This Man Hasn’t Taken a Shower in 12 Years–On Purpose

mother dirt

Most of us start (or end) our daily lives with a long, hot shower. Many of us feel dirty or less-than-fresh if we have to skip even one day of our shower or bath routine. For one man, though, he’s decided to ditch the soap and water–for good.

For the last 12 years, David Whitlock, a chemical engineer, has never showered.

And while you might think that he may be extremely conscious of water conservation, or running some sort of experiment, you’d be wrong. Whitlock simply believes humans don’t need to shower.

He also believes that the typical soap and scrubbing that goes into showering may actually strip your skin of beneficial bacteria that keeps the “bad” bacteria and B.O. in check.

Inspired by the habits of a wide variety of vertebrates and invertebrates, which have ample amount of Nitrosomonas bacteria on their skin, humans have none. Nitrosomonas bacteria break down ammonia, producing nitrite and nitric oxide (NO).

Nitrite is a powerful antibacterial substance, and Whitlock wondered why humans were the only notable species without it. He figured that “the ubiquitous bacteria played some beneficial role for humans, but the modern lifestyle, with its obsession with hygiene and soap, had removed Nitrosomonas from the skin microbiome.”

So, Whitlock did what anyone would do. He stopped showering completely and developed a line of sprayable bacteria called MotherDirt. Get all the details below!

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