A good shower is a simple shower, no matter what influencers recommend

You may be seeing elaborate shower cleansing routines on social media: daily exfoliation, double cleansing, antibacterial soap, loads of scented body scrubs and shower oils. "I'm kind of appalled by the shower routines," said Dr. Olga Bunimovich, a practicing dermatologist and assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh. The multistep processes that have inspired people to spend endless amounts of time sudsing up can harm your skin—and the environment. Dermatologists say it's all mostly unnecessary. "Your skin is a barrier," said Dr. Nicole Negbenebor, a dermatologic surgeon at the University of Iowa Health Care. "It's one of the biggest barriers you have. It's you in your natural elements. So you want to treat it right, and then sometimes there can be too much of a good thing." A shower is a relatively simple routine that usually doesn't require 10 steps or a plethora of products. A daily shower with lukewarm water and a fragrance-free, hypoallergenic cleanser—followed by hydrating lotion or oil afterward—will do the trick. "Double cleansing" is unnecessary. Some influencers suggest that a skincare routine isn't complete without exfoliation and what's called double cleansing. The latter is typically reserved for facial skincare routines, especially when you're wearing makeup, and involves using an oil-based cleanser to break down makeup and excess oil, followed by a water-based cleanser to remove any remaining residue. Experts said you don't need to bring that practice to the full body. "Not only do I not think that we need to double cleanse our skin … people overuse soap all the time," Bunimovich said. "You should not be soaping up all of your skin, period." Showers account for nearly 17 percent of Americans' indoor water use, the Environmental Protection Agency says. Multiple states in moderate to severe drought conditions have called for water conservation efforts this year—including taking shorter showers. If you want to get clean and retain your natural oils, a lukewarm shower that gives you enough time to clean your body should do the trick in most cases. This article was provided by The Associated Press.