Do you wash your legs in the shower?

[yaga]

May 15, 2019 12:16:18 GMT -5 karinothing said:

May 15, 2019 12:09:09 GMT -5 taratru said:

The reactions in this thread are cracking me up. FTR, I'm a clean person. I'm well groomed and I smell pretty good most of the time. But I suppose it's a good thing that no one is getting too close to my filthy disgusting legs?

I feel like most people are vastly over estimating how dirty one gets sitting in an office job all day wearing pants in our largely sedentary lifestyles

My office job keeps me fairly clean, but my commute (15 minute walk to the subway + an hour sitting on the train, likely overheating from the walk because my body can't just be normal and not embarrassing) makes me gross. Did you know you can sweat from your kneecaps?! 

[mouse]

May 15, 2019 12:37:13 GMT -5 goldengirlz said:

May 15, 2019 10:50:44 GMT -5 dexteroni said:

To be clear, I didn't mean for it to sound like I think everyone should wash them every day. But to never wash them? No.  And I'm aware of and certainly want to be respectful of cultural differences, but again, to *never* wash them seems unusual and unsanitary. 

I'm interested in your claim of leg washing being harmful, though. And of course I wouldn't recommend it for someone to whom it really is harmful. But I'm googling for info about that and not finding anything. Do you have a link?

I mean, there are places in this world that still don’t have indoor plumbing. Your earlier post about “how every human should” sounded pretty tone deaf.

Here’s a piece about some of the science on daily bathing: www.google.com/amp/s/amp.businessinsider.com/showering-how-often-2017-11

It might be a little much to call it harmful but unnecessary is probably a fair word (and I say this as a daily bather because #soAmerican.)

I did not even stay in a holiday inn last night, but there's some evidence that your skin biome plays a role in health and it might not be a great idea to use soap everywhere. Research seems to be in the very early stages, so I don't think a lot is known definitively.

And seriously, stop calling people unsanitary because they don't do what you do. I shower daily but I know much of the world doesn't - and it wasn't even the norm here until fairly recently.

[bugandbibs]

I wash my entire body when I shower, but I don't shower everyday. Where do I fit?

[lolalolalola]

I wash every part of my body except my legs for some reason. huh. I do shave them every 2nd day so that much count for something...

Oh, I also don't wash the part of my back that I can't reach...

[dexteroni]

May 15, 2019 13:10:18 GMT -5 mouse said:

May 15, 2019 12:37:13 GMT -5 goldengirlz said:

I mean, there are places in this world that still don’t have indoor plumbing. Your earlier post about “how every human should” sounded pretty tone deaf.

Here’s a piece about some of the science on daily bathing: www.google.com/amp/s/amp.businessinsider.com/showering-how-often-2017-11

It might be a little much to call it harmful but unnecessary is probably a fair word (and I say this as a daily bather because #soAmerican.)

I did not even stay in a holiday inn last night, but there's some evidence that your skin biome plays a role in health and it might not be a great idea to use soap everywhere. Research seems to be in the very early stages, so I don't think a lot is known definitively.

And seriously, stop calling people unsanitary because they don't do what you do. I shower daily but I know much of the world doesn't - and it wasn't even the norm here until fairly recently.

I can tell I'm coming across like an asshole to you and some others, and I'm really not one, I promise. I'm still of the opinion that *never* washing large parts of your body is an unsanitary practice though, and I'm not the only person who said as much in this post. But of course I'm not condemning entire cultures who may not have access to running water. So rather than every human, I'll say that I do think people should wash entire bodies at least some of the time *unless* they don't have access to running water or unless they have a skin condition that makes washing a bad idea. I never said anything about doing it daily or even showering daily so I'm not sure why you keep mentioning that.

And I am still genuinely interested in reading that evidence about washing skin being harmful, if you have a link. I did google and found several articles like the one goldengirlz linked (although again, that one is about *daily* bathing which I never mentioned). But I didn't find anything that said it was actually harmful to wash your skin with soap.

[dexteroni]

Also mouse I should clarify that my reaction wasn't just about legs. Some of the comments that surprised me were about people who *only* wash their face, armpits, genitals, and feet, and at least one here said they didn't even wash their feet. So they aren't washing their neck, back, arms, and legs. That's a large portion of the body to never wash, and at least some of those areas sweat and can get dirty, or at least on me they do, lol. I'm aware that we disagree about this topic, but I don't think my opinion is that outrageous. Again, this is about people who have the option to wash as much or as little as they choose to wash, not about people without access to water.

[ECB]

Ellen is asking this now!’ 😂

[taratru]

May 15, 2019 14:50:42 GMT -5 dexteroni said:

Also mouse I should clarify that my reaction wasn't just about legs. Some of the comments that surprised me were about people who *only* wash their face, armpits, genitals, and feet, and at least one here said they didn't even wash their feet. So they aren't washing their neck, back, arms, and legs. That's a large portion of the body to never wash, and at least some of those areas sweat and can get dirty, or at least on me they do, lol. I'm aware that we disagree about this topic, but I don't think my opinion is that outrageous. Again, this is about people who have the option to wash as much or as little as they choose to wash, not about people without access to water.

There you go. Stop projecting your expectations on everyone else.  I don't need to wash my legs with soap every day, because they don't get dirty. I don't need to wash my feet with soap every day because they get clean enough by simply being in the shower.  If I get dirty in places, I wash those places.  You *do* sound like a judgmental asshole when you decide that this thing, that doesn't impact you or anyone else is the thing that makes people unsanitary or gross, even if you lol about it. 

eta: Know what else I don't use soap on? My face! I only wash it with water in the shower! The horror! 

[karinothing]

May 15, 2019 14:46:29 GMT -5 dexteroni said:

May 15, 2019 13:10:18 GMT -5 mouse said:

I did not even stay in a holiday inn last night, but there's some evidence that your skin biome plays a role in health and it might not be a great idea to use soap everywhere. Research seems to be in the very early stages, so I don't think a lot is known definitively.

And seriously, stop calling people unsanitary because they don't do what you do. I shower daily but I know much of the world doesn't - and it wasn't even the norm here until fairly recently.

I can tell I'm coming across like an asshole to you and some others, and I'm really not one, I promise. I'm still of the opinion that *never* washing large parts of your body is an unsanitary practice though, and I'm not the only person who said as much in this post. But of course I'm not condemning entire cultures who may not have access to running water. So rather than every human, I'll say that I do think people should wash entire bodies at least some of the time *unless* they don't have access to running water or unless they have a skin condition that makes washing a bad idea. I never said anything about doing it daily or even showering daily so I'm not sure why you keep mentioning that.

And I am still genuinely interested in reading that evidence about washing skin being harmful, if you have a link. I did google and found several articles like the one goldengirlz linked (although again, that one is about *daily* bathing which I never mentioned). But I didn't find anything that said it was actually harmful to wash your skin with soap.

But people are in the shower and getting wet rinsing off. The vast majority of people are going to be clean that way. Folks that do run their legs with soap arent doing a surgical scrub down in the shower. I argue that getting wet and rinsing off is cleansing.

Eta: and feet? They are essentially soaking in soapy water at the bottom of the shower...

[dexteroni]

taratru Well, everyone sweats to some extent. That’s how biology works. And I never said every day! Yet each person who has responded has suggested that I did. I think this is the third time I’ve clarified it, but it seems people are reading what they want at this point. I can’t clarify it any more than I already have. So I’ll continue to think that never ever ever washing with soap is unsanitary, and you can continue to think I’m an asshole.

[mouse]

I don't want to beat the poor departed horse, but you're using judgmental language to describe what is a cultural practice. I'm curious what evidence you have that scrubbing all of your areas with soap regularly is hygenic or that letting water wash you off without scrubbing is somehow unhygienic.

Unfortunately I'm at work and can't do a lot of hunting, but there's the company that is developing a bacteria hygiene spray (to spray yourself with beneficial flora) that has some interesting science behind it. Since they're marketing it, it's hard for me to say what's motivated by evidence vs profit.

[dexteroni]

May 15, 2019 15:39:05 GMT -5 mouse said:

there's the company that is developing a bacteria hygiene spray (to spray yourself with beneficial flora) that has some interesting science behind it. Since they're marketing it, it's hard for me to say what's motivated by evidence vs profit.

That is interesting. I’ll try using those terms to google.

[taratru]

May 15, 2019 15:38:02 GMT -5 dexteroni said:

taratru Well, everyone sweats to some extent. That’s how biology works. And I never said every day! Yet each person who has responded has suggested that I did. I think this is the third time I’ve clarified it, but it seems people are reading what they want at this point. I can’t clarify it any more than I already have. So I’ll continue to think that never ever ever washing with soap is unsanitary, and you can continue to think I’m an asshole.

Yeah, I'm aware of biology. I'm also pretty aware of words... No one in this thread said they never ever wash parts of their body. Everyone is talking about washing as needed, or just not every day, and your making some pretty big assumptions. That is what's making you look like an ass. I'm sure you're a perfectly nice and clean person.

[Shreddingbetty]

I shave my legs once a week so that’s when they get washed with soap I guess. The rest of the time I wash my upper body but not usually my legs unless they are dirty. If I haven’t done anything g to be sweaty or dirty all day then I’m too lazy to lather and wash my legs. I figure 10-15 minutes of water running down is good enough for those times.

[winecat]

May 15, 2019 12:09:09 GMT -5 taratru said:

The reactions in this thread are cracking me up. FTR, I'm a clean person. I'm well groomed and I smell pretty good most of the time. But I suppose it's a good thing that no one is getting too close to my filthy disgusting legs?

::: changes GTG plans :::

[mrsukyankee]

Note to anyone coming to London and using the tube - DEFINITELY wash any potentially exposed skin daily. When I use micellar water in the evenings on my neck after coming home from work, what comes off due to the tube is gross. This is my contribution to the thread and why I have to wash my body parts with soap more regularly than many (especially in the summer) - the underground gunk that ends up on my skin.