Celebrity bathing debate: what's going on with Hollywood's new (and kind of gross) trend?

It's the trend dividing Hollywood: the celebrity bathing debate is providing some, um, interesting insights into A-listers' personal hygiene preferences. Some super-famous folks appear to take a lax approach to showering (ahem, Jake Gyllenhaal), while others like to suds it up several times a day. (The Rock doesn't fool around.) 

In the last few weeks, several celebrity interviews have oddly led to actors sharing curious details about their personal showering habits—or lack thereof. 

Read on to learn more about where your favorite stars stand. And, if the thought of this debate alone is giving you the heebie jeebies, we suggest you stock up on the best shampoo bars and a few bath bombs to calm your nerves.

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The celebrity bathing debate: Who's involved? 

1. Jake Gyllenhaal

In a candid Q&A with Vanity Fair (opens in new tab), Jake Gyllenhaal gave us an update about being the new face of Prada’s Luna Rossa Ocean, his favorite boat scenes in movies and where he stands on the loofah. 

"More and more I find bathing to be less necessary, at times," Gyllenhaal told the publication. "I do believe...that good manners and bad breath get you nowhere. So I do that. But I do also think that there's a whole world of not bathing that is also really helpful for skin maintenance, and we naturally clean ourselves."

2. Dax Shepard and Kristen Bell

Although the power couple used to begin their children's nighttime routine with a bath before bed, somehow, that system has changed over time to include less regular showers for the parents and their brood. 

"I’m a big fan of waiting for the stink," Bell admitted on The View. "Once you catch a whiff, that’s biology’s way of letting you know you need to clean it up."

3. Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis

That '70s Show's TV couple-turned-IRL couple shares a similar viewpoint to Shephard and Bell. 

While on Shephard's Armchair Expert podcast (opens in new tab), Kutcher said: "I wash my armpits and my crotch daily, and nothing else ever. I got a bar of Lever 2000 that just delivers every time. Nothing else."

The Ukraine-born Kunis had a more practical—and even emotional—reasoning for her children's limited showering routines.

"I didn't have hot water growing up as a child, so I didn't shower very much anyway."

Meanwhile, there are celebrities on the other, cleaner side of the debate, like The Rock, who believe in not one but three showers per day. See who is in favor of the opposing view: 

So, how often should we really be bathing?

Now that we're on the topic of bathing, we're certainly curious about which approach to showering is most appropriate: less is best or more is more? 

According to findings from Harvard Medical School (opens in new tab), two-thirds of Americans shower every day, and over 80% of Australians shower daily. While some are all for hopping in the shower every 24 hours, there is a layer of oil and “good” bacteria that threatens to be eliminated with daily showers, per Harvard's study. 

Healthline (opens in new tab) echoes Harvard's findings and reported that daily showers do have the possibility of leading to dry, itchy skin and skin condition flare-ups. Overall, experts do have different thoughts—some say bathe daily, others say bathe every other day—but it's important to listen to your body and do what works best for your skin.

So, maybe Gyllenhaal and co. are possibly onto something...right? We, however, will stick to our bath time!