These ‘Morning Shed’ Routines Are Getting Out of Hand

Influencers are sharing their “morning shed” routines, and the amount of items used to maintain their beauty might shock—and disturb—you.

Take TikTok user Victoria Samson, for instance. She shared the products she uses in her “morning shed” routine, which consisted of a green tea collagen gel face mask, leave-in conditioner, lip stain, heatless curl hair rod, chin strap, bonnet, and lash serum.

Basically, she covered every nearly inch of her face and head.

@victoriasamson

morning shred routine 💗🫧 #morningshed #skincare #skincareroutine PRODUCTS USED: ✨ @네시픽 Nacific Official @LUSH @terez.honor @Sacheu

♬ original sound – victoria samson🎀🎧🍵🌸🤍

When talking about one of the products, she said: “I feel like every ‘it girl’ has to have this.”

Other TikTokers will also use beauty items like anti-wrinkle facial matches and—you guessed it—mouth tape.

No judgment toward any of these creators, but I think I would have a full-blown panic attack if I woke up with my mouth taped shut and a strap around my chin.

And if you’re wondering whether any of these products even really do anything, well…it depends on who you’re asking. Many of these beauty influencers do claim to notice impressive results.

But doctors, on the other hand, have other opinions.

“I don’t think wearing this [chin strap] long term is actually going to do anything for your neckline,” said Dr. Daniel Barrett, a plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills, in a TikTok video back in 2024. “I’ve never seen any studies, there’s no evidence to back this up, that wearing this is going to help with anything.”

As for the mouth tape, “Doctors and dentists don’t recommend mouth taping because there’s not enough scientific evidence to show it works for health or wellness,” WebMD reports.

Of course, that doesn’t necessarily mean there aren’t any benefits to these routines. But are they really as necessary as some people market them to be, or are they just another way to convince people you need to spend thousands of dollars to remain attractive in today’s superficial society?

“Although self-expression through beauty routines can be enjoyable and rewarding for some, the constant pressure to conform to changing and extreme beauty standards is a step back from self-acceptance and freedom from social expectations,” Dr Phillippa Diedrichs, a body image expert and psychology lecturer at the University of the West of England, told L’OFFICIEL.

“The real question is whether people are freely choosing to adhere to these practices, or whether they feel forced to do so out of fear of not living up to society’s standards.” 

I just wrote an article about no-buy 2025, where individuals are cutting back on unnecessary purchases to survive in today’s economy, so this trend seems a bit…unattainable for most of us regular people, considering the prices of many of these products. 

Not to mention, it presents the idea that our beauty is something we must work hard to maintain. Which I guess might be true, given society’s unrealistic standards of us. I mean, if you value your appearance so much that you don’t want a single wrinkle on your face, then you might be willing to spend extra money and energy on such routines. In which case, do your thing.

However, for many, “This fuels the perception that our appearance is never good enough without continuous ‘improvements,’ reinforcing a distorted idea of beauty that ties personal value solely to appearance,” said Dr. Diedrichs in an interview with L’OFFICIEL. “Influencer marketing culture has also made beauty increasingly consumerist, insinuating the idea that ‘improvement’ is something that can be purchased.”