Steaming crowds, overlooked pee crosses and slippery parts at the campsite; Many a festival goer can talk about it. Hygiene is often hard to find during such a party weekend. How bad is that? And what can you do to stay a bit cared for?
Festivals can be a hotbed of bacteria, research during the Zwarte Cross in 2019. Scientists from Utrecht wanted to show that hygiene was declining during a weekend, but could draw all their conclusions on day one.
“75 percent of the visitors had a poop bacterium on their hands,” says lead researcher Len Lipman. “At a Belgian festival we came across the same percentages last year. That does not automatically mean that there is a big risk. The average festival visitor is probably more likely to get sick of the alcohol than contact with bacteria.”
Poepbacteria can spread in all sorts of ways, for example from Dixies, or festival meadows where normally cows walk around. You only get sick as soon as they get into your mouth. “That does not happen immediately with one bacterium,” says Lipman. “And your own resistance also plays a role. But you do well anyway to wash your hands before you eat something.”
Clean without soap?
Taps at festivals are not always equipped with soap. Isn’t it better to take disinfectant gel with you? “Even without soap, washing hands works quite reasonably to reduce that bacterial group,” says Lipman. “With disinfecting gel there are two disadvantages. If your hands are just dirty because of earth or mud, the effect of the gel decreases. And on wet hands it also works much less. So make sure you first dry your hands before you want to use the gel.”
Personal hygiene sometimes goes overboard at a festival. Are you really going to stand in that long line for the shower, or do you run on to the performance that you had been looking forward to? Dermatologist Ellen de Haas explains that your body does not necessarily need a shower every day.
“If you sit behind a desk all day, it is nonsense to shower every day,” she says. “You actually plague your skin with soap and water. You can get itching or eczema from that. At a festival your skin will get a little faster, but that will only cause you to get wounds or a bad immune system. A healthy festival goer can have something.”
A deodouche is ‘real not done’
But of course there are also the people around you. Festivalmates will probably not thank you if you don’t shower from Thursday to Monday. Should we just go for the famous deodouche? “That’s really not done,” laughs De Haas. “Of course you don’t get cleaner either. If you really have to, you better rub yourself with a nice smelling cream. But try to shower at least once or twice at a festival, or jump into a neighboring lake.”
If you want to freshen up your hair, then dry shampoo is an option. Spray it in your hair, let it work so that the fat is absorbed and then grab your brush or hair dryer. Just don’t do it too often. With days of use you can get itching or rose.
The last care in the hygiene area is probably still around your wrist, when you get home after a weekend party. A festival band may be a nice souvenir, it also flows full of bacteria if you leave it for longer. Do you want to prevent blisters, boils and infections? Then grab scissors as soon as you finally get back under your own shower.
Steaming Crowds, Overflowing Urinals, and Slippery Sitations at The Campsite; Many a festival-gurer can relate. Hygiene is of Hard to Find Turning Such A Festival Weekend. How bad is that? And what can you do to stay a bit cared for?
Festivals can be a breeding ground for bacteria, as shown by research the black cross in 2019. Scientists from Utrecht University Wanted to demonstrate that hygiene decreased over a weekend, but they already able to draw their Conclusions on day one.
“75 percent of visitors had a fecal bacteria on their hands,” Says Lead Researcher Len Lipman. “At a Belgian Festival Last Year, we encountered the same percentages. That Doesn’tsn’t automatically mean there’s a high risk. The Average Festival-Gur is Probably More Likely to Get Sick From The Alcohol Than Contact With Bacteria.”
Fecal Bacteria can spread in all sorts of ways, for example from dixies, or festival meadows where cows normally roam. You only get sick from it once it gets into your mouth. “That Doessn’t Happen Immediately with One Bacterium,” Says Lipman. “And your own resistance also plays a role. But you should always wash your hands before you eat something.”
Clean Without Soap?
Taper at festivals are not always equipped with soap. Shouldn’t You Bring Disinfectant Gel Instead? “Just without Soap, Washing your hands works QUITE well to reduce that Bacteria Group,” Says Lipman. “There are two disadvantages to disinfectant gel. If your hands are just dirty from soil or mud, the effect of the gel decreases. And it also works less good on law hands. So make sure you dry your hands first before you want to use the gel.”
Personal Hygiene Sometimes Goes Overboard at A Festival. Are you really going to stand in that long line for the shower, or are you just running to the performance you were so looking forward to? Dermatologist Ellen de Haas Explains that your body Doesn’tn’t Necessarily Need a Shower Every Day.
“If you sit behind a desk all day, it’s nonsense to shower every day anyway,” She says. “You’re actual bone lingering your skin with so much soap and water. You can get itching or eczema from that. Your skin will get dirty a bit faster at a festival, but you’ll only suffer from that with open wounds or a poor ir. Beit System.”
A Deodorant Shower is ‘really not done’
But of course there are also the people around you. FELLOW Festival-geers Probably won appreciate it if you don’t shower from Thursday to Monday. Should we go for the famous deodorant shower after all? “That’s really not done,” Laughs de Haas. “You don’t get any cleaner from that either. If you really have to, you’d better rub yourself with a nice-smelling cream. But at least try to shower once or twice at a festival, or jump into a nearby lake.”
If you want to freshen up your hair, dry shampoo is an option. Spray it into your hair, let it sit for a while that the grease is absorbed and then grab your brush or hair dryer. Just don’t do it too. With days of use you can get itching or dandruff.
The Last Hygiene Concern is a probably still on your wrist when you get home after a weekend of partying. A festival bracelet may be a nice souvenir, but it also fills up with bacteria if you leave it on for too long. Do you want to prevent Blisters, Boils and Infections? Then grab a pair of scissors as soon as you finally step under your own shower again.