After Easter break I became a freak about my bedtime routine. I’m not exactly sure what flipped the switch in me, but it has certainly been flipped.
Before I really put you on, I have to say that I am exceptionally lazy when it comes to self-care, but not in a gross way. I just don’t believe in doing more than I have to when it comes to self-care- again, not in a gross way. Again, in the least gross way possible, I believe that the self-care obsession can lead young people, especially young girls, down a pastel colored path to extreme over-consumption, lest we forget the great ‘Drunk Elephant x Pre-Teen Girls’ incident of 2024. I believe that my Good Molecules retinol does the same thing as a forty-dollar jug of the same thing from some high-end brand with nicer packaging. I’m rocking with my drugstore makeup and skincare. That’s my self-care laziness, not literal neglect of those things.
Basically, I just don’t do too much.
My bedtime routine, though, is the highest maintenance thing about me and it is something I stick with whether it’s 8:00 PM on a Tuesday or 3:15 AM on a Saturday.
I’m a night shower kind of girl. It’s a great way to shed the stresses of the day and always helps me wake up feeling fresh.
Before I get in the shower, though, I make sure all of my devices are plugged in. This is such an easy thing to forget but has the potential to really negatively impact my morning. Plus, I like to track my sleep with my Apple Watch, so making sure it has some juice is important.
After I plug in all my tech, I make sure my shower is set to the hottest temperature possible. I don’t know why but showering in water anything less than the hottest possible literally disgusts me. While I wait for the shower to warm up, I do all my teeth stuff. I have crippling dental anxiety, so anything going wrong for me in that department would actually cause me to spiral. I use Sensodyne extra whitening toothpaste, whitening gel and a UV light, and floss.
This pre-shower ritual takes, like, fifteen minutes maximum- again, never doing too much.
I do all the normal shower things, but I was recently put on to anti-bacterial body wash (if you’re wondering why all body wash isn’t anti-bacterial…same) which is a total game-changer. I also wash my face in the shower because I’m too lazy to do it at the sink and get my pajamas all wet.
After my shower, the first thing I do is put on lotion. I love to sit out in the sun, especially because the weather is newly taking a turn for the better, and my knees are weirdly the most sunburnt prone part of my body, so my options are either lather up with the EOS vanilla cashmere lotion or suffer scaly knees. Gross, I know.
I wash my hands between each step because I like to jump around from thing to thing but hate the idea of getting body lotion in my hair or on my face.
I usually do my hair next which, like most of my routine, is exceedingly low-effort. I use Cantu curl cream (the curly girl GOAT) and Pantene serum (I know and I don’t care because I love Pantene) to keep my hair in check. I’ve recently reverted to my curly hair because it makes the mornings quicker and easier. I really don’t think it looks significantly better than my heat treated hair, it’s just honestly less time consuming to diffuse my hair for ten minutes before bed than to straighten or blow out my hair every morning before class.
My skincare routine is super basic and fast. I think that the less you do with your skin the better and honestly the person who can give you the best idea of what your skin needs is yourself or your dermatologist.
My final step has been life-changing.
Two words. Matching pajamas.
Pajamas are so back simply because I say so and I promise you they will change your life. You don’t have to drop a band on them, but they will seriously make you feel so put together and ready to tackle your mornings. Marshall’s, Aerie and Walmart all have great sets.
I used to only wear old t-shirts and any clean shorts or sweatpants I could find to bed, but wearing pajamas is actually beneficial to your health.
All in all, this probably takes me thirty or so minutes, and after that, I am ready for bed. While mornings are important, too, I think that having a solid bedtime routine that you stick to no matter what can make the entire next day that much simpler.