The Everything Shower
Written by Lila Mabanta
As a morning showerer, I’m one of those people who feels like they can’t function as a proper human without a shower first thing. On a daily basis, my shower has a consistent routine, only varying on whether it’s a hair wash day or not. But, then we have something bigger than the daily shower— the everything shower. That’s for specific occasions, the warmer weather, or when I make the time for it (because, embarrassingly, they take a lot of time). So, the everything shower is not for the weak, I need to think about it ahead of time to properly plan my time in the morning. Thus, it's ideal for the weekends, or summertime largely. Nonetheless, let me walk you through mine, and hopefully recommend some good products to you!
I’ve probably mentioned this countless times, but my shower must always begin with my morning routine. That includes brushing my teeth (with the regular stuff–nothing fancy here), washing my face with Dermalogica’s Special Cleansing Gel, and if not washing my hair, pulling it back into a scrunchie bun and covering my head with a shower cap that you can get from Target or CVS. However, in the case of an everything shower, hair washing is included, so I’ll just leave it down.
In my showers, I will admit I use warm water (although I do try my best to lower the temperature whenever my hair is directly under the stream). Maybe in the future, I’ll incorporate more cold water showers (wellness doesn’t need to be perfect). I’ll start with Curology’s Acne Body Wash on my upper back and chest, which contains benzoyl peroxide. If you suffer from body acne, this product works like a gem.
For my hair wash, I’ve been loving Maui Moisture’s Lightweight Hydration and Hibiscus Water shampoo and conditioner. I find that it’s a great fit for my moderately thin, wavy hair, and listed at such a great price. I’ll start with the shampoo only on my roots, and then use my GSQ by GLAMSQUAD Scalp Massager to exfoliate my scalp and make sure the shampoo is reaching enough. Once in a while, I’ll use MONDAY Haircare CLARIFY Shampoo instead, to remove any buildup on my scalp from hair products, especially dry shampoo. While the shampoo is sitting on my head, I’ll use my bar soap. Yes…I am a bar soap person, specifically from Dove. I feel whenever I try a different soap brand, it doesn’t fully wash off, or I’m not a fan of its shape. After I do my usual cleaning, which takes maybe 2 minutes at most, I’ll rinse out the shampoo, where it can flow through the rest of my hair, and then squeeze the water out.
Now, I have two tiers of my everything shower. One is my more regular everything shower, and the other is a truly special occasion everything shower (more so when I have the extra time, or honestly, remember to do this step). On my special occasion everything shower, I’ll use a hair mask. Now, I don’t consider myself a hair expert, so I just try to follow whatever the product’s directions say. Currently, in my possession, I have Ouai’s Fine to Medium Hair Treatment Masque, and the Virtue Restorative Treatment Mask (which to be as frank as possible, I got for free). I do think, though, that my hair can always benefit from some more hydration, so if I do remember to use one, I’ll cover my hair in it (depending on where the product says), and then let it sit while I start my next shower step. However, in my regular everything shower, which is much more often, I’ll just jump straight to conditioner. For this, I combine my Maui conditioner, and Moroccan Oil Blonde Perfecting Purple Conditioner (context: I’ve been growing out my dyed blonde for over a year, so the majority of my hair is its natural coloring, thus I only need to tone the end. I’ll cover my hair with the conditioner mixture from the nape of my neck to my ends. I’ll then split my hair into two pieces and brush my fingers through it to evenly distribute the product.
While either the hair mask or conditioner is on my hair, I’ll shut off the water and use a body scrub. I like to switch between a Tree Hut scrub–currently the Strawberry Shea Sugar Scrub–or BrklynBarSoap’s Vegan Coffee Scrub. The Tree Hut scrubs are almost like a body wash with a more liquid, thick texture, while the coffee scrub is much more porous, sandy consistency. I’ll lather this all over my body with my hands. I used to use a loofah, but I felt it sometimes stole too much of the product, and that I probably didn’t switch it out often enough. I’ve also used Boie’s Flat Body Scrubber, which is a more sustainable, hygienic option for a loofah, but all in all, my hands are always the easiest. I’ll then start the water up again, and rinse the scrub off. If I’ve used a hair mask, at this point I might wash it out and go to my conditioner, or if only conditioner, make sure my hair avoids the water.
Next, I’ll rinse my razor. After many trials and errors, I’ve found that men’s razors work the best. My favorite are the Schick Xtreme disposable razors, as I believe they work very well, are comfortable in my hands, and minimize cuts during shaving. I’ll again shut off the water so I can cover my body in shaving cream. I’ve been using the EOS Sensitive Skin Shave Cream for years, as it’s more like a lotion than a whipped cream, is very moisturizing, has a lot of product in its bottle, and also helps to avoid cuts. Now is when I’ll shave, and often turn the water on every few steps to rinse the razor.
Afterwards, I’ll use bar soap again to wash anything left, and follow up with body wash on my legs and arms. Currently, I’ve been liking Method’s Magnolia Hydrating Body Wash. I’ll then rinse out my conditioner, ideally at a cooler water temperature, rinse off everything else, and then squeeze the water out of my hair before stepping out.
Out of the shower, I love my Turbie Twist microfiber hair towel, and Target Bath Body Wrap towel, which as you can see, means I go for convenience, because both towels have either a loop or velcro strip that keeps them intact and from falling off (I’ve always been bad at towel work). After my limbs are dry, I’ll use body lotion wherever I had shaved. My favorite is the OGX Beauty Extra Strength Radiant Glow + Argan Oil of Morocco Lotion. If there’s any possibility of razor bumps, I’ll use the Gigi No Bump Topical Solution as well.
Lastly, I’ll finish with the rest of my morning skincare routine, which you can read about in my last article, Getting Real About Non-Comedogenic Products. For my hair, I’ll take the towel off and wring it, brush my hair with my Tangle Teezer brush (truly the best brush for getting out knots and tangles), and then comb it with my Wet Brush Detangling Comb (since my hair is naturally wavy, I only brush it when it’s wet). To then air dry my hair, I scrunch it with John Frieda’s Air Dry Waves Styling Foam, Ouidad’s Curl Shaper Out of Thin (H)air Volumizing Jelly, and Ouidad’s Curl Shaper Bounce Back Reactivating Mist. And tada, that’s basically it (plus contacts).
Overall, my everything shower routine can take anywhere from 40 to 60 minutes from start to finish (which is another reason why I turn off the water while shaving). As I said in the beginning, I don’t feel like a proper human until I shower. However, after my everything shower, I feel like a pop star (or something of the sort), extra fresh and clean.
And if you’re a nighttime showerer, I hope this also includes a fresh set of sheets afterward, because now that’s just another level of soothing. You can level up even more if you add some eucalyptus as well! I will be that eucalyptus-hanging-from-the-showerhead person, eventually…
Be well,
Lila
