Are you doing these five beauty rituals every time you shower?

Showering.  We all know that the main objective is to cleanse but I've been thinking about how elevate the experience from a cleaning routine into a full on beauty ritual.  We're already doing on a daily basis anyway so why not maximize the time to its fullest potential.

I've already discussed some awesome things to do before jumping in the shower but the fun doesn't stop there.  I'm in the process of building an "in shower" beauty routine that can be done on a daily basis.  So far I've come up with a few ideas.

If you're just rubbing soap on your body and rinsing, then you are way behind the times.  Exfoliation is the name of the game.  At the very least you should be using one of these salux cloths.  By now, each and every single one of you should have Tree Hut's Shea Butter scrub in your possession.  Exfoliating your entire body daily is a must.  We've talked about it at length here so I won't go into the details. Just consider this a reminder in case you aren't already hip to the game.

It's time to confess that I was one of those girls that only shaved once things go too crazy to handle.  Normally this time of year, it wouldn't be unusual for me to be sporting a little hair on my legs since I figured that no one would see so it didn't matter.  Well, things are totally different now.  For the last few weeks, I've committed to shaving daily.  Not only has it made a difference in the way I look, I also feel better knowing that I'm ready to don on a skirt or some shorts at any time.  To keep irritation at bay, I use coconut oil in lieu of shaving cream which keeps the skin nice and soft.

My life changed when I decided to move the pumice stone from my pedicure kit to my shower.  You've heard me talk about this many times before.  If you had to chose only one or two things to do from this list. Choose to exfoliate the bottom of your feet on a daily basis.  "If you stay ready, you don't have to get ready."  By spring, the last thing you'll have to worry about slipping on your sandals again.

The shower can be a great time to slip in some exercises.  I'm not talking about traditional exercises that require a lot of movement. No, I'm referring to simple exercises that you can do anywhere.  One of them that can easily be done in the shower are transverse abdominal exercises such as the stomach vacuum.  Basically, it involves pulling the interior abdominal muscles in to engage your inner corset. I'll do a full post on transverse exercises in the future.

  Other moves you can do in the shower are some simple facial exercises to stimulate blood flow to the face.  There was a time when I did a few cheek exercises daily in the shower and I did notice a difference in the fullness of my face.  Lastly, if you have a few minutes, try to fit in some kegals to help strengthen your pelvic muscles.  You don't have to do a ton of them but since we shower at least once a day, all the exercises add up and you will reap tremendous benefits.

One or two days out of the week, why not try applying a simple mask like Queen Helene Mint Julep either before you jump into the shower  or just after, while your skin is damp and pores open from the steam.  The mask is really inexpensive and easy to apply.  Since it's not a hydrating mask, you probably don't need to apply daily.  If you have dry skin, consider other options like Burt's Bees Intense Hydration Mask or Fresh's Rose Face Mask.  I'm thinking about bringing in my jar of Fresh's Sugar Face Polish in the shower so I can scrub myself from head to toe.  Or, you can choose to skip the masks altogether and give yourself a facial massage with coconut oil.

These a just some suggestions of what you can do to take your shower to the next level.  But it doesn't stop there, you can try other things like plan out your day, or create a strategy to reach your  goals.   I get my best ideas when I'm in the shower.  The moral of the story is that a shower is the perfect time to link on additional activities because we do it every day.  By adding on other habits to our shower, we promote consistency which will produce outstanding results.