< strong>MOSCOW, Oct 30, Nikolay Guryanov. In Iran, an elderly hermit who has not bathed for more than 60 years and did not follow other hygiene rules has died. Meanwhile, in the civilized world, more and more people are reconsidering their attitude to frequent water procedures. Whether they are harmful or useful — in the material.
Half a century without soap
Amu Hadji (a nickname that translates as Uncle Hadji) died at the age of 94 (according to other sources — 88). For most of his life, he did not wash — neither with soap, nor just water.
According to media reports, in his youth he had some emotional upheavals, after which he decided that water procedures were harmful to health. Judging by the photos and videos, over the years, a crust of dried mud and ash has formed on his skin.
Refusal to wash is not the most shocking feature of Amu Haji. So, they say that he ate carrion — for example, dead porcupines, whose carcasses were often stale. He smoked a lot — in one of the videos he takes four cigarettes at once. In addition, he liked to fill his pipe with animal excrement. And the length of the hair was regulated by arson. At the same time, he drank a lot of water — supposedly at least five liters a day. Instead of a cup, I used an old tin can.
The village tried to help him. They built a small dwelling for him out of blocks. Prior to that, he allegedly lived in a «burrow».
Several times fellow countrymen tried to wash him — Hadji ran away. And once even jumped out of the car on the move, when young people tricked him into bringing him to the river.
Nevertheless, a few months before his death, the reasons for which are not reported, I was forced to take a bath.
Dirty trend
Amu Haji's habits are an extreme case. But more and more people in developed countries are consciously refusing to wash frequently. And not just for political or environmental reasons.
Hollywood couples Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher, for example, admitted that they only bathe their children when they show dirt». The actress referred to her own experience of the first seven years of her life in Ukrainian Chernivtsi, where she did not have the usual benefits of civilization. And the head of the family noted that he himself takes a shower every day, but washes only his armpits and crotch. He explained this by the reluctance to get rid of sebum (sebum) — a natural protective layer.
This caused an extremely mixed reaction on the Web. The acting couple was given as an example of animals that bathe their cubs.
However, science is on the side of star parents. The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) guidelines state that although it is okay to shower or bathe daily at age six or eleven, it is generally not necessary. It is enough for children to bathe once or twice a week. And also if the child got dirty after playing, swam in the pool or pond, sweated a lot. -ratio=»0.830300049188392″ data-crop-width=»600″ data-crop-height=»498″ data-source-sid=»» title=»Signs of Oily Skin» class=»lazyload» lazy=»1″/
Some scientists believe that excessive sterility of the environment harms the growing organism. But the main reason is the low activity of the sebaceous and sweat glands in children. But at puberty, when such glands are sharply activated, AAD advises to wash every day.
In adults, external secretion is strictly individual and depends on many factors, including genetics, nutrition, lifestyle. Therefore, there are no universal recommendations.
“A daily shower is, of course, the norm,” says dermatologist Yulia Galliamova. “But if you consider yourself clean for a whole week (which I personally doubt very much), then as a doctor I will not insist that you wash more often. True , here we are already entering the field of aesthetics, culture, upbringing, and so on. It also happens that a person does not have suitable conditions — for example, central water supply. But from the standpoint of hygiene, one should take a shower every day. «
How to wash properly
Sometimes frequent washing really creates problems — due to the characteristics of the body and the quality of the water. In particular, dry skin.
Dermatologist David Leffell of the Yale School of Medicine advises to follow a few simple rules. So, the water should not be too hot. Do not stand under the jets for too long — three to five minutes will suffice. In this case, following the example of Kunis and Kutcher, you should focus on especially dirty places. To avoid dry skin, use moisturizing lotions.
On the Web there is an opinion about the dangers of detergents. You really need to be smart about this. Each shampoo or shower gel has a so-called pH value. If the pH is below five, the liquid becomes acidic. If above eight — alkaline. In the range between them are values that are safe for humans. Some products are only suitable for those who work with strong pollutants — say, in agriculture or in production with machine oils.
But there are many completely harmless products. «There is a neutral pH (about 7 pH — ed.) and a minimum of surfactants that break down fat,» explains Galliamova.
About the same for hair. Their type and sebaceous glands are individual for everyone. For example, curly hair is enough to use shampoo once a week. Those with straight thin strands begin to suffer from clogging of their hair much faster. However, as a general rule, no one needs to wash their hair more than once every two or three days.