The average shower lasts about eight minutes. Since the average showerhead has a water flow of 2.1 gallons per minute, each shower uses more than 16 gallons of water! Across the United States, we use more than one trillion gallons of water each year just for showering.
Washing the skin too often and for prolonged periods of time can remove the natural oils and affect the natural bacteria that grows there to support your immune system," adds Dr Rekha Tailor of Health & Aesthetics. Ultimately, follow the experts' advice and aim for a shower of around 10 minutes.
Dermatologists suggest that the average shower should be between five and 15 minutes, but it depends on what you plan to do in the shower. Shorter, cooler showers are generally better for your skin. Overusing soap or showering in hot water can negatively impact your skin and hair.
Generally we have found that women shower for a longer period than men. The average shower time of a man is about 7 minutes, whereas the average shower time of a woman is 9 minutes.
Even better, according to Healthline, the recommended maximum shower length for your skin is between 5 and 10 minutes. Sticking to five minutes ensures you're not overdoing it.
Most dermatologists say that your shower should last between five and 10 minutes to cleanse and hydrate your skin, but no longer than 15 minutes to avoid drying it out. You can still benefit from the shower length you prefer, whether long and luxurious, quick and efficient or somewhere in the middle.
Many doctors say a daily shower is fine for most people. (More than that could start to cause skin problems.) But for many people, two to three times a week is enough and may be even better to maintain good health. It depends in part on your lifestyle.
Mitchell suggested showering or bathing once or twice a week, and experts generally say a few times a week rather than daily is plenty. Also, keep showers short and lukewarm, as too much water, particularly hot water, dries out the skin. Showering less often in winter makes sense, Herrmann noted.
The shower
A water-efficient showerhead uses approximately 9 litres per minute. An older style showerhead uses approximately 19 litres per minute - that's 10 litres more! Having a daily 5 minute shower with an older style showerhead uses about 36,500 litres of water a year.
As Hoffman's eventual world record-breaking shower -- 174 hours, a week and change ending on Jan. 27, 1972 -- began receiving press attention, his mother, Marge, received a call from a reporter. "And she said 'well, I guess it's just good clean fun,'" Hoffman recalled. "And I thought mom, that sounds perfect."
As he explained, the skin needs oil on the surface to prevent water from evaporating. The doc advised five to ten minutes "maximum" in the bath. The temperature of your bath could also prove risky.
According to the researchers at Yale University, people who take a long-hot shower or bath may do so to subconsciously ward off feelings of loneliness or social isolation.
Skin, just like the rest of the body, needs water to function properly. Experts believe a shower should only last about 5 to 10 minutes. Any longer and the hot water may strip away the natural oils of the skin and leave the pores open for moisture to escape.
Showering daily is not necessarily "unhealthy," but you may not need to. For many people, a full-body shower every other day or even every third day is enough. That said, just because you don't shower daily does not mean you want to skip out on personal care.
Approximately two-thirds of Americans shower daily. In Australia it's over 80%. But in China, about half of people report bathing only twice a week. In the US, the daily shower tends to start around puberty and becomes lifelong.
If you don't wash your body, it makes it easier for germs that cause actual skin infections to flourish. If you didn't wash at all, dirt, sweat, dead skin cells and oil would start to accumulate, and infections or ongoing skin conditions can become more serious, more difficult to manage, and harder to undo.
An ordinary electrically heated shower puts out four litres per minute. So a 19-minute shower is just more than a bath. If you have a power shower, flow rates could be doubled and you'd need just 10 minutes.
All the sweating in the shower causes the body to lose considerable amounts of water. So, instead of hydrating us, a long shower can actually dehydrate us. This is why we often feel very thirsty after a long shower.
“Some adults who go longer than 3-4 days between showers run the risk of accumulating patches of dark, scaly skin, especially in oily areas, and an accumulation of 'bad' bacteria which can lead to fungal or bacterial infections,” adds Dr. Young.