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Hygiene Freak

8 years ago by

Hygiene Freak

I like to shower 2 – 3 times each day, and apparently that’s kind of insane?

Brie thinks It’s totally weird to shower that much, but I just love being clean. So, yeah, I guess you might say I’m a hygiene freak. I get a real kick out of the simple pleasures of cleanliness – freshly brushed teeth, long showers. And it’s not like I can’t live my life (I’m obsessive, not compulsive), but I like to keep the dirt, grime and sweat out of New York at the door (or in the shower).

I even love to camp and could spend my life on the road (as long as I can bring micellar water along with me), but there’s just nothing like getting into a bed of clean sheets right after a long shower… And I will sacrifice those natural body oils by scrubbing a little bit harder, and just make up for it with some extra Argan later on.

But I know there’s a line, I just don’t know exactly where it is! Where do you separate your average hygienic person from a totally crazy, compulsive, skin-scrubbing hygiene freak (i.e. Jack Nicholson’s character in As Good As It Gets)?!!

25 comments

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  • my boyfriend showers like 4 times a day

    http://hashtagliz.com

  • Sans doute peux-tu demander a Lisa qui a le probleme inverse ???? Lol ! En tout cas, en Californie, ta conscience ferait rapidement le choix de ne prendre qu’une douche par jour! Pour ma part la regle d’hygiene ultime durant la journee etant de se laver regulierement les mains, oter les chaussures dans l’appartement, laver les fruits et legumes. Et le soir demaquillage et douche pour dormir “propre” comme un bebe. Bien a toi.

  • I hope they are short showers, otherwise that is extremely wasteful.

  • When I lived in NYC I too showered 3xs/during the summer. I don’t live there anymore and that makes a huge difference!

  • Here in Brazil it’s absolutely normal to shower 3 three times a day.
    Actually, we learn this in elementary school: you have to shower and brush your teeth at least three times a day.
    People are used to brush their teeth at work, after lunch, too. We also have hand sanitizer in a lot of restaurants, eat hamburgers using napkins, and pizza using a fork. Everything we eat is previously washed and we don’t drink tap water.
    It doesn’t mean we are hygiene freaks, but we live in a tropical weather, which makes contamination easier and people sweat (urgh!) a lot.
    Come live in Brazil and be happy!

  • It’s very unhealthy habit – you’re killing your skin flora that way. Try at least showering with a paraben and SLS-free shower gels, maybe try some organic soaps, clays or cleansing oils. I used to was soooo addicted to scrubbing myself with a tons of peelings, I was probably doing it too frequently because in that time my skin was so dry and patchy. After read and hear from the best doctor I ever known about how destructive for my skin and health it’s really is I find a more reasonable and efficient resolution – Kessa glove + some oil on it and gently massaging the skin, I mean – I never in my life have skin softer and more glowing than now with my Kessa and argan oil rituals.

  • Everyone’s skin is different. In a city as grimy and sticky as New York, you weigh your pros and cons.

    Also, washing with something paraben-free is not going to make any difference in terms of skin health. Organic ingredients can be just as harsh as less regulated ones.

  • I love showering before bed and being all fresh and clean in my sheets. I’m from Florida and in the summer it’s necessary to shower quite a bit to stay cool/fresh!
    – Kaitlyn | http://www.TheCrownFox.com

  • In California we are in a terrible water shortage so 3 showers a day would considered literally crazy and unethical. People are trying to cut down to every other day.

  • California readers: We are watching how you respond to this…
    Ha! I’m a complete germaphobe, which is not good when you live in a drought.

  • Shower and clean my hair every 4-5 days but I clean my armpits, pussy and ass every day and my teeth 2 or 3 times a day.

  • It’s totally normal. I shower in the morning before I go to work and once after the gym. I live in LA it gets REALLY hot during the summer.

  • Moi aussi, j’aime beaucoup être propre surtout durant la période estivale. Mon copain m’a dit et je site ses mots: «Tu es particulièrement très propre.» J’ai une très bonne hygiène et je prends seulement une douche 1 ou 2 fois par jour, dépend toujours de l’intensité de ma journée et commence je me sens. Sinon la partie de me coprs que j’aime le plus lavée et qui doit être toujours propre c’est mon biscuit (mon vagin). Il doit toujours être impeccablement être frais et près à passer à l’action (hihi). En somme, l’hygiène c’est important non seulement pour mon bien être mais aussi pour les gens qui t’entour et la personne avec qui tu es intimes (ou les personnes).

  • I applaud you, there’s never anything wrong with being “overly” hygienic. If I could (had enough time) would probably love to take 2-3 showers a day. :)

    http://www.whattowearwheretobuy.tumblr.com

  • I do exactly the same thing. Can’t get out of the house/can’t go to bed without showering first.
    I think it’s disgusting to bring a whole day’s worth of sweat, dust and dirt to your bed and nothing beats a shower to start the day.
    So no, I don’t think it’s weird or obsessive . It’s necessary when you lead an active life – especially in a big city.
    Showers don’t have to be long and they can definitely be taken by 2 people at the same time…

  • Charikleia September, 9 2015, 3:37 / Reply

    Well, you got me there. Nothing like a dip in clean sheets after a nice hot shower. I don’t shower more than twice a day, once in winter. I do not blame you for showering more often, I will I could have that much time. Freaky with cleanliness is good, hypochondriac is bad. The line is where you stop having natural ph.

    There is one thing I need to note though. My dermatologist was adamant on not scrubbing hard. She said it damages our skin really badly and was rather harsh on me for scrubbing till I change colour. She restricted me to super soft natural sponges (the ones used to wash babies). I still scrub… Go figure :-)

  • I cannot go to bed without taking a shower and I’d love to have a shower in the morning too, but my dermatologist sustains it’s not very healthy for my very dry/drawn to allergies skin. She even says that people should use shower gel every other day, but I can’t do that, I’m a bit obsessed myself. So I use gentle washing gels such as Johnson’s Baby or bath oils to prevent damaging my skin (too much) and use some oil or Embryolisse after every shower.

    -maria
    http://thestoryletters.com/

  • I have to wash my hair every day. Not because it gets too greasy, but because I cannot stand the feeling of not having freshly washed hair. My friends call me compulsive, I think it is a form of perfectionism

  • Hahhahha wtf, totes crazy! I usually shower 3 times A WEEK :’) ofc I wash my face, armpits, brush teeth etc daily but otherwise why bother? (And nah, I don’t start to smell, live-in bf can confirm…) Showering is so effing boring and time-consuming!

  • Good thing you don’t live in California. We are having a drought. The need to be soooo clean has a deeper meaning.

  • I normally really like your posts, but to this one I really have to object. I’m sorry, but as several have pointed out showering that often is (in general) not very good for your skin and it’s even worse for the environment!

  • I shower twice a day, but if I were to only have 1 I would make it an evening shower.. If you don’t get clean before getting into bed, how dirty do your sheets end up?!?! I’d be constantly washing them and WHO CAN BE BOTHERED WITH THAT!

  • I also shower twice a day! I can’t feel awake unless I shower in the morning and it just feels gross to go to sleep with all that leftover city grime on me. BUT to all of you who have complained about wasting water, these are short showers. I have a set routine so that I don’t end up making either shower too long (i.e. shave legs in morning, exfoliate in evening, only wash hair every other day).

    Obviously, this all depends upon how you were raised and your cultural background. I’m certainly finding from this post and Lisa’s last week, that “clean” means something different to just about everyone!

  • There is nothing wrong in keeping yourself clean it is actually good for you and the community, but be careful not to kill that normal flora on your skin for they play an important role in our health. ;) good bacteria on and in you keeps the bad bacteria out of place.

  • I’m from Brazl and was NEVER told to take three showers a day. I do one at night and maybe, maybe two more if its summer and really humid and hot. But we do brush our teeth after every meal, even snacks and it freaked me out that nobody did that when I was studying in the US. And I’m a hand sanitizer freak but that started after I begun working at a pathology lab. Plus I take public transport with is gross like NYC subway.

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