers, and I've noticed that European homes tend to be less shower-friendly than ones in the US (i.e., showers are smaller or don't have a shower-head that lets you shower while standing up, the water heater is a lot smaller etc.).

    Our ACs don't fiddle around with humidity as I'm pretty sure that most of yours do. Basically we just keep temperatures under control. At least in all the office complexes I've been/worked in. Someone will probably prove me wrong, which I very well might be.

    And up here the standard shower is probably the same as on the other side of the pond. Showers in, say Spain, are normally smaller and the water heater is smaller in my experience. Europe is waaaaay less homogenous then the US, as someone pointed out before. For example, all the Nordic countries have central heating in the stairwells of apartment complexes. This I've never seen elsewhere.

    Movitz on
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    Loren MichaelLoren Michael Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    MrMister wrote: »
    Why would you prefer washing yourself in a sink to showering?

    It just seems messier and less pleasant.

    Yeah, I've found that I actually take longer washing in a sink than I do when I take a shower. It's just easier to get started in the sink, so I sometimes do it anyways when I'm lazy and not thinking clearly.

    Loren Michael on
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    ueanuean Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    In fact i think the only time I skip is when I am hung over as fuck

    even then I usually give in because I feel gross
    That's usually the worst time to skip, cuz you're probably gonna reek of alcohol and most likely stale smoke as well.

    And, that's another thing. Non-smokers can get away with skipping a shower or two. Smokers, especially if you do it in the house, please bathe daily. And open a fucking window.

    And lay off the coffee. And please for the love of GOD understand that coffee is not a substitute for brushing teeth, no matter how strong it is.
    This is a rant from working in a warehouse with nature's brightest for 7 years

    uean on
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    MagicPrimeMagicPrime FiresideWizard Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    So on the nature of showers, do you enjoy:

    1 - ) Hot Showers, tons of steam and red skin
    2 - ) Warm Showers, some steam not burning your skin off
    3 - ) Luke Warm Showers, I would guess this is what getting peed on feels like
    4 - ) Room Temperature
    5 - ) Cold Showers, insert witty comment here.


    Me personally, I like 1. And the more water pressure the better.

    Sadly enough the best shower I've ever used was in my college dormitory. Those things were like a searing hot sand-blaster and I loved every minute of it.

    MagicPrime on
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    GungHoGungHo Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    #1.

    #3 if I just came in from mowing the lawn.

    GungHo on
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    iglidanteiglidante Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    I like #2, but sometimes #5 is great on a hot day (I always ease into the cold, though, starting it out warm and gradually backing off until it's shocking).

    iglidante on
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    SpacemilkSpacemilk Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    I like #2 to start but always finish my showers (the last minute or so) with #5. Although if it's a cold day and my shower hasn't completely warmed me up, I'll finish with #4.

    Spacemilk on
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    bowenbowen How you doin'? Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    #1 or #2 if it's a hot summer day. Nothing like on a 100 degree day taking a hot shower and coming out and feeling cold.

    bowen on
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    ThanatosThanatos Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Unless it's really hot, #1. If it's really hot, #5.

    Like, my apartment's water actually doesn't get hot enough for me.

    Thanatos on
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    RohanRohan Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    I'm lucky in that I don't produce much in the way of body odour (probably something to do with my glandular problems) and I don't live in a part of the world that one would consider warm. I shower every two days, and the same goes for washing my hair. Every barber I've asked tells me it's a bad idea to wash your hair every day - I don't know if they're right, but if anyone should know this, it's barbers. I have friends who only shower every three or four days or so and there is no problem - there's no real heat here, which is why I don't know of a single home here that has air conditioning. Every American I've mentioned that to have been astounded, heh. But we have no need of them.

    As for brushing my teeth, twice a day along with mouthwash - no floss. I can't stand the sensation of it at all. In fact, that's something I've just realised... I don't know of many people over here who floss. Huh.

    Rohan on
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