Something that many people enjoy doing is taking a hot shower. It’s an enjoyable part of life for many of us, but there may be reasons why we might want to rethink the practice.
Taking a hot shower is one of the best parts of the day for many people. It’s a moment when we step away from all of the busy noise that fills our day and we enjoy one of life’s simple pleasures.
Some consider it to be an escape from reality, others feel that it is just a time to immerse yourself in something pleasurable. Regardless of how you feel about it, what would you do if you learned it was actually harming your body?
According to dermatologist Dr Divya Shokeen, you may be doing more harm to your body than good by taking a long, hot shower. As the founder of Ocean Skin & Vein Institute in Manhattan Beach, California, she may be worth listening to.
Dr. Shokeen recently was on the ‘Am I Doing It Wrong?’ Podcast. She said: “Should you be taking a hot shower? No. Ideally, you should be taking a cold one.
“I actually went down a huge rabbit hole on PubMed [National Library of Medicine in the US], which is basically a scientific database that goes through all these articles, [and I found studies that show] a cold shower not only invigorates you more, it helps with hair follicles, it helps with hair growth, it helps with skin rejuvenation, with blood vessel dilation — it’s awesome for you.”
It seems that hot water can remove some of the protective oils that are on your skin along with proteins and fats. Cold water, on the other hand, is great for the body.
Using cold water as the medium for your shower can help to improve blood circulation, give your immune system a boost, and it’s great after a workout.
Hot water has the action of stripping essential oil from the skin, leading to irritation, worsening eczema, and leaving your skin feeling dry. The doctor also said that the publication mentions those who can’t handle an icy cold shower.
She said: if you can just turn the heat down slightly so that you are using warm water, it would be better. You don’t even have to do it for the entire shower.
“If you can tolerate it, [during] the last 30 seconds, make it cold.”
What about dousing yourself in icy cold water? The doctor also said that this would help, adding: “Ideally five minutes — five to 10 minutes. Anything longer … disrupts the mantle of your skin, which can cause more harm than good.”