Shower Water Temperature and the Effect of Hot Water on the Skin's Oil Layer

The habit of taking long showers with hot water to relieve fatigue or in cold weather can be detrimental to skin health.

The surface of the skin contains natural moisturizing factors and an oil layer (lipids) that protect the body from external stimuli and maintain moisture, but hot water excessively dissolves and removes this oil film.

Skin that has lost its protective barrier rapidly loses moisture, causing severe itching or tightness immediately after showering, which soon leads to skin dryness or aging.

Therefore, it is best to finish showering within 10 to 15 minutes using lukewarm water similar to body temperature, and you should apply plenty of moisturizer before all the oil is washed away to artificially replenish the protective barrier.