Are you doing these five beauty rituals every time you shower?

Beauty
Showering.  We all know that the main objective is to cleanse but I've been thinking about how elevate the experience from a cleaning routine into a full on beauty ritual.  We're already doing on a daily basis anyway so why not maximize the time to its fullest potential.
I've already discussed some awesome things to do before jumping in the shower but the fun doesn't stop there.  I'm in the process of building an "in shower" beauty routine that can be done on a daily basis.  So far I've come up with a few ideas.

If you're just rubbing soap on your body and rinsing, then you are way behind the times.  Exfoliation is the name of the game.  At the very least you should be using one of these salux cloths.  By now, each and every single one of you should have Tree Hut's Shea Butter scrub in your possession.  Exfoliating your entire body daily is a must.  We've talked about it at length here so I won't go into the details. Just consider this a reminder in case you aren't already hip to the game.

It's time to confess that I was one of those girls that only shaved once things go too crazy to handle.  Normally this time of year, it wouldn't be unusual for me to be sporting a little hair on my legs since I figured that no one would see so it didn't matter.  Well, things are totally different now.  For the last few weeks, I've committed to shaving daily.  Not only has it made a difference in the way I look, I also feel better knowing that I'm ready to don on a skirt or some shorts at any time.  To keep irritation at bay, I use coconut oil in lieu of shaving cream which keeps the skin nice and soft.

My life changed when I decided to move the pumice stone from my pedicure kit to my shower.  You've heard me talk about this many times before.  If you had to chose only one or two things to do from this list. Choose to exfoliate the bottom of your feet on a daily basis.  "If you stay ready, you don't have to get ready."  By spring, the last thing you'll have to worry about slipping on your sandals again.

The shower can be a great time to slip in some exercises.  I'm not talking about traditional exercises that require a lot of movement. No, I'm referring to simple exercises that you can do anywhere.  One of them that can easily be done in the shower are transverse abdominal exercises such as the stomach vacuum.  Basically, it involves pulling the interior abdominal muscles in to engage your inner corset. I'll do a full post on transverse exercises in the future.

  Other moves you can do in the shower are some simple facial exercises to stimulate blood flow to the face.  There was a time when I did a few cheek exercises daily in the shower and I did notice a difference in the fullness of my face.  Lastly, if you have a few minutes, try to fit in some kegals to help strengthen your pelvic muscles.  You don't have to do a ton of them but since we shower at least once a day, all the exercises add up and you will reap tremendous benefits.

One or two days out of the week, why not try applying a simple mask like Queen Helene Mint Julep either before you jump into the shower  or just after, while your skin is damp and pores open from the steam.  The mask is really inexpensive and easy to apply.  Since it's not a hydrating mask, you probably don't need to apply daily.  If you have dry skin, consider other options like Burt's Bees Intense Hydration Mask or Fresh's Rose Face Mask.  I'm thinking about bringing in my jar of Fresh's Sugar Face Polish in the shower so I can scrub myself from head to toe.  Or, you can choose to skip the masks altogether and give yourself a facial massage with coconut oil.

These a just some suggestions of what you can do to take your shower to the next level.  But it doesn't stop there, you can try other things like plan out your day, or create a strategy to reach your  goals.   I get my best ideas when I'm in the shower.  The moral of the story is that a shower is the perfect time to link on additional activities because we do it every day.  By adding on other habits to our shower, we promote consistency which will produce outstanding results.


11 comments

  1. I've started dry scrubbing and it's really doing wonders for my skin... and now every Sunday I pamper my skin with a DIY Scrub with consist of ( Brown Sugar, Olive Oil, Honey and Lemon) This year i've really committed my self to flawless skin, head to toe. Thanks to you i'm on your blog daily ( slightly obsessed) lol trying to find the best beauty secrets.

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  2. I'd like to get in the habit of exfoliating.

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  3. I think I need to grab a pumice stone and I'll try to work on the mask. I've been slipping on my skin care routine.

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  4. These are excellent tips! I only use my body scrub once every week or so but I'm going to start using it daily. It definitely makes a difference! I'm also going to start using a pumice more often. My feet could use a little TLC right now lol

    Follow me to Fancieland!

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  5. Ok I am In Desperate need of help.
    I have been following your blog and trying to incorporate exfoliation on my skin. While the results have been amazing, my skin is itchy and is downright irritating for about an hour after. Putting coconut oil on Helps along with my clothes but it's irritating. I have been trying diy exfoliant and even switched from regular organic sugar to regular organic brown since brown works better on sensitive skin and no change. I will tell you that salt is the worst feeling and immediately switched to sugar. Help what do I do? I am sure that it must be something that I am not doing correctly. I exfoliate before I cleanse and that makes it a bit better.

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  6. Another great post. And happy new year! I changed my avi to a pic of me sporting the crochet braids (not curled, just flat ironed).

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  7. Hi Anon! You can try a few things:
    1. Check out my post on air drying after a shower. It made all the difference in the world in my non-stop itching.
    2. Make sure you're drinking loads to water to hydrate your skin.
    3. You can try exfoliating less frequently to see if that makes a difference.
    4. You can lightly dry brush before exfoliating to loosening the skin before scrubbing.
    5. Use finer grains of sugar.
    6. Make sure you aren't using just plain sugar. The brand I use blends it with natural oils to keep from over irritating the skin.

    Hope that helps.

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  8. Hi Tabitha! You look great. How long can you keep them in for?

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  9. They usually last me three weeks, EASILY!! So cost effective, easy to do, and low maintenance! I find that they last longer if I dont wear it curly....and believe it or not, you absolutely can flatiron Kanekalon on low setting....I cant even convince people this isnt my real hair! Thanks so much for bringing this to light; where has this styling method been all my life? It's VERY easy on the hair because its so lightweight, and the best part, it blends beautifully unlike silky straight hair (even Yaki hair is still too straight, know what I mean?) and I'm not one to pay $200-$300 for some bundles of hair, when I have college to finish, and a business I'm trying to get off the ground.

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  10. Hi. great post. Some of these, I need to be doing. I definitely wouldn't shave every time I shower. But I could be scrubbing every time. And I don't know why I didn't think about doing a facial mask in the shower before. It would be much easier than in the sink. I recently bought a Queen Helene cay mask but have only used it once so far.

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  11. I'm definitely a fan of "if you stay ready, you don't have to get ready". I was caught out there too many times with a last minute invite somewhere or not allocating enough time to prepare to go out when that whole week I've skimped on hair care, shaving. exfoliating, mani/pedi. I pumice once a week during my Sunday bath. After that, its nothing to throw on a coat of paint. I shave every other day and exfoliate in between. My favorite is the raw shea scrub from Shea Moisture. My dermatologist recommends not scrubbing everyday because it can damage the skin. I usually douse myself with body oil, something from the Shea Moisture line usually but coconut oil or jojoba oil (feels amazing). I usually don't do face masks in the shower. I prefer to do them before I get in.

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