Have you seen influencer Ashton Hall’s viral morning routine?
Starting at 3 a.m. and ending around 9 a.m. (yes, six hours), he does several
dunks in a bowl of Saratoga spring water and ice, works out, meditates,
journals and rubs banana peels on his face, all before settling in at his job as a coach
for fitness coaches. It looks exhausting, but everyone is parodying it, from
major brands like McDonald’s to other TikTokers.
Here is one of many videos Ashton, a former running back
turned online fitness coach, has uploaded to his channel. Each of his videos have
millions of views.
While this massive, luxury-filled routine seems excessive,
there may be some nuggets to take from it, mainly the water plunge and banana
facial.
A bottle of Saratoga spring water is Ashton’s main liquid of
choice for plunges. Sometimes he adds magnesium powder or lemon in, but the distinctive blue
bottle is always the same. Fans have even speculated if Ashton has some sort of
brand deal with the water company because it’s not only his main drink, but he
brushes his teeth with it as well. Saratoga is in on the trend too, posting
several photos, like this one, which refer to Ashton’s routine.
But does it work? Board-certified dermatologist Dr. Alexis
Stephens says in a video that dunking in ice water can help depuff skin, reduce
redness, decrease inflammation and soothe cystic acne and ingrown hairs. The
ice acts as a vasoconstrictor, which shrinks blood vessels the natural way, as
opposed to medications. It is only a temporary solution, however, and the
benefits decrease when skin warms back up. So, though it can help relieve
morning puffiness, it’s not going to cure acne or rosacea, nor will it decrease
the appearance of pores, reduce oil production in your skin or erase fine
lines.
Using bottled water is not essential to the benefits either.
As long as your water is safe to drink, there’s no need to use special water — tap
will do.
If you’re dunking your face, leave off the lemon juice, as it’s
just going to sting and potentially get in your eyes.
TikTok dermatologists are divided as to whether there are any
benefits to rubbing a banana peel on your face. Yes, bananas have potassium,
antioxidants and even anti-inflammatory properties, but a quick rub probably
won’t do much. You can always mash a banana and let it sit on your skin for 20
minutes, but you still won’t get dramatic results, so it’s probably not worth
your time. It's definitely not nature's Botox, as some influencers have been purporting. Better throw the banana in your smoothie along with greens, yogurt and
berries for a healthy breakfast than smear it on your face.
As for the duration of this routine, we can’t see ourselves
taking six hours to get ready for work in the morning, nor can we imagine getting
up pre-dawn. You do you, Ashton, but a good night’s sleep is essential to good
skincare as well.