Did you know hot showers are really TERRIBLE for your skin?

After a stressful day there's nothing better than coming home to a nice, hot shower. 

But how hot is too hot?

The ideal shower temperarure for your skin doesn't move much above lukewarm, apparently. 

As soon as your shower starts scalding, it's bad business as you're at risk of harming your skin's health.

Women's Health spoke to Sejal Shah, M.D., a dermatologist from New York City, and she advises that even though there is no rule for how hot a should should be, you should keep the water below 43*C. 

“Hot water strips the skin of its natural oils leading to dry, itchy skin and eventually eczema."

“Similarly, hot water can strip the hair of its natural oils, causing it to be drier, and if you colour your hair, it can cause the colour to fade faster.”

And besides the obvious topical effects of heat, very hot water can also cause issues beneath the skin. Since it increases circulation, it can cause any inflammatory cells to further aggravate any dry or itchy skin you might be already battling. 

We'll stick to lukewarm then?