Should I Do My Skincare Before or After a ShowerThey say multitasking is a myth. But when it comes down to skincare while showering, the answer is otherwise. Yes. You can do almost all your skincare steps in the shower, but there are some steps you must do afterward. Let’s dive into the details of what skincare stages you can do before and after a shower.

Cleansing During the Shower

Pros

Cleansing your face while taking a shower is a convenient way of saving time, especially in the morning hours when you’re short on time and are likely to go without cleansing your face properly. You can certainly cut down on extra time by washing your face and taking a shower side by side. 

During a shower, steam is produced that benefits your skin significantly. Steam helps in gently opening clogged pores. That’s why every spa uses a steamer. Steam does wonders when it comes to deep cleansing your skin. It releases oil, extra sebum, and dirt from your facial pores.

You can easily wash your face during a shower. It gives you the advantage of washing your jawline and hairline conveniently without soaking yourself. You can also handle makeup removal in the shower if you manage to apply cleansing lotions while facing away from the running water.

Cons

Although cleansing during the shower conserves time, it has some shortcomings too.During chilly days, you might crave a hot shower. Make sure not to let the hot water touch your face since hot water is a foe to healthy skin.

You will probably not wash your face for more than a couple of minutes when you are washing your face by the sink. But during the shower, your skin loses some of its vital oils, which dries out because it’s continuously in contact with water. That can be pretty harsh to your skin.

Be sure to keep an eye on the temperature as oil-based products used for cleansing break down rapidly in hot water.

Cleansing After Shower

Pros

Simultaneously taking a shower and cleansing your face may save you some time, but it also creates room for some mixing of products. This crossover may result in oilier skin.

You can also irritate your skin if it accidentally contacts scented hair products. So make sure to thoroughly wash your hands from any prior soaps before proceeding to apply skincare products.

Cleansing your skin after a shower ensures no crossover of products. If you cleanse post taking a shower, you can immediately apply moisturizer once you’re done. It’s best to use moisturizer while your skin is still a little damp.

Cons

Your skin will miss out on the deep cleanse it gets due to the steam effect if you do cleansing after taking a shower. Cleansing in the shower automatically opens pores by the steam produced.

Separating your cleansing rituals and shower prolongs your routine. It’s prettyunsuitable for a morning skincare regimen, especially when running late.    

Applying Face Masks

Face Masks Before Shower

Applying the face mask before showering works best for dry skin types. It helps seize the moisture from the shower and the face mask. But remember to use a soothing moisturizer after exiting the shower.

You can certainly cut down on time by including a face mask in your shower routine, which goes well with mud and liquid masks. Mud masks give you a hard time if you wash them over the sink, so it’s probably best to apply them before the shower and rinse them off during the shower.

When applying any liquid face mask, You can cleanse your skin by the sink and then get in the shower while you let the face mask do its thang. Or you can wash your skin, apply the face mask, get all that done during the shower, and then get on with your showering routine.

But by doing the latter, there’s a chance water will run through it before it is evenly settled.

Face Masks After Shower

You can apply a face mask after a shower. If you have combination skin or oily skin, it would be better to apply deep-cleansing mud or charcoal face masks after the shower, when your pores have been unclogged by the steam, to absorb the product better into your pores.

If you’re using a pricier skincare mask that you’re afraid of prematurely going down the drain, you should probably save it for after the shower.

When using a sheet mask, the leftover product after removing the mask is to be massaged into your skin. So obviously, you can’t put it on during a shower, or much of the product would be wasted.

As for the overnight face masks, the name says it all. They are supposed to be left on for the night and removed in the morning. These types of masks should always be applied after the shower to maximize their nourishing benefits.

Applying Skincare Products

Doing Skincare Before or During a Shower?

It’s recommended hugely by many dermatologists to start your skincare in the shower. You can apply almost all rinse-off skincare products before or during your shower. But chemical peels and exfoliants are a big NO-NO when using skincare products during the shower. You can use mud masks or charcoal masks as they are easier to wash in the shower.

Using rinse-off liquid face masks in the shower is a viable way to save time. You may use Cleansers and cleansing balms to deep cleanse your skin or remove makeup in the shower if you manage to keep your face away from the water stream.

If you have a habit of having lengthy hot shower sessions, you should do your skincare routine after the shower. Intensively hot water and steam can cause many skin problems like eczema, psoriasis, and rosacea, trigger acne, and irritate otherwise healthy skin.

Doing Skincare After a Shower

Fitting your skincare routine after you’ve taken a shower is not a bad option. You just need to ensure you don’t have much dry skin type. You may use the following products after the shower. Since You shouldn’t use chemical peels and exfoliants during a shower, you may use them without showering or after exiting the shower.

You can apply all sorts of masks after a shower, but sheet masks and overnight extra creamy face masks are exclusively used after showering. Serum, essence, and ampoules can only be used after a shower since you don’t want them wasted while you exfoliate your face during the shower.

And, of course, the moisturizers and eye cream should be applied after showering because they’re meant to stay on your skin. The best exercise is to apply moisturizers and SPF immediately after you exit the shower. Apply lip balms to hydrate your lips after a shower.

Final Words

Skincare is a complex topic. There don’t exist any hard and fast rules that define a proper skincare routine or answer other skincare-related questions.

So if you ask when you should do your skincare? The answer isn’t simple. You can do it either before or after a shower. It relies on how much you know your skin type.

Doing skincare before or during a shower works better for dry skin types. While doing skincare after showering or without showering works well for oily or combination skin types.

Doing skincare during a shower has the main benefit of reducing time, while skincare after a shower offers the proper application of products. You just have to identify what works best for your skin type and circumstances.