23. Keep things lukewarm.
Here’s the cold, hard truth: Rinsing your face with icy water won’t tighten your pores. Using hot water, though it may feel good, can dehydrate your skin. Lukewarm is best, and if you have redness, try cool but not cold water, to help constrict blood vessels. In most cases, the best water temperature is warm. Coldwater doesn’t effectively remove the daily grime, hot water may irritate and dry out your skin. Warm water helps loosen the dirt but preserves your skin’s natural hydrating oils. Hot showers can dry out and irritate your skin.
Hot water causes damage to the keratin cells which are located on our most outer layer of the skin, the epidermis. Higher temperatures make it easier for the skin to dry out and worsen conditions like eczema. Hot showers can cause you to itch. The heat can cause mast cells (which contain histamine) to release their contents in the skin and cause itching. They can increase your blood pressure, too. If you have problems with high blood pressure or cardiovascular disease, taking a shower that’s too hot can make these conditions worse.
