How to Shower: Best Practices for Simplicity, Effectiveness, and Sustainability

It’s the routines we do most that we think about the least. Such as bathing. Whether you use a shower or a bathtub, most of us are likely past the point of conscious decision-making when it comes to getting clean. It’s something we just do.  

But as with all things, there are some best practices and aspects to pause and consider. Let’s take a look at a few of them, and perhaps just a small adjustment will help you make the most of your cleaning routine.

Table of contents:

• How often should you shower? 
• Which is better: a shower or a bath?
• Showering and your skin health
• How often to wash hair
• Best time of day to shower or bathe
• Ideal shower length
• Best order of body washing
• Which is best: Washcloth, loofah, brush, poof, or hands?
• Which cleanser to use
• Where Dr. Bronner’s fits into the discussion of bathing best practices
• How to get the most out of your bathing routine
• Putting it all together: My personal shower routine

Quickest tip to a better shower (TLDR)

Shorter & Cooler – A shorter shower at a lower temperature is better for your skin (by not stripping oils and nutrients) and better for the earth (by using less water and energy to heat it).

How often should you shower? 

Body type, lifestyle, and environment makes the answer different for everyone, but in general, current American norms lean towards bathing too often rather than not often enough.  

Expert recommendations range from bathing every day to every other day. Very few people need to shower more than once a day. Finding the balance that’s best for you involves the following considerations:

• Lifestyle – more active, on-the-go days might point to a need to shower more often.

• Occupation – jobs that entail greater physical activity or outside work require more bathing than indoor desk jobs.

• Exercise – vigorous exercise increases the need to wash off sweat and other secretions.

• Season – in dryer, cooler winter months your skin may not need as frequent of washing.

These factors change over the months of the year and the years in our lives. The best way to tell is to use your senses: Balanced skin feels elastic and smooth but not oily, looks fresh, but not shiny or dull, and smells neutral.

Which is better: a shower or a bath?

I’m well aware that wading into this topic of shower vs. bath is likely to spark strong emotional reactions, so before I set you off, I’ll tell you my bottom line: There is not a “better” with taking a shower versus a bath. There are pros and cons either way.  

• Ecological considerations: It is possible to conserve water equally well in a shower or a bath. It is also possible to use copious amounts of water in both a shower and a bath. Let me walk you through some math. A deep soak in a bathtub or a long shower both use copious amounts of water. A half full standard 5-foot bathtub would use about 32.5 gallons of water, while a 15-minute shower with a standard flow of 2–2.5 gallons of water/minute uses 30–37.5 gallons. That’s about the same for both. On the flip side, a bath that’s filled with only 3 inches of water would use about 14 gallons, and a speedier 8-minute shower would consume 16 gallons. Knock off 2-ish gallons for every minute you can reduce that. 

• Skin impact: Water strips our skin of its protective barrier. The hotter the water, the more it strips. A shorter, cooler bath would be gentler on our skin than a longer, hotter shower. Conversely, a shorter, cooler shower would be better on our skin than a longer, hotter bath. 

In the shower vs. bath debate, it comes down to personal happiness. If a shower or a bath does great things for your spirit, your mental relief, and your overall well-being, go with that. For least impact on skin and earth, use less water in the tub, take a shorter shower, and keep the water warm but not hot.

Showering and your skin health

Our skin builds up a natural barrier to protect itself against the dual threats of environment and germs. This barrier is composed of sebum, an oily substance our skin produces, combined with a healthy microbiome, made up of the many microorganisms our skin relies on to combat intruders.  

Cleaning our skin, by definition, washes this barrier off, but it takes only an hour or two for healthy skin to replenish it. If we shower or bathe too often, or cleanse our skin too vigorously, our skin may fall behind in producing what’s needed, leaving skin dry and vulnerable to cracking. Alternatively, our skin may surge into overdrive and produce too much, clogging pores with excess sebum and causing an oily feel.  

This takes us back to my point: Read your skin. If it is unbalanced, make an adjustment to the frequency, the cleanser, or how you scrub yourself.

How often to wash hair

As with bathing in general, how often to wash hair varies by individual. However, most people wash their hair too often. Instead of washing your hair based on the day of the week, wash your hair based on the feel and look of your hair. Healthy hair is fueled by the natural oils our scalp produces, and every time we wash our hair, our scalp has to start over.

While it certainly is necessary to remove the buildup of oils and product, which can hold on to dirt and weigh down our hair, don’t do this too often. Few people need to wash their hair every day. Factors that lean to more frequent hair washing include shorter hair, straighter hair, oilier scalps, and more active lifestyles.  

Instead of washing your hair based on the day of the week, wash your hair based on the feel and look of your hair.

Again, read your hair—not the calendar. If your hair is strong and healthy, not dull or prone to breakage and not excessively oily, whatever you’re doing is working for you. Keep doing that. If you have been struggling with dry hair, breakage, hair loss, or itchy scalps, one of the first steps to take is to reduce the frequency of washing it. For some people, that may mean only washing their hair once a week. When hair remains off-balance, consider a scalp scrub or a hair masque. 

Best time of day to shower or bathe

Despite ardent supporters on each side of this debate, there is no definitive answer to the best time of day to shower or bathe. Those who prefer a morning shower will benefit from washing off the secretions and bacteria that collect on our skin overnight, and clean morning skin will stay fresher throughout the day. However, those in the evening shower camp will be glad to hear there are acknowledged benefits from washing off the dirt and sweat from a day’s activities, especially for more active outdoor occupations and lifestyles. Also, it is a good idea to remove products like makeup, sunscreen, and bug spray at the end of the day so that they don’t clog pores overnight. (One thing experts agree on is that sheets need to be washed at least once a week, or more if you share your bed with pets.

Ideal water temperature for a shower or bath

While warm and cold water both have their benefits, hot water is not recommended by dermatologists. To begin with, hot water is damaging to skin, stripping it of more of its protective oils and, at the extreme, scalding skin. On the environmental side, hot water uses more resources to heat. Lastly, to bust a myth, hot water is not more effective at removing germs from our skin. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, water must be 160°F (71°C) to kill germs. Hot water will begin to scald skin at 120°F (49°C).

A shorter shower at a lower temperature is better for your skin (by not stripping oils and nutrients) and better for the earth (by using less water and energy to heat it).

The ideal temperature for a shower or bath is just a few degrees above normal skin temperature, or between 98°F (37°C) and 104°F (40°C). If your water easily fogs up your mirrors, it is likely too hot.

The benefits of a cold shower

Before you begin to think either more or less of me for this suggestion, I want to share that I do not take cold showers. But maybe my research here will convince me. Some of the benefits of a cold shower include improving circulation, skin vibrancy, and mental clarity; relieving muscle soreness and skin irritation; increasing the activity of the metabolism and the immune system. And it may just boost your mood, according to one study—or at least getting out of the cold shower would!

Soap works equally well in warm vs. cold water. Soap is not dependent on water temperature for the micelle formation it relies upon to work, so this decision is not a matter of whether you’ll get clean. If jumping straight into a cold shower cold-turkey (couldn’t help myself) is beyond what you can handle, consider gradually lowering the water temperature over a few shower cycles.

Ideal shower length

Each minute that you are in the shower or bath removes more oils from your skin and uses more resources of water and heat. A five-to-eight-minute shower is considered long enough to get clean without overly stripping the skin or utilizing resources.

Best order of body washing

Research supports a top-down approach to body washing. Not only so that areas washed first don’t get dirty again while other areas are washed, but also so that cleansers are fully rinsed off.  

1. Get the water to the ideal temperature and then wet your body before beginning washing. 

2. Begin with hair washing, if this is a hair-washing shower. Wash hair, focusing on the scalp where oils and product build up. Spend less time washing the ends of your hair where hair is generally less oily. Rinse shampoo out. Condition hair, if that is part of your routine. Rinse it out. 

3. Then wash your face, and rinse. 

4. Move on to the body, washing from neck to toe. Then rinse. 

5. Do a final rinse with cooler water. This will encourage blood flow, tighten pores, and reduce skin sweating so that your shower’s effects last longer. 

Which is best: Washcloth, loofah, brush, poof, or hands?

Choosing the right tool for your shower or bath makes a big difference in skin health and integrity. Our hands are the gentlest “tool” for skin washing and provide perfectly fine cleansing action. However, a tool can help you hold on to soap and create a richer lather. A washcloth or natural loofah are better for skin health and the environmental than synthetic options. Both washcloths and loofahs help to lather up soap into satisfying bubbles and are effective at cleaning skin.  

Plastic poofs not only are not sustainable to produce or dispose of, they also difficult to keep clean and shed microplastics. Brushes in the same way are hard to clean and less sustainable to produce or dispose of.

Are loofahs good for your skin?

Natural loofahs (sometimes spelled “luffa”) are one of nature’s most interesting fruits. They are a type of squash, similar to a zucchini, but when left to dry on the vine, they form a network of strong fibers. They then can be peeled and sliced into a useful, sponge-like cleansing tool. 

Of the bathing tools I’ve mentioned, loofahs are more exfoliating. They might be too rough for sensitive or delicate skin, but if tolerated can be an excellent way to exfoliate and cleanse skin. They also are sustainable, renewable, and biodegradable.

How often to clean your washcloth or loofah

Moist surfaces are a breeding ground for microorganisms. Any tool you use in the shower needs to dry quickly and fully in between use. Leave tools in a spot where they are not sitting in water and air flow will dry them quickly.  

Anytime a tool smells musty, or worse, shows any mold, it should be replaced. The universal recommendation is that washcloths should be replaced with a clean one after each use or used only twice at the most. A natural loofah, with its open structure that dries more readily can last 3-4 weeks.

Washcloths can be cleaned in your washer’s hot cycle, and natural loofahs can be tossed in your compost bin or yard waste container.

Which cleanser to use

Bar soap vs. liquid soap; shower gel vs. body wash

When choosing body care products, it’s a matter of looking for ingredients that are best for skin and lack harmful side effects. Because of lax controls on ingredient safety, we have to monitor ingredients ourselves. This means reading ingredients and avoiding formaldehyde releasers like quaternium compounds and ureas, hormone disrupting parabens, and undisclosed “fragrance” which can hide a whole host of allergens, reproductive toxicants, and carcinogens.  

There is no need for regular use of antibacterial shower washes. Overuse of antibacterial agents can reduce their effectiveness when truly needed and deprive our skin of the necessary microbiome it relies on to combat harmful bacteria and other germs.  

Once you’ve looked for good ingredients and the lack of antibacterial agents, the choice of product comes down to ease and preference. Bar soap offers the benefit of a more concentrated, cost-saving product with less packaging. Liquid soap offers the benefit of quicker application. Products labeled as shower gels and body washes rely on synthetic detergent cleansers, which need closer monitoring of ingredients for safety.   

While advertisers will tell you that you need a different cleanser for each part of your body, this is not necessarily true. One simple, versatile cleanser can clean the whole body. This reduces time spent showering, clutter on the shelves, and cost in the grocery basket. Using one product is also a lot less to think about in the morning.

What to use on sensitive skin

Sensitive skin is skin that is easily irritated, turning red or perhaps swelling. It is best to wash sensitive skin with simple, fragrance-free cleansers. Use ingredients with fewer ingredients to reduce the chance for irritation. This will to make it easier to identify the source of any irritation if it does arise. Be sure to avoid undisclosed “fragrance” in an ingredient list as they can be made up of a mixture from more than 3000 possible individual ingredients, with a high concentration of allergens and irritants. Each fragrance blend commonly contains 30-200 different ingredients, which can be too much for sensitive skin to handle.

What to use on the face

The skin on our faces is more delicate and should be washed with care. That does not mean, though, that a separate facial cleanser is necessarily needed. One product can be used head to toe, so long as that product is mild enough for the face. While every skin type is different, if your facial skin is sensitive and prone to redness, take care to avoid aggressive cleansers that may strip too many oils from the facial skin. Also avoid not only artificial fragrances that often cause irritation, but even essential oils that can be too stimulating for facial skin. Menthe arvensis, a type of mint oil with a particularly high menthol content, might overwhelm sensitive facial skin. A gentle, unscented or mildly scented option may be best for facial skin.

Also take care not to over-scrub your face. The delicateness of facial skin means the rough washcloths or any sort of tool may be too much. The best way to wash your face is with your hands, using gentle, circular motions. Rinse skin well, and pat dry.

Recommendations for bathing newborns and babies

Because baby skin is more delicate and sensitive, they may benefit from following the recommendations for sensitive skin. Since bathing removes the skin of its natural oils, babies only need a full bath every 3-4 days, and only with lukewarm water. A wipe down with a soft, wet cloth may be all that’s necessary on non-bath days. Even during a full bath, particularly sensitive skin like the face should be cleansed only with water. 

When it comes to cleansers for babies, since the undisclosed “fragrance” in an ingredient list contains so many unknowns and the frequent possibility of sensitizing or hormone disrupting ingredients, opt for either fragrance-free or simple fragrances such as from mild essential oils.  

Baby hair has a different structure than adult hair. It does not have the outer cuticle layer that adult hair has. Many babies lose the hair that they are born with, which is a natural result of developing hormones and not a sign something is wrong. (Consult your medical professional if you suspect something may be wrong.) Because baby hair is finer and more delicate and because baby scalps don’t produce the same amount of sebum as adult scalps, it does not need frequent washing. Washing hair once a week with the general skin cleanser you are using elsewhere is often all that’s needed for their hair. Keep all products out of babies’ eyes. 

Sometimes features that are marketed for babies, such as being tear-free, can distract from other problems in the formulations, so be sure to read ingredients. As well as avoiding fragrances, avoid any parabens (a class of preservatives, some of which are associated with endocrine disruption), pH adjusters like DEA or TEA (can be used to neutralize pH but are toxicants and under scrutiny as carcinogens), and quaternium compounds or ureas (which release formaldehyde, an irritant, allergen, and known human carcinogen).

Recommendations for bathing toddlers and young children

Even as they leave babyhood behind and enter childhood, it is particularly important not to expose their developing systems to hormone disrupting ingredients which are all too frequently found in fragrance. As kids learn to bath themselves, they are likely to have a more successful bathing experience if products are simple. Handing them one simple head-to-toe product is a good option. 

One simple, versatile cleanser can clean the whole body.

When it comes to bath frequency for children, while their skin is more resilient than babies’, they still may not need daily bathing. If a day has been particularly active, or any sunscreen or bug spray has been applied, this should be washed off before sleeping.  

Children’s hair develops at many different paces. Eventually their hair will develop the outer cuticle of adult hair and they will need to adopt a different hair care routine. This typically might occur around age 3-4, but can certainly happen earlier or later. Judge when the hair starts to become coarser and harder to detangle.  

One thing to consider, products with peppermint and eucalyptus essential oils are not recommended for children under 3 years of age as these scents may be overwhelming for them.

Recommendations for bathing elderly skin

Elderly skin has often lost its elasticity and does not produce the same levels of sebum as younger skin. This means it definitely would benefit from less frequent bathing. Use a mild cleanser with no irritants and be sure to moisturize afterwards.

Where Dr. Bronner’s fits into the discussion of bathing best practices

I can hardly talk about showering and bathing without mentioning where Dr. Bronner’s products, my family’s line of products, fit into this discussion. Dr. Bronner’s makes several different soaps to fit different needs and preferences. There’s the classic Pure-Castile Magic Soap, known for its smooth lather, refreshing scents, and clean rinse. It’s a simple, versatile true soap that I use head to toe, even for my face and hair. Pure-Castile also comes in a Magic Bar Soap version, which my husband uses head-to-toe in Almond. Then, there’s the Organic Sugar Soap, which is a boosted version of the Castile, with added shikakai powder, sugar, and white grape juice, providing a creamy lather and sweet aroma. One step up from that is the Organic Shaving Soap, which is a thicker version of the Sugar Soap that develops a rich lather and provides a close, comfortable shave.

How to get the most out of your bathing routine

A few final notes for maximizing your experience in the shower or bath: 

• Do a final rinse with lukewarm or cool water to remove any cleansers and tighten pores. 

• Dry skin with by patting or lightly rubbing.  

• Apply moisturizer within a few minutes of drying off in order to lock in moisture.

A greener, more sustainable shower routine

Here are five easy ways to green up your shower routine. 

• Take quicker, lower temp showers that reduce the use of water and energy resources. 

• Use products that are sourced from renewable and sustainable sources and are biodegradable. 

• Use products that come in sustainable packaging that is refillable, biodegradable, compostable, or recyclable. Buy in bulk or purchase from zero-waste stores that refill the bottles you bring in.

• Capture the water used while you’re waiting for it to warm. Keep a bucket handy and use the water to water plants, refill the dog bowl, or wash a car.  

• Avoid using single-use wipes, which generate waste and often are coated with less than ideal ingredients. Despite what the packaging says, they are not flushable in either a sewer or a septic system. 

Seven common showering and bathing mistakes

1. Bathing too often. 

2. Washing hair too often.  

3. Using too hot of water. 

4. Staying in the bath too long.  

5. Waiting too long to moisturize skin afterwards. 

6. Not swapping towels and washcloths for clean ones often enough. 

7. Not cleaning or replacing loofahs and brushes often enough. 

Putting it all together: My personal shower routine

Here’s how my morning shower goes: 

• Get wet all over. Open my bottle of Magic Soap (usually Almond or Citrus), take one deep breath to focus on the scent and ground myself in the present. 

• On hair washing days, usually every third day, I start with that: A half tablespoon of the Magic Soap is enough for my long hair. I lather it through. After thoroughly rinsing out the soap, I dilute lemon juice by half in a cup and then pour it over my head, work it through, and rinse thoroughly.  

• Face comes next. Add 2-3 drops Magic Soap into my wet hands, lather it up, and massage into face. Rinse. 

• Body is last. I apply a small squirt of Almond Magic Soap on a wet washcloth and wash from neck to toes. I don’t pre-dilute the soap, as I find the water present in the situation does the diluting for me.   

• Rinse well with cool water, then dry off. 

There are special days when my hair or skin needs a little something extra. In those cases, I may apply a hair masque or a scalp scrub. I may use one of my GIY Body Scrubs to exfoliate dry skin. But most days, it’s just me and my one soap. Life is complicated all on its own. My shower doesn’t have to be.

Frequently asked questions

How often should you wash your hair?

This changes for every person, but generally, you should not wash your hair every day. Evaluate your hair needs, and if it is dry or breaking, reducing your washing to every 3-4 days.

How frequently should you shower?

The general recommendation is either every day or every other day.

How long should a shower take?

Five to eight minutes is an ideal shower length.

What temperature should a shower be?

The ideal temperature for a shower or bath is just a few degrees above normal skin temperature, or between 98°F (37°C) and 104°F (40°C).

How do you bathe a newborn?

Wash newborns every 3-4 days, using lukewarm water, a soft cloth, and a simple cleanser that is unscented or mildly scented with essential oils. Use only water on the face.

Further reading

• I Wash My Face with Castile Soap
• 12 Personal Care Ingredients to Avoid
• Liquid vs. Bar in Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soaps
• How to Shave with Dr. Bronner’s

This use and many more are in my book, Soap & Soul: A Practical Guide to Minding Your Home, Your Body, and Your Spirit with Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps, available now in hardback on DrBronner.com or at your favorite bookseller, and as an eBook and audiobook (read by me!) from wherever you download or listen.