If you wash your hair with water that's too hot, you could damage your scalp. If it's too cold, you might not wash it properly. Find out what temperature allows you to get a good clean and keep your scalp healthy.
First, think about what water does for you:
- Helps to lather and spread shampoo on your scalp
- Dissolves dirt and oil
- Rinses shampoo, dirt, dust, and flakes from your hair and scalp
Warm enough to clean well... Lukewarm water starts to disperse the hair oils that are in a semi-solid, waxy state. These oils turn liquid at body temperature but begin to solidify on cooler hair surfaces.
Warm water makes it easier for shampoo to remove oil, dirt, and dust that accumulate and soil the scalp.
But not TOO hot... Don't get carried away and let the water get too hot. Very hot water can irritate and even damage the scalp.
With excessive exposure, a weakened scalp can become vulnerable to further damage from irritating factors, such as styling products and dandruff-causing microbes.
So how hot is "warm enough"? You need a temperature that's high enough to clean dirt, but not so hot that it causes irritation.
Just above body temperature would be fine, around 100°F.
It's the perfect balance to keep hair clean and healthy and the scalp free from irritation.
More information about hair washing
