What Is an Everything Shower? The Step-by-Step Routine (and Where Exfoliating Fits)
★ TL;DR
An everything shower is a longer, weekly shower that batches hair care, exfoliating, shaving and moisturizing. Go in this order: hair, cleanse, exfoliate, shave, rinse, then moisturize damp skin. Keep water warm, not hot, use one gentle exfoliant, and don't scrub freshly shaved skin.
Updated September 2026
An everything shower is a longer, usually once-a-week shower where you batch all the extra steps you normally skip: a hair mask, full-body exfoliation, shaving and a proper moisturizing routine afterward. The order that works is hair first, then cleanse, exfoliate, shave, rinse and moisturize while skin is still damp. Done sensibly, it's a nice weekly reset; done with scalding water and three different scrubs, it leaves skin dry and irritated.
What is an everything shower?
"Everything shower" is social media shorthand, not a medical term. A regular shower is a quick rinse and wash. An everything shower is the full reset, usually including:
- A hair wash with conditioner or a hair mask.
- A body wash.
- Exfoliating rough areas like the butt, thighs, knees and elbows.
- Shaving or other hair removal.
- A slower routine afterward: moisturizer, deodorant, clean pajamas.
People tend to schedule one for a Sunday night, or before a trip, an event or a beach day. If you're getting ready for swimsuit season, our 4-week swimsuit prep countdown builds one into the plan.
The appeal is real. Batching the slow steps into one session keeps weekday showers quick, and taking your time can feel good. The catch is that skin doesn't love long, hot showers or a pile of products, so the goal is a sensible order and a short list.
What is the correct order for an everything shower?
This order keeps each step from undoing the one before it:
| Step | What to do | Why it goes here |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Prep | Detangle hair, set out what you'll use, put a fresh blade in your razor. | Less time standing under running water. |
| 2. Shampoo | Wash your hair first. | Shampoo runs down your body as you rinse, so wash your body after. |
| 3. Conditioner or hair mask | Apply it, clip your hair up and leave it on. | It sits while you do everything else. |
| 4. Cleanse | Gentle body wash, focused where you need it most. | Start exfoliating on clean skin. |
| 5. Exfoliate | Light, small circles on rough areas, then rinse. | Buffs skin before the razor goes over it. |
| 6. Shave | Shaving gel or cream, with the grain, rinsing the blade often. | Hair and skin are at their softest by now. |
| 7. Final rinse | Rinse out conditioner and body products with lukewarm water. | Gets conditioner off your back and shoulders. |
| 8. Moisturize | Pat dry and apply moisturizer within a few minutes. | Damp skin holds on to moisture better. |
Many people cleanse their face at the sink instead, which keeps it out of the hot spray. A face mask fits best right after cleansing while your conditioner sits. Skip acid or "peel" masks on the same night you use a body scrub and shave.
Where does exfoliating go: before or after shaving?
Before. Scrubbing skin you've just shaved adds irritation on top of the razor and tends to sting. Exfoliate first and you won't need to touch freshly shaved skin again. If your skin is very reactive, exfoliate a day before you shave instead of in the same shower. There's more on the timing in exfoliating before or after shaving.
For the exfoliating step itself, the American Academy of Dermatology suggests applying the product gently in small circles for about 30 seconds, rinsing with lukewarm water and moisturizing right after. It also advises never exfoliating cut or sunburned skin, and avoiding strong exfoliation if you have a darker skin tone.
If you use a scrub for this step, Becky Booty Scrub cleanses and exfoliates at the same time: finely milled walnut shell powder in a base of mild glucoside cleansers, with aloe, jojoba and rosehip seed oils. On your butt and thighs it can stand in for body wash, which is one less bottle. Use a small scoop on damp skin, massage in light circles for 30 to 60 seconds, then rinse.
Then shave. The AAD's shaving tips are simple: wet your skin and hair first to soften them, use a shaving cream or gel, shave in the direction the hair grows, rinse after every swipe, and change your blade after 5 to 7 shaves.
How often should you do an everything shower?
Once a week is how most people use the idea, and that pace suits skin. The exfoliating and shaving steps are what set the limit. The AAD notes that how often you exfoliate should depend on your skin type and method, and that more aggressive exfoliation should be done less often. For most body skin, once or twice a week is plenty. Sensitive skin may do better with less.
In between, keep it simple. Cleveland Clinic says showering once a day is the general guideline most people follow, that the water should be warm but not too hot, and that the areas you really need to wash consistently are your face, armpits and groin.
What do you actually need for one?
You don't need a new haul. One product per step is enough:
| Step | Minimal kit | You can skip |
|---|---|---|
| Hair | Your usual shampoo and conditioner, or a hair mask | A separate product for every hair concern |
| Cleanse | A gentle, fragrance-free body wash | Several scented washes |
| Exfoliate | One exfoliant: a scrub, a washcloth or a mild acid wash | A scrub, an acid wash and an exfoliating mitt all at once |
| Shave | A razor with a fresh blade and a shaving gel or cream | Dry shaving, or plain soap instead of gel |
| Moisturize | A cream or ointment with ingredients like glycerin, shea butter or petrolatum | Layers of body serums and scented mists on freshly shaved skin |
The AAD's dry skin tips favor creams and ointments over thin lotions, and gentle, fragrance-free cleansers.
What should you avoid in a long hot shower?
- Hot water. Very hot water dries skin out and can leave it itchy. Warm is enough.
- Standing under the water for ages. For dry skin, the AAD recommends keeping showers to five to ten minutes with warm water. An everything shower runs longer, so step out of the spray or turn the water down while your hair mask sits, and don't linger once you're done.
- Over-exfoliating. One exfoliant, light pressure, rough areas only. More scrubbing isn't more smoothing.
- Fragrance on freshly shaved skin. The AAD lists fragrance among the ingredients that can worsen dry skin, and scented products often sting after a shave.
- Scrubbing over bumps, breakouts, cuts or sunburn. Work around them.
- Stacking strong products. Don't follow a scrub and a fresh shave with a retinoid or acid lotion on the same night.
What's the post-shower routine?
- Pat dry. Don't rub, especially on shaved areas.
- Moisturize within a few minutes while skin is still slightly damp. The AAD says this helps trap moisture.
- Let it absorb before deodorant and clothes. If deodorant stings on freshly shaved underarms, wait a bit or choose a fragrance-free one.
- Wear something loose and breathable. The AAD suggests loose cotton clothing for dry, easily irritated skin.
- Use sunscreen the next day on any skin that will see sun.
If you want the body-care steps in a weekly plan, see our butt skincare routine. And if freshness is the goal of your reset, how to make your butt smell good covers what actually matters.
The bottom line
An everything shower is just a regular shower plus the extra steps, done in a sensible order: hair, cleanse, exfoliate, shave, rinse, moisturize. Keep the water warm, use one exfoliant, don't scrub shaved skin, and moisturize while you're still damp. Once a week is plenty.
FAQ
How long does an everything shower take?
It depends on your routine and how much hair removal you do. The useful goal isn't a set time but keeping time under running water short, close to the five to ten minutes the AAD suggests for dry skin, and doing the slow parts, like letting a hair mask sit or moisturizing, out of the spray.
How do you explain an everything shower to someone?
It's a regular shower plus every extra step you usually skip, like a hair mask, exfoliating, shaving and a full moisturizing routine, all done in one session, usually once a week.
Is an everything shower bad for your skin?
Not if you keep it sensible. The problems come from very hot water, long soaks, over-exfoliating and piling on fragranced products. Warm water, one gentle exfoliant and moisturizer right after keep it skin-friendly.
Should you exfoliate every time you shower?
No. For most body skin, once or twice a week is enough, and sensitive skin or darker skin tones may do better with gentler, less frequent exfoliation. Daily scrubbing tends to irritate.
What's the difference between an everything shower and a regular shower?
A regular shower covers the basics: rinse off and wash the areas that need it, like your face, armpits and groin. An everything shower adds the extras, including hair treatments, exfoliating, shaving and a slower moisturizing routine, so it takes longer and usually happens weekly.
Smoother, softer, better-looking skin. Three scrubs a week.
The Becky Booty Scrub — walnut shell + rosehip exfoliant, $19.95, ships free over $35.
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