Standing under a hot shower can feel like the world’s most incredible indulgence, especially on a frigid winter day. But it also begs the age-old question: Is hot water bad for your hair? Stylists have stressed over the years that it’s important to at least finish a hair wash with a burst of cold water. Choosing the right water temperature is imperative when it comes to hair washing since it plays a major role in overall hair and scalp health, not to mention making strands shine.
We know this may be confusing, but sometimes hot water is better for your hair and scalp, and sometimes cold water is the way to go. Before you step underneath the spray, though, it’s best to understand exactly what the hot and cold water are doing. Ahead, we break down how to determine the effective water temperature for your tresses, how to best protect your locks, and which products to use along the way.
How Water Temperature Can Affect Your Hair and Scalp
The hotter you go, the harder it can be on your hair—but wait, is hot water bad for your hair, or not? The short answer is, it’s not always a bad thing. Washing with hot water opens the pores, which helps products penetrate more effectively. It also helps remove oil, dirt, and buildup from the hair, so you can lather up even more. However, while hot water can allow products to penetrate the scalp more easily, it may also strip natural oils from the hair, which in turn can lead to the hair and scalp drying out. If your scalp is drier, that can also affect hair growth, increase itchiness, and make hair look frizzier.
Conversely, washing with cold water helps close the pores on the scalp. If you can stand it, washing with cold water can increase your hair’s natural moisture levels, which helps it look healthier, shinier, and more hydrated.
Basically, the hotter the water, the drier your hair and scalp are going to become over time. Retaining natural moisture levels in the hair and making it look smooth and shiny is helped along by rinsing with cooler water. We know that may be difficult when it’s cold outside, but in the long run, we’d say shiny tresses are a small price to pay for turning down the temps.
The Benefits and Drawbacks of Washing Hair with Hot Water
Choosing your water temperature is a bit trickier than it may seem initially. We do want to stress that, even if you’ve been wondering, “Is hot water bad for your hair,” it does have some significant benefits on wash day. Turning up the heat can help open up the pores on your scalp. Once this happens, the hot water can effectively remove dirt, oil, and product buildup. As a result, your shampoo and conditioner can work their way more deeply into your scalp and hair. If you love the feeling of squeaky clean strands, this is a great way to get started.
Unfortunately, there are some cons associated with hot water in the shower, too. If you’re asking yourself, “What does hot water do to your hair,” the answer is, a lot. The hotter the water, the more it can strip natural oils from the hair and scalp. If you want to avoid dryness and itchiness, those oils should stay right where they are. Lathering up with scalding water can also cause your hair to become weaker over time, which could lead to premature graying or hair loss. That scorching water is also a culprit for frizz, dryness, brittle hair, and split ends.
To minimize damage, we recommend keeping the water lukewarm so you can still reap the benefits without damaging your strands or sapping their strength. If you’d rather get the best of both worlds, you can also switch from hot water to cold during your wash. Finally, you can reduce the amount of days per week that you wash your hair. Try washing your hair every two to three days max, so you give your scalp and tresses a little time to breathe between watering them down. And, once you’ve washed and are ready for your blowout, be sure to minimize damage even further by controlling the temperature of your hot tools.
The Benefits and Drawbacks of Washing Hair with Cold Water
If you are wondering about the disadvantages of washing hair with cold water instead, here are a few tips and tricks. There are more pros than cons. While hot water dissolves the natural oils in the hair and scalp, cold water doesn’t. Since those natural oils help limit dryness and irritation, your hair will look and feel much healthier. Cold water also closes your scalp’s pores, which helps the hair and scalp retain moisture and increase shine. You may also notice a decrease in flakiness or dandruff, since the added moisture on the scalp alleviates that irritation.
Another benefit of those increased moisture levels is that some of your products work more effectively. Using a post-conditioning rinse or a conditioner is extremely beneficial when you wash with cold water, since they can sink into the strands more easily and leave your hair looking and feeling super hydrated.
While cold water has many benefits for the hair and scalp, there are a couple of disadvantages of washing hair with cold water, too. Hot water does an excellent job of cleansing the scalp and hair thoroughly since it removes product buildup and grime. Conversely, cold water just doesn’t do the job as well. Because of the moisture your hair and scalp will retain from washing with cooler H2O, you may notice lankier or greasier strands.
Obviously, cold water is, well, cold. As much as it can help your hair, it just may not feel wonderful standing underneath it, especially in sub-zero temps. Take it slow—start by just rinsing with cold water for about 15 seconds, and work up to longer amounts of time.
What’s the Best Water Temperature for Healthy Hair?
So, is cold or hot water better for your hair? Here’s the thing. Sometimes, hot water is best for your hair, and occasionally cold water works better. Hot water is best for removing grime, buildup, and residue from your strands, but it can cause dryness, irritation, and frizz. On the other strand (see what we did there), cold water magnifies moisture levels and increases shine, but it may not remove every stitch of product buildup. To get the optimal results for a healthy scalp and nourished tresses, try incorporating a combination of warm and cool water into your wash day routine.
Your hair type comes into play, too. Choosing hot water or cold water isn’t a one-size-fits-all type of policy—you can actually tailor the water temperature so it works best for your specific strands. For example, people with dry hair, curly hair, and color-treated hair will benefit more from washing with cold water, since it will help retain moisture and keep hair from frizzing or breaking. Meanwhile, those with oily scalps and oily hair should wash more often with hot water, so it can dry out the scalp and remove the excess oils that lead to dandruff, itchiness, and irritation.
Whether you choose to wash your hair with hot water or cold, you can also incorporate moisturizing hair masks and treatments into your haircare routine. If you have curly hair, try the Mizani True Textures Moroccan Clay Steam Mask, a deep conditioning hair mask that restores moisture to dry wavy, curly, and coily hair. People with dry hair can try the Biolage Professional Hydra Source Treatment Pack Hair Mask for Dry Hair, which infuses extremely dry hair with moisture and nourishment and helps prevent breakage.
Next Up: Why Your Hair Is So Dry and How to Hydrate It
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Header image credit: @pureology
