It’s strange. Our body skin may take up a larger area than our facial skin, yet we don’t quite pay as much attention to it. Just as cleansing is an important part of taking care of our facial skin, our showering routine impacts on our body skin greatly. If you find yourself suffering from problems like dry skin or hair, it may be a good time to take a closer look at the way you shower. Treat your shower as a beauty routine and you may just be on your way to achieving radiant complexion and silky hair. Read on and see how many shower sins you have committed regularly.
- Mistake 1: Taking hot showers
- Mistake 2: Only using your hands
- Mistake 3: Washing your face before you wash your hair
- Mistake 4: Rubbing your skin and hair with the towel
- Mistake 5: Applying conditioner while hair is dripping wet
- Mistake 6: Not brushing your hair before showering
- Mistake 7: Not applying lotion right after shower
Mistake 1: Taking hot showers
If your shower is steaming up the bathroom, it’s a sign that it’s probably too hot. While hot water is better at dissolving impurities, extremely hot and long showers are going to strip your skin and scalp of their natural oil, causing them to dry out. In the long run, this may leave you with itchy, flaky skin and scalp.
Mistake 2: Only using your hands
Your hands may be useful for a lot of things, but they may not be thorough enough to keep you clean. Go for a body buffer instead, which can help to gently exfoliate your skin. Just like how your facial skin needs exfoliation to remain healthy, it works the same for your body skin. Don’t forget to use a scrub once or twice a week.
Mistake 3: Washing your face before you wash your hair
Some of us wash our face while we’re in the shower, instead of at the sink. That’s perfectly fine – the steam from the shower can help your pores open up and you can get a more thorough cleanse. What’s not good, however, is when you wash your face before you wash your locks. Your hair products are not designed for your face and the runoff of these products can clog your opened pores, causing breakouts, specially along the hairline. To resolve this issue, simply start on your face-washing only after your final rinse down.
Mistake 4: Rubbing your skin and hair with the towel
Be gentle with your skin and hair by lightly patting instead of rubbing it. The aggressive action can hurt your skin and cause your hair to tangle.
Mistake 5: Applying conditioner while hair is dripping wet
The water that is absorbed by your hair dilutes the conditioner, causing it not to work as well. The simple trick to eliminate this problem is to wring your hair gently before applying conditioner. You should also wring your hair before applying hair mask or serum.
Mistake 6: Not brushing your hair before showering
Put up your hands if you go straight to the shower after a long work day. But don’t be surprised if this habit leaves your hair tangled and fragile. Instead, brush your hair to make them tangle-free first before showering. This is because wet hair is more fragile, and raking through the tangles after it’s soaked is going to cause your strands to break.
Mistake 7: Not applying lotion right after shower
The best time to apply body lotion? Within five minutes after finishing the shower, while you’re still inside your bathroom. This way, you’re making use of the humidity and open pores in locking in moisture.
