He decides to stop showering and... this changes his life

12,167 hours is almost two years ... This is the time we spend washing during our life: between the shampoo, the conditioner, the shower gel ... Not to mention those who wash their teeth, who shave and who sing in the shower. What would happen if we stopped washing ?

The journalist James Hamblin tells in a paper republished by The Atlantic have simply decided to stop washing: "I started out of curiosity ... not because I'm lazy," he jokes. James first started using less soap and shampoo and then taking showers less regularly. After a few days, the New Yorker turns into an "oily and fragrant beast".

Why do we smells foul? In fact, it's because of or through the bacteria present on our skin. They feed on secretions released by our sweat and our sebaceous glands - the glands that secrete sebum in particular - and produce an unpleasant odor.

A few days after the start of the experiment, James decides to stop using any type of soap and wash the body. Nevertheless, he keeps the habit of washing his hands with soap to "avoid catching or transmitting a disease".

"I no longer use shampoo, shower gel and I do not take more shower. When I have dirt on my face after my jog, I just rinse my face with water. And when I wake up with the hair in battle, I just wet them, "he explains in The Atlantic's article.

Stop washing is good for your health

Did you know that washing every day with products called "for personal hygiene" disrupts our physiological ecosystem? The bacterial flora of our skin is unbalanced and the microbes producing bad odors proliferate. Because our body is not supposed to be exposed to so many soaps and other chemicals. So what happens if we stop using these products?

"After a while, my body regained its natural balance and I stopped feeling bad. I did not feel the rose water or the deodorant Ax. I just felt like a person should feel, "says Hamblin.

Larry Weiss, a scientist working for the biotechnology company AOBiome, has created a spray that replaces soap. This product is created from bacteria present in nature. The purpose of the maneuver is to relocate bacteria that have disappeared following the use of soaps. Thus, the body finds a natural balance.

James Hamblin's daily life has changed radically: he does not waste any more time washing in the morning or in the evening and exits the shower after the sport. And above all, he does not smell bad! He even asked his entourage to feel him to know if he had just not got used to his scent: "They tell me I do not smell bad. But they may have allied themselves against me and are trying to ruin my life in society, "he laughs.

What's the point of washing, then, when we could spend two years of our life doing something else? Admit it's tempting.