In-Shower Skincare
One of our most coveted skincare "hacks" is applying certain products in the shower--it's incredibly efficient! We began dabbling in in-shower masking at 5:30 a.m. on early school mornings a few years ago and have continued to enjoy this practice well into our unusual hospital shift days as well.
In-shower treatments are a 1-2x/week ritual for us, and the general template as to how we go about this process is very, very simple:
1. Cleanse as you normally would. If you're double cleansing, go ahead and complete your double cleanse routine.
2. Just before getting into the shower, apply your face mask or oil to the skin as instructed on your product.
3. Shower as you normally would, but if the mask requires a few minutes to work, be careful not to get your face too wet.
4. After a few minutes or just before getting out of the shower, wash off the mask or oil.
5. Get out of the shower and complete your normal skincare routine as you would!
Below is our comprehensive guide to oils and masks we love to use in the shower:
Masks:
- Anything hydrating: it doesn't matter the texture! We've used everything from the First Aid Beauty Turmeric & Vitamin C Jelly Hydrating Mask to the Korres Hydra-Biome Probiotic Superdose Face Mask in the shower and it always yields the same result: softer, moisturized skin that is not red, dry, flaking/peeling, or feels tight. Other masks in this category that we are enjoying are the Ranavat Cream Cleanser (a cleanser that doubles as a hydrating treatment), First Aid Beauty Pharma Arnica Relief & Rescue Mask, and Fresh Black Tea Instant Perfecting Mask.
- Exfoliators: some masks feature slightly grainy textures to provide a physical exfoliation to the skin. We often enjoy these in the shower as we can leave them on for a short period of time and gently wash them off to minimize irritation. Examples of this include the Youth to the People Yerba Mate Resurfacing Energy Facial, Summer Fridays Overtime and R+R Masks, Dermalogica Hydro Masque Exfoliant, and Holifrog Como Popp-E Renewal Scrubby Wash.
- Clay Masks: clay masks are notorious for overdrying the skin. When used in the shower for short periods of time, they do not dry all the way down but are still capable of decongesting the skin well. It's a win-win! Examples of clay masks we enjoy in the shower include the Onekind Pore-fectionist AHA/BHA/Pink Clay Mask, First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Intensive Peel, and Fresh Umbrian Clay Mask.
Oils:
- In theory, you could use just about any regular facial oil or cleansing oil in the shower. The idea here is that they protect the skin from dehydration and irritation and we find them to be especially useful when we're dealing with compromised skin barriers or adverse reactions.
- Our advice for picking a facial oil to use in the shower: don't use anything with active ingredients, but instead look for fatty acid-rich nourishing oils that will gently replenish the skin. Blends that contain jojoba, sea buckthorn, rosehip, tamanu, etc. oils are very gentle on the skin!
- Examples of our favorite oils to use in the shower include: Wild Magic Beauty Moonlight Oil, Stratia Fortify Facial Oil, Phytosurgence Regenerative Facial Oil, Onekind Golden State, Youth to the People Superberry Oil, Naturium Virgin Marula Oil, The Ordinary Rosehip Oil, Derma E Lavender & Sage Oil, etc.