Is showering over-rated? It seems people are bathing less during the pandemic

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – As people do much more from home during the pandemic, it seems many are doing much less in the bathroom — at least, when it comes to personal hygiene.

A government study in the U.K. recently found people are showering less during lockdown.

The survey found while working from home, 17 per cent of people are bathing less, a quarter wash their hair less often, and a third are less likely to put on clean clothes every day.

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But a public health expert from Yale tells The Telegraph the idea that we need to use soap all over our body is not founded in any type of science.

While he still washes his hands regularly, he only washes his body with water and occasionally wets his hair, trying to preserve beneficial micro-organisms on the skin’s surface. Those micro-organisms support your immune system and protect your complexion.

???? 'The idea that we need to use soap all over our body… is not founded in any type of science' says James Hamblin, lecturer at Yale School of Public Health.

???? Hamblin only washes with water and occasionally wets his hair.

He still regularly washes his hands with soap

— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) April 22, 2021

However, commenters to the Telegraph article are skeptical, suggesting the expert probably smells like old hot dog water.

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Nearly half of respondents to the survey aren’t bothering to style their hair as often as before, and nearly two thirds are putting on makeup less often.

One in ten say they are brushing their teeth more often, while a similar proportion are going longer without.