# Shower Only Twice A Week?! They Have GOT To Be Kidding!



## OneEyedDiva

A while back, I watched a segment on the Smart Senior App (via Roku) that advised showering only twice a week. The reasons were so as not to continually remove good bacteria and not dry out the skin (they do make lotion people). I had to watch it again before posting about it to make sure I didn't miss the part about taking "bird baths" or as some call it..sponge baths. I din't miss it; it wasn't mentioned.  I remember when my mother was in the nursing home, they took the residents for showers only twice a week but they got sponge baths in between.  I cannot imagine showering or taking a bath only twice a week! Maybe they should have called that segment "Stinky Senior".


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## Aunt Marg

There's no way, it's not even realistic to think about.

Anyone who has skin like my husband and I, bedding would be stained, it would smell, and the level of discomfort one would have to endure being covered in a thick layer of oil and grease for days, skin sweaty, sticky, tacky, and clammy, I just cannot imagine.

Once every fall my husband goes on a hunting trip with a couple of his hunting buddies, he is gone for the better part of a week sometimes, there are no showers or bathtubs in the wilderness, the water in streams and rivers is frigid by then, he goes the entire time without shaving, without bathing, and by the time he gets home he's fit for a rubber-room.

He packs extra t-shirts, undies and socks, but in his own words, nothing outside that of a hot shave along with a hot bath or shower gets him feeling clean again.

I handle his hunting clothes afterwards to launder, they're disgusting. They smell, they're oily inside from his skin, I can smell the dried sweat in the fabric, ewww.


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## Marie5656

*Yuck. The only time I have gone more than a couple days is if I have been sick with a cold or something. And then I would at least sponge bathe.   A friend told me she learned the three P's when she was young. Pits, palms and privates.*


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## PamfromTx

My husband would divorce me if I didn't bathe.


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## Jules

If I couldn’t shower and wash my hair every day, I’d go nuts.  Sometimes when we’re in the camper it’s a light shower for one day.  It just doesn’t do it for me.

They say we teach our bodies what they want and then we do need to shower every day.  Probably true.


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## win231

I have heard some people talk about soap "Drying out the skin," but I think they're just trying to justify not bathing.
I've also heard some Hispanic people say, "Hot water is bad for the skin & makes you look old."  If that was true, I wouldn't have any skin & people wouldn't constantly say to me, "I can't believe you're that old."
2 showers/day in summer, 1/day in winter.  I only like HOT water.


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## Keesha

Twice a week?‍
It’s usually twice a day for me. 
Just one more reason for not going into a nursing home.


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## horseless carriage

Hygiene is important, I always have a bath once a month whether I need it or not.


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## timoc

Showers every morning, and showers/baths alternately of an evening.

Soaking in the bath is my favourite.
I love to lay there for ages listening to music and watching the huge, powerful bubbles that erupt to the surface that cause mini tidal waves up and down the bath, and the aroma is soon taken away by having the windows open, the neighbour sitting in his garden usually has a peg handy for his nose.


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## Keesha

Sigh! A nice big bathtub would be heavenly.


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## horseless carriage

Keesha said:


> Sigh! A nice big bathtub would be heavenly.View attachment 172188


I've got just thing!


You might have to share it with a few fish.


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## hollydolly

I shower every day as everyone else does, but when I'm at my Spanish house, I can sometimes shower 3 times a day...

Shower in the morning  , then into the pool... shower after the pool to get the chlorine off.. then shower again at night...


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## Keesha

horseless carriage said:


> I've got just thing!
> 
> View attachment 172194
> You might have to share it with a few fish.


Thanks but I have that here too. I’m referring more to the idea of soaking in heavily scented ‘hot’ water and not having to move my arms or legs or have fish nibble at my toes but thank you all the same. I hope that didn’t sound too cheeky. Lol. I miss my tub. We have two awesome showers here but no tub. There IS room for one though.


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## Ronni

I can’t imagine not showering every morning!  Often in the summer it’s a second time in the evening too, especially on the weekends when I’ve been out in the yard and it’s hot.


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## Aunt Bea

I'm thankful that I live in a time and a place where I can bathe whenever I feel the need.







My parents were the last generation to grow up with a Saturday night bath in a tub in the kitchen.


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## Aunt Marg

Ronni said:


> I can’t imagine not showering every morning!  Often in the summer it’s a second time in the evening too, especially on the weekends when I’ve been out in the yard and it’s hot.


Depending on what my day holds, I may shower in the morning, but if I know that I'm going outside to garden, a shower is pointless, because I'm going out to get sweaty and dirty, and as soon as I come in from outside I shower, so that would be three baths/showers a day.


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## GAlady

Shower every morning unless sick.  Then a sponge bath.


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## JustBonee

the very best part of my day ...


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## Giantsfan1954

Most nursing home residents only get bathed once a week,not including bed baths.


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## oldiebutgoody

I occasionally shower twice a day - need that extra hot water on my arthritic back to relieve pain.


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## squatting dog

Keesha said:


> Sigh! A nice big bathtub would be heavenly.View attachment 172188


You bet. I'm taking a little heat from the wife because there was no way to take her heated, Jacuzzi, deep corner tub from Arkansas and fit it into the small bathrooms in Florida.


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## PamfromTx

Marie5656 said:


> *Yuck. The only time I have gone more than a couple days is if I have been sick with a cold or something. And then I would at least sponge bathe.   A friend told me she learned the three P's when she was young. Pits, palms and privates.*


One of my bosses called that a PTO bath.


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## hollydolly

PamfromTx said:


> One of my bosses called that a PTO bath.


what did that mean ?


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## Llynn

Navy story:  I was serving on a destroyer when the ship's evaporators (used to make fresh water out of sea water) completely broke down. An emergency repair got them working enough to provide drinking water but fresh water showers were out of the question.  We spent three weeks on assignment with only salt water for showers and head (Navy speak for toilet) flushing.  Saltwater showers have downsides so the majority of us just took one salty wash down a week and lived with our smell the rest of the week.


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## PamfromTx

hollydolly said:


> what did that mean ?


To scrub only the armpits and privates, I guess.   <Getting grossed out.>   She was the director of nursing and she'd tell her staff that when she got called in to work, she'd take a PTO bath.


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## PamfromTx

This thread is getting sour.  lol @hollydolly


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## PamfromTx

You are the cutest, @hollydolly.


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## Lewkat

I live in an assisted living facility and a shower a day is mandatory.  I am independent and during the summer, I often take 2 or 3 showers.  It is hot and humid and I spend a lot of time out doors.  

When I think of the early 20th century, my skin crawls.  Even back in the 1930s, I had to have a bath at bedtime.


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## Sassycakes

I'm a bath person. I love soaking in the tub every night. I only take a shower if we have only a short time before going out. I have a walk-in tub now so it's easier to get in and out of,but I make sure I fill it up as high as I can. It also has a shower attachment and that's what I use to wash my hair
Depending on how much pain my Husband is in he does both every day


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## win231

timoc said:


> Showers every morning, and showers/baths alternately of an evening.
> 
> Soaking in the bath is my favourite.
> I love to lay there for ages listening to music and watching the huge, powerful bubbles that erupt to the surface that cause mini tidal waves up and down the bath, and the aroma is soon taken away by having the windows open, the neighbour sitting in his garden usually has a peg handy for his nose.


^^^ Quite a visual.


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## Don M.

I sometimes skip a day, in the middle of Winter, when I'm stuck indoors due to the weather.  However, any day the weather permits, I'm usually outdoors doing some chores, and getting a bit dirty or sweaty....so a good shower is almost "mandatory".  

Think of some of the people who get wiped out due to these violent storms...such as what just hit Louisiana.  How do they maintain any personal hygiene?  And, the thousands of homeless and street people who use the sidewalks/lawns as their "bathroom"....they must really be "stinky".


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## Tish

Ewww yuk!


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## OneEyedDiva

Lewkat said:


> I live in an assisted living facility and a shower a day is mandatory.  I am independent and during the summer, I often take 2 or 3 showers.  It is hot and humid and I spend a lot of time out doors.
> 
> When I think of the early 20th century, my skin crawls.  Even back in the 1930s, I had to have a bath at bedtime.


My DIL is like you...she usually showers twice a day. But that's actually supposed to be not too good for our skin, especially in hard water areas like where we are. Your water may be different according to what part of the state you're in. But, of course people must do what makes them comfortable..
@Don M.  One of my BFF's good friends had a friend who wound up in the Astrodome after hurricane Katrina. She said the conditions were horrific. There were too many people and not nearly enough bathrooms. Here is an article that mentions the horrors those people suffered. I can't be anything but thankful that we are not experiencing anything like this!
https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/...atrina-when-the-astrodome-was-a-mass-shelter/
@Tish


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## Alligatorob

I shower on average about 5 days a week, sometimes more, depends on the time of year and what I am doing.  I don't think we need to do that, for most of human existence bathing was rare.  But it seems to work now, and we are used to people smelling like they have recently bathed.  Has not always been the case, Napoleon famously asked Josephine not to bathe for him ( https://www.historicmysteries.com/sexiness-stink-attraction-to-body-odor/ ).

On the other hand I am skeptical about the too much showering thing.  My skin never seems to suffer from a shower.


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## PamfromTx

Alligatorob said:


> I shower on average about 5 days a week, sometimes more, depends on the time of year and what I am doing.  I don't think we need to do that, for most of human existence bathing was rare.  But it seems to work now, and we are used to people smelling like they have recently bathed.  Has not always been the case, Napoleon famously asked Josephine not to bathe for him ( https://www.historicmysteries.com/sexiness-stink-attraction-to-body-odor/ ).
> 
> On the other hand I am skeptical about the too much showering thing.  My skin never seems to suffer from a shower.


Why can't I have a Napoleon as a husband?  Darn!


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## OneEyedDiva

Lewkat said:


> I live in an assisted living facility and a shower a day is mandatory.  I am independent and during the summer, I often take 2 or 3 showers.  It is hot and humid and I spend a lot of time out doors.
> 
> When I think of the early 20th century, my skin crawls.  Even back in the 1930s, I had to have a bath at bedtime.


Someone sent me something via email a while back with how different sayings came about. I will eventually compose a thread about it. But one of the things was the expression "Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater". Way back when people in a household would all bathe using the same water. The baby was bathed last and by then the water was so dirty...poor baby probably couldn't even be seen. 
@Tish


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## charry

Marie5656 said:


> *Yuck. The only time I have gone more than a couple days is if I have been sick with a cold or something. And then I would at least sponge bathe.   A friend told me she learned the three P's when she was young. Pits, palms and privates.*


Haha ...we say the four Fs.......Face , fuzz, Fanny and Feet ...


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## Nathan

I exercise every day, which means getting sweaty...so off to the shower every day!


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## Alligatorob

charry said:


> Feet


?  Rarely wash my feet, except for the trickle down effect.


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## Gary O'

Shower Only Twice A Week?! They Have GOT To Be Kidding!​
Uh....no

I'm a shower whore
I try to hold it down to once a day

I went thru withdrawal for showers when living up at the cabin
But
The bath in the sun was pretty nice


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## Gaer

haha!  I read the whole thread.  (Sure miss Aunt Marg!)  but was waiting for pictures of Gary in the shower!


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## Gary O'

Gaer said:


> waiting for pictures of Gary in the shower


Sorry
Jus' tub pics at the cabin





and.....no....no sunbathe pics


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## Nathan

Gary O' said:


> Sorry
> Jus' tub pics at the cabin
> and.....no....no sunbathe pics


...so does the horse mind if you're bathing in his water trough?


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## Gary O'

Nathan said:


> ...so does the horse mind if you're bathing in his water trough?


Neigh


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## Pecos

OneEyedDiva said:


> Someone sent me something via email a while back with how different sayings came about. I will eventually compose a thread about it. But one of the things was the expression "Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater". Way back when people in a household would all bathe using the same water. The baby was bathed last and by then the water was so dirty...poor baby probably couldn't even be seen.
> @Tish


I remember when my mother and I lived in Northern Idaho with my Grandfather at the end of WWII. The three of us all bathed in one of those big zinc coated tubs in the kitchen with water heated on an old wood burning stove. I went first and still remember what that Zinc tub felt like when you sat in it. It was kind of scratchy. Fortunately we did not have  a big family all trying to use this same water. This was a weekly event and it took a lot of wood to heat all that water which came into the house from an old hand pump well outside. My mother used that same tub and a scrub board to wash our clothes. 

The toilet was also outside, and winters in Northern Idaho were on the chilly side to say the least.

When people talk about the "good old days", I think they are out of their minds.


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## Tom 86

My Demertologest told me to only shower maybe 3 times a week. She started telling me this when I turned 75.  She said unless your outside working & sweating.  She said as we get older & not doing anything.  We need the oils in our skin to keep the top layer of skin from drying out.  As when I would go see her every 6 months I would have lots of band-aids all over my arms or legs from bumping into things & the skin would tear.   She told me this was from my dried out skin from showering too much, as the soap takes the oil from your skin. 

She also told me to start putting Eucedrin all over my body when I get out of the shower & dried off.  That also will put moisture & oils back into your skin.  Been working great for me ever since as I'm now 86 years old.


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## Packerjohn

I shower every day; 7 days/week.  No article by some self proclaimed expert is going to change my mind.  If you want to smell like the pig barn, I guess it's your choice in a democracy but don't come knocking my door or stand close to me when I'm shopping for groceries.


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## Nathan

Tom 86 said:


> My Demertologest told me to only shower maybe 3 times a week. She started telling me this when I turned 75.  She said unless your outside working & sweating.  She said as we get older & not doing anything.  We need the oils in our skin to keep the top layer of skin from drying out.  As when I would go see her every 6 months I would have lots of band-aids all over my arms or legs from bumping into things & the skin would tear.   She told me this was from my dried out skin from showering too much, as the soap takes the oil from your skin.
> 
> She also told me to* start putting Eucedrin all over my body when I get out of the shower & dried off.*  That also will put moisture & oils back into your skin.  Been working great for me ever since as I'm now 86 years old.


@Tom 86 , Glad I saw your post, I have horrible skin wounding on my forearms & back of hands.   I just dropped some Eucerin in my Amazon shopping cart!


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## IrisSenior

I have absolutely nothing to say on this particular post.


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## Tom 86

If you're not doing anything but sitting around in the house, you don't get stinky for 3 or 4 days.  Now if I'm outside sweating I take a shower every day.


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## Shero

Gary O' said:


> Sorry
> Jus' tub pics at the cabin
> 
> View attachment 185643
> 
> View attachment 185644
> 
> and.....no....no sunbathe pics
> 
> View attachment 185645


 ...must say, modesty become you!


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## Gary O'

Shero said:


> ..must say, modesty become you!


Yeah, and I'm adorable, too


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## OneEyedDiva

@Tom 86 and @Nathan  I use Nubian Heritage lotion. It's ingredients are more natural rather than "chemically". I believe it was formulated to combat the naturally dry skin many Black people have. It's so thick and rich that it does not pour out of the bottle when it's held upside down. I squeeze some into a jar for easier access, especially when I'm in a hurry. It comes in jars too but they are more expensive. Since it's so rich, it's not necessary to use as much or use as often as with other lotions. Nubian Heritage has a shea butter lotion as well as other varieties but the Mango Butter is my favorite. I get mine from Lucky Vitamin.

@IrisSenior  That you have nothing to say says _something._ 

@Pecos  I remember sometimes having to bathe in a galvanized tub that was placed in our living room. I think that's where most of the heat was. I was very young then. It was just me and my parents and we did not use the same water.  The first time I saw an out house was when we went down south for my birth mother's funeral. I was 11 years old. My great grandfather lived on a farm and he had an out house. Boy am I glad we didn't stay there that long! That is NOT for me! I agree with you about the (not so) good ole days!


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## horseless carriage

Bath time for the baby Jesus.

And baby Moses knows a trick or two in dodging bath time.


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## Nathan

OneEyedDiva said:


> @Tom 86 and @Nathan  I use Nubian Heritage lotion. It's ingredients are more natural rather than "chemically".


Thanks @OneEyedDiva , I see it comes in many different 'flavors': https://smile.amazon.com/s?k=Nubian+Heritage+lotion&i=beauty&ref=nb_sb_noss_2
I see the Mango version has:  _Shea Butter, Jojoba Oil, Vitamin C, Aloe Vera, Cocoa Butter._...all good sounding stuff!


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## OneEyedDiva

Nathan said:


> Thanks @OneEyedDiva , I see it comes in many different 'flavors': https://smile.amazon.com/s?k=Nubian+Heritage+lotion&i=beauty&ref=nb_sb_noss_2
> I see the Mango version has:  _Shea Butter, Jojoba Oil, Vitamin C, Aloe Vera, Cocoa Butter._...all good sounding stuff!


_"all good sounding stuff!"_ Absolutely Nathan. I see you pulled the product up on Amazon but Lucky Vitamin has better prices on some of the varieties. The only thing is one must buy $49 worth of products to get free shipping. I also got a better price on deodorant and potassium at LV. I had been ordering potassium from Amazon but the price shot up on the brand I was buying. I either buy several months worth of Nubian Heritage (NH) products or my grandson will order some items to reach that amount or more. He uses NH too. If you've got Prime and want to order only one bottle to try it out, that may wind up being the better financial option. And you're welcome, of course.


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## Nathan

I'll browse Lucky Vitamin's products, I have a love-hate relationship with Amazon as they are constantly setting traps for spending more money.   One pet peeve was Amazon's sneaky tactics to get people to accidentally consent to authorizing payment for their Prime.   I finally relented, tried Prime for a couple months, watched several episodes of Dr. G Medical Examiner, really wasn't worth the $70 of Prime charges.   As for "free" shipping, I _shop_ for free shipping, if I can't get it(without Prime) on Amazon, I scoot right over to ebay and most times will find the same product, shipped free.


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## OneEyedDiva

Nathan said:


> I'll browse Lucky Vitamin's products, I have a love-hate relationship with Amazon as they are constantly setting traps for spending more money.   One pet peeve was Amazon's sneaky tactics to get people to accidentally consent to authorizing payment for their Prime.   I finally relented, tried Prime for a couple months, watched several episodes of Dr. G Medical Examiner, really wasn't worth the $70 of Prime charges.   As for "free" shipping, I _shop_ for free shipping, if I can't get it(without Prime) on Amazon, I scoot right over to ebay and most times will find the same product, shipped free.


I was doing the same as you to circumvent Amazon's tricks. I had tried Prime twice on promos but dropped it each time, because like you I didn't think the fee was worth it. I always managed to get free shipping by grouping my purchases to reach the minimum for free shipping. I've also found a couple of items on Ebay with free shipping. I've been getting Prime for free for a couple of years courtesy of my cell phone company (MetroPCS) for upgrading my plan. Let me know what you think of Lucky Vitamin.


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## Tish

OneEyedDiva said:


> Someone sent me something via email a while back with how different sayings came about. I will eventually compose a thread about it. But one of the things was the expression "Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater". Way back when people in a household would all bathe using the same water. The baby was bathed last and by then the water was so dirty...poor baby probably couldn't even be seen.
> @Tish


Thank God things have changed lol


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## MarciKS

OneEyedDiva said:


> A while back, I watched a segment on the Smart Senior App (via Roku) that advised showering only twice a week. The reasons were so as not to continually remove good bacteria and not dry out the skin (they do make lotion people). I had to watch it again before posting about it to make sure I didn't miss the part about taking "bird baths" or as some call it..sponge baths. I din't miss it; it wasn't mentioned.  I remember when my mother was in the nursing home, they took the residents for showers only twice a week but they got sponge baths in between.  I cannot imagine showering or taking a bath only twice a week! Maybe they should have called that segment "Stinky Senior".


ours only got bathed once a week


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## Uptosnuff

OneEyedDiva said:


> @Tom 86 and @Nathan  I use Nubian Heritage lotion. It's ingredients are more natural rather than "chemically". I believe it was formulated to combat the naturally dry skin many Black people have. It's so thick and rich that it does not pour out of the bottle when it's held upside down. I squeeze some into a jar for easier access, especially when I'm in a hurry. It comes in jars too but they are more expensive. Since it's so rich, it's not necessary to use as much or use as often as with other lotions. Nubian Heritage has a shea butter lotion as well as other varieties but the Mango Butter is my favorite. I get mine from Lucky Vitamin.
> View attachment 185819
> @IrisSenior  That you have nothing to say says _something._
> 
> @Pecos  I remember sometimes having to bathe in a galvanized tub that was placed in our living room. I think that's where most of the heat was. I was very young then. It was just me and my parents and we did not use the same water.  The first time I saw an out house was when we went down south for my birth mother's funeral. I was 11 years old. My great grandfather lived on a farm and he had an out house. Boy am I glad we didn't stay there that long! That is NOT for me! I agree with you about the (not so) good ole days!


I LOVE that lotion but haven't used it for awhile now.  My favorite was the Haitian Vetiver, loved the smell and so thick and creamy!  I have really dry skin (getting drier every year) and this felt so good going on.  I bought mine from Vitacost.  Need to order some again!


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## mrstime

I have always had very dry skin, getting worse by the year. My black pants on the inside are white with dry skin. The Dermatologist told me to bathe in almost cold water (no way), and to use 
CeraVe Moisturizing Cream.


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## Ruthanne

Whether I want to or not and regardless of what anyone thinks I always take my yearly bath!


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