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Save Water, Shower like Zac Efron

Save Water, Shower like Zac Efron

The blogs were abuzz this weekend with news of stinky men. The gossip site, Just Jared, reported that Zac Efron, the star of Disney's "High School Musical," is so committed to the environment that he doesn't take regular showers—or maybe he's just lazy. A source on the set says that if he gets too rank, he uses baby wipes.

It sounds extreme, but he's saving 25 to 50 gallons of water for every shower he skips, and it's not just teenybopper actors who prefer a more natural scent. The eco celebrity blog Ecorazzi.com wrote that Matthew McConaughey hasn't worn deodorant in 20 years, and Orlando Bloom wears the same pair of jeans for a week before washing them.

If you're not ready to abandon your daily routine, try these tips to significantly reduce the amount of water you use:

Navy Shower
Sailors with a limited freshwater supply use this method at sea. First you turn the water on and get your entire body wet. Immediately turn the water off. Then, lather up and do all necessary scrubbing and loofa-ing. Turn the water back on and rinse off. Then, go swab the deck.

Low Flow Water Heads
The average showerhead spews out water at a rate of about 8-gallons-per-minute. This can really add up, depending on how long you need to get a thorough wash. Low-flow heads can cut water use in half, they're easy to install and can cost between $10 and $50 depending on how fancy you want to get.

Save the Shave
If you can't give up your daily showers, then think about going without some of your daily grooming activities. Do your shaving and/or hair washing every other day or once a week if you can stand it. [Just Jared & Lifehacker]

Posted: 6/16/08