From sunscreen denial to tanning nasal spray, I take great pride in debunking viral beauty trends —but today, I'm defending one. Because unlike the aforementioned fads, TikTok's "morning shed” movement doesn't deserve the amount of flak that it's getting. Don't worry, the trend doesn't require any actual shedding or peeling of skin.
Instead, the “morning shed” refers to the removal the skin, hair, and self care products content creators slept in the night before. It might not sound unique, but most morning sheds—and therefore, nighttime routines performed about eight hours before them—consist of fairly robust line-ups. Think: overnight collagen wrap masks, wrinkle patches, under-eye masks , lip masks , mouth tape, jaw straps, hair wrap, and heatless curlers—all worn at once and overnight.
At first, I thought: There's no way this many products are necessary or particularly useful. Why bother? Then I read the comments and became obsessed with the concept. While some users were similarly skeptical of the routine's efficacy—"And the crazy part is, none of it works,” one user wrote in response to a viral clip—some of the dubiousness felt undeserved.
The detractors weren't wondering whether or not morning sheds actually worked, but instead, just judging the content creators for doing all that before bed. "Am I the only woman who just brushes her teeth and goes to bed?!?" one said in response to the video below, which has since amassed over 42 thousand likes and .