Are you a bather or a shower person? What is your preferred method of cleaning your body? This may sound like a trivial question, but it is worth exploring. Not many people realise the major differences between these two. They are not only different in the sense that one is about dipping and the other entails dripping.
Main differences
When bathing, you clean your whole body by dipping it into water contained in a bathtub. It can be a freestanding bath, a corner bath, a straight bath, a whirlpool bath, or a jacuzzi. The main point is that the body is submerged into water for some time. With showering, you simply spray water onto your body. You can stand or sit, but you don’t dip your body into standing water.
The difference is simple enough, isn’t it? The point of this post, however, is not just about the semantics. The two have more important differences.
For one, bathing is more expensive than showering. It consumes more water. However, it can be more relaxing. Dipping your body in cold water during the hot summers can be reinvigorating. In the cold winters, a warm bath can awaken the body and relieve sore muscles. Showering is an efficient way to clean the body, but it does not have the relaxation aspect. It is a straightforward activity that focuses on the hygiene part.
Another essential point of difference is their effectiveness in cleaning the body. Some say showering is cleaner because it involves free-flowing water. With bathing, you are soaking in something stagnant, which means you are cleaning your body with the same liquid that catches the dirt you have scrubbed off your skin.
However, studies show that there is no significant difference between bathing and showering in their ability to clean the body. According to a Huffington Post investigation, the difference only exists if the body of the person bathing or showering is excessively muddy or dirty.
Which one is better?
There is no definite answer to this question. If you want to save on your water consumption, showering is the better option. However, if you want to enjoy some relaxing time while cleaning yourself, having a bath is the way to go. There are different aspects to take into account to make sense of the answer.
It bears pointing out, however, that showering is the better choice when it comes to skin health. Dermatologists say that soaking in a bath for extended periods can lead to dry skin. The condition gets worse if you use harsh soaps or cleaning agents. Most commercial soaps contain synthetic components that can aggressively strip the skin of its natural protection. Additionally, there is the possibility for habitual bathers to develop hot tub folliculitis. This condition occurs when bacteria cause the inflammation of hair follicles.
Bathing and showering are two different ways of keeping the body clean. The methods vary vastly, but they are mostly similar in their cleaning potential under regular conditions. Ultimately, the choice between the two depends on personal preference.