What Happens If You Don't Shower for a Month?

WHAT IF

Showering daily is bad for you. But what happens if you don’t shower for an entire month?

Transcript

00:00 (Sounds of a car driving by)

00:04 (Screams)

00:05 (Explosion)

00:07 (Sniff)

00:07 (Thud)

00:08 Every morning,

00:11 or every night,

00:13 before going out,

00:16 definitely after the big game.

00:19 For most people, showering is routine.

00:21 But for some, it's religion.

00:25 "When are you getting out?"

00:26 "I'm not! I'll see you later, buddy!"

00:29 But if lots of showering makes you feel divine,

00:32 your body might be the real miracle worker.

00:36 This is WHAT IF,

00:38 and here's what would happen

00:40 if you didn't shower for a month.

00:43 The average human spends more than a year

00:45 of their life in the shower.

00:47 And according to most dermatologists,

00:49 that's way too much.

00:51 But how else are you supposed to keep looking

00:53 and smelling your best?

00:55 While it's no secret that scrubbing removes dirt,

00:58 sweat, and harmful bacteria,

01:00 it also strips away natural fats and lipids

01:03 that hydrate your skin.

01:05 The more you shower,

01:06 the less time your body has

01:08 to replenish this healthy layer of moisturizing bacteria.

01:12 So if you stop showering,

01:14 will your body just clean itself?

01:16 Umm...

01:17 It would be healthier, for you,

01:19 but not for everyone else.

01:22 Once you give up showering,

01:23 you'll start to see the difference

01:24 in as little as three days.

01:26 (Screams)

01:26 Your skin will be noticeably drier,

01:28 and your hair greasier.

01:30 One of the first signs of "progress"

01:33 will be that your hair will stay in place

01:35 when combed back.

01:36 No product needed.

01:37 After going five days without showering,

01:39 you should probably start warning people

01:41 before you enter a room.

01:43 Then again, they'll smell you coming.

01:46 If you're doing this challenge without deodorant,

01:48 then put the savings towards a t-shirt budget.

01:52 Sweat stains will be so bad

01:53 that your shirts will be one-wear-and-throw-out,

01:56 items.

01:57 After ten days,

01:58 you can throw out your comb, too.

02:00 Your hair will be so greasy and matted

02:02 that you won't be able to run a brush through it.

02:05 Your scalp will be so itchy

02:07 that any relief would be welcome.

02:09 But at the same time,

02:10 any contact with your head will no doubt show

02:13 how bad your dandruff problem is.

02:16 By day 20,

02:17 it's hard to believe you're human.

02:19 Friends and family no longer acknowledge your existence,

02:22 and you can barely stand your own smell,

02:24 let alone your appearance.

02:26 Days and nights of scratching your dry, itchy skin

02:29 will be obvious from the festering sores on your body.

02:32 And if you thought you were past getting acne,

02:35 congratulations, you're 13 again.

02:38 You're ready to give up,

02:39 but just wait a little longer.

02:41 By the end of the month,

02:42 after only rinsing with water,

02:44 the layer of healthy bacteria that your body produces

02:47 will be completely restored.

02:49 The acne goes away on its own,

02:50 and your skin will probably start looking better

02:53 than it did when you were showering.

02:56 But will it have been worth it?

02:57 Probably not.

02:58 You still smell terrible.

03:01 While sweat doesn't actually emit any odor,

03:03 it does produce fatty acids and protein

03:05 that your skin bacteria feed on.

03:08 And it's their metabolic process

03:09 that gives off that nasty smell.

03:12 So yeah, keep using soap.

03:15 Keep showering.

03:16 But maybe dial back on how often you do it.

03:19 Why dedicate a year of your life to standing in the shower,

03:22 when you can free up some of that time

03:24 to watch more What If.

03:26 (upbeat music)

03:28 (upbeat music)

03:31 (upbeat music)

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