Taking a bath or a shower is crucial to maintain proper hygiene. But which one is better for your health and the environment?
For an issue as important as cleanliness, this question sparks so many arguments. The debate between the bath and shower camps involves doctors, parents, and the people who have chosen their side of the conflict. Perhaps, you are one of them.
Which one is better, taking a bath or taking a shower? Which of the two methods works the best based on evidence and facts? You’ll find out in our bath vs shower debate!
The case for taking a Shower
Showers are much better for cleaning the body compared to baths. While taking a shower, you can thoroughly sanitize specific body parts. Moreover, it can quickly drive out dirt, sweat, and bacteria into the floor. As the water drips into your skin, it activates the soap to remove oils and impurities on your skin.
Who should regularly shower? Taking a shower is preferable for people who always exercise and wear cosmetics. Those who apply both shampoos and hair conditioners will benefit from showers instead of baths. Just imagine how grimy the water would be with all of those chemicals, powders, sweat, and dust! Furthermore, bathing in shampoo can break apart the natural oils on your skin.
The advantages of hot showers. Taking a shower in specific heat can also bring many health benefits. For example, hot showers can relax muscles and remove the body’s by-products. As warm waters fall on your scalp, the heat will enhance blood circulation there. This effect, in turn, will make the hair healthier. But be careful—showering for a long time can dry the skin.
The advantages of cold showers. Research shows that gradually decreasing the temperature while taking a shower can help strengthen the immune system. It can also help break down fats. Moreover, doing so can relieve the nervous system, release happy hormones, and decrease stress.
Showers use less water. Statistics show that over half of a house’s water utility comes from the bathroom. If you want to save water, choose to take a shower over bathing. Showering for ten minutes spends at least 25 gallons of water while filling up a bathtub uses more than half of that. Hence, showering is cheaper, quicker, and more environment-friendly.
The case for taking a bath
Bathing provides many benefits and advantages as well. For example, staying in a tub can relieve the skin, the muscles, and the nervous system. The prolonged warmth can decrease stress hormones. Such relaxation can help remove tiredness and depression.
Bathing helps fight colds. Common colds and the flu can be painful. But having a warm bath can help your chest drive out phlegm. It can even help dissipate your fever. As this treatment relaxes your muscles and respiratory tract, you can recover much quicker.
You can enhance your bathing experience. Most importantly, you can add oils and healthy stuff to the water in the bathtub. This mixture will nourish the skin with vitamins and minerals. Examples include:
- Oatmeal, milk, and honey can help people with skin problems and irritation. Also, bathing with these ingredients can heal inflammation and sores.
- The tub mixture of lavender and magnesium sulphate (Epsom salt) can alleviate pain.
- The beautiful scent of essential oils can make you feel relaxed and refreshed. Notable examples include lemon, chamomile, eucalyptus, peppermint, and bergamot.
You can solve the disadvantages of bathing. Dipping in a tub has two evident drawbacks—dirt and skin dryness. But doctors recommend techniques to lessen them.
- First, you should immediately apply a moisturizer afterwards. Bathing can strip off the oils on the skin. So if you tend to have dry skin, this is applicable for you.
- Avoid bathing treatments that form too many bubbles and foam. Doctors say that these products contain detergents which can affect the skin’s moisture.
- Use body washes and chemicals when you shower instead. Their components can break down the oils which keep you moisturized.
- Do not bathe in high temperatures. Again, soaking yourself in such a condition can remove your healthy oils. The heat can also gradually burn your skin.
- As much as possible, avoid immersing in spas. These places are risky since microbes can infect your exposed hair follicles. If you want to protect yourself from this condition, you should wash your body properly after leaving the pool.
- If you suffer from skin allergies and related disorders, you should not exceed ten minutes in the bath to avoid excessive dryness.
Bath vs shower—the verdict
After laying down the cases for baths and showers, which one is the winner? Doctors and experts say that it depends on you. It is up to you to choose based on your priorities, preference, hygiene goals, and situation.
For example, if you want to clean your body thoroughly, you should shower every day. Doing so allows you to reach all of your body parts with water and soap. Furthermore, you can control the temperature to activate its benefits on the skin and the immune system.
But if you want to relax and relieve aches, bathing is preferable. Physicians recommend showering daily but bathing at least once a week. You can even take a bath to treat yourself after a tiring day. If you are concerned about grime and dirt getting mixed in the tub, you can shower before bathing.
When it comes to the planet, however, showers are cheaper and more environment-friendly. As mentioned earlier, it takes so much more water to fill up a tub. While taking a shower uses far less water in the long run, you can even install a showerhead to reduce consumption. It can help control how much water gets spent each minute. Aside from this, you can make your shower time quicker to save gallons of water. To achieve this, set a timer before showering.
However, it is unfair to reject bathing just because it uses more water. If you want to bathe, doing it every once in a while can help you save water bills. Also, try reducing how much water you put into the tub. Do not leave the plug open, and control the temperature wisely.