The shower is my sacred place.
It’s where some of my best ideas come from, where I bounce back from exhausting days, where I stretch out sore muscles and, of course, where I give my skin the royal treatment it deserves.
I can be having the toughest day but the moment I step under that invigorating stream of hot–borderline scalding–water, I instantly feel calmer.
And yes, I know it’s not ideal for my dry skin, but desperate times call for steamy showers, OK!?
But there's one particular day that stands out on my weekly calendar: Thursday.
That’s when the magic really happens–during my ‘Everything Shower’.
You may have seen the #EverythingShower on TikTok (there are some 300 million videos to date), but the ritual is essentially where you pull out all the stops and treat your body to top-to-toe TLC with a parade of products that’d put a skincare aisle to shame.
Some may call it excessive, but I like to call it ~self-care~.
Just don’t tell my partner, who incidentally also covers half of my water bill. Oops.
To me, there’s no better way to rejoice in that almost-Friday feeling than under the warmth of my bathroom’s heat lamps surrounded by an arsenal of my fave beauty essentials.
The only issue is having to eventually get out, and the mental gymnastics I have to go through to brave the icy tiles I have to step over to reach the comfort of my cosy robe… But let’s not talk about that now.
From skincare saviours to haircare heroes, below you’ll find the products I’m currently using for my Everything Shower routine.
Pre-Everything Shower: Laying the Groundwork.
Like all good skincare regimes, mine starts outside the shower.
(Which, if you didn’t already know, is better for all skins but especially dry as it avoids over-stripping it over moisture!) .
Beginning with the Alpha-H Melting Moment Cleansing Balm with Wild Orange Leaf Extract, I gently swipe away all the makeup, SPF and dirt from the day off the surface of my skin using the Face Halo Original.
I then like to second cleanse with my SkinCeuticals Gentle Cleanser (or something gritter like the Aspect Purastat 5 Cleanser during the warmer months) which ensures my face is squeaky-clean and ready for exfoliation.
Applying to dry skin, I work the Aspect Fruit Enzyme Mask 50g into my skin until it begins to pill.
What I love about this mask is that it uses fruit and plant extracts in place of traditional AHAs or BHAs to gently exfoliate the skin–making it perf for dry, problematic and sensitive skin.
Now, it's time to hop in and commence part two of my Everything Shower. (And actually get in the shower).
During Everything Shower: Scrubs and Suds.
I like to kick things off in the shower with my haircare regime and come back to complete it after I’ve worked through my body care routine.
Starting with the STRAAND Scalp Brush and NAK Hair ORI Lab Refresh Scalp & Body Scrub 200ml, I apply one scoop to my scalp, using the brush to work the salty scrub into a rich lather, gently buffing away any product build-up or excess oil that’s accumulated in my roots.
On the occasions I haven’t been using too many products on my hair, I go straight in with the Kérastase Specifique Balancing Shampoo which deeply cleanses while balancing and regulating oil in the scalp.
Once rinsed out, I then move on to my second shampoo.
I’m currently using the Virtue Flourish Shampoo for Thinning Hair 240ml on repeat as it hydrates my hair while still maintaining volume–a must-have for my fine or thinning haired-friends.
Once my hair is clean, I apply a coin-sized amount of the Kérastase Nutritive Masquintense Irisome - Fine Hair 200ml, combing it through the mid-lengths to ends with my fingers before letting it sit for five or so minutes while I tend to the rest of my body.
Using either the same NAK scrub or the Skinstitut Glycolic Scrub 14% when my skin is feeling particularly textural or congested, I gently lather it all over my body in a circular motion, focusing on dry areas like my elbows and feet, then rinse it off.
By now, my face mask is usually ready to be rinsed off.
And then, the grand finale: L'Occitane Almond Shower Oil.
This little indulgence cleanses and pampers my skin with the delicacy of a gourmet chef. The sweet almond and vanilla scent is like a warm embrace in a bottle.
Lastly, I rinse out the hair mask before jumping out of the shower and wrapping my locks up in the Coco & Eve Microfibre Towel Wrap.
Post-Everything Shower: Cooconing in Comfort.
By this stage, you’ll usually find me lying on my bed wrapped in my robe, scrolling TikTok aimlessly for however long it takes to conjure up the energy to finish my routine.
Or until my partner tells me to hurry up because dinner’s almost ready… whichever comes first.
I let my hair out momentarily to work a couple of drops of the Olaplex No.7 Bonding Oil through the ends of my hair before putting it back up to deal with later.
Out of sight, out of mind, right?
If by some miracle my friends have convinced me to go out on a Thursday night, I’ll spritz the aptly titled Matrix Total Results Miracle Creator through my hair to prep it for a smooth, frizz-free blow-dry.
Otherwise, I’ll dive straight into my serums: a cocktail of the La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Hyaluronic Acid Serum and Alpha-H Vitamin E Serum with 1% Ceramide Complex 25ml to rehydrate, soothe and plump my skin, and enhance my in-shower exfoliation.
I then top it off with the La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5+ Balm and Alpha-H Golden Haze Face Oil 25ml to seal all the nourishing goodness in.
Last but not least, because skincare doesn’t stop at the neck, I slather the La Roche-Posay Lipikar AP+M Baume all over my body which leaves it feeling smooth and oh-so-soft.
And voila! Five thousand hours later my everything shower routine is complete.
But my grand finale is lounging around and doing absolutely nothing–precisely what this busy Virgo needs.
Final Thoughts.
It should go without saying that I'm in no way telling you you need all of these beauty essentials for your next Everything Shower extravaganza, but if you were in the mood for some serious self-care, these beauties are worthy of a spot in your weekly indulgent routine.
