How to have the most maximalist, extra shower

New life, new shower essentials.

Self-isolating is very essential and important, but it does not make being stuck at home with family, children, parents, your partner, or just yourself any easier. My showers are getting increasingly longer as they’re the only guarantee of complete alone time and peace, while also feeling like a tiny self-care moment in the day. With so much time on your hands and so little quiet in the day, perfect the art of the incredibly extra shower, so that you can emerge the cleanest, warmest, calmest person in the office/kitchen.

@vibehealthbar 

Hang eucalyptus in the shower.

Yeah, you read that right. I told you this would be extra. Transport yourself to a forest by hanging eucalyptus off your shower head. Bash the leaves first with something heavy (a bottle of wine will do) to get the scent going, then it has to hang over the showerhead, so that when the steam from your shower reaches it, you get hit with lemon-pine essential oil freshness that completely clears your sinuses. You’re instantly landed in a jungle scene like a Herbal Essences ad. It’s like a spa day, every time you have a shower. If you’re really extra, try it with lavender or mint too.

Elemis Body Brush, €26.50

Get body brushing.

A busy life made me forget how good body brushing is, but now that normal life has been put on pause, I’ve started again. It’s powers lie in detoxification, increased circulation, but most importantly, exfoliation. The type of exfoliation where you will emerge post-brushing with skin like the skin on a puppy’s belly. Before you get in the shower, start at your feet and work your way up, in the direction of your heart. Every nerve is your body is stimulate and awakened. I have this one from Elemis (it’s €26.50 from McCauley’s Health & Beauty Pharmacy, so you can order it to be delivered), which hangs in my shower looking virtuous, and it has a detachable handle so you can get a good scrub on your back too.

Related: Everything to know about body brushing

Kérastase Fusio Scrub Energisant, €41.67

Invest in a scalp scrub.

The first beauty treatment I ever reviewed for IMAGE Magazine was a scalp scrub. I went in expecting a vigorous shampoo and left with a new head. Your scalp is just more of your face. It needs cleansing too. Using a scalp scrub once a week completely removes any product from your hair (it’s dreamy after day three of dry shampooing), leaves the hair shinier and lighter and makes you need to wash your hair much less. I use Kérastase Fusio Scrub Energisant, €41.67, once a week which has sea salt in it – after you use it, you can feel your scalp breathing.

Aquis Rapid Dry Lisse Turban €36.

Use a hair turban.

This tip comes via Rosie Huntington-Whiteley’s beach wave tutorial. She wraps her wet hair in an Aquis Rapid Dry Lisse Turban €36.”It really wraps it up and absorbs all of the moisture in your hair when you come out of the shower,” says Rosie. It also dries hair in a fraction of the time, removing moisture up to five times faster than an ordinary towel, reduces frizz and flyaways, while drying the hair without friction means less hair breakage.

Treat yourself to a fancy shower gel.

Having a shower gel with a scent you adore makes the whole cleaning part of the shower so much less boring. L’Occitane’s Herbae Shower Gel, €18.50 has a delicate, green floral scent, Glossier’s Body Hero Daily Oil Wash, €18, is an oil that turns to froth and smells like an exotic orangerie and Dermalogica’s Conditioning Body Wash, €32.50 contains eucalyptus and lavender and instantly makes you release all the tension in your body. Using each one is like having a tiny meditation. If this is not self-care then I do not know what is.

Neom Organics Bedtime Hero Magnesium Body Butter, €41

Seal the deal with a luxury lotion.

Everything created by Neom Organics is designed to make you feel better, but the new Bedtime Hero Magnesium Body Butter, €41, goes one step further and also helps you sleep better. Shea butter, aloe vera, coconut oil and grapeseed oil leave you with super soft hydrated skin, eleven essential oils leave you feeling soothed while magnesium works on pain, muscles cramps and helps promote better sleep.

Photography by @rosiehw and @kaiagerber.

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