We know that taking a cold bath doesn’t always sound all that appealing, especially during the winter season. But did you know that bathing in hot water can harm your health, damage your body, and ruin your hair?
Bathing with hot water comes with a lot of disadvantages health-wise. One of these is that it causes dandruff and other scalp conditions due to dryness.
How does hot water cause dandruff?
Just as it removes natural oils and fats that protect the skin, very hot water has the same effect on the hair. It excessively dries the scalp, generating dandruff.
Also, the aggressiveness of hot water on the scalp will prevent the shampoo from fulfilling its function and prevent the hair from growing quickly.
Additionally, this causes the hair to fall frequently and not be resistant. The effect of hot water will cause your hair to lose shine over time. It will make your dye last less and changes the texture.
What is dandruff?
Dandruff is dead skin that forms as a result of the excessive and too rapid renewal of the epidermis of the scalp.
Dandruff, a harmless, chronic condition, occurs when the scalp is dry or oily and produces thin patches of dead skin. These little white scales dot the hair and fall like snow on the shoulders.
Although harmless, dandruff can be bothersome. They often appear between the ages of 10 or 20 and affect up to 40% of people over 30.
There are two types: dry dandruff, which is more frequent, and oily dandruff, which is generally due to excessive sebum.
Oily dandruff is the most dangerous for the hair because they choke their roots and can accelerate their fall. Mainly, they are itchy. And no one likes to scratch their head!
Other disadvantages of hot water baths
According to experts, if the temperature is too high, you could be damaging your skin and hair. If you suffer from irritation, acne, skin infections, and problems like dandruff, dry hair, and a lot of frizz, hot water can make everything worse.
Even if you don’t suffer from any of these problems, spending a lot of time in high temperatures in the shower can hurt you more than you think.
The ideal is to always bathe with cold or warm water, that is, the water temperature must not exceed your body temperature.
We leave you several reasons to change your habits:
1. Hot water dehydrates the skin
Water at high temperatures destroys the skin’s protective barrier and removes natural oils. This causes a lot of dryness, irritation, and annoying pimples.
If you have dry skin or acne, this will only make your condition worse. Better try cold or warm water.
2. Hot water ages the skin
Another disadvantage of bathing with hot water is that both your face and your body will lose elasticity and firmness. You could have premature wrinkles if you usually take very hot baths.
If you want to have a radiant and moisturized complexion, forget about taking hot baths. This will only make your skin age faster.
The pores become dilated, causing irritation and making the dermis not be able to store the necessary moisture. If you don’t change your habits, the natural properties are likely to disappear and you will lose elasticity and firmness.
Remember that warm and cold water are the key to beautiful, healthy, and fresh skin. It helps improve circulation, oxygenate the skin, tighten pores, and have a tightening effect.
3. Hot water can make varicose veins worse
Varicose veins are swollen and damaged veins. So, hot water can worsen their condition. Blood vessels tend to dilate with it, causing the blood not to flow properly and swelling in the legs.
As temperatures rise, the body sends more blood to the surface of the skin and the varicose veins. This can make the problem worse. It’s better to opt for warm water or make it as cold as you can bear.
4. Hot water alters your digestion
Hot water alters your digestion especially if you take a hot bath after eating. The heat increases blood flow to your skin, making your digestive process slower than normal.
5. Damages your skin
Water at very high temperatures tends to dilate the pores of the skin. This can cause it to become swollen and irritated.
Also, it removes the natural oils from the outer layer of the body, reducing its shine and softness. This also reduces its protection against bacteria and other impurities found in the environment.
Other causes of dandruff asides from hot water
There are several types of causes. Some that your habits can influence, and others that are due to bad luck or some uncontrollable outside force.
A poor diet (too fatty, sweet, or salty) alters the quality of skin secretions that are essential for the scalp.
Also, aggressive hair treatments, such as repeated use of an overly hot hair dryer or the use of overly stripping shampoos, can contribute to the development of dandruff.
This is also the case with the repeated wearing of hats, beanies, and other caps. It is important to let your hair breathe.
Stress, which is both a trigger and an aggravating factor, is also a cause that should not be neglected, just like heavy alcohol consumption. Be careful with the recreational consumption of your favorite whiskey.
You can limit this problem by regulating your diet and alcohol consumption, as well as paying special attention to the way you treat your hair.
Climate and pollution tend to worsen dandruff problems, especially those caused by seborrheic dermatitis. Cold and wet weather, for example, promote the development of dander.
Dandruff can also be caused by hereditary factors. If a close family member has it, be twice as vigilant.
How to diagnose dandruff
The diagnosis of dandruff is easy to do yourself: the scalp is itchy, dry, and covered with scales. Seborrheic dermatitis is accompanied by reddish skin, a few yellowish and oily scales, and patches with indefinite contours.
Treatment and prevention
In not too serious cases, the scalp is covered with scales that are eliminated naturally with washing and brushing. Sometimes this process is not properly done. Dandruff then appears in the form of visible scales of varying thickness. It can be white or yellow, adherent, or falling like snow on the shoulders depending on the nature of the scalp (oily or dry).
Faced with this problem, the scalp reacts, and its epidermal renewal races. The thicker layer of cells extensively exfoliates in the form of dandruff.
Inflammation causes the proliferation of a fungus, Malassezia, which is naturally present on the scalp. A vicious circle sets in. The multiplication of the fungus leads to inflammation, which develops hyperproliferation of keratinocytes which, in turn, feeds the fungus.
Excessive friction should be avoided, in particular scrubs on the scalp. But also attacks due to brush strokes, too tight hairstyles such as braids, the heat of the dryer, the use of too aggressive washing agents, and occlusive styling products (containing, for example, paraffin).
A simple shampoo is enough if the gentle cleansing base contains an antifungal. This limits the development of the fungus (piroctone olamine, zinc pyrithione, ichthyol), soothes and relieves irritation (bisabolol, glycocolle), and introduces keratolytic to eliminate scales from the scalp (salicylic acid, guanidine glycolate).
Care agents will pamper the hair fiber (glycerin, vegetable, or synthetic oils). The shampoo should be left on for three to five minutes to allow it to work.
To avoid recurrences, a maintenance shampoo is recommended every 8 to 15 days. A lotion is complimentary, but not mandatory.
It contains the same ingredients as the shampoo to increase the effectiveness of the treatment on a daily basis. It must have little or no alcohol so as not to dry out the scalp.
If the use of shampoos and anti-dandruff lotions have not given results within a month, the symptoms will get worse.
If traditional remedies do not work, you could be suffering from seborrheic dermatitis. You have to consult a dermatologist, who will be able to advise you on effective products in the fight against this inflammation.
He may resort to the use of medical treatments that involve the use of more powerful anti-inflammatory drugs, that is, local corticosteroids in the form of shampoo, mousse, cream, and lotion. These are intended to restore the normal 28-day cycle of epidermal renewal.
Stress is an aggravating factor, and seawater soothes the inflammation of the scalp linked to this condition. It might be time to go on vacation and enjoy life on a sunny beach.
And don’t forget, avoid hot water showers at all costs. The water temperature of 80° F and 105°F is the most ideal for baths.
In Summary
Bathing with hot water can be very relaxing. However, in reality, it is not recommended if you want to have good scalp health and maintain your beauty.
If you bathe with hot water, you increase the chances of having hair loss, dryness, capillary dehydration, and, therefore, dandruff. Also, your hair will lose shine and will become weaker.
Dandruff can also be caused by several factors, including naturally dry skin (or that which is caused by the climate), hypersensitivity to hair treatment products, and certain conditions like seborrheic dermatitis and eczema.
Dandruff can be caused by stress, hormone levels, too much oil on the scalp, or problems with the immune system.