People Might Not, But Science Supports Mila Kunis’ Approach to Kids’ Shower

Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher recently revealed that they only bathe their two children when they could actually see the dirt on them. 

Naturally, fans took to social media to weigh in for and against the celebrity couple's choice of hygiene discrepancies. However, the experts seem to have sided with the couple. 

Kunis & Kutcher on Bathing Habits

During an appearance on the Armchair Expert podcast, Kunis admitted she hadn't been bathed much as a child because apparently, her household didn't have access to hot water when she was growing up. 

Then, when she became a parent herself, she also chose not to wash her children every day. She added, 

I wasn't that parent that bathed my newborns—ever.

Kutcher jumped into the conversation and added that they only bathed their kids if they could see the dirt on them. "Otherwise, there is no point," he said. 

The couple also disclosed their own washing routines. Kutcher explained that he rarely bathed his whole body and only washed his face after hitting the gym. He would, however, wash his crotch and armpits every day.

Kunis agreed with her husband and admitted that she too only washed her private parts and breasts daily.

The Internet Reacted

The couple received a mixed bag of comments from fans after they made the revelation. Some fans were outright disgusted, while others understood or agreed with the couple. Some were enraged at the fact that two celebrities' bathing habits made headlines. 

"This is why we’re the laughing stock of the world. One of our major news outlets is reporting on the bathing pattern of celebrities," wrote a user on Twitter. 

Another added, "Things like this are why I never rock with office potlucks. Too many household hygiene discrepancies." 

"Honestly, if you feel you need to shower daily to not stink, you should probably look at your diet or living conditions because that’s definitely not normal," chimed another. 

The Experts Say...

The American Academy of Dermatology Association, however, explains that children between the ages of six and eleven do not need to take a bath every day. The institution suggests bathing once or twice a week. 

Moreover, much like Kunis and Kutcher, the experts suggested bathing children if they get dirty, go into a body of water, get sweaty, or have body odor, unless they are being treated for a skin disease. In that case, they should bathe as often as their dermatologist suggests. 

As for adults, IFL Science reported that while having daily shower has the benefit of reducing body odor, there is a possibility that doing so could potentially damage one's microbiomes.

The outlet also cited a study published in Science Advances that claimed protecting the natural microbiome may benefit humans if we could learn to live without daily showers.

The study was conducted on the members of an isolated Yanomami Amerindian village who had no previous contact with the western world. The researchers discovered the subjects hosted the largest diversity of bacteria and genetic functions ever reported in a human group. 

The subjects did have no contact with antibiotics. Still, they had bacteria in their bodies that had functional antibiotic resistance genes.