Dirty bugger!

[Onelife]

Showering this morning got me thinking about when I was a kid and how often I used to wash. I can't remember ever having more than one bath a week, I did however let my body see a flannel once or twice a week. The ritual of bath time always took place on Friday nights, often with the same water that my older sister had used. I can't ever remember anyone calling me 'smelly pants' or anything like that so I'm presuming I didn't smell for the rest of the week.
.
I now have two showers a week, sometimes three if we are going out for the evening which leaves me wondering whether or not it has just become an unnecessary habit to shower 5/6 times a week like my wife and daughter do? With this thought in mind I decided to look it up on google and was surprised to read that in most cases it is recommended that you don't shower that often as it can have harmful effects on your skin and hair...this especially applies to young children as it washes away their good bacteria... I have to say this was a surprise to me as I didn't know you could have good bacteria living on your skin.

So given my excellent research will you now be cutting back on your showering?

[Happydays]

Probably not! It's just what you get used to. I shower daily & wash my hair alternate days usually. Although I remember as a child like you a bath was once a week for us on a Sunday before going to school on Monday and I had to sit in front of the fire combing my hair to get it dry! We didn't have hairdryers, bliss when we did, no more feeling the side of your face burning!! Then we (my younger brother) would get scrambled eggs on toast with grated cheese on top melted under the grill for supper and watched Sunday Night at the London Paladium before going to bed. Goodness me memories are funny, the things you remember with a light hearted question.

[david63]

I can't ever remember anyone calling me 'smelly pants' or anything like that so I'm presuming I didn't smell for the rest of the week.

More likely that everyone else only had a bath once a week so you all smelt the same

[Stephen]

You were lucky you only had to share the bath water with you sister. I had to share with the rest of the family, all five of us. Dad was always first, then mum, then me and my two sisters took it in turns each week who got in next, topping up with a bit more hot water each time.

Eeee, those were the days. Kids today don't know thar born.....he says chewing on a crust of orvis broon bread and booter

[GillD46]

I have a shower every single day, often twice a day. I wash my hair at least alternate days and more if going out. I get very hot at night and couldn't possibly NOT have a shower.

[Mervyn and Trish]

We shower every day and have a couple of baths a day. I also wash my hair most days. Does it damage it? Well I've still got it. My Dad washed his less often and it fell out. QED.

[qbman1]

I confess, I didn't know of anyone who didn't bath or shower daily these days. Just shows, you live and learn.

[barney]

I couldn't start my day without a shower and usually have one before I go to bed as well.

Not much in the way of hair these days so give whats there a decent rinse.

Harmful to skin? I don't think so. I look wonderful

I do remember 'bath night' as kids though.
There were four of us.

[Stephen]

We shower every day and have a couple of baths a day. I also wash my hair most days. Does it damage it? Well I've still got it. My Dad washed his less often and it fell out. QED.

Blimey Merv, are you doing some moonlighting at the local abattoir

[Onelife]

We shower every day and have a couple of baths a day. I also wash my hair most days. Does it damage it? Well I've still got it. My Dad washed his less often and it fell out. QED.

Blimey Merv, are you doing some moonlighting at the local abattoir

Stephen..now you know how the landed gentry while away their time

[qbman1]

We shower every day and have a couple of baths a day. I also wash my hair most days. Does it damage it? Well I've still got it. My Dad washed his less often and it fell out. QED.

Blimey Merv, are you doing some moonlighting at the local abattoir

He forgot to mention that they share the bath !

[Onelife]

I confess, I didn't know of anyone who didn't bath or shower daily these days. Just shows, you live and learn.

Qb...little tip from the unwashed

Fragranced ultra soft wipes and a soft flannel dose the job in half the time

[qbman1]

If I get a whiff of lemon and Dettol, I'll know you are on the way !

[Onelife]

Probably not! It's just what you get used to. I shower daily & wash my hair alternate days usually. Although I remember as a child like you a bath was once a week for us on a Sunday before going to school on Monday and I had to sit in front of the fire combing my hair to get it dry! We didn't have hairdryers, bliss when we did, no more feeling the side of your face burning!! Then we (my younger brother) would get scrambled eggs on toast with grated cheese on top melted under the grill for supper and watched Sunday Night at the London Paladium before going to bed. Goodness me memories are funny, the things you remember with a light hearted question.

Hi Happydays.....your post transported me back 55 years when you mentioned sitting in front of the fire drying your hair..and yes, l also remember having to turn my head due to the heat of the fire. Can you remember the paraffin stoves which most houses had scattered around their house to keep warm? Sunday night at the London Paladium was our must see Sunday night viewing also.

Getting back to washing l can also remember having my hair washed with a bar of soap....which made a nice change from washing up liquid....l kid you not!

Regards

Keith

[Onelife]

If I get a whiff of lemon and Dettol, I'll know you are on the way !

Don't you worry Qb...you'll see the flies coming first

[Mervyn and Trish]

We shower every day and have a couple of baths a day. I also wash my hair most days. Does it damage it? Well I've still got it. My Dad washed his less often and it fell out. QED.

Blimey Merv, are you doing some moonlighting at the local abattoir

Maybe I meant 2 baths a week!. Ooops

[qbman1]

Never mind - it's an age thing. Goes with the smell !

[Raybosailor]

I have a shower every day but that's because I'm always up to something where I get dirty as in sawdust,brick dust and all sorts of grime.

As a kid I too had to share the bath water which was in a tin bath that was fetched from the yard and placed in front of the range, my mum used to have about four flat irons heating up on the fire and if you complained that the water was going cold she would say open your legs and drop a hot iron into the bath. Whenever I see lobsters being cooked it always reminds me of bath time on a Sunday night with me sitting there with a red hot iron bubbling in between my legs.
We weren't posh enough for cheese and poached eggs on toast for tea, on a Sunday we always had a thick slice of Bloomer bread with dripping from the Sunday joint.
Mum used to put our jim jams in one of the ovens on the range to warm them and in the other door there were bricks which she put in an old pillowcase and that was put in the bed to warm it up, the times I have stubbed my toes on those bricks but they stayed hot longer than a hot water bottle.

You only needed a bath once a week as you stank of carbolic soap for the rest of the week, like others have said your mum would give you a good scrub with the flannel every morning before school. One thing I used to hate was when we were out and got some muck on us or ice cream round your mouth our mum used to spit on her hankie and scrub you with it.

[qbman1]

It's a wonder any of us lived beyond the age of 10 !!

[Jean W]

Oh what great memories.

Keith I remember the bar of soap for washing my hair. My Mum always used to put some vinegar in the last rinsing water to make my hair shine!!! Yes, it worked and over the years we used to adopt to same routine when we had bathed our beloved Affies

[oldbluefox]

We used to have a wash in the kitchen sink as we didn't have a bathroom. We used Fairy soap, the great big bars and woe betide you if you left the soap in the sink in the water!!! From time to time we used to visit my aunt and we thought she was really posh because they used carbolic and it had a certain smell about it, much better than our Fairy stuff!
Like others we had one bath a week in about 2" of water. In the winter it was freezing cold in that bathroom so you didn't sit around for long and the water soon went cold even though mother used to pour another kettle of water in for the next one to have a bath.
My grandfather was a miner and when he had walked the five miles home he used to get in the old zinc bath in front of the fire. How times have changed!

[Stephen]

We shower every day and have a couple of baths a day. I also wash my hair most days. Does it damage it? Well I've still got it. My Dad washed his less often and it fell out. QED.

Blimey Merv, are you doing some moonlighting at the local abattoir

He forgot to mention that they share the bath !

......with the street

[qbman1]

He likes to spread the love, does Merv !

[Stephen]

Never mind - it's an age thing. Goes with the smell !

You mean moth balls and damp undies..............I know it well

[Mervyn and Trish]

And cabbage. Always there's cabbage