How often should you take a bath in winter? It turns out that there are some rules for taking a bath!

The strongest cold wave is coming

Snow has started falling in many parts of the country.

Such a cold day

How often do you take a shower?

Still the same as summer

Do you take a shower every day?

In fact, with the improvement of living standards, our health awareness has also improved. Paying attention to hygiene is the basis for protecting physical health. Many people like to take a bath every day, thinking that this can remove body dirt and relieve physical and mental fatigue. However, some experts believe that taking a bath too frequently or taking a bath for a long time is also bad for the body. Let's take a look!

Image source: Pixabay

**Why do you need to take a shower? ** Dirt particles in the environment accumulate on people's exposed skin every day, and large areas of skin covered by clothes will not always be self-cleaning. The hair follicles of the human body will secrete oil. If these substances accumulate too much, it will cause skin aging.

The keratinocytes in our skin have a lifespan of only 28 days. After they are born, they will gradually move upwards. When they reach the top layer, their lifespan is over. They will then turn into a "wall" - the stratum corneum, silently protecting the skin.

Sebaceous glands also transport oil to the outside. They cover the stratum corneum and mix with the water in sweat to form a sebum membrane, which helps lock the water in the body. However, the stratum corneum and sebum membrane are also mixed with various dirt and metabolic wastes. If they accumulate too much, they will become a paradise for microorganisms. Many people will have many small red bumps on their chests and backs if they don't take a bath in winter. This may be due to the excessive reproduction of Malassezia.

How often should you take a bath in winter? When winter comes, people living in cold areas need courage to take a bath. For people in the south who don’t have heating, taking a bath is even more difficult. However, many people still insist on taking a bath every day, but at the same time, a new problem arises: taking a bath every day makes the skin more prone to dryness and itching.

The surface of human skin is covered with a layer of sebum, which can moisturize the skin and prevent it from drying out and cracking.

The temperature is lower in winter and the skin is naturally drier. If you take a bath frequently, it will damage the sebum layer on the surface of the skin, making the skin dry and even itchy and cracked.

So the question is, not taking a bath for a long time will affect skin health, and frequent bathing will also affect skin health. So how often should you take a bath in winter?

It depends on the situation. Different age groups and different skin types have different durations. Young people with oily skin can take a bath once a day. Older people can take a bath once a week because their skin is very dry and they will get senile pruritus if they wash too frequently.

If you are exposed to a lot of dust or sweat a lot every day, you can take a shower every day, but don't scrub your body every day. If you don't exercise much and don't have any odor on your body, taking a shower every 2-3 days will not have any effect on your body.

What is the correct order for taking a bath? What should you do first? Wash your hair? Wash your face? None of them are correct.

Of course - take off your clothes first.

After taking off clothes, most people start washing their bodies, but sorry, this is really wrong.

Step 1: Wash your face

After entering the bathroom, the hot water will produce hot steam after a while.

The pores of the human body also follow the principle of thermal expansion and contraction. They will open quickly when exposed to heat. If you don't wash your face first, the makeup accumulated on your face during the day, the dust from the road, and the oil secreted by the skin itself will sneak in when the pores are open.

Over time, the pores will be clogged, and blackheads and acne will increase. Therefore, washing your face first can prevent too many foreign objects from entering the pores of your face.

Image source: Pixabay

Step 2: Wash your body

There is also an order for cleaning the body. You should start with the limbs away from the heart, and then clean the torso after the body adapts.

Remember not to over-cleanse by rubbing your skin repeatedly with a towel. You are washing the skin, not the iron sheet. Otherwise, it is easy to damage the skin, causing the keratinized layer to fall off, and the skin will become drier.

Last step: Wash your hair

Why wash your hair last?

First, it can prevent alternating hot and cold stimulation from causing poor blood circulation in the head, thus reducing the possibility of inducing cerebrovascular diseases;

Secondly, after a period of hot water washing, the scalp and hair are fully moisturized in the steam, which is more conducive to cleaning and scalp health.

When washing your hair, wet your hair thoroughly, rub the shampoo into foam, and then apply it to your hair.

When applying conditioner, gently massage from the roots of the hair to 1-2 cm away from the roots. Do not apply it to the scalp, otherwise it will easily cause chemical residues, clog the hair follicles, and cause hair loss.

Be aware of these misunderstandings about bathing

Myth 1: The higher the bath water temperature, the better

In cold weather, many people like to take a bath with very hot water, and even think that the hotter the water, the better it can increase body temperature. However, taking a bath with water that is too hot can make your skin miserable. It can damage the oil on the surface of the skin, cause capillaries to dilate, and increase the degree of dryness of the skin. At the same time, too high a temperature can also increase the burden on the heart, because the blood vessels in the skin of the whole body will obviously dilate, causing a large amount of blood to flow to the skin of the whole body, which can cause ischemia and hypoxia in the heart.

Recommendation: When bathing, the water temperature should be close to body temperature

Myth 2: Use bath gel with strong cleaning ability

In winter, the skin is dry and fragile. If you use a bath gel with strong cleaning ability, it will further damage the skin's protective layer and aggravate skin problems. When taking a bath in autumn and winter, we should choose mild bath products to avoid irritation to the skin.

Suggestion: You must choose a bath liquid with low alkalinity, preferably neutral. After bathing, it is best to apply a layer of skin care products that can moisturize and hydrate the skin.

Myth 3: Keep doors and windows closed when taking a shower

Many people like to close doors and windows when taking a bath in winter, for fear that the cold air outside will sneak in. However, if you use a gas water heater to take a bath, this behavior can easily lead to carbon monoxide poisoning.

Suggestion: Do not close the doors and windows when taking a bath, and be sure to check if the bath lasts for more than half an hour. Otherwise, if the poisoning lasts for more than half an hour, it will be life-threatening.

Source: Chongqing Tianji Network Co., Ltd.

This article is compiled from: Dingxiang Doctor, Health Times, Chongqing Science and Technology Museum, 39 Health Network

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