How To Take a Shower the Right Way: A Complete Routine for Men

You’ve probably been showering for long enough (hopefully) that instructions seem unnecessary. Water on, suds up, rinse off. Case closed, right? 

Not quite. Turning on the showerhead and grabbing the nearest soap isn’t much of a routine.

Taking a proper shower means knowing what to wash first, how warm the water should be, and how long to stay in so your shower doesn’t start charging rent. In this guide, we’ll explain how to take a shower so your body hygiene routine covers all the bases.

How To Take a Shower in 6 Steps

Just because we said there’s a right way to take a shower doesn’t mean you need to spend 40 minutes in the bathroom (we’ll cover timing later, too). What matters is giving each part of the routine enough attention and making sure every product gets rinsed away before you step out. Here are the six steps you shouldn't skip.

1. Wet Your Skin and Hair

Set the temperature to lukewarm, and give yourself a thorough rinse. You don’t have to start with warm water, but it’s usually the most comfortable choice. Lukewarm water can loosen oil, sweat, and product buildup without the drying effects of hot water, which can make your skin feel more dry. It also softens your hair and skin if shaving is part of your routine. Cold water is fine if you prefer it, but it may feel less comfortable, especially in winter.

Wetting your skin first makes it easier to spread product without unnecessarily aggressive scrubbing, and completely soaking your hair helps shampoo distribute more evenly. Give the water a moment to do its thing before reaching for the suds.

2. Wash Your Body With Bar Soap or Body Wash

Work up a lather with a Dr. Squatch bricc or body wash, and cleanse from your shoulders downward. Pay attention to the places where sweat and odor tend to build up, like your underarms and feet. Remember that you’re just trying to remove the day’s dirt — not sandblast it off — so a good lather and gentle washing will do the trick.

3. Shampoo Your Hair and Scalp

If it’s hair-wash day (yes, you don’t have to shampoo every day), massage Dr. Squatch shampoo into your scalp and roots. That’s where oil, dead skin, and product buildup set up camp. As you rinse, the shampoo travels through the rest of your hair, so you don’t need to aggressively work it into the ends.

4. Apply Conditioner

Follow up with Dr. Squatch conditioner. Work it toward the lengths and ends of your hair, and let it sit for one to three minutes. Those areas are older, more exposed to friction and styling, and usually drier than the roots. Hair conditioner deposits moisturizing ingredients onto the hair’s outer surface and smooths the cuticle so strands are softer and easier to detangle.

5. Rinse Thoroughly

Rinse your hair and body until the shampoo, conditioner, and lingering suds are gone. Hair products can run down your neck and back, so this final rinse is your chance to make sure nothing from your head ends up hanging around for an unwanted encore. If you wash your face in the shower, this is also a good time to do it.

6. Finish With a Cool Rinse

Turn the temperature down for the last few seconds if you like. The sudden change feels refreshing because colder water stimulates cold-sensitive nerves in the skin and prompts a short-lived increase in alertness and sympathetic nervous-system activity. That means you can temporarily turn into Wim Hof, but you won’t be giving motivational speeches near a frozen lake any time soon.

How Often Should You Shower?

There’s no hygiene law requiring every man to shower at least once a day. Daily showering works for most people, but how often you need one depends on what your body’s been up to. Here are a few things to consider:

• Daily plans: If you’re heading into the office or heading out for a date, feeling and smelling fresh is probably a good idea. Move a shower higher up the agenda.

• Activity level: Exercise and physical work produce sweat, so having a post-activity rinse is a sensible way to cool down and feel clean.

• Weather: Hot, humid days and climates mean more sweating, so you might want to rinse off more. In cooler conditions, you may not need to shower as often.

• Skin type: Oilier skin produces more sebum, which can up your funk factor. If that sounds familiar, you might benefit from an extra shower. But if you have dry skin, less frequent washing might serve you better, since repeated exposure to hot water and certain cleansers can make dryness worse.

What’s the Ideal Shower Temperature?

Your ideal shower should feel comfortably warm, not like you’re trying to grill yourself on the barbecue. Lukewarm water is best, with the sweet spot around 100°F (38°C). That’s warm enough for a comfortable cleanse, and if you enjoy it, you can dial the water temperature down for the final few seconds. But that’s probably not the best idea if you’re taking a shower before bed — you don’t want Duracell Bunny-level zoomies before hitting the hay.

How Long Should a Shower Take?

A shower should take around five to 10 minutes. You can cleanse your body, use shampoo and conditioner, and rinse thoroughly without exposing your skin to water for too long, which can leave it feeling drier. 

There’s an environmental bonus, too. Standard showerheads usually use about 2.5 gallons of water per minute, so shorter showers can cut water use.

What To Do After You Step Out of the Shower

Don’t undo a gentle shower with a rough towel takedown like prime Brock Lesnar. Pat your skin dry (instead of rubbing) so it’s slightly damp, then apply moisturizer with a body lotion to trap some of that water in the skin and keep it hydrated. 

Gently blot or wrap wet hair rather than pulling or scrubbing with a towel, which creates unnecessary friction and tugs on strands. Once you’re dry, spray or glide on some of Dr. Squatch’s deodorant before getting dressed and heading out so people don’t intentionally keep their distance when you walk by.

Common Shower Mistakes To Avoid

A few small habits could still sabotage your newfound shower routine. Here are several common mistakes to avoid in and after the shower:

• Reusing a damp towel too long: You don’t need a fresh towel every day. Reusing the same one is fine if it dries completely between showers. Leaving it damp gives microbes a place to grow, so spread it out and wash it at least once a week.

• Using too much product: More suds don’t mean you’re getting any cleaner. In fact, too much shampoo, conditioner, or body wash can be harder to rinse away and mostly sends extra product down the drain. Follow the label, and add more only if needed.

• Not caring for your loofah or body puff: A loofah is optional. If you use one for exfoliating, be gentle with it, clean it, and let it dry outside the shower. Those little crevices can become hotspots for bacteria.

• Thinking you don’t need conditioner: Shampoo cleans, but it’s not an all-in-one miracle product. Conditioner coats and smooths hair strands, helping it feel softer and more manageable.

• Scrubbing like you’re removing graffiti: Your skin doesn’t need a power wash. Too much friction can irritate the skin barrier, so it’s best to wash gently with your hands, a soft washcloth, or a soft tool like the Dr. Squatch Scrubber.

Build a Better Shower Routine, Bricc by Bricc

You don’t need to reinvent bathing to take a better shower. Get the basics right: Make sure the temperature isn’t volcano or North Pole-level, give your hair some attention, and know when it’s time to call it before your shower becomes a feature-length film.

Build the whole bathing routine with Dr. Squatch briccs, body wash, shampoo, and conditioner. We have everything you need under one roof — or, more accurately, behind one shower curtain. Pick your shower-side essentials from our collection, and build a new routine from top to toe with Dr. Squatch.