I’m a Yale doctor and I didn’t shower or use deodorant for five years – here’s what I smelled like

A YALE doctor explained why he stopped using soap in the showering and deodorant for five years.

Physician and Yale lecturer James Hamblin explained the odd hygiene experiment in his latest book, Clean: The New Science of Skin.

Facebook/James Hamblin

Yale lecturer James Hamblin explained why he stopped using soap while showering and deodorant for five years[/caption]

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James Hamblin explained that by washing daily, we are scrubbing off trillions of important microbe[/caption]

Hamblin’s bizarre shower ritual began after relocating from California to Brooklyn, New York, to pursue a writing career.

He needed to save time, money, and space while at the same time learning about microbiome science.

“I started learning about emerging microbiome science and decided to try going all-out for a bit,” he explained.

The National Human Genome Research Institution defines the microbiome as the collective genomes of the microbes (composed of bacteria, bacteriophage, fungi, protozoa, and viruses) that live inside and on the human body.

Hamblin argues that we’re cleaning too much, and in turn, we’re scrubbing off trillions of microbe developing on our skin and in our immune systems that protect us from bacteria.

“They are not simply harmless, but important to the skin’s function. They help teach our immune systems how to respond (or not to respond) to external triggers,” the lecturer wrote.

“The skin microbiome is the interface between our bodies and the natural world—partly us and partly not.

“Our growing understanding of this blurred barrier of self and other has the potential to revolutionize how we think about our skin and everything around and underneath it.”

Hamblin explained that when he stopped using soap, his skin “became less oily.”

“As I gradually used less and less, I started to need less and less. My skin slowly became less oily, and I got fewer patches of eczema.

“I didn’t smell like pine trees or lavender, but I also didn’t smell like the oniony body odor that I used to get when my armpits, used to being plastered with deodorant, suddenly went a day without it,” he wrote.

According to Hamblin’s girlfriend, he smelled “like a person.”

The physician believes our natural smells are far more subtle and informative than we give them credit for.

“We know from historical writings that certainly people smelled bad. We didn’t just accept all smells,” he wrote.

“Now, if someone smells sweaty or of anything less than soap, perfume or cologne, we think of that as being unclean.”

According to Hamblin, reducing daily soaping and resisting frequent washing is the key to microbiome success.