First Bath

[Zincubus]

No need to bathe the snake. This will do more harm then good. It will strip the oils that aid in the shedding process and stress your snake out. Create a humid hide by putting some damp sphagnum moss in the snake's hide and that should help.

Is there any scientific evidence to support this idea of washing the natural oils out of a snake's skin ?

Sounds rather like one of those made-up stories ...
Like the one where we all swallow spiders in the night ...