A shower trend on TikTok is taking self-care to a whole new level.
You already know the steps to a regular shower: wash, shampoo the hair, soap the body, and rinse. But did you know there's another type of shower that can last anywhere from one to four hours and include any and every skin, hair and self-care treatment you want?
It has been trending on TikTok this year, and Gen Z calls it an "everything shower." As of writing, the tag for the trend has 11,000 posts and over 437 million views.
"An everything shower [can] include all practices from washing your face to doing hair and lip masks and foot scrubs," board-certified dermatologist Dr. Tiffany J. Libby said, according to CNN. "They might not all be incorporated each day, but would all be performed in the shower time period. Benefits include efficiency and prioritizing self-care, which has positive impacts on mental health."
(Photo : Pexels/Cottonbro Studio)A woman and a pump bottle on top of stacked stones.
Steps to an everything shower
The steps to the lengthy shower routine can vary from person to person, depending on their needs.
One version that has gained popularity on TikTok is that of user @kat.goldd, who told her followers that these are the steps to "the best everything shower of your whole entire f------ life" in a video that has garnered over 6.2 million views and a million likes since it was posted.
Pre-shower routine
The first step in the content creator's routine is to apply rosemary oil directly to the hair's roots and gently massage it into the scalp before even stepping inside the bathroom.
Rosemary is believed to promote hair growth. A trial published in SKINmed Journal found that rosemary essential oil showed a comparable effectiveness to minoxidil in treating androgenetic alopecia, a common form of hair loss in both men and women. It also demonstrated more success in alleviating the side effect of an itchy scalp than minoxidil.
After massaging rosemary oil into the hair, the TikTok user moved on to the hair mask.
"Through your ends, you're gonna use a hair mask," @kat.goldd said. "You're gonna put your hair up in a bun, and you're gonna let it sit for however long you want. This could be the day before your shower [or] this could be 30 minutes before your shower. Whatever feels good to you."
Numerous homemade hair masks can be created using ingredients commonly found in the kitchen, such as bananas, honey, or even egg yolk, according to Healthline. Hair masks help boost the condition and health of the hair.
Other versions of the everything shower also recommend a lymphatic drainage massage and a mask for the face.
Actual shower routine
For the actual shower, start with a bar soap of your choice for the first cleanse before moving on to the clarifying shampoo, according to @kat.goldd. The TikToker recommended the Olaplex clarifying shampoo.
After the shampoo, the next step is to use a hair treatment. Leave the treatment on the head and clipping the hair so you can move on to exfoliating your skin with a body wash and a dry brush.
Following the initial scrub, the influencer suggested using a sugar scrub next.
Then, use a loofah and any body wash, plus the Cetaphil salicylic acid body wash. The influencer claimed this product would soften your skin and help eliminate body acne.
Once you've finished these steps, shave your body hair using a razor and shave oil or gel.
Next, thoroughly rinse your hair and body with water before applying body oil generously over your damp skin to top it all off.
"And now, we're gonna towel off, and then we're gonna appreciate the fact that we are a new human being. OK? You're welcome," the self-care content creator concluded.
What to know before doing an everything shower
While an everything shower is generally good for the body, making it a daily habit isn't recommended due to steps like exfoliation and hair washing that shouldn't be done every day.
Exfoliating should ideally be done once or twice a week to avoid damaging your skin's natural barrier through overexfoliation. Frequent hair washing can overly strip natural oils from your hair, thus making it dry and brittle.
Next, the temperature of your shower water matters. If you plan on extending your shower time, ensure the water isn't hot.
According to Dr. Cameron Rokhsar, a board-certified dermatologist and founder of the New York Cosmetic, Skin, and Laser Surgery Center, prolonged exposure to hot water leads to skin dryness.
"We know for a fact that hot water dries out your skin, and extremely hot water is even worse," he told Today. "The longer you stay in the shower, the drier your skin becomes."
