После душа я беру фен и поправляю чёлку перед зеркалом.

Because после requires the genitive case.

• душ is the dictionary form (nominative singular)
• after после, it changes to душа

So:

• после душа = after the shower / after shower

This is a general rule:

• после работы = after work
• после урока = after the lesson
• после обеда = after lunch

It is genitive singular.

The noun душ is masculine, and many masculine nouns take -а in the genitive singular:

• душ → душа
• стол → стола
• урок → урока

So in после душа, душа is not a different word here—it is just the genitive form of душ.

In Russian, the present tense of imperfective verbs is often used to describe habitual actions, just like English I do, I take, I fix in a routine context.

So:

• я беру = I take / I usually take
• я поправляю = I fix / I adjust / I usually fix

This is very natural for describing everyday habits.

If you were narrating one completed event in the past, you would use past tense instead.

Поправлять / поправить often means to adjust, to tidy, or to fix up slightly.

With hair, it usually suggests a small correction, not a full styling process. So поправляю чёлку means something like:

• I adjust my bangs
• I tidy my fringe
• I fix my bangs a little

It is different from verbs like:

• причёсывать = to comb
• укладывать = to style
• стричь = to cut

So поправляю gives the sense of making the hair look right, not doing a full hair routine.

Because чёлку is in the accusative case, since it is the direct object of поправляю.

• dictionary form: чёлка
• accusative singular: чёлку

This happens with many feminine nouns ending in -а:

• книга → книгу
• ручка → ручку
• чёлка → чёлку

So:

• поправляю чёлку = I adjust my bangs/fringe

Чёлка means the hair at the front of the head—what American English usually calls bangs and British English usually calls a fringe.

A useful note for learners: it is spelled with ё, which matters for pronunciation and stress:

• чёлка
• stressed on чёл-

In casual writing, Russians sometimes write елка-like spellings without dots in other words, but in learning materials it is helpful to keep ё visible.

Because перед meaning in front of / before takes the instrumental case when it refers to location.

• зеркало = mirror
• зеркалом = instrumental singular

So:

• перед зеркалом = in front of the mirror

This is a very common pattern:

• перед домом = in front of the house
• перед окном = in front of the window
• передо мной = in front of me

Зеркалом is instrumental singular.

The noun зеркало is neuter, and many neuter nouns ending in -о form the instrumental singular in -ом:

• зеркало → зеркалом
• окно → окном
• письмо → письмом

It appears here because of the preposition перед.

It could be omitted in many contexts, because the verb endings already show the subject:

• беру = I take
• поправляю = I adjust

So Russian often allows:

• После душа беру фен и поправляю чёлку перед зеркалом.

However, я is perfectly natural too. It may be included:

• for clarity
• for emphasis
• because the speaker is describing their own routine in a straightforward way

So both versions work.

Yes, the word order can be changed, because Russian word order is relatively flexible.

The given sentence is neutral and natural:

• После душа я беру фен и поправляю чёлку перед зеркалом.

But other orders are possible, depending on emphasis:

• Я после душа беру фен и поправляю чёлку перед зеркалом.
• Перед зеркалом я поправляю чёлку после душа.

The original order is good because it presents the actions in a clear sequence:

1. После душа = the time frame
2. я беру фен = first action
3. и поправляю чёлку перед зеркалом = second action

So the sentence flows naturally.

In practice, it is understood most strongly with поправляю чёлку.

That is because adjusting your bangs in front of the mirror is the most natural connection semantically. The sentence suggests:

• I take the hair dryer
• and fix my bangs in front of the mirror

Technically, a listener may understand the mirror as part of the overall grooming situation, but the closest and most natural attachment is to поправляю чёлку.

И simply joins the two actions:

• беру фен
• поправляю чёлку

So it works like and in English.

Russian can sometimes omit conjunctions in short, punchy narration, but here и sounds normal and smooth because the speaker is listing routine actions in sequence.

Without и, the sentence would sound more abrupt.

A careful pronunciation would be approximately:

• После душа я беру фен и поправляю чёлку перед зеркалом

A few pronunciation notes:

• после = stress on the first syllable
• душа = stress on the second syllable here
• беру = stress on -у
• фен = one syllable, like fen
• поправляю = stress on -ля-
• чёлку = stress on чёл-, with ё pronounced like yo
• зеркалом = stress on зер-

So чёлку is pronounced roughly like CHYOL-koo, not chel-koo.