I Tried Jodie Turner-Smith’s Epic Shower Routine & I’ll Never Look Back

When I met Jodie Turner-Smith under the MTV EMA's red carpet lights back in November, the British-Jamaican actor, currently starring in thriller series, The Agency, was dressed in a striking royal blue, floor-length gown designed by Robert Wun, with dramatic long pointed nails and a circular wide-brimmed hat, which made her look ethereal. The Queen & Slim actor was, as many magazine and fashion police accounts confirmed at the time, one of the best-dressed celebrities of the evening. However, for me, as a long-time skincare obsessive, Jodie Turner-Smith’s skin — which gleamed in the way melanated skin does when it is highly moisturised and kissed by sunlight — played an important role in the outfit. Before I managed to point my mic in her direction, Turner-Smith already knew I was going to ask, “How? What is your skincare routine?” “This is serious,” the actor shared grinning. Without missing a beat, Turner gifted me the secrets of her rigorous and extensive shower routine with four clear achievable steps. I diligently took notes. The daily shower routine of exfoliating, oiling, airdrying and moisturising has now gone viral amongst Unbothered readers who also don’t play about their skin staying and looking hydrated. “This is the prime example of you can copy the recipe and not get the same sauce...cause Chile the secret is the melanin and that's only sold by Jesus,” said one reader. True. But I was still willing to try.

For the last month, I have been consistently trying Turner Smith’s routine daily to see if it would improve my skin’s texture and appearance. As someone who grew up knowing that leaving the house without lotion is a cardinal sin, I wondered how much this routine would change the appearance and feel of my skin — I already use a lot of products in and out of the shower and have a pretty solid morning and evening moisturising ritual. Similarly, as a magazine editor, I have spent a considerable time indulging in celebrity beauty and skincare and I am wary to compare my own routines and results to those with vastly more access and resources than I do. But I am not one to snub a bad-boy piece of information that is Turner-Smith’s skincare routine. I had to try it for myself.

What I love about this routine is that it is relatively accessible and pretty easy for most people to recreate as far as price point. I already had many of these products in my bathroom cabinet. Having a shower is the real first step. Tick. On social media, shower routines have become a serious endeavour and I am not new to the world of “everything showers” — the internet’s favourite term for those all-encompassing showers where you buff, scrub, shave and polish yourself until you reemerge hairless and slippery like a seal.

Turner-Smith uses exfoliating gloves during the cleansing part of her shower routine — instead of just using a flannel or washcloth (depending on your preference). “You gotta put the gloves on, daily,” she emphasised.

This I could get behind. I am committed to a shower tool. I use either a flannel or African net sponge in the shower. For this trial, I used quite abrasive exfoliating gloves that I typically reserve for weekly exfoliating but as per Turner-Smith’s advice, for this experiment, I used them every single day for the last three weeks. I also went in with my razor afterwards for an ultra-smooth result. I don’t have very sensitive skin but I did question whether using exfoliating gloves every day would be too harsh on my skin. “Your body can withstand a lot more than your face,” reassured aesthetician Alicia Lartey. “So you can actually exfoliate every day. I think for some people it's really beneficial.” Lartey explained that regular exfoliating could be beneficial for those with keratosis pilaris (the harmless skin condition that causes dry tiny bumps, often on the upper arms, thighs, cheeks or buttocks).

Turner-Smith recommends using almond oil on wet skin. This is the key to the all-day-long shine. As one Unbothered reader responded on Instagram, “I can hear the price of almond oil rising.” I used L’Occitane’s Almond Shower Oil when in the shower which typically leaves my skin feeling soothed and smooth but I knew I would need to go in with another oil to get the red carpet glow. I had a few oils already on standby: Naturium’s Glow Getter Oil (£18.00) and Aveeno’s Skin Relief Spray (£6.19). I found Aveeno’s oil made with oats, was my favourite. Things get quite slippery

“Shouldn't it be the butter before oil? Oil is the sealant,” an Unbothered reader asked. I was also curious as I’ve long used body oil as the last step in my routine, after my lotions and/or butters — like the L.O.C method but for your skin and not for hair. Which should come first?

“I personally would not use oil on wet skin unless I was doing a photo shoot,” explains Lartey. “You would want to put ingredients like ceramides, hyaluronic acid, glycerine and all of that stuff on your skin [first]. And then you can put your creams and oils and stuff on top.” Lartey also reiterates that is really isn’t a rule and we shouldn’t be “super strict” about when to apply a product. “You can also just get body creams that have all of these oils and stuff.”

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of Turner-Smith’s shower routine is what happens after you get out of the shower, soaking wet. “I air dry, I don’t towel dry,” she told me, to my surprise, “then I do my face [while I air dry].” The thought of standing stark naked in my bathroom during a very cold British winter wasn’t fun. And, it has been below-freezing lately. But, I persisted. Standing on my bathmat in my steaming, small bathroom wasn’t quite the luxurious moment, I pictured it would be. But, getting my skincare done I found I could distract myself from my shivering. I wasn’t quite sure what air-drying covered in oil was supposed to achieve. A quick Google search suggests that air-drying helps avoid the roughness of a towel, allowing your skin, sensitive out of a hot shower, to absorb moisture. What do skin experts think? “I think air drying is actually quite ridiculous,” shares Lartey, “most people would need to get ready in some type of rush so it's probably best if you towel dry, remember to change your towel frequently, wash it properly, then it's all fine.”

I learned very quickly during this process that you have to wait until you are at least 80 percent air-dry before applying lotion or else your shea butter curdles. Still, I loved the last step of Turner-Smith’s method — this is where the magic happens — and my skin looked, well, amazing. My skin was shining but not shiny and the texture was smooth and supple. I also smell incredible. “So shea butter has some occlusive properties which means that it just helps stop hydration, stops water leaving the skin so it prevents trans-epidermal water loss,” says Lartey. “If I was using shea butter I wouldn't use an oil because it can feel quite thick.” Personally, I enjoyed the oil and shea butter combination. I used KOBA’s Get Whipped body balm £88 for my moisturiser. It’s incredibly expensive compared to other balms, however, the combination of shea butter, oils and actives, made for a light formula, is not too sticky and thick, which seems to improve the texture of my skin.

Yes. Sure the shower routine is long. But mine always have been. I’ve never truly got behind a 12-step skincare routine without a body care routine that isn’t just as thorough. Everyone has their rituals and mine has always begun in the shower. If you ask me, Black girl beauty routines have always been lengthy. If I can sit for eight hours to get my braids done, and spend an entire day washing and blow-drying my hair, I can spend an extra 20 minutes in the shower lathering myself up with various oils. I was under the illusion that I wasn’t high-maintenance, but as I applied my 8th skincare product, I knew that this wasn’t a low-lift sort of routine. I have truly enjoyed doing something that is Hollywood Actor-approved.