Before a towel comes near my body, I hydrate even more with the First Aid Beauty After-Shower Nourishing Body Oil. I pat the oil onto my semi-damp body to lock in moisture. The slightly citrusy scent of mandarin is a refreshing end to my body care. After carefully stepping out of the shower and onto my mat while everything is still absorbing into my skin, I continue with lotions and potions… but that’s for another story.
Annie Blay, associate beauty editor
In the shower, the concept of time stops. After cranking the knob to a temperature just short of scalding, I wet my African net sponge—a long, netted piece of nylon that my mom often brings me back from Ghana—and lather it up with my favorite body wash of the moment, which is currently Necessaire The Body Wash in Santal. After gently scrubbing my whole body, I grab my Gillette Venus Deluxe Smooth Sensitive Razor and, if I’m in a fun mood, Athena Club Whipped Shaving Cream ,which has a whipped, foamy texture, or Eos Cashmere Shaving Butter if I want something more toned down but equally fragrant. I shave my legs and pits then rinse off, letting the vanilla scent fill my shower.
I follow up my shave with the Dove Brown Sugar Exfoliating Body Scrub which smells like deliciously sweet brown sugar cubes and does a great job of exfoliating my body. Lastly, I go back in with the body wash, lathering in my hands and rubbing all over my body to reinforce the scent. By the time I exit my shower, my skin is baby smooth with a soft, smokey vanilla smell.
Sarah Hoffmann, commerce producer
I’m a notoriously fast showerer, so even my everything showers aren’t that intensive.
I rarely shave my legs—no judgment, just not my thing—so a luxurious shower is when I get to add a couple of extra body care steps that usually get cut on days when I’m rushing. A nicely-scented body wash is non-negotiable, and I love how soft L’Occitane’s Almond Shower Oil makes my skin when I massage it in after cleansing.
And I’ve been a fan of the Soft Services Buffing Bars for years. I previously wrote a story on my love letter to this low-maintenance solution to keratosis pilaris. A couple of swipes of this bar across my KP-affected areas left my skin softer and more even-toned for days at a time, with minimal effort added to my shower routine. The new Green Banana scent reignited my obsession with this easy-to-use KP treatment. That’s it!
Nicola Dall’Asen, senior news editor
When I know I’m about to do an everything shower, the first thing I do—hours before I even step foot in my bathroom—is load up my scalp and hair with rosemary oil so it has time to soak in. Once it’s time to shower, I wash that out first with Briogeo Rice Shampoo Concentrate. As its name suggests, this reparative formula is much thicker than your average shampoo; it has a consistency like petroleum jelly. I squirt out a quarter-sized amount, lather it up in my hands, then gently work it through my roots before rinsing and doing it all again. Then I slap on some conditioner before throwing my hair back in a claw clip while I take care of the rest of my business: exfoliating, shaving, doing one last final rinse, and moisturizing, in that order.