Who doesn’t like the feel of a soothing and relaxing hot shower? Almost everyone does. But do you know that a hot shower can make your hair fall? Yes, because it robs your scalp of moisture and natural oils, disrupts pH balance.
When that happened, you may need an SMP procedure to remedy the hair loss. We suggest that you get an SMP expert to help you.
How Showering Affects Your Hair
Wash your hair a lot, or don’t — it’s your call. But there is zero scientific evidence to cement that washing it less makes it grow faster. However, excessive shampooing (beyond what your hair type needs) can cause dehydration and lead to breakage, so overzealous shampooers should err on the side of caution.
On another side, prolonged periods of not washing can cause buildup on the scalp, damaging the hair and even impeding its growth ability. Grime from dirt, oil, and hair product can show up within four to six days for people with finer, straighter hair.
However, people with thicker, oily hair may want to wash their hair more often than people with thin, dry hair. This helps get rid of excess sebum oil from the scalp. Just below the scalp lie oil glands, and they secrete sebum. Their job is to protect and moisturize the scalp skin. And unfortunately, we become more prone to these effects as we age. Younger people replace these oils and the thin layer of skin on the scalp much faster. Therefore, as we get older, our bodies and hair have less tolerance for hot water showers.
Hot water showers do not cause hair loss, but they can damage the keratin protein and strip away the natural oil in your hair, which could make your hair dry and weak, leading to hair breakage. When washing hair, it is best to use warm water and even cooler water when rinsing it, helping to keep it moist and prevent breakage.
To really prevent hair breakage, use a wide-toothed comb to separate tangled hair and let your hair dry naturally. Brushing also promotes blood flow to your head for hair growth. If possible, let your hair air-dry for five to 10 minutes and gently blot it with a towel to dry.
However, showering hot water every day could damage your hair and the skin, in the long run, causing dryness. Our body needs time to replace the lost natural oils, keratin, and the fatty lipid layer, all crucial for healthy hair growth. If you do not give your hair enough rest days from hot water.
Hot Showers Makes Scalp Dry and Itchy
The key to healthier hair and scalp, plus the vibrant color, is cooler waters temperature. Believe it or not, one of the most common causes of dry scalp is using too much shampoo in the shower.
Shampoos leave residues behind that can build up on your scalp, cause irritation, and eventually lead to dry scalp.
Moreso, cleansers, soap, and water can remove the skin’s natural oils that keep it supple and prevent dryness. When a person takes a hot water shower, the soap and water will strip away the skin’s oils. This can cause the skin to feel tight and itchy.
This epidermal lipid layer helps to keep the bacteria away from the scalp. The hot water would melt this fatty layer away, making the scalp drier. The resulting inflammation from boiling water can cause dry, itchy skin and not grow hair very well.
How it Affects
Washing your hair cleans your scalp and washes away oils in your hair, but it has no effect on your rate of hair growth or your hair growth patterns. But steamy showers lift hair’s cuticle, causing moisture loss, dehydration, and color fade. Although, this helps unclog your hair follicles. Hot water will clean your scalp, sure, but over time those hot showers can start to damage the skin on your scalp and impact your ability to grow hair.
So, lukewarm water is ideal for washing hair. Avoid washing your hair with boiling water. This can cause pain and skin redness as well as dry out your hair and scalp.
Although a hot water shower can feel soothing and relaxing, washing your hair with hot water can be very damaging, leaving you to deal with problems like hair fall, dandruff, and an irritated scalp. If your skin is turning red, you are most likely affecting the hair follicles on your head. However, since most people do not wash their hair with boiling water for obvious reasons (scalding head and body being an obvious consequence), there is not much cause for worry on this count.
Be careful not to shampoo your hair too frequently, as your hair may become dry and frizzy due to the natural oils being stripped away. You see, it can leave you with brittle, frizzy, and dry hair. Using less shampoo is one way to fix this common problem.
Brushing or combing wet hair should also be avoided because water weakens hair bonds, causing strands to snap and break more easily when brushed. Hot water makes your hair strands porous. This means that they are more open to the elements rather than being tightly sealed.
Learn More about Hair Loss
It can result from heredity, hormonal changes, medical conditions, or a normal part of aging. Anyone can lose hair on their head, but it’s more common in men. Baldness typically refers to excessive hair loss from your crown. From these causes, androgenetic alopecia is the most common of hair loss.
While excessive hot water showers and improper care can cause hair damage and loss, most permanent hair loss is hereditary. But hot water showers cause protein loss and thinning hair. While there may be more merit to combing hair, which is gentler than brushing, neither is hair-loss inducing. Some amount of hair loss while showering is normal since 10% of your hair at any given time is in its “resting phase,” meaning it’s ready to fall out naturally so new hair can replace it. The follicles produce new hair by pushing the old hair from the surface of your skin.
Since protein keeps our hair strong and healthy, losing them constantly will make hair thin and damaged. Also, as hair cuticles open more in response to hot water, they are more prone to getting chipped off while shampooing.
Hot water cause hair loss? Hot water won’t directly cause hair loss, but it can directly affect the health of your scalp. However, hot water could damage the scalp, causing dryness. It could be causing inflammation, which could cause hair miniaturization that leads to hair thinning and may cause hair loss. When the hair is washed with hot water every wash, hair fall and hair thinning will occur. Hot showers and frequent hair washing do not cause hair loss, but hair loss is the biggest concern of those who took hot showers.
Excessive hair shedding commonly occurs when the patient has had a recent episode of stress. This stress refers to the stress on the growth cycle of the hair follicles, which can be affected by various factors. But washing hair in boiling water may remove too much oil from your scalp, with the result that your body will then produce an excess of oil that can damage hair and lead to more shedding. When washing hair, it is best to use warm water and even cooler water when rinsing it, helping to keep it moist and prevent breakage.
Coldwater Benefits
Coldwater benefits for hair washing are many. Since cold showers can help invigorate the scalp, improve circulation, improve gloss and shine, and reduce inflammation, it’s only right to know its benefits.
1. Preserves Natural Oils
Washing your hair with cold water helps to retain natural oils and sebum in your hair. This keeps your scalp and hair hydrated. Sebum acts as a barrier layer that protects your scalp from environmental and oxidative damage.
2. Imparts Smooth And Shiny Texture
The cold water helps to seal the elevated cuticle layers in your hair and keeps the protein bonds of your hair intact. This heals the frizziness of your hair shaft and gives it a well-defined, soft, and smooth texture. Also, the sealed cuticles add a glossy look to your hair by locking in the moisture.
3. Helps To Maintain A Clean Scalp
Open scalp pores are more likely to accumulate dirt, toxic pollutants, sweat, oil, and grease in your hair follicles. Washing your scalp with cold water closes the pores and maintains your scalp’s hygiene.
4. Improves Scalp Blood Circulation
When you wash your hair with cold water, your blood capillaries open wider, and there is a free flow of blood to your head. Through this, your hair roots receive all the essential nutrients from the blood, resulting in healthy hair growth.
Coldwater (room temperature) can help invigorate the scalp and improve circulation. Increased circulation helps deliver oxygen, nutrients, and minerals to the scalp and hair follicle, helping them grow. In addition to the improved circulation, cold water will tighten up your hair cuticles, leaving your strands strong and shiny.
Conclusion
You can generally use water at 100°F or 38°C (slightly above the normal body temperature) to wash your hair. During summer, you can use water at a lower temperature. The cool water closes the pores and hair cuticle making it stronger, whereas the hot water would open up the pores.
Rinse with lukewarm or cold water to close the hair cuticle. Opt for warmth when deciding what temperature to wash your hair; warm water is the safest option. Warm water is your best bet as you will still be able to achieve the benefits that hot showers provide. Blow drying and the use of hair styling products will not cause hair loss.
To check the temperature of the water for your hair wash, place your elbow in the stream. If you do not have any unpleasant sensation due to the cold or hotness, it is the right temperature to wash your hair. It looks like room temperature water is the way to go.
