Doctor who hasn't washed with soap for 4 years leaves This Morning fans divided

A doctor who admitted he hasn’t washed for four years left This Morning viewers divided on Monday’s show.

Speaking to Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford via video-link, Dr. James Hamblin explained to the hosts why he decided to stop washing with soap.

‘It was part of an experiment I was doing, and part of just trying to be a bit more minimalistic,’ he began.

‘I wanted to see personally if it was possible, this became a trend you might have seen called “no shampoo”, and at the same time, I was learning about skin microbiome for a story I was working on.’

‘And it turns out there are trillions of microbes all over you and there are companies now that are starting to sell pro-biotics skin products, which would mean putting microbes on to you in the same way people do for their gut,’ he continued.

‘So I thought why are we washing them off in the first place if there are some that might be helpful to us.’

Dr Hamblin, who said he does still wash his hands, went on to add: ‘It turns out that most microbes that live on us, the trillions that are there are either neutral or beneficial to us.

‘So I thought maybe we should just not be washing them off so I started to experiment with it and before you know it, I haven’t gone back to using body soaps, lotions or shampoos or conditioners.’

The interview sparked a mixed reaction from viewers, with many admitting the idea of not washing for four years ‘grossed them out’.

The current guidelines laid out by the government state that you must wash your hands with soap for at least 20 seconds to reduce the risk of catching coronavirus.

It is especially important to wash hands before handling food or eating.

This Morning airs weekdays at 10am on ITV.

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