This Is Really What It Means to Take an ‘Everything’ Shower (2024)

As a beauty and wellness editor—and a person who has been perfecting my self-care routine for years—I’m no stranger to the everything shower. As of now, the “everything showers” hashtag has over 150.4 million posts on TikTok. While you may brush it off as a passing social media fad, the truth is that nearly everyone participates in the trend to some degree.

Think about it: Most of us have a few different things we do in the shower. Shampoo and condition our strands, wash our bodies, swipe a razor over our legs if we’re inclined, use a body scrub on occasion. But we usually don’t do all of these things every single day (who has a full hour to spend in the shower—let alone the level of water use!). However, every once in a while (whether for a special event, date night prep, or a desire for an at-home spa day) the stars align and you get to do everything. That’s what an everything shower is—it’s that simple.

The intensity of this type of shower is up to you, but it often involves pre-shower, in-shower, and post-shower routines. It goes beyond the quick and simple “body shower” or the standard hair wash/body wash session. For some (like myself), an everything shower can last for an hour or longer, but it all depends on the steps you include. Basically, it’s seen as a weekly or monthly reset to get you feeling super fresh.

By now, I have an everything shower down to a science. Here are the steps I take and the shower products I use to emerge from my bathroom feeling refeshed, renewed, and clean as ever.

1. Pre-hair treatment

For a true everything shower, I always begin with a pre-hair treatment—which can mean a few different things. Most of the time this means I’m doing my hair oiling routine, complete with dousing my scalp and ends with whatever hair oil I have on hand (plain old castor oil or coconut oil will do the trick too), followed by a five-minute scalp massage to help stimulate hair growth, make strands look shinier and be more manageable. Then, I place a shower cap on my head to keep the oil from getting everywhere (trust me, this is necessary). I usually let that sit for 10 minutes to an hour (depending on the oil’s instructions) while I go about the rest of my pre-shower routine or household tasks.

If I’m not oiling my hair, I like to use a bond repair product, like Olaplex No.3 or Redken’s Acidic Bonding Concentrate Intensive Treatment. After dampening strands with a misting bottle full of water, I apply the treatment from roots to ends before covering my hair with a shower cap, and following the product instructions for how long to leave it in.

2. Oil cleanse

Next up is an oil cleanse (as part of my commitment to double cleansing). This will remove any makeup, sunscreen, or oil on my skin—effectively preparing my skin for step number three. I simply massage the DHC Deep Cleansing Oil into my skin for about one minute, add water to emulsify, rinse away, and pat my skin dry with a paper towel.

3. Face mask

While not a necessary step, applying a face mask before an everything shower makes me feel like I’m truly pampering myself. Whatever floats your self-care boat. The face mask I use depends on what’s going on with my complexion at the time, but the mask will usually fall into one of three categories: 1. A sulfur or clay mask (for when I’m breaking out) 2. A chemical exfoliant or at-home face peel 3. A soothing and hydrating mask (for when my skin is a bit irritated or sensitive).

1. Double shampoo

It’s shower time. For a regular shower, one round of shampooing will usually do. But for an everything shower where I’ve applied oils or masks to my hair, double shampooing is non-negotiable. After all, there’s nothing worse than waiting for your hair to dry and realizing...it’s not drying.

After turning on the water and waiting for it to strike the perfect balance between warm and hot, I rinse away my face mask and get to scrubbing my scalp. I have a few shampoos in my rotation, but lately, I’ve been reaching for options from Redken, K18, and Kerastase.

2. Conditioner or hair mask

After rinsing out my shampoo, I reach for whatever conditioner or hair mask is calling my name. I like to allow this to sit for a few minutes and really penetrate while I move on to steps three and four.

3. Exfoliate

The jury is still out on the proper order for exfoliating, shaving, and body washing—but I like to exfoliate first to get the closest shave possible, followed by good old soap and water to make sure I’m getting any leftover shower products or body hair off. Lately, I’ve been using the Skinfix Resurface+ Glycolic Renewing Body Scrub. I love this option because it contains (super gentle) physical exfoliants that don’t feel too harsh, and powerful chemical exfoliants for smoother, brighter skin.

4. Shave

Admittedly, this is my least favorite part of the everything shower because it’s so time-consuming and tedious. Luckily, like most of these steps—this is optional. However, I prefer the extra-smooth look and feel of a close shave. I am loyal to the Brazilian Bare Shave Syrup: I previously sang its praises over two years ago when discussing the best shaving creams for women, and still use it to this day with my Gilette Venus Razor. Between steps four and five, I rinse away the conditioner or hair mask.

5. Body wash

Much like the rest of this routine, my body-washing sequence goes the extra mile. I find the combination of a classic bar soap (like my trusted Dove Beauty Bar) and a body wash (I always have a Naturium body wash in my shower) makes me feel the cleanest.

6. Face wash

As an acne-prone girl, washing my face is always the last step in my routine to ensure no scented products remain on my face. At this point, I’ve already thoroughly cleansed and masked, so this step is merely for good measure. A quick wash with the CeraVe Hydrating Cream-to-Foam Cleanser and then I’m mentally preparing for the post-shower routine.

1. Moisturize

We’ve reached the home stretch, people. As I emerge from the shower with a cloud of steam behind me, I wander over to my arsenal of body care products. If I’m feeling up to it I’ll go for the triple threat: body serum, body lotion, and body oil. Sometimes just a generous application of lotion or body butter will have to do if I’m reaching my limit of pampering.

2. Skincare routine

With my hair wrapped in a microfiber towel and my bathrobe secured, I move on to what may very well appear to be an Olympic-level skincare routine.

Before any creams or serums touch my face, I use a high-frequency wand and then lay down while I let an LED face mask do some heavy lifting. Honestly, sometimes I fall asleep until the light goes out 10 minutes later and snaps me back to the reality of my unfinished routine.

Next, I apply skincare products. Everyone’s routine is different, but if you’re interested, my evening lineup (I am team night shower) lately consists of growth factor serum or salicylic acid serum, followed by a hyaluronic acid serum, sealed with a basic moisturizer. While applying my serums, I also might reach for my TheraFace Pro for a bit of facial massage, therapeutic warmth, and de-puffing.

3. Haircare routine

After detangling my hair with a Tangle tee*zer and applying my usual leave-in conditioners and hair treatments, I typically use a generous amount of heat protectant and give my strands a rough dry for about 10 minutes, letting it air-dry the rest of the way. Depending on what I have planned for that night (usually, sleep, but sometimes an evening out) or the next day, I might wrap my hair around a heatless curling rod or give myself an at-home blowout with my Dyson Air Wrap. If I’m feeling lazy, my curated lineup of hair creams and oils usually allows my hair to air dry to a fairly presentable texture.

4. Fragrance

Following all of that, I swipe on some deodorant and spritz a bit of perfume—because why not finish strong if I’ve already made it this far into such an exhaustive everything shower routine?

If I’m not trotting off to a date night or some plans with friends, now is the time to slip into a cute pajama set and unwind with a good book or show before heading off to bed. Sweet dreams!