Is Cold Water or Hot Water Better for Your Skin?

If you’re skin care obsessed like us, you may already have your skin care routine down pat. Of course, you may still have some questions that need answering, like if there’s a major difference between cream and lotion or when you should start using retinol. Even something as simple as washing your face can bring up some questions, including whether you should wash your face with cold or hot water.

When cleansing your face, the water temperature you use does make a difference, and there are certain advantages and disadvantages of washing your face with cold water or hot water. Keep reading to learn about how water temperature can affect your complexion, plus learn about the best facial cleansers you can incorporate into your skin care routine.

Should You Wash Your Face With Hot Water?

While a steaming hot shower or face washing session can feel quite relaxing in the moment, it’s not the best option for your skin. Piping hot water can cause a heightened level of skin sensitivity and dry out your skin, stripping it of necessary natural oils.

No matter what your skin type is, you should avoid cleansing with hot water, but it’s especially important for dry and oily skin types to monitor the temperature of the water they use. If you have dry skin, hot water will dry it out even more, but even oily skin should stay away. Oily skin could respond to having its natural oils stripped by creating even more oil — leaving you looking excessively shiny, or worse, causing clogged pores that lead to an unwanted breakout.

Should You Wash Your Face With Cold Water?

Cold water is a better choice than hot water for your skin, and there are actually multiple benefits to switching to cooler temperature water.

1. Reduce Puffiness

Cold water can help constrict the blood vessels under the skin, which can reduce facial puffiness.

2. Minimize Redness

If you’ve just exfoliated or used active ingredients, using cold water to wash your face can also minimize redness or any potential irritation.

3. Soothe Skin 

Cold water can also be soothing for certain skin conditions, such as rosacea or acne.

That being said, there is one disadvantage when washing your face with cold water. Cleansing with water that’s too cold will not effectively clean the skin, as oils and makeup won’t dissolve in cold water.

Which Water Temperature Is Best for Washing Your Face? 

Turn up (or down) the temperature so that it’s somewhere in between hot and cold — lukewarm is ideal. Recommended by the American Academy of Dermatology, moderately warm water creates the best face washing experience and overall skin health. Lukewarm water can help ensure that your facial cleanser gets the right amount of foaming action, removes enough dirt from the surface of your skin and balances your natural skin oils appropriately. 

Source: L'Oréal