Showering in the Philippines is an art. First, not everyone has shower heads. I grew up not having one. What we had was a faucet, a plastic pail, and a plastic dipper, or more correctly called "tabo". A University of the Philippines professor wrote about the Filipino's "tabo culture", which explains the sociological relation of this object to the Filipino identity. Too bad I can't hyperlink from my phone. The article was quite entertaining.
Anyway, I said showering in the Philippines is an art. The first splash of water from the tabo is the hardest to make. For some Filipinos, they like it quick and loud. What I meant with that is, they would grab the tabo by the handle, dip it in the pail for water, and immediately splash the icy cold water into their dry body. This is often followed by a loud shriek of "Whooooo!!". It helps too if you would jump up and down while blasting yourself with water from the tabo in quick, rapid succession. The yelling and jumping really helps in overcoming the shock of the icy water connecting to the hot and dry body.
For others, like me, I usually did it slow and quiet. First, I would flip my hair upside down. Then, I would grab the tabo, dip it in the pail for water, bring the tabo to my head, and let the cold water slowly trickle down my hair, the back of my neck, and all the way to my back. The slow trickle of ice water, the shudders that come after it, and quiet wail of "Hoooo-hoo-hoo" prepare me for the icy cold water that is inevitably coming.
After I shower, I would stand in front of a stand fan tobdry my hair. In the summer, the heat coming from the fan made hair drying easy. In colder months like December, it takes twice longer to hair dry. My skin care regimen included a little bit of moisturizer to my face, a little powder, and a little bit of make-up. I did go for facials and hair treatments once a month (salon services are waaay cheaper in the Philippines).
Then I came to America, was introduced to hot showers and various skin care products, and my life has never been the same. What I mean is, my hair dried out, my dermatitis flare-ups became more frequent, and my keratosis pilaris have gotten worse. I NEVER had any of this in the Philippines! I had healthy, thick hair, my KP was barely noticeable, and my dermatitis was well under control. And I hardly have any pimples!
What I'm trying to say is hot showers ruined me! And that I need a trip to the salon ASAP!
