You're Doing It Wrong...Maybe

Long before there were hacks to tell you how to do things smarter, easier, and better way there were advice columns. The first one that I can remember ever reading was in Playboy magazine. I know, I know but there are articles about a wide variety of topics in there to include music, politics, and from time-to-time words of advice.

The article was about the best practices to get a close shave. It included tips like wetting your face before you put on shaving cream, actually rubbing the shaving cream in to help stand your beard up, and making sure you thoroughly rinsed your razor between strokes. I admit I not only read the article, but I still follow some of the advice given today. (By the way, a dry shave with a disposable razor is never a good thing—– even if it helps you relax while you're out hunting Predators.)

Today, there are thousands of people giving advice on YouTube and various other platforms. I find a lot of content to help me do everything from reprogramming my garage door remote to the best way to rewire a light switch. Caution...you have to guard yourself when looking at these videos and consider that the advice is free and sometimes it's worth less than what you're paying. Remember, no one is forcing you to do as advised.

Recently, when I was searching for something else, a hack popped up about how to best dry off after a shower. It recommended that rather than rubbing the towel across your skin to absorb the water; you should instead pat your skin dry. Being unconvinced but willing to learn something new, I did what I always do when I see one of these hacks: I search for to see what everybody else is saying. After all, there might be some sort of basis for assuming validity based on consensus.

Like most internet diversions, I never thought that I would spend the next 45 minutes reading different people's opinions on how to dry off after a shower. They included things like air drying the brisk rubdown method, using a blow dryer, and my favorite: shaking off like a dog. The video was hilarious. Anyway, after doing the research I felt obligated to make some sort of final decision about how I'd be drying off for at least for the next few days. — after all, you need to research the solutions you find yourself.

The solution I settled for was probably one of the more simplistic. Work your way from top to the bottom and pat your skin dry rather than aggressively rubbing it. The exact advice was as follows; in case you're interested in such things:

To properly dry off after a shower, gently pat your skin with a soft towel, focusing on drying key areas thoroughly while avoiding vigorous rubbing, and then immediately apply moisturizer while your skin is still slightly damp to lock in moisture; for best results, use a fragrance-free moisturizer and prioritize areas like your face, hands, and feet.

While it was brief and to the point, it explained the negative skin effects of vigorously rubbing yourself with a towel. At my age, I try to avoid things that negatively affect my skin. I have to admit I never really thought about the lasting damage I might do with that quick minute or two spent drying. On the plus side, I'd always used a moisturizer after taking a shower, but didn't know I was accidentally doing a good thing by sealing moisture into my skin. Who knew?

It is amazing the amount of advice out there about how to take a shower. Like most people, I considered articles matching my showering habits top-tier advice, but viewed those suggesting different methods skeptically. Also, I came across a lot of advice that is questionable at best. I don't think I'm going to go from the daily shower to a monthly regimen. Also, I'm not a fan of ice-cold showers three times a day, but to each his own.

My advice? It never hurts to learn something new, so now and then take a minute to look at that stray link that showed up in your search results. Who knows, you may come across something life-changing.

Oh look, a video on how to clean your bellybutton. 

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