How cold showers actually help your hair and skin
Yes, it’s true. Hot showers may feel amazing but they totally dry out your skin. Cold showers, on the other hand, spare you the dryness; and they bring to your hair and skin so many more benefits.
Tighter pores
Tighter pores don’t get clogged as easily. Cold water seals pores in your skin and scalp, preventing dirt from getting trapped.
Suppler skin
Warm water strips your skin of healthy natural oils, cold water prevents the skin from being stripped of its natural oils too quickly.
Shinier, healthier, stronger hair
Cold water flattens hair follicles. This boosts their ability to maintain their grip on your scalp.
7 other reasons why cold showers are good for you
Cold showers aren’t just great for your skin and hair. They have lots of other health benefits, including:
1. Fat reduction
We store two types of fat in our bodies: white and brown. White fat is the kind that we all struggle to get rid of. But brown fat is beneficial, because it generates heat to keep your body warm. When brown fat is activated by chilly conditions, it burns calories. Researchers have found that exposure to cold temperatures increased the metabolic rate of brown fat by a factor of 15. That means cold showers could help you to drop up to nine pounds a year.
2. Quick post-workout recovery
Cold showers boost recovery after exercise. Did you know that professional athletes often take ice baths after training to reduce soreness? You can achieve similar benefits with a quick cold shower after your own workouts.
3. Increased mood and alertness
When you take a cold shower, your breathing deepens in response to the shock of the cold. Your heart rate also increases, resulting in a rush of blood through your body that makes you feel energized and elevates your mood.
4. Better immunity and circulation
Cold showers increase your metabolic rate, which in turn activates your immune system. Cold showers also increase your overall blood circulation, helping you to avoid high blood pressure and hardened arteries.
5. Improved mood
Research shows that short cold showers stimulate the brain’s “blue spot,” which is the brain’s primary source of noradrenaline, a chemical that could help ease depression.
6. Healthier skin cells
Cold showers drain your lymphatic system, which helps carry out waste from your cells. Showers that are by turns hot and cold help your body to detoxify; the cold water causes your lymph vessels to contract, and the hot water relaxes them.
7. Better rest
Cold showers have traditionally been seen as a way of making you more alert. Yet it is also one of the best ways to get an incredible night’s sleep.
The “Cold War” against dull skin and hair
The idea of an icy shower may have you thinking, “Brrr!” But your skin and scalp would say, “Jump right in!” Getting frosty-clean will likely have you looking great and feeling better. Now, that’s anything but cold comfort.
References
- “5 Surprising Benefits of Cold Showers,” , September 16, 2013.
- “Benefits of Cold Showers: 7 Reasons Why Taking Cool Showers Is Good For Your Health,” Medical Daily, June 24, 2014.
- “Can a Cold Shower Really Benefit Your Hair, Skin, and Metabolism?,” Health, January 6, 2017.
- “The Benefits of Getting an Icy Start to the Day,” The New York Times, March 14, 2016.
