This might be a hard pill to swallow, particularly as we enter the depths of winter, but adding a 30 second cold shot to the end of your shower boasts amazing beauty benefits.
And it just so happens that the cooler months is when your skin and hair will reap the rewards the most.
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For those of us without central heating, we understand that a scalding hot shower might be the only 5-10 minutes a day where you can totally defrost.
But unlike super hot water which can irritate our skin, cold water will soften the flakey, dryness brought on by winter; leaving your skin looking tighter and smoother, as well as reducing puffiness and breakouts.
And if that’s not enough to get your hand on the cold nozzle, wait a minute, because we haven’t even gotten to the benefits for your hair yet.
Cold showers will flatten the hair follicles and in turn, increase their ability to grip onto the scalp.
This leads to shinier, stronger and healthier hair, and can be achieved simply by switching your shower to cold for the last 30 seconds before hopping out.
While 30 seconds in the middle of winter, under a freezing cold shower may feel like a lifetime, it’s about as long as it takes for all of the water to properly reach every part of your body. And before you say you’ll catch a cold, it’s actually also an effective way to boost your immunity and prevent illness as the result of boosted circulation. Perfect for flu season.
For those of us not game to jump into the ocean 12 months a year, this may be the next best thing. The rush of cold water is perfect for those who need help waking up in the morning, and cooling your core body temperature at night can actually help you fall asleep easier.
It’s also been proven to boost your mood, and even promote weight loss, as your body burns calories working harder to stabilise your core temperature.
Give it a try, you may even become addicted. Here’s how it’s done..
At the end of your shower, for 30 seconds, switch the water temperature to cold. Limb by limb (if easier) slowly centre yourself under the stream of cool water until you’ve saturated your hair, underarms and back. Try to distract yourself by focussing on your breathing and before you know it, the 30 seconds is up.
Main image credit: @olivecooke
Have you ever tried finishing your shower with a cold blast?
I always do this when I wash my hair. It gets quite chilly in the winter though.
Pass! I’m a big sook when it comes to cold, so you could’t pay me to do this! Nooooooo thank you!
Did it for fun, found it has no benefits, so not any more.
lol – not so fun?! ; )
ha ha I can turn the heat down a bit just before I get out of the shower (and I do) but I won’t be turning it on completely cold unless it’s 37 degrees outside!
I’ve heard about these benefits but just cannot bring myself to do it.
I used to do this when I was younger, can’t remember if I ever found any benefits from it though. Maybe I’ll give it another try.
I’ll take your word for it Yohanna!
No matter the benefits, I just can’t bring myself to do this!
I couldnt do a cold blast but I do always try not to have the shower water too hot as i know its very dehydrating for my skin and scalp.
My doctor said this can help with depression. I do it, feel a bit cold afterwards but it is very invigorating.
I noticed that the day I switched to cold showers, my hair felt better than before. There was less hair loss, and more shine!
Zero evidence that this is beneficial. Just one of those trendy beauty things someone starts because they see some cultures swim in ice cold waters etc (ok if you like in ice cold climate, so it is natural). As a kid, on a hot day I jumped into an ice cold lake….got nose bleed for hours, some said that it is better that blood vessels that have burst were in my big nose than brains…ya. This happened a few times. hehe
We need to brave the cold for this
I’ve tried this in the past, not sure it did anything for me. I prefer a hot shower
Is there any scientific evidence to prove this?
Naaah, unless someone can produce some scientific evidence for seems like another pointless trend, I ain’t doing it. Nope!
30 seconds? No thanks, 2 seconds is enough!
I heard of that before , not really keen to do it in the winter time.
I don’t think I could! Not even for 5 seconds!
I’ve done this before and I did it for a while but I could not continue.
I do this in summer already. In winter, I rinse my hair in cold water, avoiding my scalp. It does make my hair shinier.
I try to rinse my hair in cold water but it gets harder in winter. I’m not a sucker for punishment so the body misses out and I don’t worry if the hair misses its cold rinse as well.
I have tried this before, easy to do in summer but not in winter.
This is tough dang I love hot water and hot showers at night in the middle of cold winter months, little bit of a rough one
Noooo i cannot do cold showers
Definitely no in winter! A hot shower to warm up a cold body is bliss. Can’t imagine finishing off with a cold blast brrr
I really couldn’t do this in the cooler months.
I still can’t really bring myself to have cold showers but I do enjoy swimming in cold pools.
Not again. I tried this years ago but I hate cold water. I won’t even go swimming in cold water.
Not something I could do.
I have heard of this and sorry I wont be trying regardless of the benefits. I love my tropical steamy shower I can pretend I’m in Bali Xx
I remember a hairdresser telling me to do this about 15 years ago. I’ve done it ever since but it’s not a nice feeling in winter lol
I rinse my hair in cold water but I bend my head down away from the body so water doesn’t get on my body at all.
Another way to rinse your hair in cold water is washing your hair at the laundry room sink. Great way to avoid getting cold water on the body.
Cold water on head = no biggie
Cold water on body = freeze, hence avoid at all cost lol
In winter when its like 4 degrees or under? I could try
Err no, not cold water. Bad idea for asthmatics too.
Yow. But I’ll give it a try.
I tried it tonight at around 75% cold!!! I mean it is winter.
Brr I dont have central heating so this is freezing for me. I can do it easily to my hair, but all over my body and I feel so cold for ages after.
I do know about this nifty little trick and I do use it on my hair to close the hair follicle, however doing this on my skin in winter? I don’t think I can brave that.
This is not for me. I have an aversion to the cold!
Just don’t waste too much water! We are still in a drought.
I don’t think i can distract myself when having cold shower this winter days.
I do this every morning, but not for 30 seconds. Maybe half that long.
Cold showers aren’t great if you’re stressed or have a stressed Nervous System… It will have no benefit at all and can actually be detrimental to your health…
I do this twice a week but not for that long
I did try it, and didn’t notice any results, but try not to have the water too hot, especially my head area, it can’t cope with too much heat
I tried this in summer and didn’t really notice much of a change in my hair. Definitely did not continue as the cold weather rolled in.
I’ve done this on my hair before & tbh I didn’t really notice any benefits for me personally. I’ve sort of done it on my body, but only in the warmer months. Too cold at this time of year!
would try in hot weather…too cold now !!