Imagine an early morning. The sound of construction drifts through your barely open window. The light, just breaking the horizon, begins to show on your bedroom floor. Birds chirp on the branches of the just-blooming tree in front of your building. The city is waking up. So calm. So peaceful. Then BAM! Your alarm goes off, and instead of gracefully welcoming the morning, you begrudging fiddle with your iPhone until you can hit Snooze, which is apparently the worst thing you can do for yourself in the morning. Ahh, waking up! Such a pleasure on a weekday morning!

So, how can we make our mornings better? Let’s assume that Folgers may not be the best part of waking up for all of us. (Some people don’t like coffee, ever think of that?! No. No, you didn’t.) Anyway, there has to be a way to improve our morning, a way to open our eyes faster than turning on a cold shower, to be shocked into consciousness (that said, I actually really enjoy cold showers, especially in my under-air-conditioned apartment in the summer). So listen up, I think I may have just found the magic ingredient: C.O. Bigelow’s Mentha Hair Invigorating Shampoo and Conditioner.

OK, I know what you’re thinking: mentha... like menthol? Sure, many naughty boys (and girls) have made menthol cool via badass cigs [Ed. note: Irony is hard to convey in writing, but please interpret with heavy undertones of sarcasm] and Vick’s Vaporub is the go-to grease for congested chests and noses, but shampoo and conditioner? I promise, this is the key to a refreshing morning. Turn on the water—no need for cold temps, unless you’re into that (fun fact: finishing your showers with cold water is supposed to be great for the roots of your hair and will help give your locks volume)—and lather up your bountiful tresses with the Mentha. Massage into your scalp, and let it sit for a few more moments than you would your typical shampoo. This is one time you actually want to listen to the “Lather, rinse, and follow up with our Blah Blah Blah Conditioner” directions on the back of the bottle. Now, grab the other green bottle in your shower and show your head and mane some moisturizing love! C.O. Bigelow’s Mentha line is like an Ice Breakers mint for your head. The subtle tingling chill will leave your scalp feeling so fresh and so clean clean...so you can jump out of the shower refreshed, wide-eyed, and prepared for whatever's on the docket for the day.

Added benefit? C.O. Bigelow is possibly one of the best stores lower Manhattan has to offer. While you're picking up your new morning shower staples, take a stroll down the aisles where you can find Nars makeup, Crest toothpaste, and everything in-between. And for all you chickadees and chickadudes who are not in NYC, well, the storied apothecary is available to all online.

—Elizabeth Brockway

PS: DO NOT get this in your eyes. Unlike Johnson's baby products, this ain't “No Tears,” due to the whole “Mentha Invigorating' thing. Do not invigorate your eyes.

Photos by Elizabeth Brockway.