By Melissa Chew,
In a world where self-care treatments are now almost a necessity rather than an occasional indulgence, a new trend has emerged on TikTok. Enter the "Everything Shower” – a comprehensive skincare, haircare, and body care routine that is supposed to elevate your shower experience to spa-like proportions.
This wellness craze, celebrated under the hashtag #everythingshower, has garnered over 123 million views and has become a beauty routine, not only for TikTok content creators but regular people too, to pamper themselves from head to toe.
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It basically brings together every exfoliating, washing and treatment for your hair, body and face into one session. If you have ever applied a face mask before you hopped into the shower and a nourishing moisturiser followed by hair serum after, you may even have been doing mini Everything Showers without even knowing it.
The duration of an Everything Shower depends on individual preference, but it can range from half an hour to over two hours. It is often divided into three phases – pre-shower, shower, and post-shower – and is designed for one to immerse oneself in beautifying treatments comprising multiple steps.
And as the trend continues to gain momentum, it’s important to tailor the Everything Shower to your own preferences and skin needs. While some may find it meditative and deeply soothing, others may see it as an exhaustive endeavour.
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Dr Rachel Ho, an aesthetic doctor at La Clinic, cautions against overloading your Everything Shower routine to prevent potential skin irritation. You should also ensure that your skin is healthy before attempting this routine, and discontinue any step if irritation occurs.
PRE-SHOWER: LAYING THE FOUNDATION FOR RADIANCE
The pre-shower routine sets the stage for the beauty treatments that are to come in the shower and post-shower steps.
Hair: To prep your hair and scalp before your shower, consider a pre-shampoo treatment. These should be applied to dry hair before you step into the shower, and are meant to exfoliate the scalp and also to hydrate and protect the hair and scalp from being stripped of its natural oils by the cleansing steps. You can also apply hair oils and do a scalp massage for this pre-shower step.
Face: Some may choose to start with facial hair removal by shaving or threading or applying hair removal creams. Exfoliation with an at-home peel, scrub or decongesting mask is next in line. If exfoliation isn’t your thing, or if you just had a peel done by your dermatologist, you may opt to apply a face oil accompanied by a facial massage, with or without a gua sha tool or roller.
Body: Similar to the face, you may start with body hair removal using creams or epilation or shaving, followed by dry brushing or scrubs.
Expert tip: Dr Ho advises that while it’s tempting to do everything at once, it’s best to avoid combining potentially abrasive steps, such as scrubs and exfoliants. Instead, she suggests a thoughtful selection to minimise the risk of irritation, and replacing physical exfoliation, like body dry brushing and face scrubs, with safer, less harsh at-home chemical exfoliation options.
SHOWER: A SYMPHONY OF CLEANSING AND REJUVENATION
Stepping into the shower, the next phase of washing and revitalisation begins. The key here is to take your time and savour each step with a splash of refreshing water.
Hair: Your hair and scalp would be gently but thoroughly shampooed and conditioned or better still, a deep conditioning mask applied. You should leave it in your hair while you cleanse your face and body, before washing it off.
Face: Hair removal and exfoliation complete, it’s time to wash off any face masks or oils you have applied pre-shower. A gentle facial wash would do nicely here.
Body: Your skin would now be hair-free and sloughed. If you have applied any pre-shower lotions or oils, you’d now wash them off and finish with your favourite sudsy shower gel.
Expert tip: If you have applied makeup or facial oils for a massage pre-shower, Dr Ho recommends double cleansing for the face, using both oil-based and water-based cleansers. You may also want to do a final hair rinse using colder water to leave your hair smoother and shinier.
POST-SHOWER: UNVEILING THE GLOW
Stepping out of the shower, your journey is far from over. Here, the final touches come into play.
Hair: Your hair and scalp should now be well cleansed and ready for doses of scalp treatment and hair serum to seal in all the softness, shine and nourishment.
Face: After stepping out of the shower, gently pat your skin with a soft towel just for your face. Then apply your skincare leisurely, layer by layer. Toner or softener, serum, moisturiser or overnight treatment. If you’re heading out, don’t forget your sunscreen.
Body: Time to nourish your smooth, clean skin in your choice of body creams or lotions, massaging your skin as you go along.
Expert tip: When you step out of the shower, Dr Ho suggests gently patting dry with a towel, leaving the skin damp to enhance the absorption of moisturisers and skincare products. Of course, the products you use should be tailored to your skin condition and should ideally be products you have been using already to avoid the possibility of adverse reactions.
This article first appeared in Her World