Do you really need a 10-step ‘everything shower'? Influencers think so, experts disagree

CNN

6 days ago

It's a Sunday evening, but your work for the week is already cut out for you.
You throw your bedsheets in the wash, oil your scalp, smear on a clay mask, dry brush your legs and pour the tallest bottle of ice water imaginable. For this humid, three-hour labor of self-love, you will need it.
Even if you've never heard of the 'everything shower,' you've probably taken one.
It's a shower that includes every step of your personal hygiene routine: shaving, cleansing, shampooing and all.
In private, the everything shower is a chore reserved for when time permits. On social media, it's becoming a luxurious public spectacle, with creators sharing lengthy, multistep routines and recommending the use of up to 25 products at a time.
Some everything shower videos detail a process that can take hours. Pre-shower steps such as hair oiling, scalp massage, dry brushing and dermaplaning are followed by the main event: various cleansers, exfoliators, masks and bars. After the shower, there's a deluge of lip treatments, moisturizers, body oils and perfumes to finish.
Influencers may consider the everything shower an essential, weekly self-care ritual. But health experts — and water conservationists — aren't so convinced. Instead, they say the best showers can be quick and simple.
You may feel like an everything shower delivers a deeper clean than a regular shower, but from a basic hygiene perspective, it doesn't accomplish much.
For one, body odor, oily skin or many of the things we associate with being 'unclean' are more aesthetic concerns than direct health risks, said Dr. Elaine Larson, a professor emerita of epidemiology and nursing at Columbia University in New York City.
'Bathing is mostly for preventing an overgrowth of harmful germs,' Larson said. 'Most Americans shower every day, some twice a day, but that's not necessarily improving their health.'
How much should we shower? Most adults could get away with showering every two to three days, she said.
Even for the stench-conscious, an arsenal of cleansing products and tools isn't necessary.
One fragrance-free, gentle body cleanser scrubbed into the armpits and groin area could do the trick, said Dr. Jules Lipoff, a board-certified dermatologist and an adjunct clinical associate professor of dermatology at Temple University in Philadelphia.
Within just five to 10 minutes, the simple washing regimen of soap and water delivers a full cleansing, he said. All other shower steps, such as shampoo, conditioner, exfoliating and shaving, are generally more about how we look and feel.
Using dozens of products in the shower isn't just unnecessary — it can even be harmful, warned Dr. Angela Lamb, an associate professor and director of the Westside Mount Sinai Dermatology Faculty Practice in New York City.
'Each new product you introduce provides another opportunity for something to go on your skin and (potentially) create an allergic or irritating reaction for you,' said Lamb, who is also a board-certified dermatologist.
Products with acne-fighting ingredients and fragrances are especially common culprits for allergic contact dermatitis or worsening eczema symptoms such as dryness and redness, Lamb noted.
Additionally, using multiple cleansers or showering excessively can disturb the skin's natural protective microbiome, Larson said.
Similar to the gut, our skin has natural populations of bacteria that help fight against harmful pathogens and fungus, she explained. When the 'good bacteria' is stripped away, it can lead to an increased risk of infection, which mostly manifests as acne.
Dermaplaning, a step that's commonly recommended in everything shower routines, can also introduce a greater risk of infection, Lamb said.
The technique uses a sharp blade to skim the surface of the face, removing facial hair and layers of dead skin. Women mostly use dermaplaning to achieve a more 'glowy' or even complexion in the short term, but Lamb suggests the risks of potential redness, irritation and the return of more noticeable facial hair tend to outweigh the rewards.
'When it comes to dead skin, our bodies actually do a pretty good job on their own,' Lipoff said. Your skin naturally sheds dead cells every few days and the mechanical force of water alone helps to loosen them, he explained.
Still, those bothered by rough, bumpy areas of keratosis pilaris — a harmless buildup of keratin typically found on the arms and legs — may find some benefit from light exfoliation in the shower, Lamb said.
A long, hot shower can be relaxing, but it's worth considering how much water goes down the drain as you work through the many steps of an everything shower.
Among Americans, showering accounts for nearly 17% of all indoor water consumption and every minute you spend in the shower can use around 2.5 gallons of water, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency.
To conserve more water, Lamb suggests turning off the faucet to shave, shampoo and lather soap. And, if you can, try to limit your everything showers to special occasions.
You could also look for more water efficient showerheads with the EPA's certified WaterSense label, said Pete Nardi, the chair of water conservation for the American Water Works Association, in an email. Making the switch could save a family of four up to 50,000 gallons of water per year, he said.
Piping hot showers also use significant energy, Nardi noted. Water heating is typically the second-highest use of energy in a home, so taking colder showers could help cut down your electric bill.
'Water is our most precious natural resource. The Earth has all the water it's ever had and ever will have,' Nardi said. 'We all must be water resource stewards, to preserve the natural resource for future generations.'
In general, health care professionals are happy to see more young people taking an interest in self-care, Lamb said.
But on the other hand, it can be difficult to discern which social media videos are sharing science-backed tips for the actual benefit of their audience, and which ones are just meant to sell products.
'Overall, I think for a lot of people, a shower is a ritual that brings psychological stability and peace,' Lipoff said. 'But if you're spending a lot of money or if you are having anxiety about keeping up with the complexity of the routine you've laid out, that is a sign your routine is getting too complex.'
While women are primarily the ones sharing their shower routines on social media, they may also be the most susceptible to the pressures of maintaining unrealistic standards of beauty and cleanliness, said Dr. Jill E. Yavorsky, an associate professor of sociology at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
'It's likely true that some women might get real enjoyment out of doing some of these things. As other scholars have argued, 'doing your gender' can bring enjoyment for people,' Yavorsky said via email. 'At the same time, I think it can be a slippery slope for combining women's leisure and relaxation time with activities predominantly aimed to enhance their appearance.'
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