Bathroom Tips – Modern Bathroom Blog | Modern Bathroom

You have to get ready every morning — why not make it fun? From a hot shower to a cup of coffee, there are all kinds of luxuries that can make mornings less miserable; maybe you already rely on some of them. But here’s one more worth waking up for: a playlist that sets the soundtrack for your morning routine! Music is a proven mood-booster and a great enhancement for otherwise ordinary tasks. Plus, playing the same tracks every morning gives you a soundtrack for timing your routine and staying on schedule. When the third track ends, you know you should be out of the shower; when the last song starts, you know it’s time to get dressed.

If you want to know how to create a morning bathroom playlist you’ll love, here are some great tips to try.

Popular Shower Songs to Consider

The best shower songs for you are the ones that you like and that get you in the morning mood you desire. This could include peppy or soothing songs, tunes that remind you of a certain time of your life, or tracks that are all-time favorites. To inspire you with a few ideas, however, here are some popular shower songs:

1. “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go,” by Wham! Released as a single in May 1984, this is considered one of the best songs from the ’80s, written and produced by George Michael.
2. “Work,” by Iggy Azalea. This song from Australian rapper Iggy Azalea is a motivational tune detailing the artist’s life.
3. “Banana Pancakes,” by Jack Johnson. Anyone looking for a soothing, slow start to the morning can appreciate the crooning tunes of Jack Johnson, such as in his “Banana Pancakes” song.
4. “Here Comes the Sun,” by The Beatles. Even on dreary mornings, it’s hard not to smile listening to one of the world’s most legendary bands play a happy tune like this one.
5. “Walking on Sunshine,” by Katrina & The Waves. This classic 1980s tune is a peppy choice that makes you want to sing in the shower.

Types of Morning Bathroom Playlists

The mood of your morning playlist is all up to you — do you want to feel soothed, cheerful or energized? Start with the mood you’re after, and create a playlist that achieves it.

Here are a few examples of themes you might try:

• Relaxation. If your idea of a good morning is deep breaths and time to go at your pace, you might like a playlist of soothing songs meant to calm you. For this choice, stay away from fast beats and catchy tunes, and choose instead slower, quieter songs. Play your soundtrack each morning while you wake up gradually and get your bearings for the day ahead.
• Happiness. Put the good back in good morning with a set of happy tunes that make you smile! Whether this includes songs that get you dancing or tunes that bring back favorite memories is up to you.
• Sing-along. It’s hard to stay grumpy when you’re blasting lines from a favorite tune, so why not make the most of your morning with sing-along songs? Organize a playlist that you love to belt out, and play them while you’re showering and getting dressed for the day.

There’s nothing like a playlist to set the stage for a happy, productive day. To create the morning mood you’re after, use the playlist-creating tips above!

When it comes to proper skin care, exfoliation is a must. Not only does it slough away dead cells, but it results in healthier, more luminous skin. In fact, whether you’re young or old, prone to acne or not, regular exfoliation offers a host of significant benefits.

If you’re interested in learning more, here’s a look at what exfoliation is, why it’s so important for both men and women, and examples of how you can get started doing it today.

What Does Exfoliation Mean?

Exfoliation is, essentially, scrubbing. Through it, you can remove dead cells from the surface of your skin, unveiling softer and more radiant skin underneath, while also priming the area for toners and moisturizers. Because overdoing it can strip too many natural oils, the best routine is exfoliating two or three times a week.

The Benefits of Exfoliation

Many people who wash their faces daily aren’t aware of what exfoliation offers. In fact, however, there are some incomparable benefits that come from the practice.

Consider a few of the perks of regular skin exfoliation:

• Buffing away dead skin cells. Dry, dead cells tend to accumulate on the skin’s surface, creating rough patches and/or damage. Exfoliation buffs away these cells, leaving a brighter, fresher look.
• Bringing blood flow to the area. Scrubbing the skin helps increase circulation to the area, encouraging new, healthy tissues to grow. This is especially beneficial for healing blemishes, scars or dark marks.
• Reducing the look of fine lines and wrinkles. Everyone gets wrinkles at one point or another, so if you haven’t discovered them yet, you can bet you will. Exfoliation helps you remove the dead cells that can build up on and accentuate those fine lines. This can make them less noticeable.
• Preventing breakouts. If you have oily, acne-prone skin, exfoliation is a great way to remove the dead cells clogging pores and causing breakouts. This can reduce the size of pores and help your skin stay clearer.
• Priming your skin for moisturizers, etc. As exfoliation removes the dead cells clogging your pores, it clears them to be ready to absorb serums, toners and moisturizers. This helps you maximize the power of your regular grooming regimen.

Why Exfoliation Is Not Just for Women

You don’t need makeup or a beauty routine to benefit from exfoliation. Even men can’t afford to ignore this practice, as a good scrub can have a major impact on the skin and shaving. Because exfoliation clears dead cells that cause matted hairs and razor obstacles, it can help you achieve a closer shave. Likewise, by removing the cells that can clog follicles, it might prevent ingrown hairs.

Examples of Effective Exfoliation Products

Because exfoliation has long been shown to be a beauty booster for the skin, today’s cosmetics industry is loaded with face scrubs, salt scrubs and various exfoliation devices. You don’t have to book a spa treatment to see the benefits of exfoliation; simply scrub your skin with an exfoliator at home. Shop any beauty store, and you’ll find abundant over-the-counter facial scrubs that have gritty ingredients made to remove dead skin. Finding the right option for you involves trying methods to see how your skin responds and how you feel. Look for products with gentle ingredients that won’t over-aggravate the skin. Try scrubbing once a week, working your way up to more frequent use.

No matter your age, gender or skin type, there’s a lot to gain from proper exfoliation. Try adding this practice to your grooming routine and see what happens!

Stunning skin rarely happens naturally — achieving a radiant complexion means you’ll likely have to take care of your pores. One great way to do that is with a sugar scrub. Thanks to the small particles and humectant properties of sugar, it’s a naturally hydrating exfoliator that can remove dead surface cells to unveil a stunning, healthy look underneath. Even better, because sugar is an everyday grocery item, there’s no reason you can’t make a DIY scrub at home.

Here’s a look at the benefits of this beauty concoction, how to make it, and where to use it on your body.

Benefits of Adding a Sugar Scrub to Your Skin Care Routine

While many mainstream exfoliators can be harsh and overly abrasive, sugar scrubs are gentle enough to remove dry, dead skin cells without causing irritation. They support cell turnover, encourage smooth and soft skin, and may even help your other grooming products work more effectively.

How to Make a Sugar Scrub

It’s easy to make a DIY sugar scrub at home with a few basic ingredients. In a small bowl, mix sugar, honey and a few drops of essential oil. Then, gently massage this mixture onto your face in circular motions. Another option is sugar with olive oil and a few drops of essential oil. You could even add the antioxidants of green tea to your scrub by making a blend of green tea leaves, brewed green tea, sugar and grapeseed oil.

Whatever combination you use, brown sugar is ideal for facial sugar scrubs — as it’s softer and less abrasive than granulated sugar or raw/turbinado sugar. Traditional sugar can work well in scrubs for the rest of the body and especially in rougher areas such as elbows or feet.

Why Exfoliate With a Sugar Scrub and Where to Use It

The beauty of exfoliation is in how it sloughs away dead skin, priming your complexion for toners, moisturizers and other items in your grooming routine. You only need to use a topical sugar scrub twice a week to reap its benefits; in fact, using one more than three times a week can be harmful.

When exfoliating with a sugar scrub, here are some of the prime places to use it:

• Face: Unblock pores, remove dead skin cells, and unveil a better complexion by using a sugar scrub on your face.
• Lips: Gently exfoliate, plump and soften lips with a sugar scrub that buffs away dead and dry cells around your mouth.
• Body: Sugar scrubs offer benefits to all of the body — including arms, hands, legs, feet, torso, etc. By removing dead skin, you can soften dry skin and enjoy a smoother, refreshed body in the process.

If you’ve been thinking about trying a DIY sugar scrub and wondering how, now’s the perfect time to start. Use the information above to create your scrub and enjoy an at-home spa treatment made with ingredients you may already have on hand.

When you’re looking to make the most of small square footage in the bathroom, design is everything. Through a more strategic layout and smarter room organization, you may be surprised at how much larger the bath area can feel. Free floor space by storing products out of sight, for example. Open the layout significantly by going with a smaller vanity or a pedestal sink. There are many ways you can gain space in the bathroom to make it feel larger and more usable.

Here’s a look at some great organization tips that can help:

1. Paint the walls soft colors. When space is an issue, don’t use dark wall colors, which can often make a room feel smaller. Instead, paint the walls pale colors that will help create an illusion of more space.
2. Go with a glass-enclosed shower. For the sake of space, skip the shower curtain and opt for glass. A glass-enclosed shower provides a clear line of vision through the room, making it feel more spacious in the process.
3. Get a bigger mirror. Is the mirror above your vanity as big as it could be? Push the margins of your wall area with a mirror that extends as far — horizontally and vertically — as possible.
4. Streamline the vanity. Anything that frees floor space will help your bathroom feel bigger. If you can swap the vanity with a leaner model, do it. Consider using a pedestal sink, for example, or a wall-mounted vanity that’s off the floor. Even if the opened surface area isn’t usable, it will make the room appear larger.
5. Eliminate what you don’t need. Go through all the items in your bathroom and determine what’s necessary. Do you truly need five bottles of shampoo and 10 towels, for example? Could you pare down and keep less on hand? By reducing how much you store, you cut the clutter that can make a bathroom feel smaller.
6. Add unseen storage. For the items you need to keep in the bathroom, set yourself up with savvy storage solutions. Consider adding a medicine cabinet over the vanity, so everyday bathroom items you need are easily accessible. Likewise, if you have a storage cabinet in a vanity or closet, add organizers to the back of the door and roll-out drawers to cabinets, allowing you to use every bit of space you have.
7. Make use of shelving. The area above your bathroom door might be perfect for adding an open shelf to store paper products or extra towels. Likewise, a simple shelf above the toilet could be ideal for showcasing eye-catching bathroom trinkets and neatly arranged bath products.
8. Roll, don’t fold, your towels. Instead of folding your towels (which takes more space), try rolling them. Rolling saves space and adds a spa-like feel to the bathroom.

When it comes to the bathroom, the smarter your storage solutions, the better. Even the smallest powder room feels larger when it’s designed well. To efficiently use your bathroom’s square footage, try the tips above!

When it comes to the bathroom, the right bathtub can make all the difference in terms of usability and aesthetics. Yet because there are so many sizes and styles of tubs available today, the best bathtub for one space may not be the same for another. That’s why, when buying a bathtub, you want to consider all the possibilities.

To help you find the best bathtub material, style, features and size for your space, here’s a bathtub buying guide:

1. Fit your layout. . Step one in choosing the best bathtub is thinking about your space. Do you need a tub to fit into an existing alcove, or will it be free-standing on the floor? Are you looking for a drop-in model or an undermount style? If you’re remodeling a bathroom, this question may be answered for you already. If you’re designing a space, you’ll have the option to choose which style you like best. Start with what you have to work with regarding available space and preferred design. Then, explore the various types to know which one would be ideal for your room.
2. Think about your goals. . What do you want from your tub — simply a space to fill with water or something more luxurious, with jets or massaging features? The bathtub market includes barebones designs as well as tubs with all kinds of bells and whistles. Do you want a right-handed model or a left-handed design? Are you interested in maintaining a historic feel in your space with a clawfoot tub, or do you want something modern? Shop to explore what appeals to you.
3. Understand special installation requirements. . For some tubs, such as a jetted model, you’ll have extra requirements with which to comply: space for a pump, an air switch and an electric timer, for example. Find out what code requirements apply in your space, and think through what will be necessary to make your installation.
4. Compare tub materials. . There are a number of choices when it comes to the tub material. Acrylic tends to be the most popular, as it’s resilient, versatile and widely available. Cast iron is another long-lasting option, though it tends to be more costly and heavy enough to sometimes require a reinforced floor. Other options include glass fiber/plastic tubs (which are easy to install and fairly affordable), as well as porcelain enameled steel models (which are easy to clean, durable and heavy). Think about what you need in order to choose the best bathtub material for your space.
5. Consider the tub capacity. . Tubs come in all sizes, holding anywhere from 25 gallons to 150 gallons of water. While a larger tub means more space for soaking, it also means supplying a larger amount of hot water to get the tub full. Will your existing water heater be large enough to feed the water you need into the tub you want? Check the owner’s manual of your hot water heater or the Energy Guide tag on the unit to find out what capacity is doable.
6. Don’t ignore style. While the look of a tub may not be your first consideration, it is an important one. Bathtubs come in many colors and styles, and you want yours to fit the overall look of your bathroom design.

With so many possibilities for bathtubs, you can have fun exploring and getting inspired. Use the six tips above to stay focused in your search, and find the best bathtub to complete your space!