OMFG. Study proves women don’t shower everyday!?

I?ll admit it ? I hate showering. Being a female, there is so much work that goes into the process; thoroughly washing-out long hair, shaving ? of my body, conditioning said long hair, exfoliating, washing, etc. Then, once the shower is over begins another long series of events; moisturizing, hair products, sunless tanner, etc., which then leads to the saga that is drying and styling my hair. From start to finish, it?s easily a 2-hour project. Because of this, I try to wash my hair as infrequently as possible. (My face however, I religiously wash every morning, and the majority of evenings — some nights I’m just too tired.)

I never thought anything was weird about this, until the other day when I opened up my RSS feed and saw the following:

women skin philly

Even though I definitely fall into the category of women described, I couldn?t help the obvious click bait.

?So, I clicked and read. And then I got annoyed. ?

This is the meat of the study that had so many news outlets all aflutter, per MSN.com:

The majority of women in the UK don?t bathe or take a shower each day because they are too tired, new research has revealed.

How is this news worthy? Do you know anyone who cannot relate to that feeling?!

The study, conducted by Flint + Flint, consisted of over 2,000 females. The findings showed that in addition to sometimes being too tired at night to shower, ?over 60 per cent of women did not remove their makeup before bed after a night out.? Again, how is this shocking and why did it require a scientific study?

?Flint + Flint owner Maxine Flint said the company was “alarmed” by the survey. (Of course she was.)

?We were alarmed to hear about the amount of women not looking after their skin by following basic skin care regimes.? It is so important to clean your face daily and moisturize to slow down the ageing process.?

“It?s true that today?s pace of life is fast but surely as a nation we haven?t become too busy to wash!?

wash makeup phillyDoes Maxine think that a shame campaign will help business? Making women feel like they are lazy or dirty because they are exhausted seems like terrible marketing. If the target audience is drained to begin with, and now made to feel guilty about it ? why would they ever buy the products you just proved they?re too lazy to even use?

What should have been the focus of this study? WOMEN TODAY ARE TIRED.

According to the study, ?92 per cent of participants said they understood the importance of a skin care regime and recognized that life-style factors such as lack of sleep and dehydration can impact the appearance of their skin.? Even though the women studied understand what they need to do to take care of their skin, they?re just too tired sometimes to actually do it.

The clever thing would have been for Flint + Flint to take this information and create skincare products that people can easily use when they?re too exhausted to do the whole showering thing. Medicated cleansing wipes? Makeup removing pads? If women are too tired to take care of their skin, and you?re a company that makes skincare products, the path forward seems obvious: make products that tired people can quickly benefit from.

My additional gripes?

Where is the comparable study about men?s hygiene? Why is this story about female hygiene SO crazy that it spread like wild-fire, and yet no one mentions anything about men?s habits? Granted, men have it a lot easier in the grooming department, but why are they not included at all? What percentage of men wash their face every night? How many men wash their face or shower after a night out? (Can I include any more questions in one paragraph?)

Also, it?s made to seem criminal that women don?t shower daily, however showering every day can be bad for you! Why is that not mentioned? Depending on the time of year, and the person, bathing too often can be detrimental by overly drying out both skin and hair. It is important to allow your body?s own conditioning oils to do what they?re supposed to before they?re rinsed away. ?

Lastly, what is the significance of having to shower 1x a day? How is that the gold-standard of cleanliness versus washing 2x a day, 3x a day, or every other day? Everyone?s lives are unique, and there cannot be a universal standard of cleanliness that will appropriate for everyone. ?

In the end, it is hard to understand the fascination with this story. In this day and age where we are constantly connected to work, people, social media, etc., lives are increasingly stressful and demanding. At the conclusion of a long day ? if a person is given a choice of collapsing into bed or showering/washing their face ? I can?t see why it?s a big deal to choose the satisfying, and ultimately healthier option.

In my opinion ? as long as you brush your teeth, wash your hands after using a restroom, don?t smell, and wear sunscreen ? you?re aces.

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