The Dirty Truth About Showering and Handwashing

Summary

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Podcast Summary: "The Dirty Truth About Showering and Handwashing"

Podcast: Chasing Life with Dr. Sanjay Gupta (CNN Podcasts)
Episode Air Date: September 16, 2025

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Overview

In this enlightening and practical episode, Dr. Sanjay Gupta answers real listener questions about daily health practices, focusing on the safety of essential oil diffusers and the realities of showering and handwashing. Dr. Gupta unpacks common hygiene myths, explores the science behind cleanliness and exposure, and even brings in insights from physician-journalist Dr. James Hamblin. The episode emphasizes balancing comfort, cultural practices, and health, delivering actionable advice for everyday well-being.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Are Essential Oil Diffusers Bad for You?

Segment starts at 01:58

• Essential Oils & Diffusers: Dr. Gupta explains that essential oil diffusers are widespread in homes and public spaces, often used to create a calming atmosphere.
• Chemical Composition: Essential oils are concentrated plant extracts containing a wide variety of chemicals: alcohols, aldehydes, esters, ethers, ketones, phenols, and terpenes. The chemical profile differs widely between oils and even between batches of the same oil.
• What’s in the Air: When used in diffusers, essential oils emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are gases that may irritate the respiratory system.
• Health Risks: People with asthma, COPD, or sensitivities are at higher risk. Symptoms of sensitivity can include coughing, nose and throat irritation, and shortness of breath.
  • Dr. Gupta:

    "Studies have found, for example, that popular essential oils, such as lavender, orange, rose, tea tree, eucalyptus, they can all... release these VOCs into the air." (03:09)

• Regulation Issues: Essential oils are not regulated in the U.S., so ingredients and potential contaminants can vary by brand.
• Best Practices for Safer Use:
  • Use only as directed by the manufacturer
  • Ensure ventilation
  • Dilute oils appropriately
  • Avoid use in small, unventilated spaces
  • Be aware that other products (candles, incense) can cause similar issues
• Memorable Advice: If using a diffuser or similar product causes any negative reaction, stop immediately.

2. The Truth About Showering Frequency

Segment starts at 06:44

• Common Practice: Most people, especially in the U.S., shower once a day—but is this necessary?
• Cultural vs. Medical Need: Hygiene habits are largely driven by culture and psychology, not purely by health requirements.
  • Dr. James Hamblin:

    "Almost all of it is cultural, social, psychological, personal preference... the rest of it is making you look and feel and smell good." (07:17)

• Showering & Soap: Daily showering is not a medical necessity. You only need soap when there’s actual dirt, grease, or sticky residues.
  • Dr. Hamblin:

    "Soap... is an extremely valuable tool if you have grease on your hands or if you have really oily skin... But something like sweat will come off with water." (08:23)

• Main Takeaway: For everyday cleanliness, rinsing with water is often enough. Use soap when there's grease/grime; soap supercharges cleaning for stubborn residues.

3. When and How Should You Wash Your Hands?

Segment starts at 09:07

• Critical Times: After using the bathroom, before eating, when sick, or following contact with potentially dirty substances.
  • Dr. Hamblin:

    "I'm washing my hands after I use the bathroom because there is this evidence that we need to do this to... remove any possible transmission of microbes..." (09:08)

• Quality Over Quantity: No evidence supports washing your hands obsessively (like every five minutes) makes you healthier.
• Proper Technique: Wash for at least 20 seconds, including your thumbs, and wash purposefully after relevant activities.

4. Kids, Dirt, and Immunity

Segment starts at 09:55

• Don’t Fear Dirt: Over-sanitizing may deprive children of necessary environmental exposures.
  • Dr. Hamblin:

    "Exposure is important, too. You know, you are building essentially all these exposures in the same way that you want to expose a kid to arts and music. But a lot of people don’t think that same way about just worldly exposures." (09:55)

• Real-world Exposure: Letting children play outside, interact with animals, and mingle with people (while avoiding direct exposure to illness) can help build their immune systems.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Essential Oils:
  "There’s hardly any regulation around this, so reactions can be very different depending on the different type of plant oil or even from brand to brand." — Dr. Sanjay Gupta (04:10)

• On Handwashing:
  "Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds and make sure to wash your thumbs. It’s amazing how many people forget to do that." — Dr. Sanjay Gupta (09:23)

• On Dirt and Immunity:
  "You don’t want to encase yourself in a bubble... a little dirt isn’t just okay, it’s probably good." — Dr. Sanjay Gupta (09:55)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:58 — Are essential oil diffusers safe?
• 03:09 — VOCs in essential oils and health risks
• 04:10 — Lack of regulation in essential oils
• 07:17 — Showering habits: cultural vs. medical necessity (Dr. Hamblin)
• 08:23 — When soap is necessary
• 09:07 — Handwashing: what matters and why
• 09:55 — Embracing dirt for immunity in children

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Final Takeaways

• Diffusers and essential oils can emit potentially harmful chemicals—especially dangerous for sensitive individuals—but can be used more safely with ventilation, dilution, and adherence to manufacturer instructions.
• Daily showering is about comfort and culture, not necessity. Wash with soap when truly soiled, but otherwise, water works fine.
• Handwashing should be intentional and thorough, especially after riskier activities—but avoid over-washing.
• Letting kids get a little dirty supports immune health; exposure is crucial for resilience.

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Transcript

[A]

Welcome to Paging Dr. Gupta. This is the place where we get to tackle the questions that matter the most to you, drawn straight from your daily lives. And I love this because I get to hear your voice, I get to hear about your experience, and we bring your genuine concerns front and center. Kira's here. Who do we have first?

[B]

Hey, Sanjay. So first up today, we have a listener who called in about diffusers and essential oils. I was very interested in this because I use my diffuser multiple times a week. And so selfishly, I just also need to know your take on this. Take a listen.

[C]

The diffusers that people have in their homes with all the essential oils, I recently went to a functional medicine doctor and they had that right next to me where I was sitting. And it just kind of bothers me. But I'm not sure if the chemicals or the essential oils they're putting into the air are good for us or if they might be bad for us. I love your podcast. I always look forward to new episodes. Thank you so much. Bye.

[A]

Okay, thank you. You know, there is no doubt that these diffusers have become really popular. I know exactly what this listener is talking about. They are popular in the home. They are popular in public spaces. So if they are emitting irritating chemicals into the air, it could affect a lot of people. So we'll get to the answer right after the break.

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[D]

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[B]

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[A]

All right, I hear the pager going off. That can only mean it's time for the next question.

[B]

All right, switching gears. This next one is about hygiene and I feel like everyone's wondered this at some point, but maybe doesn't ask it out loud. But this listener did take a listen.

[D]

Hey Sanjay, how often should you bathe? How often should you wash your hands? Please answer them on your shows.

[A]

Well, I think most of us shower probably once a day. But a lot of people have been asking, is that really necessary? And it turns out a lot of our hygiene habits are driven by culture much more than health.

[D]

Almost all of it is cultural, social, psychological, personal preference. And that is not at all to belittle the importance of it. But if you look at the actual way, many of those products are actually doing anything to prevent disease transmission outside of washing your hands and actually making sure you don't have like bodily fluids on you or blood or vomit or anything else that might transmit disease. The rest of it is making you look and feel and MSMELL Good.

[A]

That's Dr. James Hamblin. He's a physician and a journalist that was on the podcast. Earlier this year he wrote a whole book about hygiene called Clean, and in it he set out to challenge norms around showering. He even went years without using soap or shampoo to understand the science behind doing less to stay clean. So for sure, showering every day is not a medical necessity. If you like how it makes you feel, then great. But from a health standpoint, you don't have to. The real question then I guess, when do you actually need soap?

[D]

It's an extremely valuable tool. If you have grease on your hands. If you have really oily skin, but usually it's more the mechanical force that's doing most of the washing. Soap. When you rub your hands together under water, you're getting a lot of that off the soap. Especially, you know, you've got honey or motor oil on your. On your hands. You need something to help break that sticky attachment to your skin. But something like sweat will come off with water.

[A]

So what he's saying then is that for most days, a quick rinse is probably going to do the job. But if there's grease or grime or things that don't wash off easily, then you want to bring in the extra soap. Hand washing, though, I think that's actually a different beast. And that's where being intentional really matters.

[D]

I'm washing my hands after I use the bathroom because there is this evidence that we need to do this to, you know, remove any possible transmission of microbes that might happen during that time. But, you know, it's not hygiene to wash your hands every five minutes. There's no evidence that that would make you any healthier.

[A]

And when you do wash your hands, make sure you're doing, doing it properly. Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds and make sure to wash your thumbs. It's amazing how many people forget to do that. Wash your hands with purpose before eating, after the bathroom, certainly when you're sick or if you have to come into contact with anything unhygienic. But you don't need to be scrubbing constantly. And the other thing, as a parent myself, I just want to say that a little dirt isn't just okay, it's probably good.

[D]

You don't want to encase yourself in a bubble. And I know as a parent, you know, it's very easy to err on the side of protect, protect, keep everything away. You know, constantly clean the kid. It's. It's just easier and simpler to think, let's err on the side of hygiene. But exposure is important, too. You know, you are building essentially all these exposures in the same way that you want to expose a kid to arts and music. But a lot of people don't think that same way about just worldly exposures. So, yeah, if the kid can pet a dog, if somebody else can hold your kid and give him a hug, I'm all for it. I think that's a valuable thing in the same way that trying to keep the kid away from somebody who's sneezing in their face is valuable.

[A]

So don't stress if your kid plays in the yard or cuddles with the dog. That's actually part of building a healthy immune system. So here's the best takeaway. Bathe as much as you like, but remember, that is mostly about culture and comfort more so than health. But when it comes to your hands, wash with intention. Thanks to everyone who sent in questions. I say this all the time, but it's true the show would not exist without you, and I'm really glad you're part of it. If there's something health related you've been wondering about, don't keep it to yourself. Share it with us. Remember, record a voice memo, email it to asksanjaynn.com or give us a call 470-396-0832 and leave a message. Thanks for listening. I'll be back on Friday.

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