Showering is part of a healthy and fresh smelling lifestyle. Whether you shower every day or a couple times a week, we all shower at some point. It’s a great way to feel clean, open your pores and rid your skin of all the excess dirt and oil that gather throughout the day, but what if your shower habits are doing more harm than good? Most of us are showering the wrong way causing problems for our skin and our hair. Read on to figure out which habits you need to break.
If you notice that your skin feels dry and itchy, it may be the result of your shower. No, not the actual water, but the temperature of the water. Taking too hot of showers may feel relaxing, but the hot water is stripping your skin of its natural oils. This leaves nothing to moisturize your skin leaving it to dry out. Instead, try showering in lukewarm water. It may not feel as awesome as hot showers, but your skin will thank you. This is the perfect temperature to clean off any dirt and unwanted oils without stripping you of what naturally lubricates the skin.
If your hair feels dry as well, it could mean you’re not washing properly. It’s easy to take a bunch of shampoo and just slather it on your head, but in order to shampoo correctly, it’s important to make sure the product gets distributed evening throughout your hair. Using a quarter sized amount of shampoo, rub your hands together and then make sure your lather in the important areas: scalp, nape and roots. These areas are where oil and dirt collect. When it comes to how much shampoo, make sure you have enough to cover these areas, but not too much so that it lathers your ends because shampoo can strip the natural oils helping hydrate the tips of your hair. Another way you can prevent dry hair is to wash and rinse your hair in cooler water. It may not be pleasant switching from warm to cool water, but this will help seal your cuticle and lock in moisture.
After shampooing, it’s usually a habit to grab the conditioner and pile it all through the ends before you finish up your shower. Well, this may seem like the best way to help that conditioner soak in and moisturize, but since your hair is already full of water molecules, it’s not doing anything more than softening the cuticle (or outer layer). For conditioner, put it on last a few minutes before you’re about to jump out of the shower. If you have dry, course hair and are worried that this won’t give you the best results, invest in an oil to run through your hair after you towel dry and use a deep conditioner once a week to help hydrate in the hair shaft.
Your body wash can be equally as drying as hot water and shampoo. When you choose the wrong body wash, the soap in it can strip your skin of essential oils. For a wash that will clean you up and help hydrate you, choose a body wash that is a “cream” or “oil”. These tend to be gentler while still ridding you of the dirt and oil build up from the day. Aveda’s body washes are all designed to help maintain moisturized, soft skin while still having dirt fighting power.
When it comes to shaving your legs in the shower, this should be one of the last things you do. When you wait about five minutes before you shave your legs, you’ll notice a closer, smoother shave. This is because you’ve allowed the water to open up your pores and soften up the hair on your body for easy removal. Not waiting can lead to stubble still being present when you’re drying off.
It may seem like a convenience to wash your face after you’ve washed your body, but this can be awful for you skin. Even showering with lukewarm water, the skin on your face is sensitive and needs even cooler water to avoid over-drying. To avoid rough, dry skin, wait to wash your face until you’re out of the shower. This way, you can adjust the water to a cooler setting without freezing everywhere else.
One of the most important things to remember to do immediately after you dry off is to moisturize your skin. Even when you follow these tips, showers can still be drying, so it’s important to get a good body cream like Aveda’s Stress Fix Body Crème and moisturize your skin. Once the cream has soaked in, you’re ready to start your day fresh and ready to go!
Following these tips will not only help your skin stay soft and healthy, but will also help any dry, itchy patches you may develop. A hot shower every once in a while won’t hurt, but every shower being a hot one will only result in dry skin. Happy Showering!
