Blog Update!
For those of you not following me on Facebook, as of the Summer of 2019 I've moved to Central WA, to a tiny mountain town of less than 1,000 people.

I will be covering my exploits here in the Cascades, as I try to further reduce my impact on the environment. With the same attitude, just at a higher altitude!

Friday, August 15, 2014

What are your personal cleaning habits?

Every couple of years I like to ask these personal hygiene questions since I'm always curious to see the answers. I do this because there is such a huge focus in our culture on bathing and bath products and sterilizing everything that I wonder how much that advertising infects our consciousness. And our pocketbooks.

One thing that always sticks in my mind is the commercials from the late 1970s for Mitchum antiperspirant. The ad's tagline was "so effective, you can even skip a day." Back then, the concept of not showering everyday wasn't such a big deal.

Well, there's no way in hell you'd see the same sort of ad campaign today. What has changed in the last 30 years that people are so averse to appearing not up to bathing "standards"? That is: showering, shaving, shampooing and getting all gussied up every single day?

So, with that in mind...

What are your personal cleaning habits?

1. How often do you shower/bathe?
2. How often do you wash your hair?
3. How often do you brush your teeth?
4. How often do you floss?
5. Do you use "natural" body cleansing products or conventional ones?
6. Do you use deodorant, antiperspirant or something else?
7. If you shave, how often do you shave?
8. Have any of these habits changed as you've tried to live a greener lifestyle? If so, which ones and how?
9. Where do you live?

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

1. How often do you shower/bathe?
Every other day in hot months. Every 2-3 days in cool months.
2. How often do you wash your hair?
Every 2-3 days.
3. How often do you brush your teeth?
2-3x a day
4. How often do you floss?
1x at night
5. Do you use "natural" body cleansing products
or conventional ones?
Conventional: Dove white soap for my body; Cetaphil cleanser for my face.
6. Do you use deodorant, antiperspirant or something else?
Dove deodorant - thinking about switching to a deodorant-only, non-antiperspirant product.
7. If you shave, how often do you shave?
Shave legs 1x a week, armpits every 2-3 days (whenever I shower)
8. Have any of these habits changed as you've tried to live a greener lifestyle? If so, which ones and how?
Yes - shower less frequently to avoid wasting water. Use less shampoo and soap to keep fewer chemicals going down the drain.
9. Where do you live?
Seattle

Anonymous said...

1. How often do you shower/bathe?
Twice a week, if I exercise a lot then daily.
2. How often do you wash your hair?
Whenever I shower.
3. How often do you brush your teeth?
Once a day
4. How often do you floss?
Occasionally :D
5. Do you use "natural" body cleansing products
or conventional ones?
All natural
6. Do you use deodorant, antiperspirant or something else?
Natural deodorant bought on Etsy
7. If you shave, how often do you shave?
Shave my legs once a week, armpits when I shower.
8. Have any of these habits changed as you've tried to live a greener lifestyle? If so, which ones and how?
Yes, I started showering less (maybe I just got lazy) and using all natural products
9. Where do you live?
Wisconsin

Lee Borden said...

1. How often do you shower/bathe?
Once in the evening, sometimes at mid-day when I have been working outside in the summer.
2. How often do you wash your hair? Every time I shower (crew cut).
3. How often do you brush your teeth? After every meal.
4. How often do you floss? About once each day.
5. Do you use "natural" body cleansing products or conventional ones? Conventional ones.
6. Do you use deodorant, antiperspirant or something else? No. I just bathe.
7. If you shave, how often do you shave? Once in the morning.
8. Have any of these habits changed as you've tried to live a greener lifestyle? If so, which ones and how? I've given up deodorant since moving to the farm and find myself showering more often, not so much to avoid offense but to cool off.
9. Where do you live? Central Alabama.

Anonymous said...

1. How often do you shower/bathe?
Every other day - my skin and hair are super dry, so daily would basically turn me into a walking desert.

2. How often do you wash your hair?
Every other day (see above).

3. How often do you brush your teeth?
Once per day
4. How often do you floss?
Um....rarely; and I know I ought to be doing it daily. :-D

5. Do you use "natural" body cleansing products or conventional ones?
Conventional shampoo (I found a brand that works, so that's what I stick with), natural soap.

6. Do you use deodorant, antiperspirant or something else?
Combination deodorant & antiperspirant, daily, because I find the smell of sweat absolutely repulsive.

7. If you shave, how often do you shave?
In the winter, maybe once every other week or so. In the summer, at least weekly (depending on whether I'm going to be wearing shorts).

8. Have any of these habits changed as you've tried to live a greener lifestyle? If so, which ones and how?

Nothing much has changed; I've always been pretty minimal in my cleaning habits (I use soap and water to clean my skin, instead of special cleansers, for example).

9. Where do you live?
Sacramento, CA

Anonymous said...

1. How often do you shower/bathe?
Every other day

2. How often do you wash your hair?
When I shower

3. How often do you brush your teeth?
2x per day

4. How often do you floss?
Every night

5. Do you use "natural" body cleansing products or conventional ones?
I use Pangea Organics

6. Do you use deodorant, antiperspirant or something else?
Sam's Natural deodorant

7. If you shave, how often do you shave?
Once a weekish

8. Have any of these habits changed as you've tried to live a greener lifestyle? If so, which ones and how?
I shower less and use more natural products

9. Where do you live?
Los Angeles, CA

Cate Lawrence said...

1. How often do you shower/bathe?
1-2 times a day shower. I've moved from a house to a flat and I suspect I will ready miss the odd bath in winter or when in pain.

2. How often do you wash your hair?
Once a week

3. How often do you brush your teeth?
1x day

4. How often do you floss?
um, nope

5. Do you use "natural" body cleansing products or conventional ones?
I used to make all my own stuff when I lived in Australia but now in Germany I buy organic instead when i can

6. Do you use deodorant, antiperspirant or something else?
Antipersirant (very hot, sweaty summer here)

7. If you shave, how often do you shave?
Underarms every 3 weeks

8. Have any of these habits changed as you've tried to live a greener lifestyle? If so, which ones and how?
I miss making my own products, alot of the ingredients are harder to find in bulk here

9. Where do you live?
Leipzig, Germany

Anonymous said...

1. How often do you shower/bathe?
Daily, normally.
2. How often do you wash your hair?
Every other day.
3. How often do you brush your teeth?
Daily. Sometimes 2x.
4. How often do you floss?
Occasionally--rarely.
5. Do you use "natural" body cleansing products or conventional ones? Some of each. I mix it up.
6. Do you use deodorant, antiperspirant or something else? Natural deodorant. I like Jason brand Tea Tree Oil.
7. If you shave, how often do you shave? I don't shave except underarms. For the rest (legs) I've had laser hair removal.
8. Have any of these habits changed as you've tried to live a greener lifestyle? If so, which ones and how? No.
9. Where do you live? Seattle

Crunchy Chicken said...

1. How often do you shower/bathe? Daily
2. How often do you wash your hair?
Daily or every other day - depends on how much exercise I'm doing
3. How often do you brush your teeth?
2x a day
4. How often do you floss?
Every day
5. Do you use "natural" body cleansing products or conventional ones?
Organic or natural
6. Do you use deodorant, antiperspirant or something else? Antiperspirant but trying to find something natural that works for me
7. If you shave, how often do you shave?
No shaving, wax every 4 - 5 weeks
8. Have any of these habits changed as you've tried to live a greener lifestyle? If so, which ones and how?
Shorter showers, less hair washing and totally different products
9. Where do you live? Seattle

Wendy in CO said...


1. How often do you shower/bathe? 3 times/week
2. How often do you wash your hair? when I shower
3. How often do you brush your teeth? once a day
4. How often do you floss? almost never, but I know I should
5. Do you use "natural" body cleansing products or conventional ones? natural face soap, Selsun Blue shampoo because I haven't been able to find selenium sulfide in any natural shampoo.
6. Do you use deodorant, antiperspirant or something else? Tom's deodorant
7. If you shave, how often do you shave? I don't shave.
8. Have any of these habits changed as you've tried to live a greener lifestyle? If so, which ones and how? I try to buy products which have ingredients whose names I understand. Can't always find products that work for me, though. I do mix up my own laundry soap. I shower way less now (I'm 46) than I did as a girl.
9. Where do you live? Loveland, CO

Aimee said...

I probably bathe four or five times a week. Living on a farm, I probably ought to bathe every single day, but I don't always get around to it. I don't leave the house every day, either, so... try to make those days line up :). I wash my hair about twice a week. I just like the way it feels after a few days without shampooing, more life in it. I brush my teeth every night before bed. Floss - not as often as I ought to! Probably three times a week, more if eat popcorn or celery. To clean my body I use Dr. Bronners if I have any, Ivory if not. I shave about three times a year, at the beginning of bathing suit season and if I'm going to a party. Most of these habits are due to laziness/not really caring much, so I can't say they are driven by greenness. However, I do try to use scentless/phosphate free/ additive free soaps for washing clothes and dishes.

Emily N. said...

1. I shower every 2-3 days provided I haven't done anything to get sweaty.
2. Same as above.
3. Usually brush my teeth once a day.
4. I'm kind of sporadic in my flossing. I'll do it every day for a couple weeks and then not at all for a few weeks.
5. I typically use conventional body cleaning products, although sometimes I'll buy a fancy homemade bar soap at a fair.
6. I use an antiperspirant deoderant.
7. Shaving is very seasonal. In the summer it's every couple days; during the winter I can go weeks. Sometimes I'll also get my armpits waxed.
8. I haven't changed a lot in this area. I'd like to use more natural products, but they're so expensive and some of the ones I've tried haven't worked for me, so I have a hard time switching away from things that are cheap and known to work.
9. I live in northern New Jersey.

Anonymous said...

1. How often do you shower/bathe?
mostly every other day during warm weather, but every day if it's really hot/humid or if we've been doing sweat-inducing things like working on the barn, the yard, or moving hay bales, for instance.

Every 2-3 days in cool months.

My spouse and I share showers, so one can be lathering while the other is rinsing, more or less. I also sometimes soak in the tub with epsom salts -- gotta do it, or I can't move some days.

2. How often do you wash your hair?
Same time as the shower.
3. How often do you brush your teeth?
2-3x a day
4. How often do you floss?
1x at night
5. Do you use "natural" body cleansing products
or conventional ones?
Both: Sometimes Dove, sometimes bars made by other individuals. Usually use baking soda and cider vinegar rinse for wash and conditioning for hair (both pre-mixed in bottles so they're ready to go and not too strong). Once in a great while one or both of us will use Head and Shoulders (combined formula) if we've gone longer than usual between showers (3-4 days).
6. Do you use deodorant, antiperspirant or something else?
Tom's of Maine Lavender
7. If you shave, how often do you shave?
A few times in warm weather or if I'm dressing up and the underarms or legs will show. Otherwise, I sometimes will trim the underarm hair to keep it from being too long. I like to have some, as it helps wick sweat away.
8. Have any of these habits changed as you've tried to live a greener lifestyle? If so, which ones and how?
We've been doing this for a while...showering is about the same, products improved, but I take more baths than I used to, up to 2-3 times a week during the coldest weather, only a few times a month in warm weather. I just started using magnesium oil (externally) on tight/sore muscles, to try to reduce the need to soak.

9. Where do you live?
Western MA, hilltowns

Anonymous said...


1. How often do you shower/bathe? Once a day...I'm a medic so I have to do quite a bit of physical labor and have close contact with folks in small spaces.
2. How often do you wash your hair? Once a day, as soon as I have some time off I'm going to switch to no poo but can't have greasy hair at work during the adjustment period.
3. How often do you brush your teeth? Every morning, sometimes more.
4. How often do you floss? A few times a week.
5. Do you use "natural" body cleansing products or conventional ones? My husband got huge containers at Costco...so conventional :(
6. Do you use deodorant, antiperspirant or something else? I keep a stick of deo at work in case I start smelling funny but usually not.
7. If you shave, how often do you shave? Summer = often...winter, rarely.
8. Have any of these habits changed as you've tried to live a greener lifestyle? If so, which ones and how? I share the shower with my husband and I try to buy natural products but my husband usually negates it.
9. Where do you live? Texas

Anonymous said...

1. How often do you shower/bathe?
I take a 2-3 minute shower daily. I work in a kitchen with poor ventilation. It gets hot.
2. How often do you wash your hair? Every other day. When I try to go longer than that, my hair starts to fall out due to a skin condition. I wash my scalp in the sink, and only do the length of my hair once a week in the shower.
3. How often do you brush your teeth? 2x a day
4. How often do you floss?
2x a day
5. Do you use "natural" body cleansing products or conventional ones? I use a mixture of both. Natural for teeth, but my skin (scalp included), needs the harsher cleansing agents of conventional products.

6. Do you use deodorant, antiperspirant or something else?
tried the natural methods of deodorant with poor results...i use conventional deodorant now

7. If you shave, how often do you shave?
i don't shave my legs. do my armpits 1-2x a week.

8. Have any of these habits changed as you've tried to live a greener lifestyle? If so, which ones and how?
Yes, I have tried the all-natural products and routines many, many times, but unfortunately they tend to aggravate my skin and set off my allergies. The only thing I can tolerate for more than a week or two is a homemade tooth powder. Everything else I use the gentlest conventional products my skin can tolerate.

9. Where do you live?
Central Illinois

Lynn said...

1.shower, summer 5-6xwk I do a lot of yardwork, winter about 2xwk
2.wash my short hair when showering
3.teeth 1-2xday
4.floss 1xday hopefully
5.now using baking soda and vinegar for hair and bar soap only Ivory or Dr. Bronner's
6.I have used a deodorant rock for years and love it
7.shave legs once at beginning of summer all 20 hairs! pits every couple months just use soap to shave with
8.new this summer is the no-poo routine to get rid of the chemicals and be cheap
9.live in a small town in Oklahoma