Does showering without soap sound unimaginable? Lathering your entire body with shower gel is a daily ritual for many people. But what if the foam isn’t the best for you and your body?
Showering without soap or shower gel can be an unusual idea for many people. In Western society, soaping up in the shower is part of life – and drugstores are full of a large number of shower products. But what happens if you only wash with water and simply leave out soap or shower gel?
This is how often you should shower
Whether with or without soap: daily showering is usually not necessary for people with normal skin, as dermatologist Stefanie Derendorf explains to Utopia in an interview. But it’s not unhealthy for these people either. According to Derendorf, in some cases it even makes sense to shower every day – for example if you have sweated or have dirt on your skin. According to the expert, it is harmful for people with dry skin to shower every day.
When showering, she explains, you never have to soap your entire body. Areas rich in sebaceous glands and areas that get a lot of dirt should be cleaned regularly, but not daily, with shower gel or soap. This includes the hands, armpits and feet as well as the middle of the chest and back. Water is enough to clean the rest of the body.
Showering without soap: Is that a good idea?
But there are articles and videos circulating on the Internet about people showering completely without soap. So you only use water – including for armpits, feet and other parts of the body with many sebaceous glands.
That’s absolutely fine, explains dermatologist Yael Adler in an interview with SWR3. “You can absolutely only shower with water, everything that needs to go goes away, from dust to sweat to skin cells. Even urine is water-soluble,” says the expert.
Erhard Hackler from the German Skin and Allergy Aid even recommends to Spiegel that you avoid shower gel if you shower frequently. Instead, you can use a fragrance-free deodorant stick after showering with pure water. Because water alone damages the skin barrier, warns Bernadette Eberlein, senior physician at the Clinic and Polyclinic for Dermatology and Allergology at Biederstein at the Technical University of Munich. According to her, shower gel and soap increase the damage. Because they release fats that protect the skin from it.
Showering only with water: these are the consequences
Instead of attacking the skin’s natural protective layer with shower gel or soap and rebuilding it with creams after showering, it can make sense to shower without soap. This means that the body’s own fats and microorganisms remain on the body, protecting the skin from external influences.
You don’t have to worry about smelling unpleasant when you shower without soap. Dermatologist Adler clears up the concerns, according to the dpa. “We’re not dirty,” said the doctor.
By the way, you can also wash your hair without shampoo. You can find more information about it here:
Shower without shower gel: If you don’t want to
If you still don’t want to shower your body without soap, dermatologist Adler recommends a washing substance with a synthetic surfactant, for example shower gels based on sugar and coconut surfactant from the health food store. The pH value of the product should be around 5. This strengthens the protective acid mantle and such products are not as degreasing.
You should avoid shower gel or soaps with fragrances, colors and preservatives as well as foam and glitter. The dermatologist also advises against alkaline soaps, as they damage the skin’s protective acid mantle for up to eight hours. This makes it easier for pathogens such as fungi, viruses or bacteria to penetrate the skin.
Utopia also recommends using natural soaps. They are free from synthetic colors, fragrances and preservatives.
Read more on Techzle\.com:
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- Dry skin: the best natural home remedies
- Apple cider vinegar for skin and hair – this is how you use it
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