9 Morning Tips That Will Save You If You Don’t Have Time for a Shower

We all know what it’s like to have to get somewhere so early that you don’t even have time to get breakfast on the go, let alone jump in the shower. It’s terrible, because you feel unclean and as if everyone knew you didn’t shower. But it turns out there might be a quick fix for this issue. Greasy hair and that sweaty smell can be shaken off even without having to go through that revitalizing morning ritual that we call a shower.

Bright Side has some tips for early birds to get to wherever they’re going even when they can’t shower (or for night owls that couldn’t wake up on time). At the end of the article, we also added a bonus explaining why showering every day might not be in your best interest.

1. Apple cider vinegar tonic

Mix a glass of water with 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, (you might want to use organic vinegar), and spray this toner on your hair or skin when you suddenly realize you’re having one of those mornings and when there’s no time to even take a quick shower. Apple cider vinegar can help restore your skin’s pH and help your hair look radiant even if you didn’t wash it that day. Don’t worry too much about smelling like vinegar. The smell will go away once your hair is dry.

2. Fabric refresher

To keep your clothes smelling nice and fresh during the day, even if you didn’t have the opportunity to take a shower in the morning, you can always spray a little bit of fabric refresher on them before putting them on. This product is generally used on the upholstery of armchairs or on curtains because it helps to eliminate bad smells and maintains a certain sensation of freshness. This technique can make you will feel more comfortable during the day.

3. Rice paper

Keeping a few sheets of rice paper around can help if you don’t have the time to wash your face in the morning. As unlikely as it seems, rice paper will prevent you from having a greasy appearance that will give you away. While this method is not a substitute for soap and water cleansing, it can reduce shiny and open pores. This hack is pretty simple: just lightly dab your face, neck, and décolleté with the rice paper sheets to absorb excess oil from your skin and give your face a vibrant look.

4. Sprinkle a small amount of talcum powder

If, in addition to not having taken your daily shower, you ran out of deodorant, don’t panic. Talcum powder could turn out to be your best ally today. Sprinkle some of it on your armpits, feet, and the parts of your body that sweat the most. Talcum powder will help you keep bad smells at bay as well as keep these areas of your body dry. In fact, this trick was a common remedy used in the 19th century to disguise body odors, so, back in the day, talcum powder was not just sold to be used on babies and toddlers.

5. Dry brushing

Besides being an excellent option when it comes to stimulating your blood circulation, it can also be a good alternative in case you’ve had too busy a morning to take a bath. Using a natural bristle brush, preferably with a long handle, you can get rid of a certain number of toxins and dead skin cells. This comes with the added benefit that this simple technique can have an energizing effect, so that makes it an ideal to start the day.

6. Towels or a damp cloth

There are disposable products on the market specifically designed for occasions like not having the time to shower. Still, keep in mind that you can also just use baby wipes instead of a specialized product. Just always make sure to use a different wipe when cleaning your face, another one for your private parts and a different one, or as many as you might need, for the rest of your body. Another alternative is to use a clean cloth or towel and slightly dampen it to wipe your body.

7. Lotions and perfumes

It could very well be that the most common choice when not showering is to spray a bit of perfume or use scented creams to mask unpleasant smells and feel fresh no matter what. But what few people know is that there are some key areas you can spray the perfume to make its scent last longer throughout the day. These areas of the body are parts where your pulse is more likely to be felt: wrists, the back part of your knees, the inner part of your elbows, the nape of your neck, and the lower back.

8. Dry shampoo

To make sure your hair doesn’t look too greasy, you can always use a bit of dry shampoo before leaving home. If you plan to not shower in the morning for some reason, you might want to consider applying it the evening before. Start by untangling your hair, dividing it into zones, and spraying the dry shampoo on the roots of your hair. Leave it on for 10 minutes to act and then shake out the residue and brush as usual.

9. Essential oils

The presence of bacteria can be one of the causes of bad odor in our body. Essential oils with scents like peppermint, orange, or lemon, among others, have antibacterial properties that could help fight bad smells, in addition to giving you a fresh and pleasant aroma. You can apply a little bit of these on the areas where you sweat the most to feel and smell cleaner during the day.

Bonus: Some effects of showering every day

Some people consider taking a shower every day to be the healthiest and cleanest thing to do. That hardly comes as a surprise since showering helps us feel more awake and fresher throughout the day. However, “over-cleansing” is also a thing and it can actually cause skin irritation. Using too much soap too often could even affect your skin’s defense mechanism, since human skin is home to certain microorganisms that help keep it healthy. That’s why, while it’s recommended to take a few showers a week, you shouldn’t overdo it, and showering daily might not actually be necessary.

What other remedies do you know for situations where you suddenly realize there’s no time to take a shower?