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November 15, 2018: Your Shower Secrets Revealed!

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Throughout most of my life, I’ve been a morning shower guy.  Get up, brush my teeth, shower, get dressed and go.  But when I started Akemi, that changed.  Akemi was a night shower gal (a Japanese thing) and the whole morning shower routine left her thoroughly perplexed.  She would ask: “Doesn’t it make more sense to take a shower at the end of your day and go to bed nice and clean every night?”.  In fact, it DID make more sense and so, after some forty years of morning showers, I switched.  And, quite frankly, I’m glad I did.  The best part is I now get to bank that extra half hour in the morning.

So, my first poll question to you is this –

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Yesterday, I got on the elevator with one of my neighbors and commented: “You’re doing something new with your hair.  I LOVE it!”  As it turned out, she’d been to the hair salon earlier in the week and was trying a new do.  When she got off, Akemi remarked: “She probably doesn’t wash her hair every day.”  I was like: “Wut?”  According to Akemi, when you get your hair done, the hairdresser will often suggest you NOT wash your hair every day.  “I was like: “Wut?”  In fact, Akemi informed me, even though SHE washes her hair every day, experts tell you not to.  It’s apparently bad for your!  And I was like: “Wut? Wut?”

So, my next poll question is this –

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I grew up in a home where we always ate dinner together, always went to bed at a reasonable hour, and always used both shampoo AND conditioner when we showered.  And then, when I eventually moved out, I stopped using conditioner and noticed something interesting: It made absolutely no difference.

Maybe my hair isn’t as sheeny and bodiful as yours, so I’m wondering –

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I’d always assumed that showers were all the same, the heads angled at a 45 degrees.  Then many years ago, when I visited Japan, I discovered the rain shower head that  – well – rained the water straight down on  you.  I loved it – and now get to love it even more because my new place has one.  Akemi, for her part, hates the rain shower, endures the 45 degree shower head, but actually prefers the hand-held shower head.  I went hand-held for about a month at our last place after the slide bar in our shower broke and absolutely hated it.

So, next question is this –

*

Finally – when Akemi first came to Canada, she would take a bath about once a week, just lying in the hot tub, soaking and relaxing for an hour before hitting the shower.  I, on the other hand, can’t remember the last time I took a bath.  I guess I don’t see the point.

So, my final question is this –

*

Thanks for your input.  I look forward to analyzing the results.  And passing judgement on you.

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22 responses

  1. Line Noise Avatar
    Line Noise

    I’m a morning showerer. I feel all grungy and grotty when I wake up (I’m not a morning person!) even if I’d had a shower before bed. A morning shower wakes me up and gets me ready for the day. If I’m going to be doing something physical (DIY, gardening, etc) then I’ll wait until I’ve done that

    I’m follicly challenged with only about 60% coverage and a #2 buzz cut but still shampoo every day.

    In my 20s when I had long hair half way down my back I conditioned to aid in tangle removal but when I got my hair cut for the first time in 8 years I dropped the conditioner and my hair hasn’t been longer than about an inch ever since.

    Rain showers are the best! I used to have a dual shower head with two independently adjustable heads that was amazing! Now I have a wide hand-held head that clips onto an adjustable bar that can be angled from straight down to horizontal. It works but I miss my double head.

    I’ve probably had less than 10 baths in my adult life. They make me overheat and I don’t see the point.

    I look forward to the toilet habits poll in the near future! I’m sure it will be eye opening!

    Reply
  2. DP Avatar
    DP

    I hate showers. They are loud and keep touching me. So I invented a faster one.

    I hung a camp shower high above the shower. I mix clarifying shampoo directly in the camp shower tank in a relatively thin mixture so that soaping and rinsing are all done in one, continuous step.

    There is an ideal ratio of water and shampoo and so much of a standard shower is time spent approaching that ratio starting with concentrated shampoo. I start with such a ratio. It’s the classic story of efficiency gains by switching from batches to a continuous process.

    I sometimes turn on the actual shower to rinse but that step is optional. My next improvement would be to install one of those European water heater tanks so I don’t have to lift the water to the hook.

    The water savings would benefit Johannesburg if they took up this method, but it turns out no one else actually wants shorter showers. They LIKE showers.

    Reply
  3. Gforce Avatar
    Gforce

    I pretty much always shower in the morning, but sometimes I’ll shower later in the day again if I’ve been working out, doing yard work outside, or hiking and/or trail work, which all make sense I suppose. Because yeah – sweaty.

    For what little hair I have it’s a light shampoo a day. Conditioner is a waste of money in my experience.

    I’m all about the rainfall shower. The angled ones are like being sprayed with a hose, as if you’ve just arrived in prison. Ugh. I’ll tolerate them when traveling, but I don’t like them in my own house.

    I OCCASIONALLY take a bath, as my tub has the jets, but it’s more a relaxation thing than cleaning. In fact, I take a quick shower first, so I’m not wallowing in my own crud. 🙂

    Reply
  4. Karl Avatar
    Karl

    What about those of us who shower both evening and morning? Surely I can’t be the only one?

    During summer if I only shower at night, by noon the following day I stink to high heaven. If I shower in the morning, the bed will be unbearable when I get up. (During the winter I can get away with showering only once per day, as long as I don’t engage in anything physically strenuous.)

    Reply
  5. maggiemayday Avatar
    maggiemayday

    I prefer to shower in the morning, a habit I picked up in the Navy. You get up, shower, and dress. Some days I would take a shower after work in the locker room, when I changed out of my uniform and back into my civilian clothes. Depended on what we had been doing, and how dirty I was. However, I do love baths, but those are for evenings before bed. No soap, just a nice bath bomb or something foofy-smelly. A lovely way to relax and warm up.

    As a short woman, I dislike overhead showers. A handheld mean I do not get splashed in the face; I can also clean my, er, undercarriage more readily. Guys have much less of a problem. I learned to love the handheld in Japan, as that was what was installed in the tub room. I’d shower and then climb in the big soaking tub. A winter thing. Bad for your skin, but that’s what lotion is for afterward. Come to think of it, I was a nighttime showerer in Japan depending on the season. Our house was unheated and uninsulated. If I were running late in the morning, there was not enough time to run the kerosene heaters to warm the house enough to be comfy while getting dressed. I’d warm up on the walk or bike ride on the way to work. Had to change into uniform anyway, and there were showers in the locker room if I didn’t want to freeze.

    My hair is pretty normal, but I quit using post-shampoo creme conditioner some time ago. Makes my scalp a little too oily and my straight hair is too fine to do anything bu fall flat. My husband though, used to wash his hair every day or his scalp got itchy. I wash about every three days, and use a light spray on leave in conditioner. I do have a creme conditioner, but it is more of a mask, I put it in my hair a few minutes before showering, then shampoo it out. A winter thing, about once a month.

    Reply
  6. Baterista9 Avatar
    Baterista9

    Shower: When I feel like it. (Retiree)

    Shower heads: Combination of 45-degree & handheld.

    Reply
  7. Thogar Avatar
    Thogar

    When I was younger I used to shower in the morning. It was a great way to wake up & leave the house invigorated(ish) & ready for the day. After a while it occurred to me that an evening bath made more sense for the very reasons Akemi listed. (My brother actually showers twice a day, morning & evening)

    I wash my hair daily because it’s oily & always needs washing. I will use conditioner occasionally, but I’m just a recreational user. No junkie here, man.

    I love a traditional 45° head (Preferably Speakman because I’m picky). I also prefer water hot enough to boil crustaceans, pressure with the oomph to wash elephants, AND a hand wand for the sake of convenience. Actually, I use the wand more to rinse down the shower walls, door, & floor than I do on myself.

    I will take the rare bath when I’m feeling ill or particularly chilly, but that doesn’t replace the shower. I hate the idea of cleaning myself in what becomes a more and more potent soup of my dirt, sweat, body oils, random lint/hair/dead skin, & soap, or what used to be soap.

    The bathtub wins in the “Friendly to Bath Toys” category. I don’t think anybody makes any shower toys, at least not ones we can discuss in polite company.

    Reply
  8. Colleen Scott Avatar
    Colleen Scott

    I would feel presentable at work if I did not shower in the morning. The same with washing my hair. I have fine hair that gets flat fast. Washing and using conditioner then drying my hair upside down gives it body.

    Reply
  9. idontdomondays2day Avatar
    idontdomondays2day

    At my lowest, i didn’t clean my teeth for almost 2 years, just the odd pick at them with a sewing needle instead of floss, and i tend to shower randomly in the day but definitely before i have to go out somewhere confined like a supermarket, i don’t have a proper working sense of smell so it makes me very conscious that i might be smelly-although i can taste really bad smells in the air like a snake.

    Reply
  10. cat4444 Avatar
    cat4444

    I used to do the evening shower, but switched to morning showers ages ago. Starting the day fresh and clean wins my vote. I will take a very, very rare bath because I have a “kiddie tub” that isn’t much good for anything but taking a shower or a simple soak.

    I always use conditioner, but it can only be certain types. If I don’t use it or use the “wrong” type, i end up with a tangled rat’s nest that is virtually impossible to comb out.

    As for washing my hair, I do it every two days on average, with the occasional three days.

    I’ve only used the 45 degree shower head, so can’t really comment on the other two.

    Reply
  11. Ponytail Avatar
    Ponytail

    I shower at night. It would add an extra hour of getting ready if I did it in the morning. I’d rather sleep.

    I wash my hair every day. It is a grease slick if I don’t.

    I sorta stopped using a conditioner. But recently been thinking I need to because of all the electricity in my hair lately. My hair gets it body from going to bed with my hair wet. I wake up and it is all over the place.

    I prefer 45 degree angle shower head. And I don’t want to hold it. I’m busy trying to get clean. But then I’ve never used a hand held. That might make rinsing faster. hmmmm

    I remember when I was younger and would swim in the tub. That was fun. Not possible anymore. Plus, now I just want to get-er-done and get to bed.

    We use to have these type survey questions at work all the time. It was always very interesting. Like the time a friend mentioned between her and her husband, whoever got in bed first picked the side they wanted to sleep on. I was shocked!! Don’t you sleep on the same side of the bed every night?? Nope, she said. So I took that question to work.

    Is your toilet paper over or under? There is ONLY one right answer! 🙂

    Reply
  12. shaneac1 Avatar
    shaneac1

    Even though i shower in the morning if i had a sweety/dirty day I will shower when I get home.

    Reply
  13. utopian Avatar
    utopian

    I usually shower in the morning but only after being sufficiently caffeinated, as I’m not a morning person and need time to wake my body and mind. This means I have to get up earlier to have my “morning time” but it works for me.

    I’d never used handheld shower heads until about five years ago and since then I’ve never considered anything else. They are just so easy to use for rinsing, hard to reach places and changing the settings for massaging jets. I have back pain sometimes that find that really helps.

    I don’t give much thought to shampoo anymore after discovering that cheap brands work just as well as expensive brands. The same with conditioner, I ran out once and discovered not using it didn’t make much difference and so never bothered with it after that. But, yes, I do shampoo daily as I have oily hair and so a daily shampoo is not going to strip my hair of healthy oils or whatever it is “they” think it does.

    Finally, I’m not one for baths, I just don’t see the point in soaking in your own dirty bath-water, I’m not sure how that helps get clean, lol. I find that the bath water never stays hot for long and that kind of ruins it for me.

    Thanks for the interesting polls. I’ll assume there are more to follow, after all, you didn’t ask about flossing!

    Reply
  14. Tam Dixon Avatar
    Tam Dixon

    The poll didn’t have enough choices. I shower in the morning, another shower after swimming (because, ew), and a late night shower, post karate class (because, ew). Showering before bed helps me sleep better.

    Chlorinated pool water makes conditioner necessary. Plus, I have a scalp problem and the dermatologist told me to wash my hair daily (special shampoo). Not enough choices. 😉

    Reply
  15. jimfromjersey Avatar
    jimfromjersey

    I’ve always been a morning showerer. But I guess it does make sense to do it before bed. And I wouldn’t be racing the clock in the morning. Or my son’s girlfriend who recently moved in with us and spends arguably 60% of her day in the bathroom. (j/k) I’ve recently had to advise them both that I get in the shower between 6:40-6:50 AM each morning and that window puts the bathroom off limits. Night time would save lots of hassle. I might be a convert.

    I shave my head, so I don’t wash my hair or use conditioner.

    I would LOVE to try a rain shower.

    No baths. It doesn’t make sense to me to want to sit in my own dirty water. It just seems counter-productive.

    Reply
  16. Drea Avatar
    Drea

    Rain shower you say?

    One of the nicest things I miss about living in a natural, rural, mountain-pine forest, 7300 ft above sea level, (aside from the incredible beauty, peace & quiet), is that most of us resided on 35-70 acre lots, which afforded the privacy to do almost anything you want outdoors, in your own little section of paradise. During a hot summer, whenever we were fortunate enough to get a steady afternoon downpour, I enjoyed grabbing my shampoo and standing outside on the raised porch deck to wash my long spiral curly locks in the rain.

    As far as indoor bathing goes, Types, frequency, and time of day have varied over the years,
    depending on whatever is going on in my personal or professional life
    and I’ve always used a simple leave in hair conditioner, so I cannot comment either way about cream rinses used in the shower. Hot baths have always been a rare luxury escape item for the purpose of relaxation and self pampering, usually indulged in the dead of winter. i.e: Scented oils, music, candles, an abundance of rose pedals floating atop and a plate of fresh orange slices or grapes to snack on.

    Reply
  17. Tam Dixon Avatar
    Tam Dixon

    Ponytail: I’m happy if there IS toilet paper. How many times have we looked over and the roll is empty at a public bathroom? I’ve started carrying extra tissue, just in case.

    Drea: I agree with you on those hot relaxing winter baths. Any other time, I take a shower.

    My hubby is a bathtub hog, so a separate shower is the only way our household functions without a lot of arguments. He’s fallen asleep in the tub several times. On the weekends, 1 1/2 hours in the tub for him isn’t uncommon. 🙄

    Reply
  18. Chem_Is_Try Avatar
    Chem_Is_Try

    I didn’t answer whether I shower in the morning or at night, because it just depends on what I feel like doing. And depending on whether I get sweaty or dirty from working out or yard work, sometimes I skip a day. My skin (except for my face) and hair is dry, so not a problem.

    I also don’t shampoo. I get my, uh, natural hair color “restored” every 5 weeks, and my hair is washed then. Otherwise it’s just a conditioner rinse when showering. Ever heard of the “curly girl method”? My hair is kind of half way between wavy and curly, and not using shampoo is one of the tenets of that style.

    As far as the shower head, I just have the standard 45° shower head, but I’m thinking of upgrading to one of those “towers” that have the rain head and hand held on the same tower.

    Oh, and baths? I have an extra deep jetted tub, and baths are something I do when I just feel like relaxing and reading by candlelight. Not a bubble bath, just hot water. (Before my bathroom remodel I had a shallow tub and had to decide which body part would be in the water and what parts out. Now I can submerge all them at the same time! Luxury!)

    Reply
  19. BoltBait Avatar
    BoltBait

    I can’t do ANYTHING until I’ve had my morning shower.

    And, my bathroom shower has these two critical items:

    A curved shower rod to give me a little more elbow room:
    https://www.homedepot.com/p/Elegant-Home-Fashions-Curved-Shower-Rod-Kit-in-Satin-Nickel-HD9866/202202565
    Handheld shower head:
    https://www.homedepot.com/p/Waterpik-Torrent-6-Spray-3-5-in-Handheld-Showerhead-in-Brushed-Nickel-XBT-649ME/305298496

    I absolutely hate bumping into the shower curtain, so the extra room is important. I don’t like a sliding door for the same reason. Also, the handheld shower head is really handy when giving the dog a bath.

    Reply
  20. Captain555 Avatar
    Captain555

    I like a bubble bath once a week.

    Reply
  21. Dexter (@CubicleDexter) Avatar
    Dexter (@CubicleDexter)

    The poll’s over, but at this point, I’m just trying to get my device to successfully authorize Twitter so I can something something whatever and stuff.

    Never had opportunity to try a rain shower. They seem neat, but that might just be the novelty of letting water fall upon me under, pushed only by gravity, and nothing to do with anything else that might be more or less important. Baths are nice, but I’ll immediately sacrifice them if I can get a nice, big standing shower stall. I know it seems like a downgrade. Maybe I like the spartan simplicity of it. Or maybe I just don’t like stepping over a wall or stepping down and then up. (Probably a combination. Plus, every stall I’ve seen in place of a tub has been way roomier [except in England].)

    Sometimes, after shaving my head, I just use body wash or regular bar soap.

    Reply
  22. Jim Danielson Avatar
    Jim Danielson

    I installed twin shower heads, up as high as possible, one on the front and one on the rear. I replaced both heads with inexpensive shower heads off Amazon, super low cost but they work really well and can be set from deluge to mist.
    On days when my back and shoulders are aching I set it to mist and hot and sit in the tub for a half hour.
    On mist I can run it a very long time and not run out of hot water.

    Reply

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