Super General Advice (the thread for advice without making a thread)

There was discussion about how you should use soap all over one's body... and I only lather/put it on the bits that get sweaty.

(I'm reasonably sure I don't smell bad, but I'm probably not the best judge? It probably makes sense to just cover my entire body in soap to be one the safe side, even if it is inconvenient.)

 

I only put soap on specific areas as well and I haven’t had anyone complain? If that’s reassuring?

 

I'd say if you have a vulva and vagina, avoid the body wash around those parts. It can really upset the natural pH balance and lead to such fun things as yeast infections. A washcloth and water will do.

 

I generally wash all over but a) I have sensitive skin and dead skin buildup is hellish and b) I live in a hot humid climate. I also use a sensitive skin body wash and moisturize as soon as I hop out of the shower.

 

Seconding the ‘heinous climate makes me scrub with soap all over’, though when I lived somewhere where drowning in my own sweat wasn’t the norm, just scrubbing the key areas was enough.

 

yeah, you can probably get away with not soaping all over if you don't live in moist hell climate and don't have a skin condition - i have sensitive body skin, live in a hellclimate, and wear sunscreen on top of that, so using a soapy loaf + exfoliating once or twice a week + moisturizing is... kind of necessary.

ETA: oh, i also wear makeup regularly, so this includes the face - i use a facial soap and exfoliator and a whole skincare routune, obviously, but showering is a Ordeal

 

+1 to everyone saying you only need to wash the smelly bits regularly unless you're getting sweaty or grimy. my routine is hair with shampoo, face/neck/chest with face wash, and pits & nethers with soap or body wash-- everything else gets washed on an as-needed basis. just letting the hot soapy water run over the rest is sufficient, unless i've been out getting dirty or sweaty.

also, unless you live in a humid climate and you're moisturizing all over, this actually can be really bad for your skin. i can get away with using soap on my skin in the summer here, but in the winter even just hot water will just dry my skin out to the point it's painful.

 

What I also tend to do when getting sweaty to the point where your skin is doing the thing with the dead cells coming off is use some sort of exfoliating scrub. It can really be as simple as oil and salt. Just don't forget to wash it off with soap afterwards or else you'll, well, be oily for a while.

 

That's also an option, but it should probably be noted that oil-based moisturizers (especially straight coconut oil) are comedogenic, so if you're prone to blackheads and clogged pores that could exacerbate it.

 

Depends on the oil. Coconut is very comedogenic, but stuff like shea butter has a lower rate. Olive oil's not that bad either, but then you smell like salad for the rest of your life.

 

Thanks everyone! I'm now a lot less worried that I'm showering wrong.

 

Iiii only use soap on my body like... once every other week? other than that I just wash my hair, shampoo/conditioner that bitch. so I'm probably the extreme end of 'ehhh whatever', but i also literally never use moisturizer and people still compliment my skin smoothness so i'm guessing i'm just blessed by the ether with weirdly good skin.

 

hypersensory friendly blender recs? want make milkshake / smoothie, but noise is big for me (+ next door neighbor has a newborn)

 

Did not even think of that! Thank c:

 

any glasses wearers able to help a brosis?

Every so often (not always, but often enough to annoy me), my glasses will start really hurting the backs of my ears with their stems, so much so that it becomes intolerable to wear them- but leaving them off for anything other than bed is not really an option, since I'm bat-blind without them. is there any way to mitigate this or protect my ears during these periods without having to leave them off for extended periods of time?

 

maybe pad them? or like...different style?

ETA: maybe lighter frames are a possible solution?