I Create Bodycare That's Shockingly Effective—Here's My Everything Shower Routine

Rebecca Zhou Who What Wear The Lineup

(Image credit: Courtesy of Sofie Pavitt Face; Courtesy of Soft Services; Courtesy of Westman Atelier; Courtesy of Peach & Lily; Courtesy of ColorWow; Courtesy of DedCool)

The Lineup is a monthly series where we're giving you an inside peek at the beauty lineups of cool fashion people, editors, makeup artists, hairstylists, and estheticians—all the people we trust the most. Get ready for a behind-the-scenes look at all the can't-live-without products that make their worlds go 'round.

Many of us have dealt with skin issues like keratosis pilaris, body acne, ingrown hairs, and dark marks. So when a product successfully resolves these problems, it usually goes viral. Case in point: the Soft Services Buffing Bar, a microcrystal bar that gently exfoliates those KP bumps that appear on the back of your arms. (It helps get rid of ingrown hairs, too.) This bar is the brainchild of Soft Services CEO Rebecca Zhou and was born out of her struggle with body acne. Zhou didn't set out to be a founder, but she saw a gap in the market for bodycare products that solve these less-talked-about but super-common skincare issues and knew she had to do something about it.

"My upbringing as a first-generation Chinese immigrant has made the experience of being an entrepreneur feel at times foreign and at times comfortable," Zhou explains. "The unfamiliar aspect mostly stems from the expectation for a traditional career. On the other hand, you get really used to operating in a world that is unknown. I felt like I had to figure it out for myself and learn the rules as they were unfolding, which I think was great preparation for being a founder."

Rebecca Zhou Who What Wear The Lineup

(Image credit: @rebecca.zhou)

"We're solely focused on creating skincare solutions for our body skin—and that makes us pretty different from most other beauty brands," Zhou says of Soft Services. "We know that customers struggle with body skin concerns, but they don't have the tools and information to get the results they want, and that's what Soft Services is here to do."

Wondering how to integrate these products into your routine? I had Zhou give me the details of her twice-weekly high-maintenance shower routine. Let's get into it:

Pre-Shower

"Before the shower, I apply a treatment for my scalp and a deep conditioner on the bottom half of my hair. I apply a sulfur mask on my back and chest, and a face mask—usually a benzoyl peroxide or clay mask. All of these products sit for 15 to 20 minutes before I pop in the shower."

In the Shower

"Once I'm in the shower, my routine is pretty simple. I'll first wash the conditioner out and shampoo my hair. I get that all done first to avoid any hair product sitting on my body skin and causing breakouts. Then, I'll use the Buffing Bar all over and wash with Comfort Cleanse."

Post-Shower

"After showering, I either apply Speed Soak and Smoothing Solution mixed together all over, or Carea Cream when I'm feeling a bit drier."

If you want to know all of Zhou's must-have products, including her K-Beauty favorites, a Lotion P50 dupe, and the brow pen she panic-bought in bulk, keep scrolling.

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Emma Walsh
Associate Beauty Editor, Branded Content

Emma is an associate beauty editor of branded content. She’s a passionate writer who loves all things beauty, wellness, and personal growth. Before pursuing writing, she worked in influencer marketing at Gallery Media Group, which owns digital brand PureWow. She lives in New York City, where you can usually find her running to a Pilates class or sipping on a green juice in the park.