A dermatologist told me everything I’m doing wrong in my shower routine, and how to fix it – Insider – INSIDER

We all (hopefully) know the shower basics armpits, face, hair, and private area. But there's a lot of room for variation beyond those steps, from what kind of products you use to when and how you use them.

I'm personally a nighttime shower-er, to feel like I'm getting the New York City grime off my body at the end of the day. I use warm water, dialed down from the scalding showers I used to love after hearing that hot water isn't so good for your skin.

And, generally, I don't struggle with any skin ailments, aside from some dryness in my scalp and on my skin before moisturizing.

Even so, I decided to consult Dr. Heidi Waldorf, a cosmetic dermatologist, to get her verdict on my routine and find out how to optimize my shower habits. She had a lot to say.

I begin my shower routine by washing my hair with Cantu Hair Shampoo. I typically only do this every three days because I have thick, wavy hair, which doesn't get oily quickly and requires a lot of hydration.

Waldorf said I have the right idea about alternating days, but she wasn't surprised to hear my scalp gets a bit itchy and irritated at times.

She said that may well be linked to my shampoo's high level of surfactants, ingredients that bond to dirt and oil to leave surfaces clean afterward. Surfactants can be helpful because they act as a foaming agent in shampoos and cleansers to remove dirt and unwanted oils.

However, if your skin is on the dryer side, they can work against you.

According to Waldorf, surfactants don't distinguish between the excess oil or dirt in your skin and the necessary skin fats that you need. Those necessary fats (or, lipids) "act as 'mortar' sealing the spaces between the 'bricks'" of each skin cell, Waldorf said. "Remove too much and you damage the skin barrier."

She recommended I switch to one that's more hydrating. To do so, I should avoid shampoo labels that include ingredients like sodium alpha olefin C14-16 sulfonate and cocamidopropyl betaine.

After I rinse out my shampoo, I put in my Cantu Shea Butter conditioner and let it sit for about 10 minutes while I continue on with the rest of my routine. I rinse it out after I wash my body.

Waldorf said this is exactly right for my type of hair. She liked my conditioner because it's filled with moisturizing elements like shea butter and oils. Leaving it in allows it time to do its magic.

However, optimal conditioning time varies depending on your hair type. For people who do not have thick, dry hair, they may not need to leave it in so long.

I wash my entire body with OGX LavenderEssential Oil Body Wash. (I was raised in a Peruvian household so, yes, that includes my legs.) I normally start from the top and go down to make sure the soap doesn't recontaminate an already clean area.

Normally, my skin feels a bit tight after I shower, but I assumed this would be offset by my moisturizer.

Waldorf was happy with the order in which I apply and rinse off my body wash, but she said I should take note of the tight feeling of my skin after a shower. As with my shampoo, she said I should consider a body wash with fewer surfactants.

"My general test for a body wash is whether your skin feels soft or tight afterward," Waldorf said. "If it's soft, then it's OK. If not, then I'd consider switching."

I carry out my body-wash routine with my trusty shower pouf.

But, according to Waldorf, the pouf can also go. Waldorf said my hands accomplish the same thing with less irritation to the skin.

If I'm married to the idea of using it, I have to throw it in the washing machine every week so that it doesn't become a breeding ground for bacteria.

After rinsing out my conditioner, I wash my face with Aveeno Clear Complexion Foaming Facewash, a product Waldorf recommended to help with acne I've developed since starting HRT (hormone replacement therapy).

"Washing your face after shampooing and using conditioner is a great idea for anyone with oily skin or acne reduces any residual left on the face," Waldorf said.

The final step in my routine is usually towel-drying and putting lotion all over my body while I'm still slightly damp (though not my neck and face, because that's a whole other routine).

Waldorf said I have the right idea, moisturizing before I'm perfectly dry because the lotion locks in the moisture from the water and leaves my skin hydrated. But my choice in lotion leaves much to be desired for my skin type.

Queen Helene Cocoa Butter Hand and Body Lotion is high in sodium laurel sulfate, an ingredient that is a common skin irritant for people with dryer skin that Waldorf has previously told me to avoid in products.

Sodium laurel sulfate is a surfactant that can be useful in cleaning excess oil or dirt from the skin, which can be especially useful for those on the oilier side.

"What you want to see are a line up of moisturizing ingredients like glycerin, dimethicone, urea, sodium lactate, shea butter, oils the most effective moisturizers are a mix of humectants to pull in moisture, emollients to smooth the surface and provide a silky feel and occlusive to hold the moisture in longer," Waldorf said.

Overall, Waldorf liked the order in which I showered and the fact that I left my conditioner in for most of my routine because it provides necessary hydration to my hair and scalp.

My biggest missteps were my overuse of scrubbing and that some of my products contain irritating components for my skin.

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A dermatologist told me everything I'm doing wrong in my shower routine, and how to fix it - Insider - INSIDER