Could hot showers in winter be sabotaging hair health?
Hair loss itself is incredibly common. Most of us shed 50 to 100 hairs a day without thinking about it. By age 50, roughly half of men experience noticeable thinning or receding, and women aren't far behind.
New Delhi: Losing hair can be unsettling — a stray strand here and there is normal, but when you start noticing more hair in the drain or on your pillow, panic can creep in fast. While genetics, stress, illness and hormones are familiar culprits, one everyday habit might be quietly making the situation worse: steaming-hot showers.
According to UK plastic and reconstructive surgeon Dr Wajid Ali Anwar, blasting your scalp with scorching water might be contributing to breakage and shedding. "Very hot showers can irritate the scalp, strip essential oils and dry out hair fibres,” he explains. When hair and scalp are dehydrated, strands become brittle, and more fall out during brushing or washing. It isn’t classic baldness, he adds, but the shedding can mimic it — especially if you're already prone to thinning.
To be clear, there’s no solid scientific proof that scalding showers cause baldness. But dermatologists have long warned that inflammation and barrier damage on the scalp can shrink hair follicles over time. A 2023 study published in Polymers also found that frequent hot-water exposure weakens keratin — the protein that gives hair strength and structure. Weak keratin means fragile strands, and fragile strands break.
Hair loss itself is incredibly common. Most of us shed 50 to 100 hairs a day without thinking about it. By age 50, roughly half of men experience noticeable thinning or receding, and women aren’t far behind. While pattern hair loss tends to run in families, sudden shedding can also stem from iron deficiency, severe stress, rapid weight changes, thyroid problems or certain medications.
There’s also a temporary condition called telogen effluvium — essentially stress-triggered mass shedding. It usually strikes two to four months after the trigger, whether that’s illness, extreme dieting, hormone changes or intense anxiety. People often notice handfuls of hair in the shower and assume it’s permanent. Thankfully, it usually isn’t: once the underlying issue settles, hair typically regrows.
That said, if your scalp is already stressed, adding boiling-hot water into the mix doesn’t help. Dr Anwar suggests switching to warm — not hot — showers, ideally around 37–39°C. "It should feel soothing, never scalding,” he says. If you don’t have a thermometer, try the wrist test: if the water feels too hot on the inner wrist, it’s too hot for your head.
He also recommends keeping showers to five minutes in the evening. Washing at night removes sweat, pollution and product build-up before bed, which can reduce irritation around hair follicles as you sleep. Morning exerciser? Shower after your workout — just don’t crank the heat or scrub aggressively.
Ultimately, some hair loss is normal and ageing plays a role for everyone. But if you notice a sudden increase in shedding, consider stress, diet, health changes… and yes, maybe ease back on that lava-level water. Your scalp might thank you for choosing warm over volcanic.