Cold shower Month! Who's with me?

I've been noticing more acne on my shoulders, but not sure how much it has increased since cold showering. I've noticed more around my temples, but that could be related to a no-shampoo experiment I am trying.

http://thehairpin.com/2011/04/how-to-quit-shampoo-without-becoming-disgusting

 

Hey omega,

I've done the no-poo. As a matter of fact, its been a few months that I haven't used anything with SLS. I frankly didn't have a problem with SLS but just did it for the sake of being healthy.

The problem I'm having with just cold water showers is the acne on my face. I think it is necessary to be under hot water to open up your pores so you can clean the skin properly. I think with cold water only, you only clean up the superficial surface of the skin. Combine that with closed pores and the natural oil produced by your skin doesn't have the chance to come out to the surface which eventually leads to clogged pores which can be a breeding ground for bacteria. Of course this is all theory. But the more I think about it, the more it makes sense.

See, I have done exclusively cold showers for about 70 days (basically ever since I quit smoking). With the pores staying closed for the most part over the little over 2 months, it makes sense that for the last one month I've been breaking out on my face. It probably takes a month for shit to be clogged up completely (with the skin turnover rate). Basically shit that was the bottom layer 2 months ago when I first started cold showers is now the top layer and bacteria have capitalized on it? I don't know if what I'm saying makes sense.

My experiment now is going to be start of cold to give me the feeling of being a king, an ultimate masculine bad-ass creature and then turn it to hot to soap up. What I'm debating is if I can just get out after the hot water and basically follow my routine that I had before I started taking cold showers (and was acne free 99.999% of the time). Or if I should turn it back to cold after the hot water.

 

Good to know on the no shampoo. Perhaps you can try just washing your face with hot water after a shower? That way you can isolate the area that gets the hot water.

I'm assuming that would be enough to open the pores, but maybe you need the "sauna effect" that a hot shower would create?

 

Yeah I'm thinking the same thing. It could also be that I switched to a bar soap instead of body wash. I'll try cold then hot to see if it works. I'll also try cold hot cold to see if it works. otherwise I'm gonna have to stop cold showers :'(

 

I'm doing the cold showers for two weeks and I have already adjusted to it.
I don't even get the initial shock like in the beginning.

I wonder if there are still positive for your reboot when you're used to them.

 

sounds about right. it almost 2 weeks also to get adjusted where I didn't even feel the shock. right now I'm like a drug junkie with cold water and want even colder water, but I'm already at the coldest setting

Ok so I tried cold and then hot and my skin feels a lot better acne wise. May be tomorrow I'll try cold hot cold to see if I feel 'squeaky clean' again. after I got out of the shower I put on lotion and it got absorbed pretty quick.

I'm tempted to try cold hot cold but it comes with a risk of it not working and me having acne again. May be I should just do cold hot showers till my face clears up and if I feel a little adventurous I might go for it. right now I'm just sad that I won't be doing 100% cold showers. man I felt so good doing them :'(

 

I think I might give this a shot! Great post man

 

Yeah I am noticing more acne today. Never would have thought it was the cold shower, the acne showed up long after I started them, but close to when I went to no shampoo after backing soda washing.

 

I think we pretty much started cold showers at the same time. I did cold then hot shower yesterday and felt kinda blah the whole day. I'm so sad because I think I'm gonna have to quit cold shower altogether :'(

 

I've got about a 32 day streak right now. Had about 45 days prior, with a 2-week break (got sick, fell off the wagon for a bit after). I'll keep posting as I see changes, please do the same.

 

I took a hot steamy shower today. I'm going back to the routine that I had before. I'm definitely going to do hot showers exclusively until my face clears up completely.

After that I am thinking about doing cold showers my first shower of the day, but take a hot steam shower before going to bed.

I only got 2 more days to go on this forum. After that I'm only going to log on to the forum on the last day of the month.

 

Have been doing the cold showers for a couple of months now. I really love it. It makes me happy every time. Don't think it has had any large physiological effects, but it feels good so I'll keep doing it!

 

Hot showers just feel horrible/weird now.

 

I walked into my newsagent about 13 years ago with a cold and he told me that I should take cold showers in the morning and I won't get a cold again. I haven't looked back since.

I was in my mid-20's when I started. I'm now 37. These are the benefits as far as I can tell...

1. I think i've had about 3 colds in 13 years. Before I was having about 3 or 4 a year. On the rare occasions I do get them now they are very mild and gone quickly.

2. Everyone tells me I look MUCH younger than I am. I'm certainly not saying that as a boast, but just as a fact. This could have nothing to do with the cold showers but I have a feeling they help.

3. It wakes you up, invigorates you and just generally makes you feel much better.

4. You get a sense of achievement out of doing it as it's not easy, esp. at the height of winter.

ps my technique is have a normal shower and then turn it as cold as possible for the last 30 seconds.

I've told many people about this down the years but they all look at me as if I'm mad and none of them as far as I know has followed my advice!

 

I have been showering by cold water since it was beginning of summer. I want to do it all year, but in winter, the pipes are very cold so as water is. Using hot water when outside is hot is very strange. It´s fresh to have a cold showers. I use it even after workout, all my body and muscles relax and the tension gets off.
Very helpful, but it is only the one part of complete change your self-development.

 

Cold showers have taught me to relax. If I tensed up and fought against the cold it would be hard. If I relax and zone out it is not so hard.

As said, I need colder showers. Just going to go have a cold bath now ;D

 

Regarding cold showers and acne, I was out of town for a week so had some changes in diet and habits to compare. I did my best on cold showers but was camping and some days there was no shower. I did notice my diet was free of certain things that week too, like Greek yogurt and grass-fed butter in my Bulletproof Coffee variation (I add turmeric and cinnamon too).

Some research seemed to correspond with the acne I was experiencing: face, upper back/shoulders, and occasional giant ones on lower back. These all seemed related to dairy. I am dropping the dairy for 2 weeks to see what happens. I noticed a reducing in the facial acne when I got home, and a huge explosion last night after getting back into my routine.

I did however have 2 warm showers after camping, so my correlations may be mixed. But the dairy will be my first test as I had been doing cold showers for some time prior to this acne issue. Something I changed during my camping trip was the culprit. Now it's just a matter of narrowing it down.

 

Thats interesting. Im a cheese addict and i thought i would die eating it but the list of negatives when it comes to dairy just keeps adding on. Post back your results if you remember.

On the topic, i cant believe all you guys saying you dont like hot showers anymore. Or that you enjoy the cold water. I still hate the cold ones and i´ve done them more or less every day for several months. Hate the shower, but love the after effects.

 

Will do on the results. Although last night I was thinking that maybe even washing the face with hot water might determine of indeed the earlier post about the cold water not opening the pores is valid.

And I am with you, the cold showers are invigorating but I've no problem with a hot shower

 

So I am only 3 days into eliminating yogurt and grass-fed butter in my diet, but I am already noticing a reduction in the acne on my shoulders/back. Too early to tell, but seems like that might have been the case. Need a few more days to determine. Facial acne (big, red zits)hasn't gotten worse, but it hasn't gone away either.

I noticed these small bumps near my temples at the hairline a while back, they seem to be lessening as well.

Of course I've been maintaining cold showers the entire time so we can narrow this down.