Hello! My name is Stephanie and I like to do random ~life challenges~ that make me super uncomfy.
For example, I'm not a morning person, but I recently decided to try every single hack I could find to help me become one. Why not, right??
Maybe I'm a glutton for punishment, but I have been reading a lot about the possible benefits of cold showers and now I'm invested — even though I live for boiling hot shower sessions.
This is literally me every time I shower.
If you don't already know, some benefits that Cold Shower Takers™ swear by are a potential mental boost, positive effects on skin and hair, and reduced muscle soreness after intense workouts. And of course, a cold shower will instantly wake you up!
Read more on cold showers here, here, and here. Though it's important to note that experts warn people with heart disease (or risk of heart disease) *not* to take them.
So for an entire week, I decided that I was going to take a cold shower every morning and see if I experience any of these benefits. Here's how it went!
DAY ONE: I'm deeply regretting this already. Cold water...is cold. 😬
I didn't make the water too cold for the first day, but I will say I felt much more awake after this shower than I usually do. Also, I will say shaving your legs in cold water is NOT fun. My goosebumps were prominent, making my stubble ready to attack. This made it kind of painful to shave. I will NOT be doing that again this week.
DAY TWO: I'm more awake but also annoyed.
After my sad shower, I definitely felt more alert and even in a better mood than I usually do in the morning before my coffee. (Just kidding, I drink decaf, but I wanted to seem basic.) Hair still looks a bit frizzy. I have also been making my showers WAY shorter. No more sitting and contemplating my life for 20 minutes, which has made me way more productive.
DAY THREE: My hair is looking FA-BU-LOUS.
I have a perm and my curls have been looking so amazing ever since I started washing my hair with cold water instead of hot.
Just LOOK at these curls!
My hair has had a significantly lower amount of frizz and my curls are looking tighter and more intact than when I use hot water. I even think they look shinier!
DAY FOUR: It's getting a lot easier...but I still hate it.
The things I do for literally no reason. I'm able to get into the shower much faster now that I'm prepared for the cold water, but that definitely doesn't mean I like it. I have also noticed I'm able to withstand the cold water more than I did at the beginning of the week. Just three more days to go...
DAY FIVE: Feeling like a new person!
Suddenly it became a lot easier to take cold showers. I know it's coming and I have a system down. My hair is looking amazing, my skin actually feels tight and refreshed, and I am more alert than usual every morning now.
So alert!
DAY SIX: Missing hot showers, but still going strong.
If there is any word I would use to describe myself, it's driven. I will prevail! Still feeling great, but definitely missing those boiling hot showers I would take.
DAY SEVEN: ♫ It's the Final Countdown! ♫
This shower was the most exciting one for me because I knew it was the last one of the challenge.
Just doing my happy dance now that it's over.
(I mean...that I feel so good.)
THE VERDICT: Honestly, cold showers have had a lot of amazing benefits for me!
My skin looks clearer, my hair is shinier, my overall mood has improved, and I'm just feeling pretty great! I'll probably still take hot showers but do a quick cold rinse at the end going forward! I just love my hot showers.