Should I Rinse my Hair in Cold Water?
Hi there! Maybe you’ve heard that you should rinse your hair in cold water after washing it. Google it, and oh wow - so many articles, and so many opinions. Let me throw my two cents in.
Many sites say that a cold water rinse is a must, and it may improve circulation, strength, shine, and even hair growth. I’ve also read that it supposedly keeps your scalp cleaner longer by closing the hair follicles. “Rinsing with cold water will 'close' the pores on your scalp, which helps prevent dirt, grease and oil getting in.” said one article. “Plus, it can reduce hair shedding."
Right away I feel like if you have to put the word “close” in quotes, something is weird. Does cold water close pores, or “close” pores? And why would “closed” pores keep your hair cleaner?
In my years of making and testing shampoo, here’s what I’ve come up with.
The best ways to keep your hair soft, shiny and cleaner longer are:
Wash with a shampoo that doesn’t contain ingredients like sls or other sulfates that dry out your scalp. If you over cleanse, your body will send extra oil to your head to try to get it back into balance. This causes your hair to look oily and limp soon after washing.
Use a pH balanced shampoo and conditioner. The pH should be lower than 6 to match that of your head, which is around 5.5. If the pH of your haircare products is too high, hair frizzes out due to heightened static electricity on the surface of the hair. A slightly acidic conditioner will shine to the hair as the cuticle is flattened and, therefore, able to reflect more light, appearing shiny and healthy.
Shampoo and rinse with warm water. Warm water softens both the hair and the shampoo bar, and helps the shampoo bar to lather and rinse away dirt and oil. Plus it feels nice and relaxing!
Warm water helps soften the conditioner bar as well, and makes it easier for all the lovely ingredients to penetrate the hair and deliver all the benefits that the oils and extracts contain.
Now after you’ve shampooed and conditioned, you can decide if you want a cold water rinse. If it’s morning, it may wake you up. Cold water might improve circulation. We all know it reduces inflammation, so it might feel nice if your head feels itchy.
However, cold water is no miracle way to get soft, shiny hair. What products you use to wash and condition have the most influence on that.
