Modern society tells us certain grooming routines are givens, like brushing your teeth twice a day, using toilet paper, getting haircuts, and showering daily, scrubbing every nook and cranny of your being. But according to Dr. Robynne Chutkan, who founded the Digestive Center for Women in Chevy Chase, Maryland, the soaps we use actually expose us to harmful bacteria and viruses, while making us more likely to get acne. Basically, everything we thought we knew about staying clean is a lie. Sort of.

"By scouring ourselves in the shower every day, we are actually stripping our skin of bacteria that keep us acne-and eczema-free," Chutkan told Time. Additionally, she says that by removing bacteria from our bodies, it makes our immune systems less likely to be able to differentiate between good and bad bacteria.

Now, it doesn't seem like washing with a bar of soap is going to lead to a real life version of the movie Contagion (though if Jude Law and Matt Damon are gonna be there, we'd at least consider it), but there are a few no-no's according to the good doctor. Chief among them is hand sanitizer, which should only be used if "you’ve been hanging out in an Ebola ward."

Though we still think it's wise to cleanse yourself after a Soul Cycle class, we can get down with using all natural soaps that are free of bacteria-annihilating chemicals. You can find them at your local crunchy health food store, or online here.

Jake Woolf is a writer who has covered men’s style for over ten years and has contributed to GQ since 2014. A graduate of Parsons The New School for Design (good school, long name), he also has bylines at Robb Report, HighSnobiety, Pitchfork, and the defunct #menswear website Four Pins... Read moreWriterXRelated Stories for GQBathroom and ShowerGroomingSkincare