Oil hair over night (optional) (I usually don't wash my hair every day specially when I get them colored. The night before I wash my hair, I oil it overnight)
30-60 minutes prior to showering, add your favorite hair mask to your well-oiled hair and wrap it with a hair cap, wait... (this is your down time to do anything you need to do while waiting, check email, eat breakfast, go on Facebook lol, or prep your shower with the following if you don't already have them in your shower room..)
- dry hand towel -wash cloth/puff
- fave shampoo and conditioner (I have a few faves but I am currently loving this Moroccan Oil Shampoo and Conditioner, they smell yummy)
- fave body scrub (preferably with oil based sugar/salt scrub, I use bath and body works' aromatherapy sugar scrubs (sleep with lavender and vanilla and energy with lemon scent and sensual with jasmine and vanilla are some of my faves) and The body shop's Spa Fit Smoothing refining body scrub you can create your own with brown sugar, sea salt, Vit E oil and olive oil)
- fave body wash (I usually just go for the bath and body works' creamy body wash or Dove's creamy replenishing body wash)
- pumice (I use the Mr. Pumice which is really good and the body shop has the softer version for my cuticles)
- fave face wash (I love the neutrogena stress control acne scrub or the Aveeno brightening scrub for the shower and philosophy's purity made simple on the days that my skin is feeling a lil dry)
- hair claw/tie
Let's shower :)
Once in the shower, wet hair and massage scalp. Shampoo hair twice and towel dry with hand towel…(I normally turn the shower off at this point to save water, totally optional)
Deposit a generous amount of conditioner to the hair and secure it with the hair claw/tie. Grab that fave body scrub. (I have soooo many options in my shower and one of my fave are the oil based ones as it really helps in moisturizing my skin and the oil aroma just soaks into the skin and lingers all day so it is very important that you choose a scent that you enjoy :))
Scrub from neck down to the tip of your toe :) concentrating on your elbow, knees or areas that are usually dry and scaly (yikes)
***I usually skip the next step in the colder season when my skin has the propensity to be dry.
Pour generous amount of moisturizing body wash in a puff or washcloth, (I prefer a cream based like the dove moisture cream body wash or B&BW's creamy body wash) Lather full body.
Allow the mixture of the scrub and body wash to marinade in your skin for a few minutes. While waiting, grab the pumice (I use a multi grade, soft and medium roughness pumice) and pumice away heels, bottom of the foot and with the soft side, gently scrub off the edges of your cuticles, both hands and feet. This process makes your heels and feet super soft and minimizes callus build up and sometimes it allows you to skip that extra charge for callus remover at the nail salon, ;)
Turn on shower, (at this time I usually rinse off my hair first with the colder temp that first comes out of the shower) squeeze the excess water from hair and put it up away from your face and body with the hair claw/tie, and then rinse the rest of your body.
Finally, with the hair up in a claw, grab your fave face wash, (my in-shower facial cleanser is the neutrogena acne control scrub, I extend this down to my neck and shoulders)
Rinse and dry off…..
Oh please clean up after yourself and scrub off the tub as a courtesy to the next person stepping in the shower as it may be a lil slippery from the oil scrub's residue.
***Optional process…. while still in the bathroom, Lather skin with moisturizing lotion while it's still damp, the dampness provides the perfect vehicle for lotion deliverance to skin and will keep your skin super silky smooth, (this is usually my process after bath/shower but when I do my sugar/salt oil scrub, I usually skip this as the moisturizing emollient of the oil from my scrub is enough to keep me moisturized all day and I don't want to cover the scent of the oil on my skin)
***Bonus Tip:
Upon exiting shower, before doing anything else.. Apply your favorite serum/moisturizer and sunscreen and proceed with your after shower/bath routine.. This process allows your moisturizer to be absorbed into your skin creating a barrier prior to adding the rest of your cosmetic products
I know this process sounds a bit extensive, but it really is not specially once you experience the result, I'm sure you wouldn't mind spending 30-45 minutes in the shower and you can skip some of the process as you please if it's too much:) I hope you enjoyed this glimpse of my ME time in the shower (lol, pause) and feel free to send me any feedback or comments pertaining to this article. Happy Glowing :)
Disclaimer: All products have been purchased and not sponsored from any of the brands mentioned.
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