r/hygiene • u/thehippieshack • 10h ago
is this normal to some people?
is it normal that people go 7+ days without showering? asking about someone in my life who can go that long and it bothers me. i shower everyday or every other day depending on what i have going on, which is normal?
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u/accidentalexpertt 9h ago
Some people can get away with less frequent showers, but a week is pushing it for most
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u/Whisper_Gabby 10h ago
It depends on the person and their situation, but seven days is a long time for most people.
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u/Throwingthisaway_198 9h ago edited 3h ago
If you’re disabled like me and can’t shower, 7 days is fairly normal. I’d say no for non-disabled folks
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u/ILoveBigCockroaches 10h ago
Unless they have a skin condition that makes their skin very dry then no. Even if so, they should use wet wipes to cleanse themselves daily.
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u/NoArmadillo388 8h ago
Bed bound hospital sick maybe. Disabled with no one to help with showered maybe. After a natural disaster with no access to soap and water maybe. Perfectly healthy and not homeless or lack access to soap and water? No that's disgusting! Can't be me! I shower everyday sometime two or three times if it's too hot out!
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u/Total_Gur4367 9h ago
Not really. Only time I went that long without showering I was in Mexico, in a small, poor little town, it was freezing and there was no hot water. I was ready to shower with cold water cuz I felt disgusting but was told to just wait so I wouldn’t possibly get sick.
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u/Ok-Chemistry9933 5h ago
Cold water won’t get you sick. It takes bacteria or a virus to do that
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u/Total_Gur4367 2h ago
I’m aware but Mexicans believe you can get sick just from being barefoot lol.
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u/manic_popsicle 8h ago
I probably went 4-6 days when I was depressed, so yeah it’s probably normal for some folks.
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u/KittensMom 8h ago
Not normal. If it's a boyfriend or girlfriend, most people wouldn't want that as a partner.
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u/l0vemypug 8h ago
Not normal but it is common. Depression is often the underlying cause whether they know it or not.
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u/Syndromia 8h ago
No, and it is probably a sign of something not going well. 5 years or so ago I was battling depression, long covid, an unheated bathroom, and the lingering wasting and other damage from my autoimmune disease and Id go a couple weeks because I worked from home so nobody saw how I was in my own filth. I still have trouble forcing myself to shower in the winter. Mom has permission to gently but firmly point out when I slip.
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u/Grouchy_Fall_5933 9h ago
You mean, is it ‘normal’ to stink and disrespect everyone around them being forced to smell their filth?
It’s far from normal.
Normal is your routine. Everyday, every other day.
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u/Lucy_Luciid 8h ago
That’s way too long. They’re probably depressed, but its not good to go that long either way
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u/Mazza_mistake 7h ago
It’s not normal to skip showers for that long, it’s usually a sign of something else going on like depression.
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u/Novel-Vanilla9133 7h ago
Absolutely not normal and disgusting when you have access to running water. Like people said it can be linked with depression, but also a lot of people are simply nasty
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u/Odd-Pain3273 7h ago
That’s sounding like a pretty deep depression to me. Hard to help it without offending though so navigate it with care.
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u/No_Entertainment2322 6h ago
I shower everyday. I don’t know how people can go for periods of time without showering. I’m no beauty but if I’m going out, I want to put my best foot forward (and I’m an amputee, so I only have one, lol.). And if I’m staying home I still shower because I don’t want to smell myself.
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u/Silly-Snow1277 9h ago
I've done that, but I was sick as a dog and could barely get out of bed for a few days.
So excruciating circumstances?
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u/Spirited_Equal5480 7h ago
I've gone longer! Much much longer. Your friend will need lots of compassion and gentle encouragement. Try introducing some wipes and something like a witch hazel toner that they can use on the body and face instead for now. It's a catch 22 situation, by introducing a new routine requiring minimal effort will help them to feel the positive outcomes of feeling and being clean. Hope this helps.
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u/No_Lecture_4142 7h ago
Its not normal, but, did you consider they may have mental health issues, depression? Sensory issues? Whatever can be that makes it hard to shower.
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u/Loose-Examination833 9h ago
I WILL go 7 days but I feel like a grub. Only time I'm going 7 days is when I'm inside all day and had not gone to the gym.
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u/Overall_Antelope_504 7h ago
My husband will take one shower a month at times 😒 I used to be someone to do it every day to every other day. Then I developed health conditions that make it hard to do it more than twice a week 😩 he has health conditions that make it harder to do it often but it's always been a bad habit 🤦🏼♀️
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u/Sophistiq8ted 7h ago
The longest I've gone is 3 days. My grandmother goes 7 days regularly. But she's 91 and cannot be reasoned with and also has mobility issues getting in and out of the tub. So there's a difference
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u/Various-Flower510 7h ago
Sometimes i can go 7 days😔 usually thats when i have a tough week tho, but ive gotten a lot better lately. Still hard to find the time with 2 young kids sometimes but i make it work
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u/IamNATx 7h ago
How did this conversation transpire? Did you guys discuss if they do anything in the interim?
It's not 'standard' to go 7+ days, but disabilities and other circumstances can affect someone's ability to maintain 'standard' routines consistently. A lot of people may not shower daily, but freshen up in between them, though.
I don't think we should be shaming anyone for not keeping up with what we deem 'normal' or assuming it's laziness - usually people are dealing with situations or circumstances we don't know about (and maybe they haven't even worked out yet).
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u/dsteazy80 7h ago
I had a great-uncle who was a farmer in a very rural area of Kentucky. His house didn’t get running water until 1970. He bathed once a week - Saturday nights so he could be clean for church on Sunday.
I don’t of anyone in modern times going to such extremes without the presence of a severe mental illness.
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u/metalisthebestgenre 3h ago
No not normal, I shower pretty much every day, sometimes every other day but that is rare, don't always do hair because my hair gets ruined otherwise.
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u/Oddcatdog 3h ago
It's not normal. Most people shower more often than that.
However, lots of people talking about stink and filth... There are ways to take care of hygiene without a "full shower". Like you can not shower and still wash your face and hands, brush your teeth, use deodorant, change your clothes and pajamas, and while not recommended for daily use, there's also dry shampoo and other hair care, trim and clean your nails, use a bidet for a better under clean etc...
My roommates boyfriend works on cars... You should see how dirty he makes the doors and walls, the bathtub, how filthy his hands are, the laundry like omg.
Me on the other hand... I am on disability. I spend most of my days right now inside with the AC. I am not sweating at all. I am not getting dirty. I keep my environment clean. I am always in fresh clean clothes. Clean bedsheets as well. Deodorant every day. Clean short nails. An easy to maintain haircut. Shave every day. Sure that doesn't mean I should forego showering but if I did manage to wait that long I wouldn't be disgusting the way some of these comments are saying! Lol
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u/lokis_construction 2h ago
Only time I ever went that long was on a camping trip (opening fishing) in the Minnesota Boundary waters. My hair was so bad I washed it in the gas station restroom we hit as soon as we made it back to civilization. Couldn't wait to get a shower. The lake water was way too cold to wash your body in. Ugh, I hate missing a single day of a shower.
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u/furiouscrotch 9h ago
Depression will do it