It may seem like the only way to get clean is to take a long, hot, steaming shower. Or maybe you’re the type that only takes a shower when you finally realize that funky smell moving around your house is you. At either end of the spectrum, you’re probably doing it wrong. Like so many things in life, there is a right way to shower. And the truth is, it doesn’t take very long at all.

It turns out that showering on a daily basis is actually a rather modern conception. Furthermore, it’s base on a societal convention to smell good all the time rather than an actual need to bathe. In reality, only nooks and crannies, such as the groin and armpits, need to be washed regularly. They are the areas that produce the most body odor, which stems from the growth of bacteria. As for the rest of your body?

Showering daily can be necessary if you fulfill certain criteria: working out regularly, living in a hot climate, having a labor intensive job or anything else that makes you sweat on a daily basis means that you should probably shower each day. If you don’t sweat that much, then you probably don’t need to shower that much either. You can over-shower, causing more harm than good.

Using super hot water can cause dry, itchy skin, even if you don’t have eczema. If your skin cracks from the dryness, you are then opening yourself up to infection. For the most part, people tend to over bathe. It’s more ecologically friendly and hygienic to bathe properly.

Wash all the nooks and crannies where bacteria like to grow daily. When you shower, use warm water, not hot water. And don’t stand under the stream for too long. Showering with hot water for long periods of time can strip the body’s natural oils, making it dry and prone to breakage and also eliminate some of the body’s good bacteria too.

Overall, your shower shouldn’t take very long, be very hot, or happen too often for the best results.

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