vitamin D Archives

Why I Stopped Showering Every Day

July 19, 2023 By Susan Patterson

Up until about two years ago, I was a huge advocate for a shower a day — or sometimes even two. In fact, I loved a long and very hot shower. It was relaxing and I felt it was necessary for optimal cleanliness. I workout daily and just didn’t feel right not showering to freshen up.

It wasn’t until I discovered that I was vitamin D deficient (despite spending a great amount of time outdoors) that I realized I needed to stop showering so frequently.

According to leading natural health expert, Dr. Joseph Mercola, vitamin D can take up to 48 hours to absorb through the skin when first exposed to the sun. If you use soap and water on the skin it can actually interfere with the necessary chemical reaction.

Not wanting to “wash off” the vitamin D that I had absorbed from the sun, I began to be more cognizant of the amount of time I spent in the shower.

Vitamin D3 is an oil soluble steroid hormone

Vitamin D3 is what’s known as an oil soluble steroid hormone. It is actually formed when the skin is exposed to ultraviolet-B (UVB) radiation from the sun. When the rays hit your skin, it converts a cholesterol derivative in the skin into vitamin D3.

Once the D3 is formed, it sits on the surface of the skin for quite some time. It takes a long time — up to 48 hours — for it to be completely absorbed. So, you can see that a nice warm shower with body wash will cancel any benefit you gained from your time in the sun. In fact, in order to fully optimize your time in the sun, it is best not to shower for a full two days after exposure to the sun.

Showers strip away natural oils

I live in the Southwest where the air is incredibly dry. After moving from the swampy southeast a couple of years ago, I decided that daily showers would only contribute to the battle I was having with dry skin. Showers, especially long and hot ones like I used to take, strip the body of natural oils, leaving it dry and cracked. In addition, frequent showering also disrupts immune supporting bacteria. This is especially true if you use an antibacterial soap or body wash.

Showering is really only aesthetic

What if I told you that showering is practically for aesthetic reasons? According to Dr. Elaine Larson, an infectious disease expert and associate dean for research at Columbia University School of Nursing. “People think they’re showering for hygiene or to be cleaner, but bacteriologically, that’s not the case.”

If you must shower daily, only hit your stinkiest parts — your pits, groin and buttocks. It isn’t really necessary to bother with the rest of your body. Once you hop out of the shower, be sure to apply a natural moisturizer like coconut oil.

How often should I shower?

According to Dr. C. Brandon Mitchell, assistant professor of dermatology at George Washington University, most people over-bathe. If you are bathing for health reasons, Mitchell states that once or twice a week is plenty to keep natural oils and bacteria in balance. The body is an amazing self regulating machine that doesn’t need washing nearly as much as we think it does.

What is the right way to shower?

So when you do make it to the shower, is there one way that is better than another to wash your body? The ideal shower is very dependent on water temperature. Again, as much as most of us probably love a steaming hot shower, this is not the best thing for our skin or hair. Hot water will make your hair very brittle over time and leave your skin dry and cracking. Also, be sure to use an all natural, preferably organic body wash and lightly rub your skin in circular motions to cleanse. More aggressive scrubbing will only cause damage and irritate your skin.

When you finish showering, don’t rub your skin harshly with a towel. Instead, gently pat yourself dry. Follow up with a natural oil such as coconut or hemp seed all over to help replenish moisture.

I love to end my shower with super cold blast of water. This helps to close open pores and firm skin. It is especially refreshing to let the cold water spray on your face.

Don’t forget a chlorine filter

Your skin is the largest organ of your body, and it is highly porous and absorbent. It may be possible to take in more chlorinated water through your skin during a hot bath or shower than through drinking it. So, if your home water system is treated with chlorine, and you take baths or showers without some sort of filtration system specifically designed to weed out the chlorine, you’re chronically exposed.

It’s not just chlorine itself that you have to worry about, either. Though chlorine alone has its own dangers, it also combines with organic compounds, such as the sweat and oil on our skin, to produce trihalomethane byproducts, commonly referred to as THMs. The levels of THMs produced when you take a hot bath or shower are rather low. However, over time, these carcinogens could have increasingly detrimental effects.

If your area does use chlorinated water, there are several steps you can take. You definitely don’t want to be drinking this stuff; installing a dechlorinating water filter on your taps is a great first step. Make sure to read reviews and compare units. Also, it’s key to find out how often these filters need to be replaced, and how they need to be maintained.

You can install a dechlorinating shower filter. There are many on the market, so it’s worth it to compare and check reviews on these, as well. There are also bath dechlorinators available, such as bath ball dechlorinators, which hang underneath your faucet and remove the chlorine when the water enters the filter. Remember, not all filters remove chlorine from water, so you want to make sure that the filter you choose is effective for this purpose.

Final Note

If showering every day is something that you just can’t give up, consider the tips offered above. This will save your skin, maximize your vitamin D production and keep your good bacteria in check.

-Susan Patterson

Sun Gazing: What is it and Should You do it?

January 22, 2020 By Susan Patterson

You may have heard mention of sungazing and been shocked that people willingly stare into the sun for up to 44 minutes each day. Throughout your life, you’ve likely been told time and time again that staring directly into the sun can lead to blindness as the insense UV rays can cause irreparable damage to your retina. This can happen rather quickly, and you may not even realize it since the eyes to not contain pain receptors to let you know that they are being damaged. So why exactly do people stare into the sun on purpose? Read on to find out about the dubious practice of sungazing.

[Read more…]

How to Stay Safe in the Sun, Naturally

April 17, 2017 By Susan Patterson

I love, love, love the sun. Now that spring has arrived in my neck of the woods, I try to spend as much time as I can outdoors. I either have my hands up to my elbows in dirt planting flowers or I am out hiking and biking in the warm weather. I even set a desk outside to work when I am writing.

Although I love the sun, I am not a big fan of sunscreen. In fact, I try to avoid it as much as possible. However, I am well aware of the dangers of too much sun exposure. I also know that many conventional sunscreens contain questionable ingredients. And, since your skin is your body’s largest organ with a surface area of 20 feet, it make sense to pay attention to what you put on it.

Before I even knew the dangers of conventional sunscreen, I didn’t like the way it felt on my skin. It clogs my pores and seems to keep me from sweating, leading to overheating.

So, what is the big danger with most sunscreens?

Besides not liking how it feels on my skin, there are some other very good reasons to avoid conventional sunscreen. In a study published by SkinBiology.com, it was noted that many popular sunscreens contain numerous chemicals that may actually contribute to the development of melanoma and basal cell cancer, in addition to causing other significant health issues.

Common chemicals found in most popular sunscreens include PABA and PABA esters (ethyl dihydroxy propyl PAB, glyceryl PABA, p-aminobenzoic acid, padimate-O or octyl dimethyl PABA), benzophenones (dioxybenzone, oxybenzone), cinnamates (cinoxate, ethylhexyl p-methoxycinnamate, octocrylene, octyl methoxycinnamate), salicyltes (ethylhexyl salicylate, homosalate, octyl salicylate), digalloyl trioleate, menthyl anthranilate and avobenzone (butyl-methyoxydibenzoylmethane, parsol 1789). The criticism is that these chemicals powerfully promote free radicals in the body. They are synthetic chemicals which accumulate in fat cells and have estrogenic characteristics that affect health in significant ways.

Free radicals have been found to be a strong contributing factor to the development of many forms of cancer, including skin cancer. For example, the chemical benzophenone interacts with ultraviolet sunrays to produce two of the strongest free radical reactions in the body. Combined with other molecules in the body, they bind with fats, proteins and DNA, which results in damage to skin cells and the development of cancer.

Estrogenic chemicals contribute to difficulties with normal sexual development and other health conditions. Estrogenic chemicals contribute to numerous health problems in women, including migraines, endometriosis, erratic periods, fibrocystic breast disease, uterine cysts, severe PMS symptoms, and increased rates of uterine and breast cancer. In men, these chemicals contribute to decreased sperm counts, decreased penis size, increased rates of testicular cancer, undescended testes, reduced fetal imprinting of male behavior patterns and sexual identity changes, perhaps due to feminization of secondary sexual characteristics.

I use coconut oil

I was amazed to find out that skin cancer is virtually unheard of in the Philippines, where people are exposed to the sun’s hot rays all year long. Interestingly enough, coconut oil is the main dietary oil and the key ingredient in all of their skin care products.

While coconut oil may not have the high SPF of some sunscreen, it does provide some protection and has an SPF of about 10. Its healing antioxidant powers protect the skin from free radical damage. In addition, using coconut oil on the skin helps our bodies absorb other nutrients more effectively, such as vitamin E, which is another skin protecting antioxidant.

Now, don’t think that you can be crazy and lay in the sun all day, even with coconut oil on your skin. You still have to be smart about the sun. Stay clear of the sun during the hottest time of the day between noon and 3 p.m., if possible. Vitamin D production is important, but it only takes a little while per day in the sun to get what you need.

Other options

Instead of using sunscreen, there are other methods to protect yourself from the damaging rays of the sun. For example, there are many clothing products that are specifically designed to protect from the sun, including hats, shirts, pants and cover-ups. Wearing these items of clothing when you go outside will provide you with more protection from the sun than going outside without any protective clothing at all

Another option is to use organic sunscreen, which are made from natural mineral and plant-based ingredients. Organic sunscreen products do not contain harmful chemical preservatives and often also includes ingredients that are soothing to the skin, such as lavender, aloe vera, jojoba oil, shea butter, coconut oil and green tea extract. Additionally, organic sun protection lotions and creams are safe for use on infants as well as children and adults.

Eating a diet that is rich in antioxidants can also help with skin care and help fight against the damage resulting from sun exposure. Diets high in antioxidants not only contribute to healthy skin, but can also boost metabolism and your immune system. Eat brightly colored foods and dark green leafy vegetables, such as blueberries, raspberries, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, carrots and sweet potatoes. Other healthy antioxidant foods include tomatoes, spinach, grapes and garlic.

If you want to maintain healthy skin and lessen your chances of unwanted skin diseases and ailments, use natural organic skin protection products, wear protective clothing and eat a diet rich in healthy antioxidant foods. Above all else, limit the amount time you spend in the sun unprotected.

-Susan Patterson