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Just because a task is a hygienic and societal necessity doesn't mean it needs to be a boring experience. While, yes, you should bathe regularly to wash your face and body, your shower routine can be upgraded from mundane to marvelous with the right tools. From a soothing shower bath bomb to a supportive shower pillow, these items will help you look forward to sudsing up.
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1. For a customized hair routine: this Function of Beauty set
First thing’s first: Washing your hair. If you haven’t found a shampoo and conditioner that works well with your hair to give you your desired results, consider trying Function of Beauty’s customizable shampoo and conditioner set. As Reviewed's beauty editor, I tested the subscription service and got hooked on how fresh, clean and soft my hair feels post-shower.
To order your own bespoke set, you provide details about your hair and desired goals and your color and scent preferences for your formulas and they’re shipped right to you.
Get a Function of Beauty subscription starting at $36 and use code REVIEWED10 for 10% off shampoo & conditioner sets 16 ounces or larger
2. For an enveloping spray: this Hydroluxe showerhead
Your shower head can make a huge difference in setting a relaxing atmosphere. With the right one, the water pressure and spray pattern can feel more akin to a massage and take your shower from utilitarian to luxurious.
Our favorite showerhead from Hydroluxe features 24 powerful shower settings, including mist and rain, and a handheld head for flexibility and getting up close to your scalp. Reviewed’s tester reports that it’s easy to install, too.
Get the Hydroluxe 1433 Handheld Showerhead & Rain Shower Combo from Amazon for $25.99
3. For a calming soak: these LifeAround2Angels bath bombs
If your idea of relaxation is running a bath, you must try adding bath bombs to your routine. After testing several, we crowned the LifeAround2Angels ones as the best. They come in a 12-piece variety set and each one smells great, moisturizes the skin and won’t stain your bathtub. Plop one of the spheres in the tub and watch it fizz and disperse throughout the water to create a colorful, fragrant and serene bath.
Get the LifeAround2Angels Bath Bombs from Amazon for $26.80
4. For an extra-restful bath: this Gorilla Grip pillow
Fair warning: The bath bombs may get you hooked on tub time. Once that’s the case, you may want to invest more in your relaxing experience, particularly in making it more comfortable on your neck and back.
Instead of leaning against the hard lip of the tub, pad it out with this Gorilla Grip Bath Pillow that has an average rating of 4.3 stars from more than 14,000 Amazon reviews. Its two suction cups prevent slippage and the waterproof outer design cleans with ease. The 14.5-by-11-inch pillow claims to fit any size tub or jacuzzi.
Get the Gorilla Grip Spa Bath Pillow from Amazon for $24.99
5. For exfoliating the skin: this First Aid Beauty body scrub
When your skin is feeling rough or you want a deep clean, use a body scrub to cleanse your skin. The First Aid Beauty KP Bump Eraser Body Scrub is designed to reduce the appearance of keratosis pilaris, or clogged hair follicles, but anyone can enjoy it for an ultra-smooth feeling on the skin. The scrub contains pumice buffing beads that remove dead skin cells, glycolic and lactic acids to continue chemical exfoliation beyond use in the shower and soothing ingredients to calm irritated skin.
One happy Sephora reviewer writes: “The texture is unlike any other grainy exfoliator I've used. It's much finer than a sugar scrub but is very exfoliating. A tiny, tiny bit goes a long way, too! I use it on my keratosis pilaris on the backs of my arms.”
Get the First Aid Beauty KP Bump Eraser Body Scrub from Sephora for $28
6. For removing body or facial hair: these Gillette razors
If you’re in the practice of shaving body hair, you need a top-notch razor to reveal silky, hairless skin without causing any razor burn or nicks. The Gillette Venus Extra Smooth Swirl soared to the top of our list while testing razors for women, as the five-blade, lubricated cartridge allows you to remove a large swath of hair in one pass.
For facial hair, we recommend the Gillette Mach3 Turbo after testing men’s disposable razors because it has a small enough head to work around the curves of the face that results in a clean, close shave.
7. For playing shower tunes: this waterproof speaker from JBL
There’s a reason singing in the shower is a trope. But instead of creating your own a capella stylings, with a water-friendly speaker, you can throw on a singalong-friendly playlist (or listen to a podcast) while you unwind in a bath or go through your shower routine.
The JBL Flip 5 earned our Best Value spot when we tested waterproof Bluetooth speakers because it boasts excellent sound quality, is portable and waterproof and comes in several colors.
Get the JBL Flip 5 from JBL for $119.95
8. For moisturizing post-shower: this cream from Sol de Janeiro
When you introduce water and body wash or soap to your skin, you should always follow up with a moisturizer to keep your skin hydrated and protected—and one that leaves it smelling great and feeling smooth is a nice bonus.
Reviewers rave about the Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Bum Bum Cream because of its fast-absorbing formula and tantalizing fragrance with notes of vanilla, salted caramel and pistachio. The cream claims to moisturize and protect the skin with a blend of tropical cupuaçu butter, açaí oil and coconut oil.
Get the Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Bum Bum Cream from Sephora for $45
9. For washing your body: this Salux washcloth
Loofahs and brushes feel great but—sorry to report—they can hold onto bacteria that you don’t want to introduce to your skin. Instead, try this 35-inch-long bath cloth that allows you to wash and exfoliate your body using your favorite soap or body wash, and can be tossed in the laundry with your towels.
Our tester loves that one or two dollops of body wash went a long way once lathered into the cloth and her skin feels softer and smoother after use.
Get the Salux Nylon Japanese Beauty Skin Bath Wash Cloth from Amazon for $11.69
10. For holding your bath accessories: this Royal Craft Wood tray
Soaking in the bath sounds relaxing in theory, but after a few minutes with only the warm water and your thoughts, it can become, well, dull. Bring along a glass of wine, a candle and a book or tablet with a specially designed tub table to hold them.
This Royal Craft Wood tray extends across the tub and contains a tablet holder, drink slots and removable trays to keep all of your items safely above water. It also claims to be non-slip, so you can’t easily knock it askew.
One Amazon reviewer writes: “When I placed my order for this tray, I looked at the pics but did not realize how really cool this piece is. The ability to change the size is great but I just love the different trays that are removable as well as the ability to put my phone and a kindle in safe areas of the tray.”
Get the Royal Craft Wood Luxury Bathtub Caddy Tray from Amazon for $49.97
11. For gently drying hair: this Aquis hair towel
A terry cloth towel does the job of absorbing water from your hair, but there is a better way, if 2,500-plus happy reviewers are to be believed. The Aquis Waffle Luxe Hair Turban claims to cut your drying time in half while reducing frizz and breakage associated with roughly handling hair.
Our own reviewer agrees with these claims and says she noticed an improvement in her hair’s strength after months of using the towel. Wrap your hair into the towel and let it sit for seven to eight minutes before taking it off and going about your hair routine.
Get the Aquis Waffle Luxe Hair Turban from Amazon for $19.50
12. For a spa-like body treatment: This Kopari body mask
You’ve likely heard of face masks that claim to moisturize, brighten or draw impurities from your pores. So why shouldn’t all your skin benefit from similar treatment? About 10 minutes before a shower, apply the Kopari Pink Soufflé Body Mask to your whole body or specific spots where you want to treat. The mask claims to minimize the look of pores with niacinamide, brighten with antioxidants from dragon fruit extracts, clear pores with kaolin and bentonite clay and moisturize with coconut oil.
One Kopari reviewer raves: “I’ve never used a product that gave me such dramatic results so quickly! I have very sensitive, acne-prone skin and this product works great for me and didn’t cause any irritation at all. I’ve been using it a few times a week before I get in the shower and can feel how much softer my skin is after each use. It doesn’t dry out my skin like many products I’ve used in the past, and after just a couple uses, the texture of my skin was noticeably smoother and my problem areas had cleared up. It smells fantastic and feels super refreshing when I put it on.”
Get the Pink Soufflé Body Mask from Kopari for $39
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Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time.