How To Prevent Damaging Your Skin By Over Washing
You do it everyday – washing, shaving, shampooing, clipping your nails, washing and drying your hair. Personal grooming, for most people, is a series of well-entrenched habits. Have you ever considered whether you are making the most out of these daily rituals? Would you be willing to change your routine if doing so made your skin, hair, and nails look more attractive and created a better-looking you?
Most adults whom are over thirty commit one big mistake when it comes to washing: The do too much of it. A shower in the morning, another after the gym, maybe even one before bedtime. The average women spends twelve minutes in the shower. That's too long. Cut your time in the shower to five minutes for your skin's sake.
Americans especially are personal hygiene maniacs – terrified of missing a daily bath, revolted by the thought of anything but a well-scrubbed, antiseptic body. Too much washing results not just in cleanliness but in itchy, irritated skin, particularly in the winter months.
The term “over-washed skin†is used to describe a large subset of people with dry skin whose problem comes from spending too much time in the shower.
Below are bathing tips that many can benefit from:
1. Avoid using a washcloth on delicate areas, especially the mucous membranes.
2. Use medium-warm water in the shower. The cooler the better, but not too cold.
3. If you have normal to dry skin, use Dove Unscented or Basis for Sensitive Skin on your body and either a soap free cleanser or nothing at all on mucous membranes.
4. If you tend to have oily skin, then use a deodorant soap such as Dial, Safeguard, or Lever 2000 on any part of your body that tends to be oily – usually the back or chest.
5. Skip a shower as often as you can. This may not seem like appealing advice but the more time you have in between showers the better. Skip a shower for a whole day once or twice a week, especially in the winter. Allow your skin to produce and maintain its natural oils.
