Monday, May 26, 2014

Four reasons why you should adjust your shower colder

Now that the temperature is starting to creep up here in NY, it’s good to remind ourselves to turn the shower a little colder each day.   Turn your shower to its normal temperature setting and then adjust so it’s slightly colder than you would like.  For those of you with young children, do the same for their bathwater. 



Adjusting the shower/bath water temperature colder:

1.     Acclimates your body to colder water so that you will be all set for summer swimming in lakes, rivers, pools and the ocean.  A scientist I knew who worked on a boat in Alaska once told me that everyone on the boat jumped into the freezing water each day to make sure that if they ever fell overboard, their bodies would be acclimated to the cold water. 

2.     Saves energy.  Not only do you save energy by not heating up the water, but you also save energy by not having to cool down your house or apartment after heating up the hot water and having the hot water travel through your pipes.

3.     Saves water.  At least for me, the colder the shower, the quicker the shower, and the less water used.

4.     Is good for your hair and skin.  Folk wisdom has it that cold water is better for your hair and skin than warm water.  (Although, this might just be due to quicker showers (#3), rather than anything intrinsic about the water temperature.)

Of course, you could also try not showering for a while and growing your microbiome instead, as was described in this interesting NYT article:  My No-Soap, No-Shampoo, Bacteria-Rich Hygiene Experiment



4 comments:

  1. We often take a "European" shower, turn on the water and get wet, turn it off and soap up, turn it on to rinse. Hello from the Healthy Happy Green & Natural blog hop.

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    1. Yes, that's a great way to save water, energy and money. Another way is the good old sponge bath - just wet a washcloth and wash where needed.

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  2. Hi Lisa,
    What an enlightening article! Thank you for sharing these reasons for adjusting the shower temperature colder with us at the Healthy, Happy, Green and Natural Party Blog Hop!

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    1. There are so many things we can do that help the planet and at the same time help ourselves! Thanks so much for featuring my post on the Healthy, Happy, Green and Natural Party Blog Hop!

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