Who washes their hair in the shower? *raises hand* I have done it all the time in the past.
Not much can beat the relaxing feeling of a steamy hot shower. It feels great on our bodies and a long hot shower is sometimes all you need to relax. It is also really convenient to wash your hair while you are in there.
At the start of my healthy hair journey I then asked myself, could doing this be a cause of poor hair health?
Hot water is great for rinsing away oil and dirt. It essentially opens the hair cuticles for cleansing of the strands. It also eliminates old sebum oil from the scalp.
However, it can cause frizz and drier hair because of moisture escaping the hair shaft. This especially applies to and is problematic for high porosity hair. Furthermore, hot water eliminating all the sebum oil from the scalp can lead to dry itchy skin. Sebum oil is the natural oil our scalp secretes that gives our hair shine and strength.
I have learned that when your hair is rinsed under cold water it smoothes the hair cuticles thus allowing it to reflect light and increasing shine. Also since the cuticles are shut, it allows it to seal in moisture and prevents breakage.
While washing your hair in hot water may feel good, doing your complete wash and rinse under hot water is a cause of lost oils* and it leaves the hair cuticles open resulting in drier, frizzier hair. Also if you are doing a final rinse out of your conditioner while under hot water, you are inevitably washing away all the important properties that you were attempting to reapply.
Ultimately in the shower you are going to tend to want to wash under hot water. I mean who would seriously want to take a cold shower?!
Taking all of this in consideration, I stopped washing my hair in the shower. I now just wash in my kitchen sink so I can ensure temperature control.
Just to clarify, I’m not washing my hair under ice cold water! I typically will wash under slightly warm water to rid the dirt but after conditioning, when doing my final rinsing, I’m doing it under cool to cold water to ensure that I am closing those hair cuticles and sealing in as much moisture as possible.
I’ve noticed a great difference and appearance in my hair since adopting this method and will continue doing for the rest of my healthy hair journey. How about you; have you noticed that your hair doesn’t perform at its best when you wash it in the shower?
Soraya Miller says
Totally agree.
Aicesha Dennis Monteiro says
I always rinse with cool to cold water in the shower lol
Kandie Lew says
Me too! It’s simple just shower then adjust temperature to rinse!!
Adrienne Huff says
Me too. It feels so good and relaxing on my skin.
Erika Joiner says
I rinse with cool water in the shower too. Uh hum (Licensed stylist)
Raynisha Renee Jackson says
OK! lol! I always tell my clients: shampoo, condition with warm water, rinse with cool
Ashley Whitehead says
Can’t you take a hot shower then adjust the temp to be more cooler to wash the hair?
Angela Elliott says
When we were little my aunt would wash our hair in the kitchen sink. For the final rinse, she would say get ready for your surprise, which would be cold water. Good skills are timeless.
Tiffany Anderson says
I started washing my hair in the shower when I began my HHJ because it is less manipulation and easier to detangle since the hair is in the same direction that u comb. Worked wonders for me and still does
Meka Slm says
Washing in the sink is so uncomfortable. I have been washing in the shower for the last three years and never has a problem.
Kristen Greer says
I haven’t washed my hair in the shower in years. I may let it get wet, but the shampoo/conditioning process is done in the sink.
k.h. says
I actually just wash it in the shower and when I’m ready to rinse I stand towards the back of the shower, lean forward so just my hair gets wet, and turn on the cold water. ?that’s just what works for me. To get my scalp clean I need to wash it in 6 sections and you can’t do that in the sink without everything getting rinsed out lol. But if I had a twa I would probably wash in the sink too
Jamila Kelly says
Seems like another way to waste time. Exactly why I couldn’t go natural, just don’t have the time or energy (which I learned a good 9 months in)
sweettea says
Your routine is only as complicated as you make it
Jennifer Michel Sims says
It’s not washing in the shower that’s actually bad. It’s the washing your hair with the same water temperature that you wash your body with. Hot water dries the hair and scalp and leaves the hair prone to frizziness and unable to retain beneficial properties. But you could literally just make the water cool after you shower to wash your hair and avoid that problem. It’s really a simple fix so no, an entire article wasn’t necessary.
Tiela Lewis says
Never have, don’t intend to.
Esther Williams Jordan says
I don’t take hot showers. I like my water warn…not near hot. Not only is hot water bad for your hair it is for your skin Soap is to cleanse not the water temperature.
Rita Dos Santos says
I wash in the shower when I’m pressed for time.
Cindie Sally says
This article wasn’t necessary, some things should just be left alone..
Stacey NM says
My hair is low porosity, so I figured that the warmer water was required for the purposes of opening the cuticles for hydration. I will then apply my deep conditioner, and then rinse with cool water afterwards. Am I missing something?
Natasha says
Great that the importance of final rinsing in cold water has been mentioned, however washing hair should not be done in the KITCHEN SINK! What happened to the Bathroom Sink… Yuck!
Alycia Moore says
I always wash my hair in the shower, because when i wash my hair in the sink it gets tangled.
Tamysha Hill says
Lol…Hater…. but I knew that so I put conditioner on put a cap get out the shower let sit for a while the rinse in the sink. #boom
Marlena Tyrell says
Kitchen sink is usually larger and sometimes has a sprayer hose. You can clean which ever sink you use before and after the shampoo.
Ladylanita says
Well. you’re not suppose to shower with hot water anyway. It can dry out your skin. Start using warm water. You can rinse your hair with the same temperature and then close cuticles with a cold rinse if you think it’s necessary. Simple!
ladee neenah says
I’ve found washing in the shower works best for me. When my hair was shorter the sink worked well but now that its a little longer, trying to wash in sections in the sink doesn’t work anymore. And I get better elongation with the shower water running down my hair instead of the tangles from being upside down in the sink. And I rinse with cool water still, I just don’t put my whole body in the stream.