THIS Is The Shower Temperature You Should Be Using

After a stressful day, it feels like there’s nothing more indulgent than a long, hot shower. But how hot is too hot?

The ideal shower temp for your skin doesn’t stray above lukewarm, says Sejal Shah, M.D., a dermatologist in New York City. As soon as your shower starts scalding, you risk harming your skin’s health. There’s no absolute rule for how hot a shower should be, but most doctors advise keeping water below 110 degrees. If it feels at all uncomfortable or it your skin is turning red, it’s probably too hot.

RELATED: How to Treat Yourself to an Out-of-This-World Bath

“Hot water strips the skin of its natural oils leading to dry, itchy skin and eventually eczema,” says Shah, who also warns that even super-long showers at lower temps can dry out your skin. “Similarly, hot water can strip the hair of its natural oils, causing it to be drier, and if you color your hair, it can cause the color to fade faster.”

View full post on GIPHY

via GIPHY

Besides the obvious topical effects of heat, very hot water can cause issues beneath the skin. Since it increases circulation, this can cause inflammatory cells to further exacerbate any dry or itchy skin that you’re already battling, says Shah.

RELATED: How to Spot (and Treat) Eczema

Extreme heat also causes a drop in blood pressure, which can lead to lightheadedness. Fainting in the shower? Talk about dangerous. But as for that myth you may have heard that taking hot showers can lead to cancer (due to chlorine in water supposedly being absorbed through the skin)? There's absolutely no truth to this idea whatsoever, says Shah. 

Hot water can help open up your pores, though, so if you want to take advantage of that, Shah advises keeping the hot water localized to to just your face. Instead, you can brew yourself a facial steam to save the rest of your bod from the too-hot temps.

Macaela Mackenzie

Macaela MacKenzie is a journalist who writes about women and power. She covers women’s equality through the lenses of sports, wellness, and the gender gap across industries and is the author of MONEY, POWER, RESPECT: How Women in Sports Are Shaping the Future of Feminism. Mac was most recently a Senior Editor at Glamour where she directed all health and wellness coverage. Her work has appeared in Elle, Glamour, SELF, Bustle, Marie Claire, Allure, Women's Health, and Forbes among other publications.