If there’s one thing most hairstylists agree on, it’s that a cold rinse at the end of the shower can do wonders for your hair. It is fabled to leave hair stronger, shinier, bouncier and healthier, and works by laying your hair cuticle flat. But still, a 15-minute cold shower isn’t the most comfortable way to boost your mane’s health. We spoke to celebrity hairstylist Florian Hurel, who tends to the tresses of Deepika Padukone and Anushka Sharma, about why you might want to brave it for the last few minutes.
It’s all about the oil balance
The one common factor that protects your skin and hair is sebum, a secretion of your sebaceous glands that makes your skin and hair look oily when in excess. This waxy substance, which is made up of different lipids, helps to moisturise your skin and hair, and even makes it waterproof. As expected, using hot water in the shower dissolves these fatty lipids, thus damaging your skin and hair. “Without a doubt, cold water is far better for your hair than hot. Indian women need specific haircare practices to manage their manes in the country’s hot and humid weather,” says Hurel. She also adds that using hot water overtly activates production of sebum, which makes hair oilier and can cause damage. But it’s the dissolving of sebum in hot water that causes the most harm. When you rinse your hair with hot water, you don’t just wash off the protective sebum, you also get rid of the nourishing oils from that conditioner you patiently massaged through.
How different water temperatures affect your hair
The cuticle of your hair is its outermost layer, and is made up of overlapping cells. When each piece lays flat, light reflects off your hair’s surface, making your strands look glossy. An increase in temperature separates the cells forming your cuticle, and when hair is rinsed with warm water, the cuticle layer does not seal well. “Washing your hair with cold water helps with closing your cuticle after the wash. This also has the added benefit of helping, along with your haircare products, to make your hair look strong and shiny, and who doesn’t want that?” says Hurel.
However, warm water (never hot!) is great for the shampooing phase, as it separates the cuticle, and the deep-cleansing shampoo can get to work on every part of the strand. Most hairstylists agree that using warm water during the cleansing phase, and then colder water for the conditioning phase is ideal. This cold rinse at the end also helps to lock in moisture, preventing frizz. Couple the cooler temperatures with moisturising masks, anti-frizz creams or serums and a hair texture and type specific shampoo to amplify the results.
“Hot water is never a good idea and doesn’t have any real benefit. Washing your hair no more than three to four times a week is best to keep it healthy. Any more than that, and you may wash away the vital natural hair oil that is needed to maintain a healthy mane,” Hurel sums up.
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