An actually good everything shower

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Actually Good Things is a weekly newsletter where I—a living, breathing homo sapien—serve up product recommendations every Friday morning.

This week—while thirstily awaiting the NikeSkims launch and rewatching Fleabag (a sheer delight the second time around)—I’m reflecting on the everything shower.

The everything shower (a shower in which you take the time to do, um, everything: lather, marinate, treat, shave, buff, polish, etc.) is nothing new. But the term began trending a few years ago, and we now have a universal word for it. The internet is good like that sometimes.

Maybe you felt seen while watching Sydney Sweeney’s 4 a.m. getting-ready routine on Euphoria. Maybe you’ve been taking everything showers since middle school (🙋🏻‍♀️). Maybe you thought you invented it. The truth is, we all invented it. The everything shower is for everyone.

Here are actually good things I use for mine.

Getting started

After wetting my hair, I apply this in-shower bond-repair treatment and let it marinate for a few minutes while I attend to other tasks. It doesn’t cleanse or condition—it’s an extra. The light, serum-y formula is ideal for fine hair and leaves me with smoother air-dried strands.

Face, neck, and décolletage

Next, I wash my face with a gentle cleanser, preferably something in a pump for convenience’s sake, like this affordable Japanese one. For a more elevated option, go with this gel formula from RMS.

Then I use an exfoliant, bringing it down my neck and “taking it to the tits,” as they say. I stand by this all-star powdered rice scrub but also like an enzyme cleanser for this step.

Body-ody-ody-ody

I’m not super into “clean beauty” as a general concept. However, I do like a simple, fragrance-free, pH-balanced formula for washing my bits because scents can be irritating.

Just for fun, I might switch to a different (this time, scented) wash for the rest of my body, like this perfect princess of a product from Salt & Stone.

Wait! We’re not done here. After cleansing below the neck, I’ll follow with a body exfoliator. I like this glycolic acid one, but you can’t go wrong with Naturium.

Soft Services Buffing Bar

My favorite thing I use in the shower is, without a doubt, the Soft Services Buffing Bar. I love it so much, I’m giving it its own section in today’s newsletter. This thing is crazy, guys. It polishes off little bumps, rough patches, uneven texture, dry skin, heel and toe calluses, you name it. I don’t use sunless tanner, but if you do, prep with this product.

It’s pricey but comes in a pack of two (in pretty packaging, I might add). And it leaves me with shockingly smooth dolphin skin.

Shaving

I only shave my legs and armpits like once every two weeks because I lasered off most unwanted body hair with this at-home gadget (a multi-year endeavor I’ll happily discuss in a future newsletter).

When I do shave, I reach for the Athena Club razor. It’s honestly the best I’ve ever used. From the handle and blades to the magnetic storage hook that actually stays put on a tiled shower wall for multiple years, it checks all the boxes. I don’t use shaving cream—haven’t since high school.

Hair

I have dandruff. Well, I had dandruff, but since I started using Head & Shoulders a decade ago, I don’t get flakes. I also wash my eyebrows with it.

Nizoral is great if you need the strong stuff, but treat it like the FDA-approved medication it is. Use it twice a week, tops, for a month or two, then only as needed if dandruff comes back.

Clinical shampoo isn’t very sexy—though I’m married, so 🤷🏻‍♀️—and I don’t need it every single wash. I alternate with a more glamorous ‘poo, like Crown Affair or Kérastase.

I prefer a very lightweight, oil-free conditioner so as to not weigh down my thin hair. This one by Hårklinikken is among the best I’ve tried. For something more wallet-friendly, this curiously clear conditioner from Paul Mitchell is lovely too.

During an everything shower, I might do a hair mask after conditioning or skip the conditioner and follow the bond-repair treatment with a mask. In any case, this is undoubtedly the best hair mask I’ve ever tried. My hair looks noticeably better after using it. It’s formulated specifically for straight hair, but the brand has product lines for all hair types and textures.

Out of the shower

We have the charcoal-colored waffle bath towels from Onsen.

Charlotte Tilbury’s Magic Body Cream is the, well…crème de la crème of body creams. I want to say it’s magic, but it’s already in the name. The point is, it makes your skin look and feel freaking awesome. (I also use it on my face pre-makeup because I’m pretty sure the formula is the same as the face version, and it doesn’t come in a germy lidded jar.)

For something more economical with a handy pump, La Roche-Posay is your girl.

Then, of course, finish with facial skincare.

My everything showers happen weekly if I’m lucky, but more realistically, maybe once a month. I switch up the order of things depending on how much time I have. And I don’t use everything every time. There are no rules here.

PS: I don’t really like baths.

What I’m reading lately:

• The New Yorker | Inside Uniqlo’s Quest for Global Dominance

• The Atlantic | If I Work Harder, Will You Love Me?

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