RIP the bath – the Everything Shower is here! Here’s how to luxe up your mornings

UK writer Claire Coleman shares her guide to the best shower products
READ MORE: I shower once a week and barely wash my clothes to save thousands in cash

A time-pressed morning routine means I’ve perfected a shower that I can get in — and out of — in less than a minute. I love pampering with a line-up of performance-driven beauty buys, but I don’t have time to do it lying down in the bath, and neither, it seems, do lots of other women.

According to PZ Cussons, the people behind bathroom favourites, such as Imperial Leather, Carex and Original Source, we’re all swapping baths for showers in a bid to reduce water usage — a four-minute shower uses around 40 litres of water, and the average bath around 80 — and energy bills, with sales of bubble bath down 35 per cent in the six months to July.

It’s probably no coincidence that social media’s latest craze is for the ‘everything shower’ — one that includes a top-to-toe luxury beauty regime — with videos sporting the #everythingshower hashtag viewed almost 400 million times. Here’s our guide to the best products to include in yours.

START OUTSIDE THE SHOWER

Start before the water even begins running, with a hair oil that you apply to dry hair. Try Fable & Mane Holiroots Hair Oil (from £14, fableandmane.com) — massage into the scalp and along the lengths of the hair and then leave for at least five minutes.

FROM THE BOTTOM UP

Give feet a gentle scrub using this Foot Cleaner with Pumice (£5.40, essentialaids.com) — two brushes and a pumice stone that suctions to the floor of the shower so you can scrub your feet without having to bend over.

DOUBLE CLEANSE

Rinse the oil out of your hair before using your favourite shampoo — try Philip Kingsley’s unglamorous, but effective, Itchy Flaky Scalp Shampoo (from £13, philipkingsley.co.uk) — then apply a hair mask. Virtue Restorative Treatment Mask (from £24, lookfantastic.com) or It’s A 10 Miracle Hair Mask (£17.95, amazon.co.uk), both only need 2-3 minutes.

MULTITASK WITH A MASK

Apply your face mask — avoid clay ones, as they tend not to dry in the shower’s humidity — try Dr Sam’s Flawless Revival Mask (£34, drsambunting.com) for hydration, and the Elemis Papaya Enzyme Peel (from £15, sephora.co.uk) for a quick, gentle exfoliation. Leave until you’re just about to get out, then turn the temperature down — hot water isn’t great for skin as it dries it out, but your face is more sensitive — and rinse.

HAIR BEFORE BODY

Rinse your hair and seal in the moisture with your usual conditioner — Aussie Miracle Moist Hair Conditioner (£4.50, Boots) is effective and inexpensive. You’re better off washing your body after you’ve rinsed the conditioner off as this gets rid of any residue that could cause spots.

WASH & SCRUB

For an indulgently fragrant wash, I like Soapsmith (from £7, soapsmith Hand & Body Wash (£16, heathcote-ivory.com) and Messiah & Eve (£21, messiah andeve.co.uk). Dermatologists prefer chemical exfoliators as they don’t scratch, but I quite like something gritty. Glossier’s Body Hero Exfoliating Bar (£15, glossier.com) is gentle and effective, while Soap & Glory scrubs (£9.99, Boots) are a more affordable option.

St Tropez brought out its In Shower Gradual Tan (£15, Tesco) a few years ago but it’s a pretty miserable experience

Virtue Restorative Treatment Mask (from £24, lookfantastic.com) or It’s A 10 Miracle Hair Mask (£17.95, amazon.co.uk), both only need 2-3 minutes

GET A LEG UP

Showers feel inferior to baths for shaving purposes as there’s nowhere to rest your leg. Enter the Shower Foot Rest (£19.22, amazon.co.uk) which suctions to the tiles and solves the issue.

If the amount of plastic in disposable razors gets your hackles up, try UpCircle’s Plastic-Free Safety Razor (£24.99, upcirclebeauty.com) — you can even return the blades to them for recycling. Similarly, Eco Warrior’s Shaving Bar (£4.50, little soapcompany.co.uk) is just as effective as a can of foam.

TIME TO TAN

St Tropez brought out its In Shower Gradual Tan (£15, Tesco) a few years ago but it’s a pretty miserable experience. The idea is that you apply it to wet skin in the shower, leave it on for three minutes then rinse off and if you do this on a daily basis, you gradually build up a tan. While it doesn’t stain the tiles, standing naked for three minutes is too cold.

HIT-UP HYDRATION

Slather on a body moisturiser or oil. Try the Superfood tubs in various fruity flavours (£10, but often half price in supermarkets) or Garnier Body Repair Lotion (£5.45, Superdrug). Then for an oil, I love the aromatherapeutic Reboot Blend (£25 for members, beautypie.com) which does what it says, helping calm and reinvigorate you for the day ahead and was devised for Beauty Pie by ex-Vogue beauty ed, and founder of This Works, Kathy Phillips. Or Weleda Skin Food Ultra-Light Dry Oil (£15.95, weleda.co.uk).

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