Dark Showering Helped Me Love Self-Care Again

As a beauty editor, you might think getting home after a long day and clocking in for my everything shower and 10-step skincare routine is my favorite part of every day—and for a long time, it was. Recently, though, something shifted. Caring for my skin and lathering my scalp turned into picking at every slight bump on my face and scanning every individual hair strand for split ends. In the fluorescent light of my bathroom (thank you, NYC apartment infrastructure!), my self-care routine had somehow become a ritual of criticism, leaving me feeling worse about myself than when I’d started.

Then, one day, I was scrolling through my inbox when a statistic caught my eye. According to GLIMPSE Analytics, searches for “dark showering” are up a whopping 3,752% in the last year, and it got me thinking: Is the secret to making my self-care routine relaxing again as simple as turning off the lights? After months of taking showers exclusively by waterproof lamp or candlelight, I can assure you the answer is yes.

Now, whether I’m hopping in the shower before I head out for the day or decompressing after a long week, my shower and self-care regimens focus more on how things feel than how they look, making the experience more relaxing, restorative, and pleasant from beginning to end. All it took was a small lighting change.

If you’re looking to reclaim your routine and try dark showering yourself, I’ve got some tips and tricks to make the experience magical and keep you as present as possible.

Curate Your Dark Shower Ambiance

The name of this trend is a bit deceiving, as you obviously need some light to shower safely. But if your goal is a meditative moment, overhead light is simply not it. If you’re trying dark showering for the first time, I recommend gathering your favorite candles and setting them up on your sink or around your bathroom to create natural low light and enhance your sensory experience, no purchase necessary. The Sand + Fog Teakwood Candle ($24) and P.F. Candle Co. Golden Coast ($24) have been two of my go-tos for a soft shower glow and refreshing, restorative earthy notes while I wash.

And if you want to make dark showering a regular part of your routine, a few small purchases are all you need for a lasting, spa-like shower setup. For a shower experience you can tailor to your mood, I recommend this waterproof shower lamp from Amazon. It’s under $30, comes with a remote for easy color-swapping, and features a removable shade that lets you choose between a soft, all-over glow or a mystical, immersive, ocean-like experience.

I also recommend grabbing a bundle of eucalyptus from your local grocery store and hanging it upside down in your shower. The pop of green makes your space feel more like an oasis, and the plant's aroma, mixed with shower steam, smells and feels like heaven.

Play With Sensory-First Products

I’ve found that leaning into products with fun textures and curated sensory experiences, both in and out of the shower, has helped me stay present in my routine without falling into the trap of chasing immediate results.

In the shower, I love to have a good scrub on hand. For my body, AKT London’s The Foaming Body Scrub in Columbia Road ($59) is my all-time favorite thanks to its exfoliating but non-stripping formula and utterly intoxicating iris and violet aroma. The Joico Scalp Vitality Exfoliating Foaming Scrub ($26) is another feeling-first product I love not only for detoxing my scalp, but also for the minty-fresh feeling it leaves behind.

Out of the shower, I keep sensory focus in mind, reaching for products that feel good to use while leaving my skin better than I found it. To gently scrub the day off, I like the Medicube Kojic Acid Turmeric Peel Shot ($20.90). The hydroxy acid-powered exfoliant goes on like a serum but pills off dead skin into your hands as you apply it, making for a fun, non-damaging sensory experience.

Facial massages have also made a huge difference in my self-care reclamation. Instead of searching for blackheads and irritating my skin beyond repair, I’ve opted for tools like the RIKI Sculptress ($195)—a warming and cooling gua sha device that uses EMS stimulation, LED light therapy, and vibration massage for the ultimate at-home spa experience. Not only am I stimulating my facial muscles and treating my skin to restorative light therapy, but the massage also helps my whole body relax, releasing all the built-up tension I’ve been holding in my jaw and forehead throughout the day.

All in all, dark showering has been one of the most impactful changes I’ve made to my self-care routine in the last year. We take in so much during the day — from work challenges to family drama and constant social media stimulation — and sometimes, all we have to do to tune back into ourselves is turn it all off.

Presented by BDG Studios