Should You Actually Shower After You Take a Bath?

If you're lucky enough to have a bath, you probably enjoy the sense of calm and peace that can come from a long soak versus a hurried shower. You can add salts, oils and foam to make it a luxurious and sensually exciting experience too.

But then you step out of the bath and notice bits of dirt that weren't in the water to begin with... whether they came from your hair, feet or body is anyone's guess, but then you might have the urge to go for a final rinse before stepping out.

And this is where some people might disagree, thinking it wasteful to then shower after an already indulgent bath. Other believe its necessary to get fully clean.

There isn't a clear right and wrong here, as Dr Ross Perry, the Medical Director of Cosmedics skin clinics, tells us.

He says baths have a number of benefits that go beyond simply washing the day away. “A bath is a great way to destress after a long day and can help a manner of skin problems, particularly for those who have skin conditions such as eczema, or psoriasis.

"This is because you can add ingredients to the bath such as aromatherapy oils, oatmeal and Epsom salts which can penetrate the skin far better in the bath. Baths can also lower cortisone levels which can help prevent stress."

But what about showering? "Really it’s all down to personal preference," Dr Perry says. "If you’re someone that generally baths daily or showers morning or night it's unlikely you are very dirty, therefore there is no need to worry about showering after a bath."

There are some instances in which showering after a bath can be more hygienic though.

"When we sit in the bath, the dirt tends to settle away from the skin and body and gets diluted in the bathwater. If you’re adding oils into the bathwater, you may want to shower afterwards to rinse the skin. Likewise if you’ve been exercising and are hot and sweaty or wear a lot of make-up a shower is likely to be more hygienic because you will be rinsing the sweat, dirt and makeup away rather than sitting in it," he says.

Use your personal judgement - if you feel you need more of a thorough wash, go for a shower.

Dr Perry adds: "I wouldn’t advise washing hair in the bath and sitting in the bath water as it can strip the body of natural oils. My advice day to day would be to shower daily to get rid of dirt and grime and stick to baths once or twice a week so soak the skin, relax and destress."

So keep your baths for those times when you really need to rest. They'll help soothe you, and mean you don't face the daily post-shower conundrum.

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