James Hamblin Photo: Nicolas Pollock / The Atlantic
When James Hamblin first stopped washing he got very smelly.
But then things started to change.
Hamblin is a senior editor at The Atlantic and he's been working on a series about the microbiome – the bacteria that lives on us. We mess with the delicate balance by washing ourselves too often, and using chemical laden detergents, deodorants and soaps.
So he decided to forgo washing or using deodorant.
He tells Jesse Mulligan what happened.