This may seem like a bit of an odd post, you get in the shower, wash your body and hair and you're done? But there are some extra things that I do which make the showering process easier and more beneficial. They're all really easy things that you can incorporate into your shower routine with little hassle and money too!

Use Your Face Scrub on Your Chest
After speaking to a few people I know I realised that the little spot/bumps I was getting on my chest was something quite common. I'm not really sure how they develop but they're really annoying! I wouldn't really call them spots as such because they're so small and don't have a head or anything. I don't get them all the time and when I do it's usually only a couple dotted around. I know I said that they're tiny but when you want to wear a top or dress that shows off the top of your chest they can be a pest as they're red and stand out. I've started to use my face scrub on my chest to exfoliate the area whilst I wash my face and it seems to be working quite well and it doesn't really add any time to your usual shower routine.

Clip Up Your Conditioned Hair
Similarly to the chest bumps, occasionally I'll get spots on my back and sometimes they're even painful. I know I can't see them and I doubt anyone else will either, but they're still a nuisance that I'd like to avoid if possible. Again, I don't know what causes them exactly but I've found that if I clip up my hair whilst it has conditioner in it that I don't get them as much. It makes sense that when you have long hair your pores will become clogged with conditioner if it's left on your skin. I usually just wind my hair up into a bun on top of my head then continue with my shower to let the conditioner sink in and am careful not to let it fall down. Alternatively it might be easier to just use a clip to keep it in place. This technique also means that the conditioner isn't dripping down your face and clogging your pores there either.

Shaving with Conditioner
Staying on the conditioner theme, I prefer to use it when shaving as opposed to a shaving cream/foam. Firstly, it's cheap and something you probably already have, secondly, it's easy to use and not as messy as a shaving foam, and thirdly, it leaves your legs incredibly smooth and silky after! If you'd prefer not to use the conditioner you use in your hair if it's on the expensive side, then a cheap £1 brand will do just as well and is still cheaper than having to buy a separate shaving foam.

Get a Loofah Back Strap
 I got this a little while ago to combat the bacne I was talking about before. You can get them at pretty much any drugstore and they're very cheap. I put a small amount of my shower gel on it and lather it up on the loofah. The handles make it easy to use and it's not too abrasive but will make the area a little red for a while so I wouldn't do this if you're going out with your back exposed soon after your shower. Try and avoid leaving it in a heap once you're done because it's likely to get mouldy and stay damp. I wring mine out as much as I possibly can and then leave it to air dry around the shower head.

Turn Your Shower to Cold
Now this may seem like a form of torture but I promise it's not as bad as it sounds and is actually quite refreshing. I do this at the very end of my shower just before I get out. I like to have fairly hot showers which will dry out my hair and opens up my pores a considerable amount. Dousing myself in cold water makes my hair less dry and also closes my pores up after I've washed and scrubbed the dirt out of them. I don't want them to be open when I'm applying my makeup as this will clog them straight back up.

Pat Yourself Dry
Instead of rubbing my towel vigorously on my body to try and dry myself I pat myself dry. This is especially good for your face as it's less harsh and won't promote early wrinkles like rubbing can do. I find that if I rub the towel on my legs especially, it makes them more dry and leaves the dead cells on top of the skin. If I've just had a shower and washed all the dirt off then I don't want to be getting out with dead skin on me! I also use this technique with my hair. I usually leave my hair resting on my towel over my shoulders for a little while and then before I go to dry it I gently pat the ends to get ride of excess water dripping from it. If you rub your hair with your towel you're much more likely to cause it to break and split.
I find that I actually dry quicker this way as I'm allowing the water to absorb into the towel from the surface of my skin instead of just spreading it around.

Hope you found this random post somewhat interesting and let me know if you do any of these things already or try them out.

Talk soon,
Mercedes