Hot and Cold Facts
We’ve covered shower order, so now it’s time to cover shower temperature. Another tip that helps me keep my back and neck pores from clogging up is by monitoring the temperature of my water as I shower. It is important to realize that when you shower with hot water, the heat is causing all of your pores to open up and sweat out any bacteria or dirt that might have been collecting in them.
When you shower with cold water your pores close up to trap in body heat and keep you warm. But your pores aren’t biologically concerned about whether or not they’re also trapping in any bacteria in keeping you warm – they just shloop! and close right up without a care in the world, which is why it’s so important (if you do have problems with body acne) to monitor your water temperature.
There are plenty of other great reasons to pay closer attention to temperature, let’s go step by step. As I enter the shower I make sure to wash and rinse my hair before beginning to wash my body. It’s important to wash with low temperature water because hot water has a tendency to dissolve natural oils on your scalp, which are essential for protecting your hair.
After rinsing your hair, turn the water up a few degrees to what you consider comfortably hot. Now it’s time to wash your body. This should be the one of the most, if not the most, relaxing parts of your day. If you have long hair, pin or tie it up so that you can have direct contact between the streaming water and your back and shoulders. As you wash your body, allow the hot beads to massage you and loosen the tension in your neck, shoulders, arms, legs – really any part of your body that needs attention. You can do stretches while letting the water wash away not only the soap, but tension aswell.
After fully pampering your muscles, end with noticeably colder water – doesn’t have to actually be cold to get the job done, just cold enough to close your pores up again. Then when you get out to lotion /oil up you can set your mind at ease that nothing is clogging any of your pores.
(Photo credit: NJ Jess, -liyen- , and rachel (wildflower))
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