While baths are great for relaxing and aromatherapy there are some things to consider before deciding to make taking a bath your daily routine. First, think about how much water you use when taking a bath. I have read that it takes about 30-50 gallons to fill up your tub to comfortably sit in it, while when taking a shower we use an average of 20-25 gallons of water to get clean. If you are skeptical, try plugging up your tub when taking a shower and see how much water is actually used.
However, the main concerns I have been researching are the health benefits. Years ago, when I was having some health issues the doctor advised me to take less baths because it was why the issue was persisting.
Since, I don’t always just take a doctor’s word for it, I started researching this theory. Consequently, I found that for women we do need to be careful when sitting in basically a pool of dirt because of our female parts. This doesn’t mean never ever take a bath, it just means if you choose to take a bath try not to sit in there too long. And if you want to un-whine with some candles, wine, and music in a tube of hot water with soothing bath salts then do that when you are already clean. It is suggested that you avoid bubble baths and do milk baths instead, as most bubble bath products are not healthy for the body especially parts where the sun doesn’t shine. You also might want to try a hot tub but be sure to clean the water jets thoroughly. If you don’t have a hot tub, try a heated pool and if there isn’t a pool try the beach if you live near one. I do think it’s healthy to find a way to sit in water and relax—just not in a tub of dirt when you are actually trying to get clean.
In my research, I found an article on Forbes about how our skin has bugs—actually helpful ones ( http://bit.ly/eNO7Mf). However, in another article I found that if we bath too often these helpful bugs will multiply. I don’t know about you but I am not sure if I would want that to happen—considering the thought of bugs anywhere near me makes me want to puke. Also, we have this layer of skin that is on the top layer of our epidermis, called the horny skin, that we should not damage—showering and bathing too often can cause that. One article I read suggested we don’t bath or shower daily. I may not want to damage anything with the word horny in it but is no way I was going to do that and stink up joints so I did some further reading and found this: http://bit.ly/fuyHIm. All jokes aside, when I am unsure I always like to find something on the net that Dr. Oz has suggested. I feel he is quite helpful. If you haven’t checked out the video yet, he suggests we shower or bathe for 15 minutes and when we wash the skin to do it gently with warm water.
In conclusion, I stand by not bathing but two days out of the week. I would take showers most days because this will combat any possible issues that could arise especially if you are a female. If you want to keep from smelling funky please do this everyday. There are articles out there that suggest it’s unhealthy but just reduce the time you are in there. Remember to just find other ways to relax in water if this is a daily routine. There are a number of things you can do that I didn’t suggest in this article.
Please don’t forget to check out the links above for more information and feel free to give me your thoughts on this concept of better hygiene.
All Content © 2011 Marika Dye
I use to take baths all the time but after reading an article that stated what you wrote about, I always take showers now. Showers are better for me for another reason …. by the time I go to bed I'm too tired to take a bath.
Yeah in this post I showed what Dr. Oz said in a link in about the third paragraph. Pretty good info. I see how you can research the net and get all sorts of bad info because I did today and it was a total debate on baths vs showers. Some articles suggested baths are better but it makes more sense for a shower to be better for our bodies. I think to relax sometimes it's nice to take a bath but then it's more work to clean out the tub. So I will go with showers LOL
And, of course, it all depends on how strong your body "fragrances" are. Not everyone showers/bathes every day. They may not have to. Believe it or not, back before advertising got into the act, people just washed every day but there were no deodorants. Wonder if their skin was healthier then?
And just to throw another opinion out there, if you take a really long shower with the plug in, you will use a heck of a lot of water. Showers for me with a bath every now and then for unwinding.
Thanks for sharing this great information! And thank you for reading my article. In Europe and some other countries they don't shower or bath every day. They feels it's unhealthy and it's their culture. And putting the plug in is to compare what uses more water. And it is not recommended by Dr. Oz to take long showers. Baths are long for me… sometimes I don't want to get out but a shower… I just don't feel like standing in there for long periods of time. lol
Marika for some of us disabled people, a bath is a life safer. Due to my degenerative arthritis not only can I not stand in a shower for fear of falling due to both the lack of back support and the horrific pain but I need to sit in the hottest water I can to help attack the arthritis. Without those hot bathes my walking would be worse than it is now. Yes I use a lot of water but I cut back on other places. I never run a full load washing machine with half a load. I don't let the water in the sink run forever. I will stay with my bathes and the rest of the world will be happier. Janice N. Richards
Janice this is such a great perspective on this subject it's why I write articles in hopes that someone will give me great input like this. Now, I have seen my grandmother (who refused to take baths) get a chair and a movable shower head and take showers that way. She had diabetes and go to a point where she could not walk or stand for long periods so that is how she washed. How do you feel about that?
Marika many people have to use what is called a shower stool. You can place it in the tub and use it to sit down while showering. I think the movable shower heads are great for everyone. The thing you have to be careful of is when you use a chair or stool there must be enough room to manuever safey. I live in a trailer and the tubs are so tiny there isn't room for much. The toilet is practically on top of the top. It would be dangerous for me getting in and out, worse case scenario which I am not ready for is if I have to sit on the commode while I do what we called a spit shower washing as much as possible then a quick stand and rinse. But back to the healing powers of sitting in the water. They have been proven to help arthritis and other painful disabilities. If I could sit in hotsprings everyday I would do it.
Thank you for this info. A stool sounds tricky. I would love for people who find this to see what you had to say it could be very helpful. I really appreciate your view point. I love long baths… I think when I take a bath I don't know when to get out and I get water log. It releases so much tension from a stressful day. But tho this uses so much water, I will shower quickly to get all the dirt off and then sit in the tub sometimes.
I agree hot tub soaking ….. shower cleansing
hot tub sitting…….. shower slipping
old folks………….. young folks
dr meds lotions- stinky……………. stinky more colognes, shampoos, etc
hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm …… maybe common sense……..
length of time, personal care, safety, knowing what is needed for your own personal well being. Some shower to fast and there is no cleansing. Some sit in the tub too long and there is no cleansing. Time, purpose, necessity. It's all relevant.
That's a good point. Dr. Oz suggests 15 minutes.
I can't stay for more then 10 mins, it also depends the water temp, if it's too hot, I can't stay to long.
I love it hot! If it's hot and steamy I stay in for a while… even showers but I seem to get waterlog quicker than I used to. I am not sure what is up with that!
I didn't know that showers used less water. It really isn't even intuitive when you try to guess which one has less because the shower is running water the entire time and baths do not. Sometimes I just enjoy a bath though because I stand up all day at my job and can barely stand up when I get in the shower after work.
Water relaxation is the essential thing that refreshes our body and mind. According to a research study, Japanese people live for a long time than other people because they daily relax their body in chilled water. Whether it is summer or winter, Japanese people take bath only with the chilled water. Therefore, chilled water is better to take bath at any season.
shower*