The debate over how often one should shower has reignited after a nurse posted a TikTok video explaining why she doesn’t shower everyday.
Allison McCarthy, who posts as @abmccarthy5757 on TikTok, is a nurse from Boston who went viral after sharing her personal hygiene routine.
“So I recently found out that I’m a gross human being,” McCarthy said. “I only shower once or twice a week.”
McCarthy explained that she only likes to shower when it’s necessary to wash her hair, which she does once or twice a week. She said she doesn’t see the point in showering more than that.
The video’s comments section was quickly flooded with questions as other TikTokers questioned how she could shower so infrequently given her very active lifestyle — not just being a nurse, but also going to the gym regularly.
In 2019, pop songstress Taylor Swift went viral after saying she didn’t wash her legs in the shower. Swift claimed it was unnecessary since she was shaving her legs and the shaving foam was “soapy.” Since then, there’s been a raging shower hygiene debate, with some insisting on daily showering, while others pointed out the supposed drawbacks to too frequent showering.
Many dermatologists have taken to TikTok and other social media platforms to share their views on how frequently people should shower. It’s certainly true that frequent showering can dry out the skin, leading to itchy, flaky skin, dry and brittle hair, and even flare ups of skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis.
That said, according to Healthline, not showering enough can lead to body odor, acne and, ironically, flare ups of skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis.
In the end, a bit of common sense should determine how often you need to take a shower.
“If you live in a place that’s hot and humid and you sweat a lot, you may want to shower every day,” explained Dr. Doris Day, a New York-based, board-certified dermatologist. “If you live in a place that’s cold and dry and you’re not very active, you don’t necessarily need to shower every day.”
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