Hygiene In Summer: Be Careful Not To Over Wash!
In the summer, when it's hot and you sweat profusely, you may be tempted to jump in the shower several times a day. However, in order not to damage your skin, you must be careful not to wash yourself too much. We propose to you to make the point on the reflexes to adopt for a good body hygiene, without excess.
Beware of too frequent showers
Even in the summer and during hot weather, you shouldn't wash more than once a day. Taking one shower a day is the right rhythm to be clean without assaulting your skin.
You should know that the epidermis is covered with a lipidic film (or fatty film) that the skin manufactures to protect itself from drying and microbial aggression. This is why, except in exceptional situations, you should not take more than one shower a day.
If you play sports, schedule your daily shower after the effort, so as to rid your skin of the toxins you will have evacuated during the physical activity. Same thing if you're going to the beach or pool: wash up afterwards, but only once during the day.
Beware of water that is too hot
We sometimes hear that we wash too much and that it would be better to space out our showers to spare our skin. According to dermatologists, this is not entirely accurate. The problem is not that we wash too often, but that we wash poorly.
If you have sensitive skin and want to avoid drying out your epidermis, the first thing you should do is avoid sitting in a bubble bath for hours.
It's healthier for your skin (and more environmentally friendly) to shower. Dermatologists recommend washing quickly, with lukewarm and not scalding water.
Beware of overly aggressive products
In the hygiene products section, there are all sorts of foaming and perfumed products, which are pleasant to use but unfortunately too aggressive for the hydrolipidic barrier of our skin.
Even products labeled organic don't always get a bad mark on applications like Yuka because they may contain natural fragrances that are also irritating to the skin and undesirable ingredients like preservatives or surfactants.
To be gentle on your skin, choose products that contain the least amount of ingredients and get into the habit of washing with fragrance-free products.
Also avoid harsh products (with a long list of ingredients and synthetic fragrance) in the shampoo and deodorant department.
How to find the right balance?
Without falling into the opposite excess which would consist in not washing any more each day, it is thus necessary to take care not to abuse the showers and the aggressive products for the skin and the environment.
For a good body hygiene, think of adapting the washing to your physical activity and to your place of life. Logically, an elderly person who sweats little needs to wash less than someone who is very active and plays sports or does gardening.
On average, dermatologists recommend taking a lukewarm shower a day. On the other hand, regardless of your hair type, you should not wash your hair every day.
This fairly common habit, especially in the summer after swimming, has the disadvantage of stripping the scalp, causing hair to re-grease and promoting dandruff.
It should also be noted that frizzy or curly hair should be washed less often than straight hair.
Hands are the only part of the body that should be washed regularly throughout the day. This good reflex prevents the spread of disease, especially during this Covid-19 epidemic.
To be effective, hand washing should be done with warm water and soap and should last for at least 15 seconds.
So, to protect yourself from viruses and bacteria, remember to wash your hands after using the bathroom, before each meal, after manual activity, and on the way home, especially if you have taken public transportation.
