She Took No Showers For 2 Weeks And It Helped Her Skin

She Took No Showers For 2 Weeks And It Helped Her Skin
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In a recent article, I talked about how skincare experts and doctors agree that you do not need to take a shower every day. Now there's something more for me to follow this up with.

The Editor in Chief at Total Beauty, Jill Provost, decided to take a one month no-shower challenge. During this stint, she used a probiotic spray that helps balance the bad/good bacteria in your skin.

The theory: too many showers strip your skin of essential nutrients and good bacteria, sometimes contributing to flare-ups of inflammatory disorders like psoriasis and eczema.

Since the editor herself was prone to both aforementioned skin conditions, she decided to ditch showering for 30 long days. During this time, she deprived herself of makeup, deodorant and soap, but still allowed herself to use hand soap. She would spritz with the probiotic spray during the day, and used simple water to wash her face and underarms and groin regions.

While the month that followed was not without its "cosmetic" challenges, she did note that her skin conditions improved dramatically from lack of showering.

On the lack of showering she noted: "My armpits continue to radiate a dead-animal smell."

As far as her skin healing, she said: "The adjustment period was brutal, but once my skin adjusted to not showering, I was shocked to learn that I don't need soap -- shampoo is another story. Water is all I needed to get perfectly clean."

Experts say that showering too often can actually cause damage to your skin, especially if you suffer from inflammatory skin conditions or have sensitive skin. That's because many of the harsh soaps strip the skin of not only dirt, grease, and grime, but also rob it of its natural nutrients, natural oils and the good bacteria too.

While it is a bit extreme to avoid showering for a month and to only use simple water and a probiotic spray, it is an interesting experiment. If you suffer from inflammatory skin conditions, it may be worth your while to try reducing your showering days during the week and to cut the out soaps and use them only when they are needed.

You can also look to natural cosmetics that don't contain cheap fillers or preservatives, natural soaps that help moisturize, and natural deodorants like mineral salts.

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