Maybe you're one of those lucky people who don't really need to shower or bathe often. Even just a hundred years ago people bathed on average less than weekly, just maintaining their scent with fragrances and powdering their skin and hair to keep it looking less oily. And when my parents, who were hippies, were young in the seventies, shampoos and soaps were much harsher, and people just could not shower more than a couple times a week without damaging their skin and hair. Even today, in Europe, people wash far less often than North Americans do. We're the weird ones to them. It's quite normal to see people in public with greasy hair in Italy and Greece for example.
But you might be one of those lucky people, like I said, who doesn't really get "dirty" very quickly. Your skin stays fairly oil free, your hair does not look greasy, and you may not even sweat enough to develop a strong body odour. This is normal, however, you must understand, that most people here are going to think you're a freak because most people from adolescence have showered so often because of self-consciousness that they feel really gross and even irritable if they don't shower. Not only that, but because their skin and hair is used to being dried out from constant showering, their oil production is in overdrive, and they'll get greasy much faster than someone who showers less often. And when you're used to having clean skin, and especially if you exfoliate, the feeling of a thick "horny" layer, with dead skin cells, just feels extremely uncomfortable, and even itchy to a frequent washer.
So, no, it's not exactly "normal" to negotiate showering, but it is well in the normal "range" of behaviour. Your concerns with time and money, I don't share, because any hang-ups I might have are far outweighed by the number one benefit, the way warm water makes me feel. It takes all my cares away and actually decreased stress noticeably. It's my one half hour of bliss a day. It's better than sleep! Sometimes I'm in there for well over an hour, and once or twice a year even over 4 hours! Luckily, I live in the country so I don't pay for water, but the amount of energy it must take to heat the water is probably making you cringe. But, at least I take showers on the cool side, cuz I don't like being too hot. Sorry for ranting a bit ^.^
PS - I'm a singer and the steam helps my voice, and I also do my best thinking and even song-writing in the shower.
Is it normal I need a good enough reason to shower?
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Maybe you're one of those lucky people who don't really need to shower or bathe often. Even just a hundred years ago people bathed on average less than weekly, just maintaining their scent with fragrances and powdering their skin and hair to keep it looking less oily. And when my parents, who were hippies, were young in the seventies, shampoos and soaps were much harsher, and people just could not shower more than a couple times a week without damaging their skin and hair. Even today, in Europe, people wash far less often than North Americans do. We're the weird ones to them. It's quite normal to see people in public with greasy hair in Italy and Greece for example.
But you might be one of those lucky people, like I said, who doesn't really get "dirty" very quickly. Your skin stays fairly oil free, your hair does not look greasy, and you may not even sweat enough to develop a strong body odour. This is normal, however, you must understand, that most people here are going to think you're a freak because most people from adolescence have showered so often because of self-consciousness that they feel really gross and even irritable if they don't shower. Not only that, but because their skin and hair is used to being dried out from constant showering, their oil production is in overdrive, and they'll get greasy much faster than someone who showers less often. And when you're used to having clean skin, and especially if you exfoliate, the feeling of a thick "horny" layer, with dead skin cells, just feels extremely uncomfortable, and even itchy to a frequent washer.
So, no, it's not exactly "normal" to negotiate showering, but it is well in the normal "range" of behaviour. Your concerns with time and money, I don't share, because any hang-ups I might have are far outweighed by the number one benefit, the way warm water makes me feel. It takes all my cares away and actually decreased stress noticeably. It's my one half hour of bliss a day. It's better than sleep! Sometimes I'm in there for well over an hour, and once or twice a year even over 4 hours! Luckily, I live in the country so I don't pay for water, but the amount of energy it must take to heat the water is probably making you cringe. But, at least I take showers on the cool side, cuz I don't like being too hot. Sorry for ranting a bit ^.^
PS - I'm a singer and the steam helps my voice, and I also do my best thinking and even song-writing in the shower.