Thursday, November 04, 2010

The scent of a woman

I was reading a debate over bathing habits: http://www.metafilter.com/97262/au-naturel


It seems that many people are shocked and appalled to discover that some people don't shower every single fucking day of life. What's funny is that the article makes it perfectly clear that except for a few people who are somehow embracing their natural odour, that the people profiled are still indulging in some form of personal hygiene. They shampoo once in a while. They tend to wash the stinky bits with soap and a washcloth. They skip deodorant if it isn't needed. Put me in this camp.

I can't be bothered showering every day and certainly my legs and elbows don't need it. The other bits need a wash, but that doesn't mean full-body immersion. My morning routine is to get up and leave to get my morning espresso and give the dog a walk. I also let the cats out at that time. When I return I feed all animals and myself and ALF, and then get ready for work. I don't need a shower to wake up. TM on the other hand, needs a long, hot shower in the morning (and admittedly, he does smell better than me. Not that I stink, I just don't have that 'freshly showered' smell).

When I switched to natural deodorant I also found that I didn't need it every day. I've run out though as there is only one natural type that works for me and now that I've succumbed to Secret again, I need to wear it daily. I also stopped washing my hair much. I wash it about twice a week and that has finally gotten rid of the rat's nest dry hair I've had my whole life. My feet stink but even with washing and rotating footwear it's an issue I have to watch out for, so it's not like I'm clueless to when I have odour issues.

I definitely change socks and undies every day, and I don't sleep with undies on so that everything airs out (I find it so weird when people sleep in their underwear. Barf). It reminds me of another article I read where some guy was complaining that his girlfriend would wear her bra more than once. I couldn't believe the number of people who wrote in to say that they wash their bras after 3 wearings. Fuck, I wash mine after 3 months. They are in decent rotation and again, don't smell.

Of course if I'm working out or having a ton of sex that the washing routine goes on a different schedule, but otherwise, I'm fine with my methods. What are the routines of the rest of you?


9 comments:

eroswings said...

I shower everyday...sometimes twice or three times in the summer--it's that southern heat and humidity that just sucks the energy from your body and leaves you listless and soaking wet. Also, I need to shower to wake up and start my day and help me go to sleep at the end of the day.

I like to be active outdoors, so I get dirty a lot and need to wash off the grime.

And I like my playmates filthy and nasty--not stinky with cooties.

rox said...

I shower or bath every night before bed and I always go to bed with wet hair. It keeps me cooler longer, as I get the night sweats. Some mornings, I feel as though I should shower again. Blech. Anyway. I wash the hair at night too, so when I wake up, I'm quite a sight! And I sleep with panties on, unless Derwood is on nights. Then I wear pj pants with no ginch. And I squirt on at least three sprays of Dolce & Gabana's "The One" in the morning, and I use Soft and Dry.

CoffeeDog said...

I'm like Eroswings...I will shower twice a day if it's a gym day. There are days (working from home) that I skip a shower, but those are rare

Susan as Herself said...

I take a shower every night right before bed. I have always taken a bath or shower at night since I was a kid, so to me it is a wind-down ritual and not a wake-up one. I freak out if I don't get a daily shower---not so much because I worry about smelling bad, but because I don't like the way I feel. I have oily skin and hair (except for hands and feet) and that combined with city living makes me feel like I have a layer of "something" on me by bed time. If I don't shampoo every day my hair literally sticks to my head. I like that just-clean feeling to fall asleep. And I also sleep with wet hair, which keeps me cooler---I put it in a very loose, messy bun with an fabric-covered elastic to sleep in, and in the morning it's not so bad---mostly dry and not too tangled. Ahhhhhh, just THINKING about a shower relaxes me.

Inexplicable DeVice said...

I (grudgingly) shower every morning before work mainly to wake myself up. Weekends, however, are a different matter. I'll take a long, hot bath at some point (usually Saturday morning) and may not shower again until Monday morning unless I get absolutely filthy doing the gardening.
I totally agree with you about not sleeping with undies on!

Ponita in Real Life said...

I shower every morning, only because otherwise I would be smelly. That's just my body chemistry. Like I turn the pits of all my shirts to an ugly yellow. So a good deodorant is a necessity as well.

If I went to bed with wet hair, I'd look electrocuted in the morning!! Shorter hair that tends to curl doesn't do well with dampness and pillows!

tornwordo said...

I go through spells of showering every day and other times every other day, or just on work days. I shower more in the Summer since I sweat more and feel greasy. There's usually a week during the winter break that I don't bathe at all.

Snooze said...

Eros: Agreed about playmates!

Rox: Generally I shower at night too on the days I shower! I don't like to sleep with wet hair though as I hate my pillow being soaked.

CD: Well, you guys both live in crazy hot climates. I guess I can understand the need to shower. I bathe more in winter - long, hot baths because I hate being cold, but with pregnancy, that joy is out for now.

Susan: Only my face is greasy so I have to wash my face well at night, but if the rest of me felt that way, I think I'd also shower every night.

IDV: Yes! Let the parts breathe!

Ponita: I would agree that that's the basic premise - shower as required!

Torn: That's probably good for your skin too to not shower as much in winter.

Anonymous said...

Great points. I don't shower everyday, either. If I skip a workout, I tend to skip the shower, too. So far, no complaints.