04 January 2007

mars accuses venus

Edited to add: Thank you all for revealing the skeletons in your bathrooms. You've provided ample ammunition for both the Martian and the Venusian original debaters. (And, Devon, doesn't Timmy understand that having things under the sink is not really convenient? Expecting you to know what you need before you get in the shower is ridiculous. What if you slipped on the floor and broke your head open because you had to get out of the shower to get something? How would he feel then? And the small shower organizer? Mean. Just plain mean.)



A newly married friend has been taking some good-natured ribbing from her husband about the number of things that she deems neccessary to keep in the shower. She appealled to me. Having heard what's in my shower, he has deemed us both atypical and, well, nuts.

So, I'm appealling to you. She's in the US so I can't photograph her shower, but here's what's in the corner of my bath, shelf by shelf:

-2 different shampoos and conditioners (Some days I need more moisture, some days I need more chamomile. You should see how dark my hair is!! When Kat came back she thought I'd coloured it. Nope. Never have. It's just lack of sun!)
-a leave-in conditioner for when I'm in a hurry
-an extra conditioner whose matching shampoo ran out before it did (Okay, that should go...but go where? I can't throw it out. And, I don't want more of that shampoo. So, it stays for conditioner emergencies.)

-LUSH deep conditioner
-LUSH face mask
-LUSH face scrub (angels) in yellow container
-LUSH exfoliator (buffy-but I use it for my hands not my backside) in blue container
-2 Dead Sea body washes, one that exfoliates and one that is just nice (presents from a student's family--thanks, Perelmans!)
-Method lavender shower cream (good for shaving, used only in evenings as lavender is calming)

-2 Dove body washes in different flavours-er-scents (Actually, I only like one and was going to put the other in the guest bath before I took this incriminating photo, but I forgot.)
-Citrusy morning shower gel (Hey--the sun still isn't putting in many hours here and I've got to be awake to face my second graders)
-Allure shower gel (Christmas present from my sister for when I need to be alluring. Thanks, Aims!)
-A pumice stone and Dead Sea foot scrub

I think this is perfectly reasonable. And, with very few exceptions, I use all these products regularly.

So what's the verdict? Atypical and nuts or perfectly reasonable? Atypical-ity is fine by me and a common kateish state, so speak the truth. I can take it. Better yet--show us all what's in your shower! You could be saving a marriage. ;>

15 comments:

Elle said...

seeing as nearly every commercial skin care product either makes me itch or break out I have limited the amount of things in our shower. Mine include Dove 2 in 1 moisturizing shampoo, Dove intense therapy conditioner (because CS won't let me buy the expensive L'Occitaine stuff anymore) The boy's baby wash, some shaving cream, the boy's bubble bath, CS's fancy new coal tar hair treatment (eww) and only the bestest soap in the whole wide world. Oregon Rain Soap. All natural and made from actual Oregon Rain water.

votemom said...

i'd say you are a little on the high end. but, i was too when i was younger.

in my shower: my husband's one bottle of shampoo and one bottle of baby oil (he has super dry skin and oils up after his shower).

and for me - 2 shampoos, 1 conditioner, 1 razor, and 1 body-wash stuff i use to shave my legs.

Lauri said...

I have so many products... at least 6 sets of shampoos & conditioners.. Im a junkie when it comes to products

A&G color treated hair stuff

Nioxin shampoo- for when my hair was thinning

Aveda shampure

pantene conditoner

perlier almond shampoo

aveda pure abundance conditioner

lavender baby shampoo for Livi

Mr. Bubble & Nemo bubble bath

oil of olay body scrub

lemon shave cream

Minerals of the dead sea facial mask

some small trial sizes of shampoo

yorkiemom said...

Another junkie here, definitely have bunches of stuff and really try to clean it up a bit. Here's the list of just my stuff. Steve has some stuff too but not this much.

- Redken color treated hair shampoo
- Redken color treated hair conditioner
- Redken deep conditioner
- Redken color boost conditioner (hey it's a lot of maintenance to go from natural blond to auburn and requires shampoos/conditioners for every possible occasion)
- Hair straightening shampoo (2 of the same bottle one is almost empty)
- Hair straightening conditioner.
- Caress body wash
- Salt based body scrub
- Sugar based body scrub
- Body purifying body wash
- Laura Mercier face polish

Maybe I do have a problem :)

Anonymous said...

Funny... my husband and I actually had a big fight about the number of products I kept in the shower. He purposefully bought the smallest hanging shower organizer he could find to control the number of bottles I keep in there on a regular basis. The rest I have to keep under the sink and then try to remember to pull them out when I want to use them. Currently, compared to my husband's one bottle of 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner and one bar of soap, I have a bottle of Suave Professional Radiant Brunette Shampoo (smells good, although I don't think it really does much for my brunette hair), a bottle of the Radiant Brunette conditioner, Oil of Olay Complete Body Wash (for Extra Dry Skin), St. Ives Apricot Face Cleanser, Biore Refining Exfoliator (for face), shave cream, razor, shower puff, and my absolute can't-live-without-it product for the winter: Olay Moisturinse In-Shower Body Lotion. I'm serious, if you haven't tried this yet, it is totally worth it. I used to use baby oil, but it left my skin feeling like it had a thick film on it. This stuff works just as well but without the film! Okay, I'm done sounding like an infomercial. So that's the everyday rotation. I have various shampoos, conditioners, face masks, body scrubs, etc under the sink that get pulled out on a semi-regular basis as well. So, no, Kate, you are NOT a-typical, at least not by your showering standards. --devon

Betsy said...

Yikes! I'm feeling like you're right on target and I'm shower product deficient! I have Pantene shampoo / conditioner in one, some kind of shower gel, some kind of bubble bath, a razor and a loofa. I think that's it unless one is getting low and I've remembered to get the back up in there. I'll have to tell my husband how lucky he is!! Maybe I can somehow trade that for more closet space?

Calico Sky said...

nuts lol I have the following:
shampoo
soap
shaver

that's it! lol
p.s. I don't really think you are nuts! lol

Anonymous said...

Well, I can't SHOW you what's in my show because that would mean I'd have to actually get in there and clean it.

I did take a count for you: Two Dove body washes, two shampoos, three conditioners, a pumace stone, two razors, olive oil soap, vegetable soap (courtesy of Trader Joe's)...and that's it. If you want me to count brushes and sponges, I'll do that too.

Deb said...

I don't have nearly that much in my shower. 3-shampoos 1 is Dave's, one for volume (that doesn't really work), and one that cleans good 1 conditioner; 2 shower gel, bar of soap and the lufa (sp?) thingy.
My mom's on the other hand. I dread ever having to shower in hers. She has like 20 different bottles of stuff all over the place not neat like you. As long as it's neat I say go for it. Have as much as you want.

Suz said...

My husband is in the same club as your friend's husband and I am not allowed to have more than two of any type product in the shower at a time. Not that he forbids me, but oh you should hear the GRUMBLING when one of those bottles falls off during his shower!!

By the way, your shower walls look like the walls on the train in Russia!!

Anonymous said...

Well I have to say that I too have just as many as most of you in my shower. Lance gave up many moons ago trying to figure out what I really needed in there. Especially when I was working for Clarins. I have 2 different sets of shampoo and conditioner as well as the back up shampoo and conditioner to my favorite (so that make 3 sets). I hate running out when I am in the shower, and always forget to replace them when they do go. As well as 2 body exfoliators (one sented and foaming for shaving and one no scent), shaving cream, razor and spare razor, shower puff, shower radio(hangs on the shower), Clarin's relax body wash, and a lillys of the valley hard soap. Lance actually prefers using the guest bath down stairs because one: he gets up sooo early(morning PT) and two: he doesn't have to see all my stuff. Any way the hubby would opt for his own shower? Amy, sister of product junkie (like I can talk)

Deb said...

Kate, I was wondering what your take is on all this talk about giving Russian parents $10,000 for adopting or having a second child. Since you're over there you hear a lot more than we do. I don't think it's really going to affect us much except for maybe a longer wait for referral. Are a lot of people talking about it?

Anonymous said...

I don't have much in my shower. I have my shampoo and conditioner, noxema for my face (no lectures, please, I like it), and my razor. My husband has his shampoo/conditioner combo. And we have soap and a shower cleaner which we should use more often. -Nif

Anonymous said...

I am a minimalist in the shower. 1 sham and cond at a time - please! 1 soap and razor and 1 bottle of Dove moisturizing soap and a bath puff (which hubby uses lots more tham me!) He doesn't care what I have in there.

BUT being newly married, we had a discussion about where you should enter/exit the shower - in the front by the shower head or the back (assuming you have a choice and not a door that only opens one way.) Any thoughts? I say back so you can get in without having the water hit you right away- he says the front so the water doesn't splash out when you get in.

kate said...

Anon: It never even occurred to me to get in the shower at the end by the faucet. Of COURSE you get in at the other end. That's just...the way you do it!