scent showerTake a shower every day? Some doctors say we are overdoing it.

A Boston dermatologist says, “We over-bathe in this country.” She points out that showering too often can dry out and irritate skin, and wash away the good bacteria that naturally exist on your skin.

This article suggests that “while your activity level and climate will affect how often you’ll want shower, you can probably skip the daily shower and take one every two to three days… If you’re so inclined, you can clean the grossest parts of your body with a soapy washcloth or cleansing towelette to remove odor-causing bacteria on non-shower days (face, underarms, genitals, and rear end…)”

But even if you don’t shower every day, “you should put on clean undergarments each day; one study showed that we shed far more dirt and oil in our clothes than we do in the shower.”

How does this translate for deer hunters? Well, our “activity level and climate” dictate a daily shower with an odor-killing hair and body wash, but sometimes that is not possible in camp. When you can’t shower, the next best thing is to clean the “grossest parts of your body” every day with anti-odor field wipes.

The most useful piece of advice here is that even in a deer camp with no shower facilities, you should change underwear and base-layer tees daily. That is something many hunters, including me, neglect to do. But do it and we’ll feel better and stink less.

Back in the real world in everyday life, forget what you just read and take a shower every day. Don’t go all European on me.