There is such a thing as taking showers that are too long. While long, hot showers may feel good, they aren’t so good for the body in a few interesting ways.

Showering Too Long Can Actually Make You Smell Worse

We all need to wash ourselves to avoid being smelly, but when you shower for too long, you might be washing off too much of the body’s natural oils and bacteria. That can then lead to the body overcompensating for all that has been lost by creating too much oil and bacteria afterward. The unfortunate result of this is that you end up smelling worse than if you had just been taking shorter showers less frequently. Shorter and less frequent showers are much better for the body in terms of its equilibrium of bacteria and oil production without running the risk of excess body odor.

Long Showers Will Dry Out Your Skin

Showering washes away the body’s bacteria, but some of that bacteria is actually good and serves as an additional barrier on the surface of the skin that can help the immune system. Showering for a long time can end up removing too much of the bacteria, some of which we need to keep the skin from drying out. Dry skin can then lead to irritation and itchiness, both quite unpleasant. It’s best to keep showers from a short to medium-length to maintain the bacteria on the skin needed to keep it moisturized and healthy.

Shower Water Can Contain Toxins

The tap water we all shower with can have a lot of heavy metals, pesticides, fluoride, chlorine, salts, and even more chemicals. When taking a hot shower, some of those chemicals can turn into vapor, which we then inhale. Inhaling these heavy metals, minerals, and other chemicals can cause damage to the respiratory tract and even lead to a weakened immune system and liver malfunction. It can also lead to a higher risk of asthma. Therefore, as it turns out, showering too long may be hazardous to your health.