A long steaming hot shower is one of life’s greatest pleasures, but are we harming ourselves in the process?
For some people, showering is the best part of their day – letting that intensely hot water pour onto us.
I find it calming, a quick escape from reality; no one can contact you when you’re locked into a steamy shower cubicle.
But what would you do if you learned that your morning rinse was actually doing more harm to your body than good? Well, that’s what dermatologist Dr Divya Shokeen believes.
The founder of Ocean Skin & Vein Institute in Manhattan Beach, California, was invited on Huffington Post’s Am I Doing It Wrong? podcast where she went into detail about why you shouldn’t enjoy a piping hot shower.
“Should you be taking a hot shower? No. Ideally, you should be taking a cold one,” Dr Shokeen explained.
“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.”
Yes, while hot water can remove natural protective oils that grown on your skin, as well as fats and proteins, cold water is actually really good for your body.
It has been attributed to help improve your blood circulation, boost your immune system responses. and it even assists in recovering from a workout – so if you’re a gym nut, you might want to dial your hot showers down.
When hot water strips these essential oils from your skin, it can cause irritation, as well as worsen eczema and leave your skin felling dry.
Our neighbours will be able to hear the last 30 seconds of our showers now (Getty stock)
She also explained to the publication that if you can’t face an icy-cold shower, you can opt to turn the heat down a bit so that you’re just washing in warm water, although she suggests dialling it right down before stepping out.
“If you can tolerate it, [during] the last 30 seconds, make it cold,” the doctor said.
Okay, so we’re supposed to now have luke-warm showers then? And ideally, douse ourselves in ice-cold water? I can maybe comply with that, but how long do I get to soak?
Dr Shokeen added: “Ideally five minutes — five to 10 minutes. Anything longer … disrupts the mantle of your skin, which can cause more harm than good.”
