What’s the right order for the various steps of your shower? According to three board-certified dermatologists, the best way to shower is the one that works for your skin and hair. Each expert’s personal routine varied according to their unique care needs based on their hair and skin types.
Read on to learn more about what these three experts do when they’re sudsing up, and why sometimes it’s okay to “break the rules.”
Routine No. 1: Hot Water, Twice a Day, With Shampoo Only
Luke Maxfield, DO, a dermatologist and Mohs surgeon in Tennessee, showers twice a day, once after exercising in the morning and the next time at night. “I do surgeries in the office for skin cancer during the day, and showering is a must for me before going into my bed,” he says. His shower is typically hot, though if his skin has had a reaction from one of the many products he’s trying out, he will decrease the temp so that it’s more gentle on his skin.
What do you cleanse your body with? Dr. Maxfield uses a scented gel body wash that he applies with his hands. Sometimes he’ll alternate that with a scented 3-in-1 hair, face, and body wash. It does have a strong fragrance, which can be irritating to some folks. Maxfield points out that it does not irritate his skin, so he’s okay using it.
How often do you wash your hair? When it comes to his hair, Maxfield sticks to shampoo only during his twice-daily showers. “My hair is short, and I’m going for volume. I want it to look full and puffy throughout the day, and the conditioner could weigh my hair down,” he says.
Since he has shorter hair that he gets cut frequently, he also doesn’t worry about having to protect the hair strand with a conditioner.
How often do you change your towel? When Maxfield steps out of the shower, he gently dries off with a towel that gets changed once per week.
What’s your post-shower moisture routine? At night, he’ll apply a retinoid to still-damp skin on his face, which encourages absorption. “Typically we recommend using a retinoid on dry skin to minimize irritation, but personally, if I’m not struggling with irritation, I’ll apply it to damp skin to improve efficacy, in theory,” he says. And that’s the bottom line: Don’t be afraid to change things up to work with what your skin specifically needs.
Routine No. 2: A.M. Shower, Cream-Based Cleansers, and Season-Specific Moisturizers
Nada Elbuluk, MD, an associate professor of clinical dermatology at the USC Keck School of Medicine in Los Angeles, typically hops in the shower in the morning. When it comes to her skin, she stocks her shower with gentle, cream-based cleansers. “I have sensitive skin, which is why I prefer gentle cleansers and avoid antibacterial and fragranced products that may irritate or dry my skin out further,” she says.
How often do you wash your hair? Dr. Elbuluk’s hair doesn’t need a daily wash. “I have naturally curly hair, which is naturally drier, so my frequency of washing depends on if I’m wearing it curly or straight,” she explains. She might wash her hair every couple days or once per week.
How often do you change your towel? She switches out her face towel every day and body towel gets changed out weekly, she says.
What’s your post-shower moisture routine? Out of the shower, Elbuluk pats dry “always,” to stay gentle on her skin. Then, she follows that with a thick cream moisturizer (for heavier hydration in the drier winter) or lotion (for lighter hydration in the summer) over her entire body.
Routine No. 3: Back to the Basics With an Occasional Blowout
Jenni Holman, MD, a dual board-certified dermatologist and Mohs surgeon at U.S. Dermatology Partners in Tyler, Texas, usually showers or bathes early each morning after she exercises but before she heads to work.
In the shower, she uses moisturizing bar soap for sensitive skin, for both her face and body. At night, she washes her face with a gentle facial cleanser.
How often do you wash your hair? “I definitely don’t wash my hair each time I shower,” Dr. Holman says. “As a surgeon, I am in a ponytail or surgical cap most days, and so I try to wash my hair only once or twice weekly.”
For her hair wash routine, she washes twice with a salon shampoo, then uses a salon conditioner to the ends, skipping the roots.
“If it is a ponytail day, I will use dry shampoo and stretch it out for five to seven days between washing,” she says. Sometimes she goes to a salon specializing in blowouts for a wash and dry. “I have them do it for me and try to make it last!” she says.
How often do you change your towel? Homan changes her towel about twice a week, or when it’s visibly soiled or smells. “I think this comes more from common sense and general hygiene than being a board-certified dermatologist,” she says.
What’s your post-shower moisturizing routine? “This matters for sure. The time to moisturize is the ‘two-minute window’ after showering, when your skin is still moist,” says Holman.
When you moisturize right away after bathing, you can use less moisturizer, feel less sticky, and help prevent dry skin and conditions like atopic dermatitis (eczema), she explains. “This step is especially crucial in the winter months, when we have dry skin due to dry air and if you live in drier climates,” says Holman.
Holman uses a fragrance-free cream moisturizer with ceramides from the drugstore. “A cream formulation will prevent more transepidermal water loss than a lotion,” she says, referring to the moisture that’s pulled away as water evaporates from the surface of your skin.
Her husband uses a similar moisturizer with salicylic acid, “which aids in keeping very dry skin and genetic-related growths such as seborrheic keratoses soft,” she says.
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