Grooming · personal care

The routine — hair, skin & sweat

A low-effort personal-care system on the same office + training week as the health plan. One rule runs through all of it: gentle daily care, the right active for each specific problem, lukewarm water everywhere, and never over-treat.

care calm scalp · fresh
// source of truth is grooming-plan.md — this HTML is a view of it. Edit the markdown first, then re-sync this page so nothing drifts.

// 01 every day (fixed)

The daily baseline

Independent of badminton. The face routine runs morning + night on its own clock; bath timing flexes around the game.

Morning
Face: Cetaphil cleanse → light moisturizer → Minimalist SPF 50 (last, generous ~2 finger-lengths, ~15 min before going out).
After main bath
Body: Cetaphil lotion on slightly damp skin within ~5 min, on dry-prone zones (shins, forearms, back). Winter / very dry days: Cetaphil Cream.
Night
Face: Cetaphil cleanse → light moisturizer. Underarms: Dove Men+Care antiperspirant on clean, dry skin before bed.
Anytime
Hair: neem wide-tooth comb, gentle. Lips: balm (esp. winter).
bath timing Main bath is the evening one, after badminton or strength (when sweat + scalp actually need it). A morning shower is an optional quick water rinse — keep soap/shampoo for the evening, never double-cleanse. Sunday (gym is morning) the main bath is the after-gym oil session.

// 02 the hair week

Weekly schedule

Four washes a week — anti-dandruff twice, gentle twice, two rinses. Badminton Mon/Wed/Fri, strength Tue/Sat, gym Sun, rest Thu; the wash lands on the post-session shower.

DayActivityMain bathHair
Monbadmintoneve · post-gameGentle shampoo
Tuestrength Aeve · post-workoutWater rinse
Wedbadmintoneve · post-gameAnti-dandruff — scalp, 2–3 min soak
ThurestmorningNo wash
Fribadmintoneve · post-gameGentle shampoo
Satstrength Beve · post-workoutWater rinse
Sungymafter gymPre-wash jojoba oil 30–60 min → anti-dandruff; comb through
why this shape Anti-dandruff lands on Sun + Wed (3–4 days apart) — close enough to control the dandruff, far enough not to over-treat. Oil pre-wash is Sunday (gym is morning, so there's time for the soak before washing). Gentle Mon + Fri (post-badminton). Tue + Sat are water rinses after strength sessions — lighter sweat than badminton, no shampoo needed. Thu is rest, no wash.

// 03 wash & oil

How to wash

Procedure

  • AD  Lukewarm soak → coin-sized blob to whole scalp → fingertip massage ~1 min → leave 2–3 min (active needs contact time) → rinse well.
  • gentle  Same, but no 2–3 min wait.
  • conditioner  Optional — pea-size on the 3" top only if it feels dry; never scalp/sides.
  • Sun oil  Few drops jojoba to scalp, fingertip massage 2–3 min, comb through, leave 30–60 min (never overnight, no coconut on scalp), then wash out with the Minimalist shampoo.
  • rinse days  Lukewarm water rinse of the scalp after the game — no shampoo.
  • towel  Blot/press, never rub. Air-dry over heat styling.

// 04 body, skin & sweat

Below the neck

  • Body wash: Cetaphil Gentle / Dove Sensitive (dropped Dettol — antiseptic soap is for wounds, not daily use). Lukewarm; soap the zones that need it, water for the rest; don't over-scrub.
  • Moisturizer: Cetaphil lotion year-round on damp skin after the main bath; Cetaphil Cream (or Nivea/Vaseline) in winter.
  • Antiperspirant: regular Dove Men+Care at night on dry underarms. Baseline sweat is normal — heavy only during badminton, which no antiperspirant stops and the post-game shower handles. Clinical-grade not needed.
  • Face (normal skin): twice a day max, lukewarm, pat dry. Sunscreen every morning is the highest-value step.
occasional groin-crease itch Not a daily-routine item. Only an occasional mild fungal itch in the groin crease (not recurrent; no feet involvement). Keep the crease dry after washing. If a flare comes, an antifungal cream (clotrimazole) clears it; a dusting of Candid powder before badminton helps if one is starting. Nothing more needed.

// 05 products & links

The kit (India / Amazon.in)

ItemProductLink
AD shampooMinimalist Anti-Dandruff 3.5%amazon.in ↗
Gentle shampooDeconstruct Nourishing (or Re'equil / Earth Collective)amazon.in ↗
ConditionerDeconstruct Nourishing Conditioner (optional)search amazon.in
Jojoba oilWishCare / Soulflower cold-pressed (optional)amazon.in ↗
CombNeem wooden wide-tooth (Rufiys / Nat Habit)amazon.in ↗
Body washCetaphil Gentle Body Wash / Dove Sensitiveamazon.in
Body lotionCetaphil Moisturising Lotionamazon.in / Nykaa
Winter creamCetaphil Moisturising Cream (or Nivea/Vaseline)amazon.in
Face cleanserCetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanseramazon.in / Nykaa
SunscreenMinimalist SPF 50 PA++++search amazon.in
AntiperspirantDove Men+Care Roll-On (or Rexona Men)amazon.in ↗
Antifungal creamClotrimazole cream (as needed)pharmacy / 1mg
Antifungal powderCandid Dusting Powder 1% (as needed)amazon.in ↗

Brand tier: derm/science — Minimalist, Deconstruct, CeraVe, Cetaphil.

// 06 after ~3–4 weeks

Settling into maintenance

  • Once flaking is gone, drop Minimalist to once a week (keep Sunday) and make Wednesday a gentle wash — maintenance, not constant treatment.
  • Introduce new products one at a time, a few days apart, to tell what helps or irritates.
  • Give the switch 4–6 weeks before judging hairfall — changes show on a lag.
not medical advice A sensible general routine, not a prescription. For persistent dandruff, a groin-crease flare that doesn't clear with an antifungal cream, or any sustained shedding / visible thinning, see a dermatologist.