Are you the type who stands around taking long hot showers to wash every part of your body with soap? You may think that you are super clean after doing that but in reality, you are doing more damage than good to your body. Not to mention, you are wasting water. You probably are thinking “are you saying that I shouldn’t shower at all”? No, you still need to shower and clean yourself. However, scrubbing your entire body with soap is not necessary and really not all that good for you despite what society makes you think. If you are doing that, it is not your fault because that is what you have been taught to do since you were young.
Should You Use Soap At All?
Yes. but don’t use it on your entire body. You only need to use soap for three parts of your body and the rest you can rinse with warm water. You can use face cleansers to clean your face in the shower, as well as body washes specifically for washing your body if you like. But leave the soap for three parts of your body – which will be discussed a little later.
You want to also take shorter showers since the average American family uses 40 gallons of water each day when taking a shower. What does that add up to then? Over one trillion gallons of water yearly is used for showering and that is a waste of water. Since you would use only hot water for showering since cold showers are not particularly comfortable, that alone is an energy guzzler. And, if you shower and use soap daily, you are ruining your skin according to dermatologists.
That is because if you are using water and soap daily on all parts of your skin, you are increasing the odds of developing skin conditions such as eczema and soap can also trigger it. Especially if it has any fragrance. That is an irritant to your skin which causes it to become red, painful, and itchy. Therefore, you will surely end up with eczema or any other skin condition if you use soap daily on all of your skin. Save the soap for three areas of your body and no more than that!
What Areas Of The Body Need To Be Washed With Soap?
The only three areas of your body that need to be washed well with soap and water are your underarms, groin, and bottom of the feet. The reason for that is that those areas of the body are the ones that harbor the worst bacteria. That is the reason that they become smelly. The sweat from your underarms and under your feet is odorless. The bacteria that breed in those areas are the culprit for the stink! Bacteria breeds because those are the areas that are closed off completely and moist which makes them ideal breeding grounds for bacteria to grow.
The high alkaline properties of soap will strip away the bacteria. However, that also means if you use soap on other parts of your body, you are stripping the healthy and good bacteria from your skin. That also increases your chances of ending up with skin disorders. That is why you want to stop using soap on your skin except for the areas that need it – your groin, armpits, and underneath your feet.
If you don’t like using water alone to wash other parts of your body because you don’t feel clean, then you will want to use the body washes meant for the rest of your skin. That goes for facial cleanses too.
