Happy Beauty: Shower Essentials

The six products you need to elevate your shower routine

Each week, Marie Claire’s Beauty and Style Director, Lisa Oxenham, brings you the lowdown on her edit of products that will add joy and positive energy to your beauty ritual and self-care routine. This week, it's about getting the most out of your daily shower.

From a metal-particle removing hair mask to a botanical shower cream, nourishing body balm and a next-gen moisturiser, here are the new products I'm rating at the moment...

L'Oréal Professionnel Serie Expert Metal Detox Mask, 250ml, £25 | Gorgeous Shop

I’ve always been concerned with the metal-particle heavy water in my house. I’ve had a Grohe water filtering system installed into my kitchen sink, but my shower still makes my hair brassy quite quickly after fresh highlights. The level of metal that absorbs into the hair shaft varies depending on the quality of the water and the porosity of hair. The more you get your hair lightened and chemically-treated, the more porous the hair will be, making its core more able to absorb the metals particles, creating a risk of breakage and an orange-tinge.

This whole range detoxes the hair of metal and the accompanying conditioner mask helps to prevent new particles from adhering. I experience zero frizz or flatness and my hair looks silky and bouncy and styles with ease after using.

Weleda Harmony Aroma Shower, 200ml, £8.25 | Weleda

When it comes to bathing and cleansing products I consider myself very fussy as I spend around 4 or 5 hours a week bathing or showering, so I make sure I have good quality but affordable products waiting for me to use. I love a panoply of textures and scents including botanical oils and gels, natural milks and aromatherapeutic bubbles.

Weleda’s Harmony Aroma Shower is my current favourite. It smells so intoxicating that for a few relaxing minutes, I’m transported to the woodlands in the mountains. The gel with the natural herbal smell of fir trees mingled with a hint of aromatic lavandin smells both comforting and reviving, and leaves my skin soft and clean without a residue.

Champo Pitta Growth Serum, 30ml, £32 | Champo

Stress over this past year has affected the quality of my hair. Enter this lightweight gel-serum, which uses caffeine, creatine and Ayurvedic haritaki extract to invigorate the scalp and promote hair growth. I was delighted to see that it works instantly to strengthen the hair shaft, volumise roots and create visibly thicker, fuller hair. All ingredients are UK-made, vegan, eco-friendly, and 98% naturally-derived.

Post-shower, I apply 3-4 drops to damp hair and massage into the scalp then style as usual. The scent relaxes and simultaneously revitalises me so much that I also use this serum as part of morning pep up and nighttime wind down rituals for a mood-boosting experience.

Spectacle Performance Crème, 36.5ml, £76 | Spectacle Skincare 

This multi-tasking moisturiser has me and my make-up artist friends addicted. Packed with powerhouse ingredients that tackle dullness, dehydration and inflammation, this is everything I want in a day or night cream and works on my sensitive skin too.

In the powerful mix: squalene, a lipid that sinks in easily and keeps skin supple; gallic acid for pigmentation and as an anti-inflammatory; peptide complex; three weights of hyaluronic acid; an encapsulated retinoid complex; skin-barrier fortifying niacinamide, and copper amino acid (which has been shown to improve wrinkles and firmness). Phew.

Additionally, the tube is made from an eco mix of sugarcane and sawdust – a by-product - and comes with a fully-recyclable pump. The soy ink printed cardboard is made from hemp which uses less water to grow than trees and the tubes are filled in factories that use green energy.

La Perla Nourishing Body Balm, 150ml, £140 | La Perla

I’m primarily a body oil person, except for when my skin is in need of rich hydration, which tends to be the case after a weekend camping or swimming in the sea.

This is my current go-to which is working a treat; the natural prebiotics balance the skin's microbiome, helping to strengthen the epidermis and stimulate deep hydration. Some prebiotics encourage healthy strains of bacteria, and others increase the diversity of the bacteria on your skin, which keeps problems like rosacea, acne, fine lines, and discolouration at bay. This vegan, silicone-free formula is made from 94% natural ingredients including fatty-acid rich rosehip oil that heals and stimulates skin renewal thanks to its high content of vitamin A and natural antioxidants. This is on the pricier side but I believe in looking after the skin on your body as much as your face and this gives deep, long-lasting hydration, promotes collagen production for skin elasticity and firmness and leaves you with a comforting scent that won’t interfere with your fragrance.

 Rahua Scalp Exfoliating Shampoo, 275ml, £36 | Rahua

I don’t get an oily scalp but if I’ve been on the tube and walking around the city all day I like to make sure my scalp is cleansed of grime, which is why I’m so keen on Rahua’s latest shampoo, a gentle plant-powered scrub and a natural, nourishing peel for the scalp. I love the Star Anise grains (and its spicy scent), along with super-fruit enzymes of mango and passion fruit, with great sources of Vitamin C. It’s made with 100% natural, vegan, certified-organic ingredients that are free of synthetics, parabens, and sulfates, and includes the Omega 9-rich rahua nut oil. The results are strong, shiny, and soft hair that feels healthy.