Mila Kunis And Ashton Kutcher Believe In Bathing Their Children When 'You Can See Dirt On Them'

Jul 31, 2022 by apost team

Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher are American actors who are best known for their work on the sitcom “That '70s Show.” The show aired from 1998 to 2006 and had eight seasons and 200 episodes. It centered around the lives of a teenage friend group in the 1970s and addressed social issues during that time. The show performed well and was a commercial success, which helped launch the careers of both Kutcher and Kunis.

Kutcher is also known for his roles in films such as “Dude, Where's My Car?” in 2000, “The Butterfly Effect” in 2004 and for portraying Steve Jobs in the 2013 biographical film “Jobs.” Kunis is remembered for starring in “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” in 2008 and for providing the voice of Meg Griffin on the comedy animated series “Family Guy” since 1999.

In 2012, Kutcher and Kunis began dating and were engaged in February 2014. The couple then married in July 2015 in Oak Glen, California. When they first began dating, Kutcher was still finalizing his divorce from actress Demi Moore. Moore and Kutcher’s divorce was official in 2013. Kunis and Kutcher have two children together, a daughter named Wyatt and a son named Dimitri. The family lives in a sustainable farmhouse in Beverly Hills, California, that was designed by the couple and architect Howard Backen. 

In July 2021, Kunis and Kutcher sat down with fellow actor Dax Shepard on his podcast “Armchair Expert.” Along with co-host Monica Padman, Shephard led his guests through a conversation about cryptocurrency, Kunis’s new upcoming projects and the subject of personal hygiene. Read on to learn more about Kunis and Kutcher’s beliefs about how often children should bathe.

When the topic of personal hygiene came up during a recent episode of “Armchair Expert” it was revealed that Kutcher, Kunis and Shepard only wash “essential body parts” every day. Kutcher shared that he washes his “armpits and my crotch daily and nothing else ever” but will “throw some water on my face after a workout to get all the salts out.”

This personal cleanliness fact was surprising to some people. “I can’t believe I am in the minority here of washing my whole body in the shower. Who taught you to not wash?” Padman asked, to which Kunis replied, “I didn’t have hot water growing up as a child, so I didn’t shower much anyway.”

Kunis was born in Chernivtsi, Ukrainian SSR, in the Soviet Union and lived there till she was 7. She added, “But when I had children, I also didn’t wash them every day. I wasn’t that parent that bathed my newborns — ever.” This is not unheard of; many people choose not to bathe their babies every day unless there is a big mess to clean up. When you think about it, babies don’t get sweaty from running around and playing like children do.

However, some people disagree and think that children should be bathing every single day regardless of how they look. In the Kutcher and Kunis household, cleanliness is more black and white. “Here’s the thing: If you can see the dirt on them, clean them. Otherwise, there’s no point,” Kutcher explained. There are many different points of view on the topic, but part of the issue is often that children don’t always enjoy taking baths or showers.

apost.com

While they may not break down exactly how you should wash in the bath or shower, the American Academy of Dermatology Association has clear guidelines on when you should bathe your children before and after they hit puberty. They also have helpful advice for any parents struggling to make bath time seem appealing to their kids. 

The association says it is fine to bathe children aged 6 to 11 every day, but before puberty, they only need a wash: “at least once or twice a week, when they get dirty, such as playing in the mud, after being in a pool, lake, ocean, or other body of water, when they get sweaty or have body odor or as often as directed by a dermatologist if getting treated for a skin disease.”

With this information, it seems that Kutcher and Kunis are actually on the right track when it comes to how often their children should bathe. 

The organization added, “Dermatologists tell parents that once puberty starts, kids should shower or take a bath daily. As well as wash their face twice a day to remove oil and dirt and take a bath or shower after swimming, playing sports, sweating heavily.”

Making bath time seem like playtime can significantly help children who don’t enjoy washing up. The Association also suggests, “By making bath time fun, children often start to enjoy it. Bath time can be fun when it becomes the time your child gets to: play with a favorite (waterproof) toy, listen to favorite stories, read a book made especially for taking into the bathtub or have fun with an adventure that you create to make bath time fun.” 

Kunis also admitted to Shepard that the everyday bathing just wasn't for her and her children. “I wasn’t that parent that bathed my newborns. Ever,” she shared. According to Dr. Friedman, a professor of dermatology at George Washington School of Medicine and Health Sciences, shared that too much bathing can wash away natural moistures needed for children. “Water is probably the No. 1 irritant on the planet because it washes away the natural moisturizing factors that our skin makes,” he shared. 

Kunis and Kutcher aren't alone in their view of bathing either. Shepard and his wife Kristen Bell admitted they also don't bathe their daughters every day. The Hollywood couple shared that they follow the "foot smell test." "I'm a big fan of waiting for the stink. Once you catch a whiff, that's biology's way of letting you know you need to clean it up," Bell shared. "There's a red flag, because honestly, it's just bacteria. And once you get the bacteria, you gotta be like, 'Get in the tub or the shower' ... I wait for the stink," she added. 

Actor Jake Gyllenhaal agreed with both families' sentiments. In an interview with Vanity Fair, he admitted that he sees bathing as, "More and more I find bathing to be less necessary, at times." However, actor Dwayne Johnson preaches quite the opposite. In a tweet, Johnson shared, "Nope, I’m the opposite of a “not washing themselves” celeb," he said. "Shower (cold) when I roll outta bed to get my day rollin’. Shower (warm) after my workout before work. Shower (hot) after I get home from work. Face wash, body wash, exfoliate and I sing (off key) in the shower," he added. 

What do you think about Kutcher and Kunis’s decision to only wash their kids when they see dirt on them? What did you do when it was bath time for your children? Let us know your thoughts, and be sure to send this along to your friends and family.