The New Trend in Unhygienic: 72-Hour Deodorant and the Death of Daily Showers

There’s a disturbing trend creeping into everyday life: deodorants and body sprays that promise “72 hours of freshness.” Seventy-two hours. Three full days. And people are buying them like it’s a revolutionary breakthrough. It’s not. It’s a symbol of how far we’ve strayed from basic hygiene. Have we really gotten that lazy?

I grew up in the Caribbean, where the heat wasn’t just uncomfortable—it was relentless. We didn’t have air conditioning, so showers weren’t just a luxury; they were survival. I’d sometimes bathe three or four times a day. It was how we stayed human. Even now, decades and many miles away from that island heat, I still shower twice a day without fail. Once in the morning to truly wake up. Once at night to rinse off the sweat, cooking smells, and stress of the day.

That commitment didn’t stop, even when life threw me into a hospital bed.

In 2020, I had my first lung collapse and was admitted for three days. They wouldn’t let me out of bed, and I wasn’t allowed to shower. It drove me absolutely insane. In 2021, when my lung collapsed again and I had pleurodesis surgery to fix it, I was stuck there for five days—and still not allowed a proper shower. I couldn’t take it. I had them leave me packs of body wipes so I could give myself a sponge bath twice a day, despite the pain and my limited mobility. I needed to feel clean. It wasn’t vanity—it was sanity.

Hygiene, to me, ranks just behind honesty in core values. I can’t trust someone who doesn’t care enough to keep their own body clean. If you’re okay walking around with layers of sweat and funk baked into your skin, what else are you comfortable letting slide?

It’s not just about smell. It’s about mindset. A clean body reflects a grounded, self-respecting person. Show me someone who can’t shower at least once a day, and I’ll show you someone out of sync. Show me a filthy, cluttered car interior, and I’ll show you a disorganized life.

Call me old-fashioned. Call me obsessive. But I’ll take soap, water, and a clean conscience over 72-hour deodorant any day.