Washing your face with warm water will both clean the excess oil, dirt, bacteria and protect the skin's natural oils. Lukewarm water also closes the pores in a similar style to cold water.
"Water temperature is like the Goldilocks rule: not too hot, not too cold," Massick says. "Choose a temperature that is right in the middle—a lukewarm temperature that won't strip the natural oils by being too hot or contracting from being too cold."
On the other hand, if you have oily skin, constricting the pores with cold water may help to control excess oil so that your complexion doesn't get quite so shiny so quickly.
Conversely, dryness caused by scalding hot water can cause oily skin to over-correct by producing even more oil, which can lead to acne, clogged pores and the like.
If you want to make a splash with your skin care routine, try washing your face in cold water. There are many benefits to this, such as tightened pores, acne prevention, and a face that looks more awake. For most skin care needs, though, you should look to using lukewarm water.
Hot water dissolves accumulated oil easily than cold water and, therefore, it is the most recommended. This makes it easy to remove all the excess oils on the skin. After washing your face with hot water, sprinkle cold water on it to tighten the skin. This technique should be applied on a regular basis.
Reduces Sebum Production
Washing your face with cold water may help treat excessively oily or acne-prone skin by combating the over-production of sebum.
Cold showers don't wash away sebum
The temperature of a cold shower is too low to wash away the layer of sebum on your skin and hair. It will remove dirt, sweat and dead skin particles, but not the invisible layer of protection you ideally want to keep.
The key is to strike a balance between having too much oil and maintaining your skin's natural moisture. To help control oily skin, dermatologists recommend the following tips: DO wash your face every morning, evening, and after exercise. While washing, resist the temptation to scrub your skin, even to remove makeup.
Open pores: Warm water can help in reducing open pores in acne prone skin. However, the same treatment might not be so helpful in case of open pores caused by sagging of skin because of skin ageing, Dr Smriti asserts.
While a cold compress can minimize inflammation and make pimples less noticeable or painful, it will not remove the contents inside a pimple.
"Hot water increases skin's microcirculation and activates our sebaceous glands, resulting in open pores and excess sebum production," she explains. And we all know what excess sebum production can lead to... spots.
While a steaming hot shower or face washing session can feel quite relaxing in the moment, it's not the best option for your skin. Piping hot water can cause a heightened level of skin sensitivity and dry out your skin, stripping it of necessary natural oils.
Cold water tightens your pores and reduces the overproduction of sebum and excretion of acne-causing bacteria. In contrast, hot water opens them and does the complete opposite, leaving your skin more prone to irritation.
While you don't necessarily grow out of oily skin, your skin will indeed produce less sebum as you age. Aging skin loses protein, such as collagen, and the sebaceous glands slow down. This is why many people who have aging skin also have dry skin.
Everybody's skin produces oil. Your sebaceous glands produce sebum, an oily or waxy substance that moisturizes and protects your skin and hair. Oily skin happens when your glands produce too much sebum, which can lead to a greasy surface, clogged pores, and acne. Oily skin is perfectly normal.
1. The water's too hot or too cold. To get the right temperature for clear skin, you have to play Goldilocks. "Cold water tightens the skin's pores, which doesn't allow the natural secretion of sebum and acne-causing bacteria," says Neil Sadick, MD, of Sadick Dermatology.
Our pores can get clogged and enlarged throughout the day. The more water you drink, the better balance of oil and water on the surface of your skin. This can help reduce your pore size, decrease acne breakouts, and reduce blemishes.
Can Cold Water Close Your Pores? Just as warm water cannot increase the size of your pores, cold water won't decrease their size.
Some skin conditions may require you to shower more or less often than the average person. For instance, someone with very oily skin, body acne, or hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating) may want to shower every day (or sometimes even twice a day) to keep their skin clean or avoid body odor.
The first thing we really wanted to know was, 'Can washing your face too much cause oily skin? ' The bad news is that yes, washing your face too much can actually make the surface oilier.
Besides shininess, you might notice that you feel greasy only an hour or two after showering or washing your face. You've also probably noticed that you're prone to breaking out because this sebum gets trapped, along with bacteria and dead skin cells, which clog your pores.