Shampooing - Final Rinse Cold Water? - Page 3

Grade1Teach · ‎03-09-2010

I personally don't do it, but I have heard that it's good to rinse your hair with cold water. When I go to my hair salon, they always ask me if I would like a "cool rinse" at the end. I personally decline (I like warm water!), but I'm sure it would make a difference if I agreed.

Shelbelle · ‎03-09-2010

Yes, Adrienne Arpel always recommends doing this, supposed to shock the cuticle of the hair into standing up, and adding body.

JuLee · ‎09-27-2012

But what if you rinse your hair in cold water, and then blow dry with hot air? Wouldn't the heat of the dryer open up the cuticle again??

Just thinking.... ${#emotions_dlg.confused1}$

Me And My Shadow · ‎03-09-2010

On 1/5/2014 GmaJewele said:
But what if you rinse your hair in cold water, and then blow dry with hot air? Wouldn't the heat of the dryer open up the cuticle again??

Just thinking.... ${#emotions_dlg.confused1}$

Hmmmm....good question....The first thing that came to mind is that the hair has already been "treated" with the cold water rinse...which protects it somewhat from the heat of the blow dryer?

I would also like to know how many give their hair two washings....that was always recommended also.

suzyQ3 · ‎03-09-2010

On 1/5/2014 Gimmea Break said:
I don't know how true it is, but I read that rinsing in cold water cannot close the hair shaft because hair is notalive and cannot respond to temperature. That's why cutting it doesn't hurt. It's dead. I do know that humidity can affect hair. Anyway, the follicle is alive, but hair itself is not.

Right. Our hair contains no living cells. The most that can happen from a cold rinse might be a slight contraction of the cuticle (think Seinfeld's shrinkage episode), but that would last only a second or two.

And yes, hair stylists continue to repeat this myth.

~Who in the world am I? Ah, that's the great puzzle~ Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

NYC Susan · ‎03-13-2010

On 1/5/2014 suzyQ3 said:
On 1/5/2014 Gimmea Break said:
I don't know how true it is, but I read that rinsing in cold water cannot close the hair shaft because hair is notalive and cannot respond to temperature. That's why cutting it doesn't hurt. It's dead. I do know that humidity can affect hair. Anyway, the follicle is alive, but hair itself is not.

Right. Our hair contains no living cells. The most that can happen from a cold rinse might be a slight contraction of the cuticle (think Seinfeld's shrinkage episode), but that would last only a second or two.

And yes, hair stylists continue to repeat this myth.

Yes, there is certainly disagreement. But - for me - rinsing with cold water absolutely makes a big difference. No one will convince me otherwise when I know what I see with my own eyes. My usually out-of-control hair is very tamed and straightens much easier when I do a final rinse with cold water. And it's much more work to get it the way I want when I don't. For me, that's all I need to know, and I'm certainly not going to stop doing it just because some people think it's a myth.

I have all the proof I need that rinsing with cold water does make a difference (and it lasts much longer than a second or two). And really, what could be easier! Kiss

kcladyz · ‎04-30-2012

I always shower in warm water. cold water is no fun. I just use a very gentle shampoo

NYC Susan · ‎03-13-2010

On 1/5/2014 Me And My Shadow said:
On 1/5/2014 GmaJewele said:
But what if you rinse your hair in cold water, and then blow dry with hot air? Wouldn't the heat of the dryer open up the cuticle again??

Just thinking.... ${#emotions_dlg.confused1}$

Hmmmm....good question....The first thing that came to mind is that the hair has already been "treated" with the cold water rinse...which protects it somewhat from the heat of the blow dryer?

I would also like to know how many give their hair two washings....that was always recommended also.

When I was younger, I always did two. But then I found out that washing oily hair (which I had) too often could make it more oily. So I cut back to one wash, and have done that ever since even though my hair is really not oily anymore.

I wonder if the two wash thing was because companies wanted to sell more shampoo!

Interesting question! I hadn't thought about that whole "lather, rinse, repeat" thing in a long time! Kiss

NYC Susan · ‎03-13-2010

On 1/5/2014 kcladyz said:
I always shower in warm water. cold water is no fun. I just use a very gentle shampoo

I agree - Cold water is no fun. I shower in hot, hot, hot water, as hot as I can get it. But I always do the final rinse of my hair - just quickly at the end - in cold water. (I use a handheld shower thing, which I think makes it less traumatic!) Kiss

Perkup · ‎03-09-2010

On 1/1/2014 pommom said:
Does anyone final rinse with cold water? My hair stylist told me years ago that if I rinse my hair with the coldest water I can tolerate, it will close the hair shaft, keep it from frizzing and leave it shiny. It works. I do this even in winter. Plus, I also learned that if you shower and rinse off with cold water right before you're done, it will close your pores and actually retain body heat (good in winter). Summer calls for tepid water.

Anyone else?

I've always been told the same thing - more by parents than hair dressers. But the way it was explained to me was that a hot rinse removes a lot of the natural oils from the hair that might otherwise stay in. A cool rinse leaves some of the natural oils on the hair and keeps it from drying out. I've always done it, and I've never had dry hair or scalp, so I guess it works for me. For that reason alone, I don't think it's a myth.