Your Shower Routine

Let the water get hot. Get in. Wash my hair first, then work my way down. I don't shave in the shower. I dry off on the bath mat, head first. In Summer, I let the water run cold before I get out. I don't do the hot water before getting out in Winter thing, there's usually a heater running if it's that cold.

I mean, yours sounds perfectly reasonable to me, what does your friend do?

The sticking point was the washing my hair first. And letting the water run on me while drying off, which I admit is a little weird.

Oh, I used to wash my hair last when it was shorter. Now that it's long I get it out of the way first. Also, it helps make sure all the shampoo is out by the end.

hot water. get wet. wash body with the contents of one of the thousands of bottles of shower gel i have on the go at any one given moment. once lathered, SCRUB body with one of those exfoliator things. rinse. rinse hair, pull out of face. clean face with scrub or cleanser. rinse. shampoo hair and sideburns, stubble if necessary. RINSE AND REPEAT IF WEEKEND.

out. towel around shoulders. vigorously rub hair/head with other towel. repair to bed. lie on it, swaddled in towels, for 30-45 minutes.

Let water get hot. If I'm washing my hair, I wash my hair first and put the conditioner in, then get my scrubbing brush and scrub the rest of myself. Then I rinse the conditioner out of my hair, then dry myself before I get out of the shower.

When it's not cold in the room, I'll turn off the shower to conserve water when lathering or scrubbing, but when it's very cold outside I'll leave the hot water running till the shower's done.

I don't really get how you can leave water running and be drying yourself at the same time. Not that it's WRONG, I just don't really get how it's possible.

Morning shower routine : choose CD for the in-shower music player; make sure shower spray head is set to violent jet stream (Mr Unruly, for some mad reason, prefers a wishy-washy gentle raindrop pattern of water which is absolutely no good at all); select reasonably hot (but not too hot) water; get in; stand with back to shower spray and let the thunderous jet of water hit that spot right on the back of my neck, just there, ahh that's lovely; then soak hair and lather up with shampoo (I am not particularly brand loyal in this respect, but do quite like Tresemme esp if it's on a buy-one-get-one-free offer at the supermarket); rinse shampoo off, then slather on some conditioner and leave it to soak in while I wash body (always with Badedas shower gel, though this is getting harder to buy as not many places stock it any more these days), sometimes with a sponge, sometimes with one of those nylon "wash lily" pan scrubber thingies; run a Venus or Intuition razor over any bits which de-fuzzing; rinse hair and body; switch off water, wring water out of hair; get out of shower, wrap hair in towel, turban-stylee; cuddle up in lovely soft white thick fluffy bath robe which seems to dry me LIKE MAGIC almost immediately; slap on some body moisturiser, switch off CD player, and go and make a cup of tea.

Every I seem to come up with a helpful new tweak which should have been obvious all along.

The new place I'm living in has very soft water which has necessitated a complete overhaul. I hate soft water! It feels like I can never get the soap off my hands.

'every year'

Is it still true that showers use less water than baths?

Showers used to be one of those things like escalators, elevators, and entryphones that never worked properly in the UK. But when I stayed in a hotel earlier in Hertfordshire earlier this year, there was a super-power shower which filled up the bath really quickly.

um the shower isn't supposed to fill up the bath

It wasn't intentional - I couldn't work out how to let the water out.

My rule of cleaning is TOP TO BOTTOM, for houses, cars, bookshelves, dusting, cupboards, and MYSELF.

So: wash hair, wash face, condition hair, wash down to my feet, dry off in the shower. Usually done in under seven minutes!

Routine done once a day, usually in the afternoon, or morning if I have to do things that day.

Oh, I rinse off the conditioner right before finishing the shower. It just sits there during the whole thing.

I don't really get how you can leave water running and be drying yourself at the same time. Not that it's WRONG, I just don't really get how it's possible.

I dry my head, shoulders, and arms while standing in the tub and letting the water hit my feet, legs, and back. The water comes out of the shower head at an angle, so it misses my head and the towel.

why is this SUCH a great question

In winter I leave the shower running hot as I dry off, letting the hot water run on my back and legs as I dry my head.

This is wasteful even if comfortable.

Hair should always be washed first so the conditioner can have time to set.

conditioner?

It makes your hair nice.

I prefer bedhead.

conditioner is great. i have to use like the right one tho cuz i get flakes if i overcondition with the wrong conditioner. just so u know.

Top to bottom, but I save shaving for last if it's a shaving day, so the hot water can soften my beard.

u kno a lot of men say this but i always HAVE to shave before the shower so i rinse all the shaving stuff off. otherwise i feel all shavey and moist and i hate that

1. get in
2. wash
3. celebratory beer

xxp: i take forever in the shower and wash my hair last. and then shave after if necessary cause post-shower shaving is a lot less hell (like rock hardy said).

I know it's sort of wasteful. So I guess I shouldn't admit the following, but I will: in winter I will sometimes leave the shower running after I get out and brush my teeth and do my hair. It's really probably not much worse than running a space heater for the same amount of time.

I first got the idea to do this from a Woody Allen standup routine in which he talks about having a date over to his shitty freezing cold apartment. He decided to heat the apartment by running the shower. The cold draft from the windows met the steam from the shower, and as his date arrived, it began to rain in the apartment.

I shave IN the shower -- the shaving mirror is worth every penny.

It's really probably not much worse than running a space heater for the same amount of time.

While new methods can be found to generate electricity there as yet been no progress in finding ways to create water.

I'm pretty sure you just mix hydrogen and oxygen.

do they throw the water away after you shower? that's terrible.

Water on. Dr. Bronner's from head to toe (shaved head = no shampoo necessary, really). Rinse. Hand squeegee in shower. Towel dry on mat. Done in less than 3 minutes if I'm fast. 15 if I'm feeling sleepy (I have fallen asleep in the shower before).

you all take a shower the same way every single time??

sometimes it is in different showers. sometimes i stare at the wall for a while, sometimes i sing some songs.

otm

The stare at the wall shower, that's a good one. I also like head in hands, tears mingling with the water.

I realize I'm being a bit dickish, it just kind of shocked me. I feel guilty leaving the shower running while I go grab a fresh towel or put my hair up. I also don't leave the tap on while tooth brushing.

We might have plenty of fresh drinking water here (although that is questionable) but think of the kids in Africa! Jay-Z has to go there and build them pumps and filters and shit! We can't just depend on our rappers to conserve water for the non-western world.

You live in Texas.

Also, not to be pedantic, but: the atmosphere makes new water all the time! But yeah, aquifers aren't going to be refilled any time soon.

Hot water
wash hair, rinse
load up with conditioner, pile on top of head
wash body, shave under arms, legs, anywhere else that needs it
use face scrub or soap
shout for three minutes while I wash whatever got into my eyes out
brush teeth
rinse all remaining soap/conditioner off/out...
and scene.

shave at sink (shaving in the shower sounds both hazardous and imprecise - why do people do it?). turn shower on. have wee (not in shower). shower hopefully now hot. enter shower. wash face, chest and back with Pears or Dove or whatever's in front of me. rinse. wash rest of body with soap (see above). rinse. wash hair (lately, only every other day). rinse. turn shower off. drip-try in cubicle for a few seconds (inc shaking head like doggy). leave shower, dry torso then legs then finally head. brush teeth. done!

You live in Texas.

Srsly, what do you mean by this? That we have too much or we are too wasteful?

Turn water on, rub Cleanse & Polish on face, get in, take off Cleanse & Polish with muslin cloth, wash hair with MOP Glisten shampoo, rinse, condition hair with MOP Glisten conditioner, leave in while washing body with whatever soap or shower gel I'm using just now, rinse hair and body, shower off, step out onto bathmat, small towel round head, big towel round body, clean teeth, gargle, pick up small towel which has fallen off head, gargle some more, spit, done.

Does anyone use a bucket to conserve the water that runs before it gets hot enough to bathe? The water is then used for plants or something. I've not tried it, but it seems like a good idea.

Back to the routine: set water temp, climb into shower from the side furthest from the shower head, wash hair, put conditioner in, scrub down with Dr. Bronners, shave if necessary, rinse out conditioner, turn off water. I dry off in the shower usually, blotting the hair so it stops dripping and then getting the rest dry. Towel then goes around head for more drying, then some leave-in conditioner (My hair will turn to straw without such treatment). Deodorant, it's Texas after all). Lotions for body and face (always hit the tattoos well).

I have also thought of the bucket thing but not yet tried. Also pan in sink.

w/r/t the Texas thing: I'm assuming that in Texas---as in MT and many other western states---water use is sort of a hot-button issue. I think that in other parts of the country, people really don't give it much thought, is all.

Hmm, I don't think so, or at least I haven't noticed. We are often drought-prone although that's definitely not true this year. I also live in an urban area, maybe in rural areas it's more important.

water hot in shower wet hair push it out of face wash inside ears wash face neck [if washing/combing hair, hair-washing/combing happens here but hair-washing takes place only once every 2/3 weeks and hair-combing 2/3 times a week] take hair out of way wash back rinse back put hair where it was wash arms work down to feet turn shower off turn head (of self, not shower) upside down squeeze hair over bath crystal deodorant under arms towel dry starting with face then arms then work down except back is last and then hair then climb out of bath then feet then crystal deo again then put on snuggly towel dressing gown.

Oh it's a big deal here. I mean, most people don't conserve water all that much, but the spring runoff is always watched pretty closely, as it'll determine how much water is available for irrigation, and so on.

Wet face with scalding hot water
Shave face and nape of neck
Wash off shaving cream from mouth area
Rinse with Listerine Whitening stuff for one minute
Brush teeth
Floss teeth (sometimes I reverse the brushing and flossing order since I don't care)
Put normal Listerine into my mouth and swish
Turn on the shower (hotish)
Shampoo head, leaving the shampoo on for the remainder of the shower (this is a trick that a hair stylist taught me years ago to prevent dandruff, which I used to be prone to getting. I haven't since so I continue to wash my hair this way)
Spit out the Listerine
Have a wizz if I need to
If it's a day where I have lots of time, wash body with bar soap
If it's a day where I don't have lots of time, I'll wash my hair with extra shampoo and use the excess lather to wash my body
Once in a while I'll wash out the shampoo at this point and use conditioner, but my hair is usually so short that it seems like a waste of time
Use foaming facial cleanser on my face, ears and neck
Rinse everything off
Dry off in the tub
Spray down the tub and fixtures with daily shower spray
Apply arm charm, cologne, and facial moisturizer, and style (!) hair with styling putty
Go make myself useful

(shaving in the shower sounds both hazardous and imprecise - why do people do it?)

Nothing imprecise about it -- shaving mirrors that attach to the water supply behind the showerhead don't fog up. You'll have to explain what you mean by hazardous. It's not like I use a straight razor.

I forgot this helpful hint: I will sometimes (when it's January and -10 outside) plug the tub and let the hot water from the shower sit there and steam and humidify the apartment.

hahaha, have you heard the old Woody Allen standup routine about how he accidentally makes it rain in his living room?

I think that was mentioned upthread.

Yes. Didn't I post that earlier? I thought I did....

xpost

oopsie

I live in Chicago and we draw from Lake Michigan which is not going to run out soon, especially since it is forbidden to divert Great Lakes water to other parts of the country. Take that, desert states!

Water use is an issue in some parts of Texas, but not all. In fact, Austin and west has plenty of water. Houston is built on a swamp for god's sake. I only recall water use being a problem when I was kid around 1980 when we had a severe drought one summer. Otherwise, it was get crazy and fill up your swimming pools.

My shower routine depends on how much time I've got. If I need to be somewhere, then shower it is. Otherwise, I kind of prefer baths. Best reading location in my house. I've gotten pretty good and shoving my head under the faucet to wash out the shampoo and conditioner.

I used to shave in the shower, but I cut myself once too often because I couldn't see what I was doing. But, I will agree that it is the best place to shave for least shaving experience suckage. I now shave immediately after departure from shower or bath.

conditioner?

-- Dr Morbius, Monday, August 13, 2007 9:30 PM (2 hours ago) Bookmark Link

It makes your hair nice.

-- Ms Misery, Monday, August 13, 2007 9:30 PM (2 hours ago) Bookmark Link

You insensitive bastards ;_;

I'm sure it softens up scalps quite nicely as well.

My rule of cleaning is TOP TO BOTTOM, for houses, cars, bookshelves, dusting, cupboards, and MYSELF.

otm, this seems like cleaning 101 to me. People who do not follow this were raised badly by slack-ass parents and should be subject to mandatory military service.

I also do that thing where I wash hair, rinse, condition, then leave the conditioner in while I wash everything else

Turn water on. Wait a few seconds. Get in. Stand in there. Sometimes I'll use showergel. Sometimes not. Sometimes I wash my hair. Sometimes I don't. It all depends on the mood and the state of my body/hair. I don't have any set tules, I like to live on the edge (of the shower). Let my imagination run WILD. Also Top to Bottom rule seems so... conservative. I'm a crap parent.

I also do that thing where I wash hair, rinse, condition, then leave the conditioner in while I wash everything else

Oh yes. Get full benefit of conditioner, and save time thru multitasking. It's a win-win.

Hand squeegee in shower

wait you mean other people do this too???

Why would I squeegee my shower? Scrubbing Bubbles takes care of soap scum and the like just fine.

Turn on water, get in, shampoo first (only a very tiny bit, usually), then I add conditioner, and then I soap and let the conditioner sit there for a bit, then i rinse them all, and then I wash my face (with soap). Hand squeegee in shower sometimes, and then grab towel and dry.

Hand squeegee

if this means what it sounds like, then yes, a lot of people do that. :)

I do. If it refers to what I think it refers to, that is. It's not rude.

Oh dear. Some of us are not talking about using a squeegee to clean the shower. I think we should have a show of hands. Who is talking about cleaning the shower?

Me.

Stevie will not be raising his hand.

Because he's too busy "squeegeeing" with it in the shower.

I always run the water bordering-on-not-very-warm and slowly turn it up as my shower goes on.

I AM DOING NO SUCH THING!! Besides, it's too much of a hassle standing up.

xpost yes, or if i'm hot, i slowly make it cooler.

Yesterday I hung out with my friends She|la and 3ddie. We got drunk and hit 3 bars on Clark Street. We wound up at @tmosphere (not a google-proofing--that's how it is actually spelled) and Sheila became angry and they argued for about 15 minutes, then she stormed out and took the car so Eddie and I sat around and then had to walk home.

And I had to do my relationship counseling.

you sure you're on the right thread?

Fuck. Wrong thread!!!!!1

Hand squeegee != MASTURBATION LOLZ you rude fucks.

It means using your hands like a squeegee to get rid of excess water before using a towel. Makes your towels last longer because they don't get as wet. Plus, quicker!

OH! I thought you were talking about using a squeegee to wipe down the walls of the shower, something a friend of mine does after every shower.

I am a big fan of the hand squeegeeing.

The only thing that I do with any sort of order or regularity in the shower is that I brush my teeth in there while the conditioner is working its magic on my hairs. The rest of the stuff all gets done in no particular order or routine. I just grab whatever is nearest, I think.

I am not especially worried about my towels lasting extra long. Towels are for using. In the summer, though, I air dry a lot.

I think he meant that they will not get musty and need to be washed as much. Which I guess affects how long the towel lasts....

I do it b/c I don't want a musty towel.

I dunno... I just hang it up. I've never noticed a lot of musty-ness. But like I said, when it's hot and humid enough to cause musty-ness, I'm probably drying in a towel-free way, anyway, because evaporation is awesome.

yeah, it's the musty business i'm trying to avoid. esp cuz i'm bad at laundry

1. wet/soap/rinse entire body w/special attn to underarms & privates
2. shampoo/rinse
3. apply conditioner/meditate for 1 minute/rinse
4. final rinse while rotating bod
5. turn off water/towel-dry in tub/step out refreshed

I like the "staring at the wall" shower.

Pre-shower: wash face w/ oil, put baking soda in hair if needed, let shower warm up. Shower: get hair wet, work in baking soda or shampoo if one of those days, rinse hair, rinse face, lather up w/ either Dr. Bronner's peppermint or olive oil bar soap or fancy activated carbon shower gel, rinse off, use hand shower for undercarriage wash, showerfloss teeth. Sometimes, one more rinse of hair to warm back up. Shave bits if feeling particularly neanderthal. Post-shower: drip dry for a minute or two, wrap head in towel and cleverly dry face w/ same, dry from shoulders down w/ bath sheet, hang up sheet, unwrap hair and hang up towel, a few drops of jojoba oil rubbed into hair at this point and various other maintenance issues. 12 minutes on a good day, 25 minutes on a slow half-awake day.

wait -- baking soda?

I think it's a shampoo alternative for people who don't like using shampoo!

yeah, works great for me. I shampoo once every 2 weeks or so, but rinse my hair out every day and use baking soda at the roots every 2 or 3 days. It's a mild alkaline emollient, keeps static down, doesn't strip out the natural oils, cheap, eliminates odors, etc.

1. Run water from faucet, adjust temperature.
2. Turn on shower and get in.
3. Soap up washcloth and wash below the neck.
4. Squirt facial cleanser on washcloth and wash face.
5. Shampoo.
6. Condition.
7. Get out and dry with towel on bathmat.

Notes:

a) My girlfriend tends to turn on the shower right away without running it from the faucet first. It never occurred to me to do that -- I think I like checking the temperature from a single, contained stream of water rather than from the whole shower head.

b) Occasionally, I will shampoo/condition first, but it often seems like an indulgence, like I'm eating dessert before dinner or something. I think I tend to do it more often when I'm in a hurry.

c) I have never shaved in the shower.

Am i the only one who gets in the shower and then turns it on? I've become so used to very cold showers because there hardly ever was hot water at my previous place that i dont care if the shower is hot or cold when i switch it on.

I suspect you might be. Cold showers are unpleasant, unless it's incredibly hot out.

yes, but when it's hot and you've just had a workout or something, they are a godsend

http://images.findgift.com/Graphics/Gifts/140/PR_59398.jpg

<i>It means using your hands like a squeegee to get rid of excess water before using a towel. Makes your towels last longer because they don't get as wet. Plus, quicker!</i>

oh, that. i do that. sometimes i use the back of a comb to squeegee the water off - i learned that from washing horses as a kid, they make a tool called a sweatscraper designed to get the water out of their coat fast so they don't get chilled.

My girlfriend tends to turn on the shower right away without running it from the faucet first.

For some reason I am not understanding this. But my shower is seperate alltogether from my bathtub maybe thats what is confusing me.

Also, I'm glad at least Bryan has fessed up to havin' a whizz in the shower. Come on, its cleaner than a toilet if you think about it! Saves water and time!

I'm fascinated by this thread, in particular the baking soda thing (which I might try) and that some people seem to brush their teeth in the shower, which I can't imagine.

Same here, how does one rinse? For some odd reason I find the thought of getting a gobful of shower water blergy.

So anyone piss in the shower? I mean, what if you're *pressed*? Hmm, come on, be honest!

Why would anyone shave before showering? All the washng softens the beard.

I look out through the gap in the open window, whic is right by the side of the shower/bath. All I see is rooftops and the tops of trees. It's good when it's raining outsde.

I already (roundabout) admitted I did Nath! ;P

piss

wash cock
wash balls left then right
wash arse
wash hands
wash armpits left then right
wash arms left then right
wash neck
wash chest and abdomen
wash legs left then right
wash hair

pissing is done pre-shower and into the toilet.

OH! I thought you were talking about using a squeegee to wipe down the walls of the shower, something a friend of mine does after every shower.

Does this work? I hate cleaning the tub/shower and would love any bit of hassle-free maintenance I could do to improve the weekly bit.

Nath, I often pee in the shower. Saves an unnecessary toilet flush.

I like Jesse's avant-garde shower routine.

Your Grower Routine

Avant-garde? You must be talking about drying while still showering. I want to write a pretentious artist's statement on my using the shower to express something about duality of human nature....

perhaps about the nature of life? It's pointless b/c even as you dry, you're still getting wet.

Aye.

Does this work? I hate cleaning the tub/shower and would love any bit of hassle-free maintenance I could do to improve the weekly bit.

What about those spray 'n' rinse chemical cleaners that you spray in every morning after your shower and just rinse off? They're supposed to break down the soap scum before it hardens, or something. I bought a bottle about two years ago, but only used it a couple of times because it smells like flyspray and I can't remember to use it every day anyway.

For some reason I am not understanding this. But my shower is seperate alltogether from my bathtub maybe thats what is confusing me.

Yes, my shower is in my bathtub. I forgot that some people have separate shower stalls.

Yes, sometimes I pee in the shower.

I brush my teeth in the shower because it's just easier to get it all done at once, and I don't mind shower water, I guess.

Jesse, I'm talking about showering by meeting up with friends at a bar and drinking, then watching them fight.

For some odd reason I find the thought of getting a gobful of shower water blergy.

Water from the shower head = best tasting water in house.

Shampoo
Wash face/body
Shave
Brush teeth

When I clean my shower, it is usually while I am taking a shower.

Today I stripped old caulk in the midst of showering.

Nath, I often pee in the shower. Saves an unnecessary toilet flush.

but do you carry on with your usual shower routine as you pee?

because, if not, the time you're spending peeing and not showering, as the shower carries on running, you're surely using way more water than if you peeed separately?

by "carry on with your usual shower routine" i obv meant non-peeing, and the cleaning bits

I'm usually wetting my hair or washing my face.

ILx knows far too much about my daily personal habits.

not enough i'd say

My peeing in the shower is all about the sound of the water making the urge really strong, so I can either be uncomf. while holding it, get out and go to the toilet, or pee in the shower. I either continue shampooing or soaping, or I zone out to the pleasure of the relief.

that's like me with wanking

ILx knows far too much about my hourly personal habits.

The only important thing is that I dry off IN THE SHOWER BASIN so floor and mat are not soaked. YES you have a bathmat to keep floor dry, but a whole person's worth of run-off will soak a bathmat pretty thorough and they take a while to dry, esp with 3-4 people using the bath. Better to towel in shower, then the mat just keeps your wet feet warm and prevents slipping on tile floor.

I've got to respect the fanciness of Bryan's routine.

mine lately - done in mad semi-random rush (pretty much whichever bottle or implement is closest to my hand gets used first) whenever Julia has decided to sleep for an hour solid.

My shower routine:
- immediately get in and stand way in the back until the water is a suitable temperature.
- wash hair, rinse, put conditioner on but don't rinse it out
- wash whole body
- rinse out conditioner
- stand in the hot as hell water until my back can't take the heat
- turn off water, dry hair, dry body

My guy's routine?
- turn on the shower
- listen to a record while waiting on it to get hot enough (?)
- wash hair and body with "body only" soap
- get "ass only" soap and wash the ass
- wash hands
- get out and start a complicated drying routine that takes about ten minutes