Matthew Gates http://notetoservices.com 5m 1,128 #shower
The views of this article are the perspective of the author and may not be reflective of Confessions of the Professions.
My Dirty Secret Revealed: I Hardly Shower
I used to do it all the time, but I rarely do it anymore, because I do not have to do it anymore. You might think it is gross because you were conditioned to believe that you had to do it everyday. If not everyday, at least every other day to at least every three days. I used to do it everyday, sometimes several times a day. I used to hop in the shower religiously, thinking it was the best thing for me. As a child, I always wanted to be clean. Showering a few times a day was just something I did. I would run around, get dirty, and sweat like crazy, so I would certainly smell and there was no doubt that I smelled bad.
When I hit my teenage years, deodorant was one of those must-have items that I needed. BO, also known as body-odor was the worst thing that was ever-present. I could smell it on myself and there were plenty of kids who definitely let me know that my armpits stunk badly. I suppose it was normal to stink like that or was it? Anyways, my favorite deodorant was Old Spice. There was just something about the smell that I absolutely loved. It reminded me of being an older. I also remember Axe coming out, and while I definitely was not fond of Axe, there were times that I did find Axe lying around, and happened to use it, and because it was a spray, it was easier to use. Axe, however, did not do what its commercials showed, and the ladies did not flock to me.
For most of my life, I preferred to take showers in the morning, because they woke me up. Showers in the morning helped me off to school and it generally felt good. It put me in a good mood throughout the day. Not getting a shower in the morning ensured that I would have a terrible day, so throughout high school, I had a shower nearly every single morning. When I went into the work world, after high school, if I had to work in the morning, a shower was also a must-have. While I never drank coffee, a shower was as important as a cup of coffee. Even if I was running late to work, I had to hop in the shower. It was just something that woke me up.
When I was in college, if I had an early class, I would definitely hop in the shower, but showering became less frequent, and I would see how many days I could go without a shower without anyone noticing, often shaving my head as well, because bedhead would reveal that I had just woken up. Most people could hardly tell the difference that I did not shower. While I did not stink that badly, I still definitely needed to use deodorant.
As I got older, and no longer worked morning shifts, I began to take less showers. I also learned how to eat more properly, and lost a ton of weight. I noticed something happening during this weight loss as well. I began to stink less. Out of sheer laziness, I decided not to shower as much, opting to use baby wipes instead and often to clean the important parts of my body, usually between my legs and my butt, and still using deodorant to freshen up my armpits. I can wash my face and other parts of myself in the sink. I just figured I can do without a shower and save on the water bill. because I really felt that I did not need a shower.
Body odor and needing a shower all comes down to dieting and your environment: You need to train yourself to not need a shower. If you eat healthy, the chances are, your body will start to look great, feel great, and even smell great. Unfortunately, there are too many people that need a shower, and too many more that need to be told that they need a shower. There are many who think they do not need a shower. Luckily, I am not one of them, but there are many people who definitely need to reconsider their smell and realize: shower is necessary.
As I am in at a more reasonable and comfortable weight, I find myself showering once or twice a month or only when necessary. I still use baby wipes to clean myself, usually between my legs, behind my ears, between the orifices and crevices of body, and anywhere that might need some additional cleaning, but since I do not eat any processed foods or junk foods or fast foods, I do not have any smell that is out of the ordinary, other than a natural body smell. I do not stink. At least, no one has told me that I stink. I do not even have a need to use deodorant anymore. I also live in an area that has no humidity so I can get away with not using any deodorant.
This is my dirty secret and while I do think about showering on occasion, I definitely enjoy the additional time I do not have to spend showering. I also enjoy the fact that I do not stink like I used to when I was a teenager. I smell my armpits and very rarely do they require any additional care. Once in a while, I may need to run some soap on them, on particularly hot summer days, but that is about it. I still wash my hands often, after bathroom use or touching anything that warrants me to wash my hands, and I am obsessed with not touching door knobs, and instead use my shirt to avoid germs on my hands, as I am a complete germophobe when it comes to things like that.
While I am sure that we are conditioned and brainwashed into believing that we need a shower every single day, I am also doing it for personal reasons. I am not using the water from the shower. During a 5-minute shower, 10 gallons of water are being used. By showering just a few times a year, I am saving a lot of water. Therefore, I am just one person doing my part to save this planet. A shower is not needed everyday and if I can get away with not stinking, smelling bad, and freeing up the shower, than why not? If no one is complaining around me about me stinking, than why be grossed out about someone not showering? You could stand by me and you would likely not even notice that I have not showered for a week or two.
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