How Often Should You Shower? Insights from a Doctor Who Challenged Social Norms
Your skin, our body’s largest organ, spans about 15 to 20 square feet (1.4 to 1.9 square meters) in surface area. If we factor in the nooks and crannies created by sweat ducts and hair follicles, that number could be ten times greater. It’s our body’s first line of defense—keeping harmful substances out while retaining the essential elements inside.
In the United States, cleanliness is highly prioritized, with many people reaching for beauty and personal care products. In 2024, the beauty and personal care market in the U.S. was valued at over $100 billion, and it’s projected to keep growing. Shampoos, soaps, deodorants, and lotions line pharmacy aisles, and the quest for cleanliness seems endless.
But, is all of this really necessary for health? Or is it just part of a personal preference or societal pressure? Dr. James Hamblin, a preventive medicine and public health doctor, set out to explore this very question.
In a recent conversation with CNN’s Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta on the Chasing Life podcast, Dr. Hamblin shared his experience of questioning conventional hygiene practices. “You walk into any pharmacy, and next to cold and flu medications, there are aisles of shampoos and soaps. It just got me thinking: what is this all for?” he asked. “How much of it is necessary for health? How much is just personal preference? Am I wasting time and money?”
To answer these questions, Dr. Hamblin decided to take a bold step—he stopped showering in the traditional sense for about five years. But before you jump to conclusions, it wasn’t as extreme as it sounds. Dr. Hamblin documented this journey in his 2020 book Clean, The New Science of Skin, where he recounts his experiment and the science behind hygiene.
“I carefully wrote in my book that five years ago I stopped— and I did,” Dr. Hamblin explained. “But it was more about trial and error, figuring out what works and what doesn’t. I didn’t spend the entire five years without showering. Instead, I embraced a minimalist approach to cleanliness and experimented with different regimens.”
His approach wasn’t about neglecting personal hygiene altogether; it was about rethinking what’s truly necessary for healthy skin. Through his experiment, Dr. Hamblin aimed to challenge the common assumption that showering daily or using a wide array of personal care products is essential for good health.
As society continues to embrace an ever-growing range of beauty and hygiene products, Dr. Hamblin’s experiment raises important questions about the science of skin care and the real benefits of our daily routines. His journey serves as a reminder to critically examine how much of our personal care habits are shaped by cultural norms rather than genuine health needs.
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Dr. Hamblin’s minimalist approach didn’t just challenge showering habits—it sparked an important conversation about what our skin truly needs to stay healthy and whether we’re overcomplicating our routines. His experiment suggests that perhaps less can sometimes be more when it comes to skin care.
In his exploration of cleanliness, Dr. Hamblin found that our skin, much like the rest of our body, benefits from a balanced and less-is-more approach. So, next time you reach for that extra bottle of lotion or soap, it might be worth asking yourself: Do I really need this? Or is it just a habit?
