Hey Neurodivergent Body: Make Your Hygiene Routine Accommodate You

Some days, taking a shower is just taking a shower.

Other days, taking a shower means getting myself there, getting undressed, standing long enough to wash, dealing with temperature changes, wet hair, wet skin, textures, drying off, moisturizing, getting dressed again and somehow transitioning into whatever comes next.

That is a lot of steps for something we call a “basic” activity.

Lately, I’ve been working on making my routine behaviors accommodate me.

And one of the places I started was my bathroom.

This month’s Neurodivergent Tools are about hygiene and wellness hacks that reduce some of the physical and executive demand around taking care of your body—and make it easier to fold little bits of wellness into something you already have to do.

Because I am increasingly uninterested in creating another whole routine that I then have to remember to maintain.

If I am already going into the bathroom, I want to see where I can make that routine work harder for me.

A Neurodivergent Body Can Be Managing More Than Executive Dysfunction

There is a physical-health layer to this conversation that deserves more attention.

Research has found associations between neurodivergence and joint hypermobility in clinical adult samples. In a large cross-sectional case-control study, autistic adults had higher odds of generalized joint hypermobility and symptomatic hypermobility than non-autistic controls [1]. A separate adult case-control study found ADHD was also associated with generalized joint hypermobility and symptomatic hypermobility [2]. These studies establish association rather than causation, and the autism study specifically notes that high ADHD comorbidity limits generalization to autistic people without ADHD.

Research published in 2026 adds another piece. In a case-control sample of adults with chronic pain or chronic fatigue, participants had higher odds of screening positive for likely autistic and ADHD traits than the comparison group, and joint hypermobility statistically mediated part of the relationship between neurodivergent traits and chronic pain/fatigue [3]. The study used screening measures and an online survey, so its findings should be interpreted as evidence of an association that warrants further research rather than a diagnostic or causal conclusion.

So when I say accommodate your neurodivergent body, I mean the whole thing.

The brain.

The joints.

The muscles.

The sensory system.

The exhaustion.

The executive function.

The body that may already be working harder than somebody realizes just to get through an ordinary day.

Magnesium Has Become Part of My Routine

I haven’t been taking magnesium as a supplement lately.

I’ve been finding ways to bring magnesium into routines I am already doing.

That has primarily looked like magnesium spray and Epsom salt for me.

Magnesium itself has been studied across several symptom areas. For example, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 81 adults with migraine found that 600 mg of oral magnesium daily for 12 weeks reduced migraine attack frequency more than placebo during the final treatment period [4]. That study involved oral magnesium, so it does not establish that topical magnesium spray or Epsom-salt bathing produces the same effect.

There is specific preliminary research on topical magnesium too.

A small feasibility study enrolled 40 women with fibromyalgia and asked them to apply magnesium chloride spray to their arms and legs twice daily for four weeks. Twenty-four completed the study, and participants reported improvements on several fibromyalgia impact measures [5]. The study did not include a placebo-control group, so it provides preliminary evidence rather than proof that the spray caused the improvement.

There is also an important limit to keep in view: a published review of transdermal magnesium concluded that claims of reliable systemic magnesium absorption through intact skin were not supported by the available evidence [6]. I am therefore treating magnesium spray as a personal wellness practice, not as a proven method for correcting magnesium deficiency.

I like this magnesium spray, and spraying it is easy enough to attach to something I am already doing.

No elaborate wellness ceremony required.

Epsom Salt: Put It Where You’ll Actually Use It

Epsom salt is magnesium sulfate.

And yes, I know most people immediately think bath.

I am not always taking a bath.

So I started seasoning the tub with it before I get in the shower, almost like a shower-steamer situation.

Sometimes I stand on a little after my shower.

Sometimes I soak.

The point for me is that the Epsom salt lives inside the hygiene routine rather than waiting for the mythical day when I suddenly develop the executive function for a separate spa routine.

There is direct randomized clinical research on Epsom-salt bathing. In a 2025 randomized controlled trial involving 64 adults with knee osteoarthritis, participants assigned to seven days of Epsom-salt baths had lower pain scores and better activities-of-daily-living measures than participants receiving standard care [7]. This was one small trial in a specific osteoarthritis population; it does not establish the same effect for neurodivergent people generally or prove that the effect resulted from transdermal magnesium absorption.

There is still uncertainty around how much magnesium is systemically absorbed through intact skin [6], so I am not using my Epsom salt like a measured magnesium supplement.

I am using it as an inexpensive magnesium-containing addition to a warm-water wellness routine that feels good on my body.

And mine came from the dollar store.

Please Don’t Pay the ADHD Tax on Epsom Salt

Your local dollar store probably has a bag.

I stopped getting the name-brand one because the $1-something one works just fine for what I am doing with it.

This applies to a lot of accommodations.

Once we find out something is marketed for wellness, disability, executive function, autism, ADHD or sensory support, it becomes incredibly easy to spend $27 on something that exists down the street for $2.

Start cheap when the expensive version does not give you a feature you actually need.

I love my magnesium spray, so I bought the magnesium spray I like.

My Epsom salt came from Dollar Tree.

So did some of the other little things in this routine.

Use your money where the difference is actually useful.

Just Because You Can Stand Doesn’t Mean You Have To

Next bathroom addition:

A shower chair.

Specifically, I like this bamboo shower chair.

And I need some of us to release the idea that you have to be completely unable to stand before you are “allowed” to sit in the shower.

Just because you can stand doesn’t mean you have to.

Standing takes energy.

Balance takes energy.

Holding your body upright while washing, reaching, bending, dealing with hot water and completing a multi-step task takes energy.

If sitting preserves some of that energy for whatever you have to do after the shower, sit down.

If sitting means you are more likely to shower on a low-capacity day, sit down.

If sitting makes washing your hair easier, sit down.

If you simply enjoy sitting under the water because it feels good, sit down.

You do not have to earn an accommodation by reaching the point where you cannot function without it.

I chose bamboo because I also want my accommodations to feel like they belong in my home. I like the warmth and spa-like feeling of bamboo in a bathroom more than equipment that makes the room feel clinical.

The useful part here is the permission to rest.

Baking Soda Really Does End Up Everywhere in My House

I have also returned to making some of my own personal-care products.

Recently I started making my toothpaste again with:

• baking soda
• coconut oil
• clove

I like knowing what is in it. I like being able to make it myself. And those ingredients are inexpensive and easy for me to replace.

Baking soda has legitimate oral-care applications and has been studied as an ingredient in formulated toothpastes, particularly for plaque removal. My homemade version is still my personal hygiene routine, rather than the same thing researchers are testing when they study commercially formulated dental products.

And homemade toothpaste can have a major difference from conventional toothpaste: fluoride. If you use homemade oral-care products, talk with your dentist about your individual cavity risk and how fluoride should fit into your routine.

The same goes for clove and coconut oil. Both have histories of use in oral care, and there is research around components such as eugenol from clove and coconut-oil pulling. I still treat the mixture as something I enjoy using rather than a substitute for professional dental care.

The larger lesson is the same one running through everything else in my bathroom:

Make the routine easier to return to.

Build Wellness Into What You Already Do

This has probably been the biggest shift for me.

Wellness advice frequently gives us another job.

Take this.

Remember that.

Do this every morning.

Do this every night.

Add a 20-minute routine here.

Track another thing there.

Meanwhile, executive dysfunction is sitting in the corner laughing.

I have started asking a different question:

What can I add to a routine that already exists?

The shower is already happening.

Put the chair in there.

The Epsom salt is already in the bathroom.

Season the tub.

The magnesium spray is visible where I get ready.

Spray it when I remember.

The inexpensive personal-care supplies are together where I actually use them.

Make the healthy choice easier to find.

Make rest available before your body is begging for it.

Make accommodations normal enough that you stop negotiating with yourself about whether you “need” them today.

Take What You Need

None of these things has to become another rule.

Maybe your body loves magnesium.

Maybe it doesn’t.

Maybe you need the chair.

Maybe the chair just makes showers more enjoyable.

Maybe the dollar-store version is perfectly fine.

Maybe there is one particular product worth spending more on because it solves a very specific problem for you.

This is the part I want us to keep:

Your routine is allowed to accommodate your body.

You are allowed to reduce effort where effort does not serve you.

You are allowed to build rest into hygiene.

You are allowed to make wellness easier to reach.

Take what you need.

Wishing you wellness in your neurodivergent journey.

Wellness + Medical Note

This article discusses personal hygiene accommodations and general wellness practices alongside emerging and established research. It is educational and reflects my personal experience; it is not individualized medical, dental, or treatment advice.

Magnesium needs, medical conditions, medications, kidney function, skin sensitivities, dental needs and treatment plans vary. Consult your physician, pharmacist, dentist, or other appropriate clinical provider when necessary, including before adding magnesium products if you have a medical condition or are concerned about medication or treatment interactions.

My Tools From This Article

Magnesium Spray: See the magnesium spray I use

Bamboo Shower Chair: See the bamboo shower chair

For Epsom salt, baking soda and coconut oil, I encourage you to check your local dollar store or other inexpensive retailer first. An accommodation does not need a premium price tag to be useful.

Affiliate Disclosure

The links attached to this article may contain affiliate links, where I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.

Resources + References

Research references

1. Glans MR, Thelin N, Humble MB, Elwin M, Bejerot S. The Relationship Between Generalised Joint Hypermobility and Autism Spectrum Disorder in Adults: A Large, Cross-Sectional, Case Control Comparison. Frontiers in Psychiatry. 2022;13:803334. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.803334. PubMed.
2. Glans M, Thelin N, Humble MB, Elwin M, Bejerot S. Association between adult attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and generalised joint hypermobility: A cross-sectional case control comparison. Journal of Psychiatric Research. 2021;143:334–340. DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2021.07.006. PubMed.
3. Likely neurodivergence and variant connective tissue in patients with chronic pain/chronic fatigue: a case-control study. 2026. PubMed PMID 41774972. PubMed.
4. Peikert A, Wilimzig C, Köhne-Volland R. Prophylaxis of migraine with oral magnesium: results from a prospective, multi-center, placebo-controlled and double-blind randomized study. Cephalalgia. 1996;16(4):257–263. DOI: 10.1046/j.1468-2982.1996.1604257.x. PubMed.
5. Engen DJ, McAllister SJ, Whipple MO, et al. Effects of transdermal magnesium chloride on quality of life for patients with fibromyalgia: a feasibility study. Journal of Integrative Medicine. 2015;13(5):306–313. DOI: 10.1016/S2095-4964(15)60195-9. PubMed.
6. Gröber U, Werner T, Vormann J, Kisters K. Myth or Reality—Transdermal Magnesium? Nutrients. 2017;9(8):813. DOI: 10.3390/nu9080813. PubMed.
7. Kumar V, Shyoran R, Pareek B, Pathania R, Ranaut R, Ravi RK. Exploring the therapeutic potential of Epsom salt bath on pain and intensity of knee osteoarthritis: Randomized controlled trial. Journal of Education and Health Promotion. 2025;14:462. DOI: 10.4103/jehp.jehp_2165_24. PubMed.

Resources mentioned

• Magnesium Spray — Amazon affiliate resource
• Bamboo Shower Chair — Amazon affiliate resource