Harvard Health Blog

Showering daily — is it necessary?

UPDATED JUNE 28, 2019, 2:28 PM
Robert H. Shmerling, MD, Faculty Editor, Harvard Health Publishing

Do you shower or bathe daily? If you do, you’re not alone. Approximately two-thirds of Americans shower daily. In Australia it’s over 80%. But in China, about half of people report bathing only twice a week. In the US, the daily shower tends to start around puberty and becomes lifelong. But have you ever stopped to ask yourself why? Perhaps your answer is: “because it’s healthier than showering less often.” Think again. For many — perhaps most — the daily shower is more about habit and societal norms than health. Perhaps that’s why the frequency of bathing or showering varies so much from country to country.

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