When the winter season comes, people usually take a hot shower bath. Some other types of people prefer to take hot showers and baths throughout the year. But do you know hot showers can negatively affect your skin and hair? A hot shower can benefit your skin by opening up pores and removing dead cells or dirt. The lukewarm water also increases blood flow to the skin. But the use of excessively hot water or warm water can affect oppositely on your skin and hair. It leads to hair fall, skin dryness, and irritation.
Read to know in detail.
Harmful effect on skin and hair
Drying out the skin
If you are taking a hot or even warm water bath for a prolonged time, it will wash off all the natural oils from your skin, which leads to dehydrate your skin. In turn, it will lead to skin dryness, itching, flakiness, and other uncomfortable sensations.
Severe irritating skin conditions
If you have existing skin conditions, then hot water can worsen skin diseases like eczema and psoriasis by destroying the skin’s protective barrier, depriving it of moisture, and triggering further irritation and inflammation.
Hair fall and hair damage
Hot showers are not just damaging your skin; they also damage your hair. They can damage your hair’s cuticle and cortex. It also triggers to overproduce of oil and also breaks the disulphide bonds. Due to this, your hair becomes weak and brittle, which can contribute to greater hair loss and hair damage over time.
Slow down the hair growth
Hot showers not only contribute to greater hair loss and hair damage, but they also slow down your hair growth. Your hair may grow more slowly than healthy hair when it is weak and damaged.
More worsen your face’s skin
Although taking a hot shower can be hard on your body’s skin, it is considerably worse for your face. The problems mentioned above, such as dryness, dehydration, breakouts, etc., are equally relevant, along with redness and acne problems. It is because your facial skin is more sensitive and soft than your body’s skin.
Trigger skin acne
Warmth helps to open pores and wash away pollutants, but excessive heat should be avoided. During the winter, even oily skin can become dry, and if it does, it will overcompensate by producing more oil.
Ways to prevent
Use lukewarm water
According to skin specialists, the ideal temperature for a shower is warm water, not hot. Temperature range must be between 37°C to 40°C (98°F to 104°F), and the lukewarm shower duration should typically be between 5-15 mins.
Use moisturizer after shower
To keep your skin hydrated after the shower, apply a body moisturiser.
Do not rub your skin and hair
After taking a shower, gently pat your skin and hair with a soft towel. Avoid rubbing your skin and hair. Vigorously rubbing the hair to dry it quickly can lead to hair fall.
Avoid harsh chemical products
Always use a sulfate-free body wash to avoid stripping the skin of moisture. For hair, use sulphate and paraben-free shampoo. It will be best to use natural and chemical-free products.
Avoid direct shower stream on your face
Don’t let the direct shower stream touch your face. Use more nourishing cream on your face.
