I prefer while I'm cooking.

Here is some more detail for you - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxrZBYHHoGc

EDIT - And let's not forget the golden shower, which is best IN BED

I cannot go to bed with daily dirt still on me. I have to shower before I go to bed. Also showering before going to bed will remove allergens from your hair like pollen and dust which can keep you up at night if you are have allergies.

I always shower before bed, then my mate has no issues with me snuggling up to her and then snu snu may be a possibility ;)

I take a bath in Dead Sea salts in the early evening, usually right after I get home from work, 2-3 times a week, which acts as a Magnesium supplement for me. If my hair is bothering me, or won't behave (since I've been "no soap, no-poo" for most of my life because of allergic reactions to soaps and detergents), I shower in the morning... I find that the action of the shower wakes me up, and is very stimulating, so I tend to prefer to confine my showers to mornings only.

I can't wake up without a good shower. It's not clear to me that showers are all that healthy to begin with. Did our ancestors take 20min showers in hot flourinated chlorinated water? I'm guessing they bathed in streams and lakes every once in a while. I'm sure they stunk but that didn't seem to stop them from making babies that led to us.

I dont have shower in my appartment, have to walk cross the yard. Its good during winter, i always walk more or less naked. Cold exposure seems to help with my sleep. And the old lady neighbour has something to watch, maybe.

I always shower before bed because I hate feeling dirty and in case my hubby or I want to do the horizontal caveman dance. :-) That being said, I usually take a quick shower in the morning as well to wake up.

IMO you take a shower whenever you feel like it unless your access to water is restricted. Having too many "rules" is a neolithic condition that is easily broken in your personal life.

If I feel like lounging around all day and not showering at all, that's my business.

If I shower in the morning and then get sweaty (get your mind out of the gutter, I meant laundry :-)) then I'll take another. If I'm too tense or hot to go to sleep I'll take a 3rd.

Before you yell at me for wasting resources, I turn the water on and off and probably use the least possible water. Also, staying up late using appliances or having to launder dirty sheets uses resources too.

I take a shower most mornings to wash my hair and body, and a bath most evenings before bed for relaxation. I'm not really sure there is a best way. I think it's mostly just lifestyle and personal preference.

I shower when I need it, in summer that's usually more often. In winter on a day that I don't exercise - I most likely don't shower, just a quick wipe with a damp cloth of face and crotch (in that order!) You skin will love you for it. Usually at the end of a day. Think outside the box with your whole life. Scrub your skin vigorously everyday, right up there with eat your grains if you ask me, just because it's the social norm, conventional wisdom doesn't make it right. But on the other hand, don't be a stinker like Steve Jobs was in his youth (according to his biography, the dude wreaked from not bathing hardly at all back then).

Over bathing makes you stink more not less. More not less, it's counterintuitive. Leave your skin be and find an equilibrium.

IF you have sleeping issues, showering before bed can affect that by waking you up, though some find a hot soak in a bath is very useful for its soporific qualities. In the morning, personally I just don't have time to shower on work days, unless I got up 10 mins earlier, I would rather have 10 mins of extra sleep.

this is an interesting read. I have quoted the section on over washing. link text

From a young age, we're taught that the daily use of a hot shower, copious amounts of soap and a scratchy washcloth are necessary to rid ourselves of dangerous microorganisms and the putrid smell of human skin. And if you aren't squeaky-clean, you can forget about dating, career advancement and the promise of a future that doesn't involve dying alone in a den of your own filth.

As it turns out, showering or bathing daily, while it may make us more socially acceptable, wreaks havoc on something hilariously called the horny layer. Hot water, soap and abrasive surfaces strip off the horny layer, exposing living cells to the elements. And although we've just used the words "strip," "exposing" and "horny" in the same sentence, we assure you that this is not the making of a sexy situation. On the contrary, damaging this protective layer of skin makes us more susceptible to disease.

Before recent modern conveniences, people bathed less often, and frequently in the same water. Even nowadays, showering doesn't kill bacteria or other microorganisms, though it does move them around. A colony of bacteria living on your shower wall might move to your leg; a colony from your leg might move to your head; a colony from your groin might even take up residence on your hands. For this reason, surgeons in many hospitals are not allowed to shower right before operating.

Studies have shown that there are no measurable differences in the number of microorganism colonies a person is host to regardless of how frequently that person showers. Of course, using antibacterial soaps can kill microorganisms, though in an effort not to create too many super bacteria, medical experts generally recommend not using these soaps daily.

So how the hell are we meant to do it?

The most important thing to do to keep the skin healthy is to preserve the horny layer. There's no magic number of showers each week, though it's generally agreed that the number would fall somewhat shy of seven. Skipping showers, or, if you'd like a fancy French term, celebrating sans douche days, gives your skin time to repair some of the damage that the last shower caused.

When you shower, use warm or cool water and a mild soap (if at all), and rehydrate the horny layer by rubbing on some moisturizer afterward. Better yet, convince an attractive friend to help with this. Once you've cleaned up, you'll want to make sure you air dry. Ignore protesting roommates or family members and remind them, as you're drip-drying at the breakfast table, that they should be grateful you're showering only a couple of times a week.

(wiseass answer) Just have your domesticated pet wolf lick you clean, no need for anything more. Your skin will be as shiny and as healthy as her coat.