This is one of the questions we get asked the most, which totally makes sense. I have to request that you don't judge us on this one!
To be perfectly honest, we weren't the most frequent bathers before we moved into the R.V. (Frequent = every single day) In fact, in other parts of the world, people do not shower every single day, although I know it's a big thing to do over here in United Statesean culture. (I don't like saying "American" as it can refer to both North and South America + on my passport it says "United States.")
During the few month prior to the big change, we were surfing almost every day, and would rinse our bodies off every other day or so. I would only wash my hair once or twice a month. (I have really long, thick hair and for those of you who do also, you know washing/conditioning it is a super long process!)
I know what you're thinking--- Wasn't your hair all greasy and nasty? The short answer: No. The ocean water seemed to take care of it, and my hair was used to not being washed that much.
I would shower if I sweat a lot that day like after working out or after a hike, but if all I did was work a few hours, surf, and watch Netflix, I was perfectly content not showering other than the rinse-off with fresh water at the outdoor beach shower.
Then, during student teaching, obviously surfing hit the back burner and showering happened more often. During the semester, I still belonged to the recreation center at my school, so I would shower there. On days where we were at the beach and I was too lazy to drive all the way to the rec center, I would shower at the state beach. They have hottish-warm showers that cost 50 cents for 3 minutes. I have found that I can get my hair washed/conditioned and shave/wash face in 9-12 minutes. Steven was out of school at this point, so his only option was the beach.*
Nowadays, student teaching is over but I am taking classes at university, so I still shower there. Steven still uses the beach. When we are in a time crunch or don't want to drive too far to bathe, I made all-natural disinfecting body wipes using cut-up cloth. I will post the recipe/tutorial soon.
I would say the hardest part about showering this way is the time it consumes. Just to get from some places we are parked to the rec center is a 20-30 minute drive, plus 10-15 minutes to park/walk to rec center, then 5 minutes to set up, 10-20 minutes to shower, 15 minutes to prep after shower (toner, moisturizer, brush hair, get dressed, etc.), 10 minutes walk back to car, 20-30 minutes drive back to parking spot of the R.V. Obviously, I can cut a lot of the driving time down if I shower on a night when I have class/other engagements around the area, which I do most often, but if there is a downside, it is that--the time involved. It is just not feasible or practical for me to shower every single day.
In sum, no, we do not shower every single day. But we do apply deodorant, wear clean clothes, wash our sheets/blankets often, live in a clean environment, and use the cloths to wipe our bodies down, all while saving water and helping the environment. All that being said, I am very much a "bath person" and so dearly miss laying down in a hot bubble bath with a good book and glass of wine!
<Sorry for the lack of pictures, I will update the post when I get some!>
*He does have family around here and we both have friends that offer us their showers, but we don't accept, except out of desperation. I haven't had to accept yet.
Do you shower every single day? What are your thoughts on this? How long are your showers--- how many gallons of water do you think you use per shower/week of showering?
