Washing Kinky-Curly hair: is hot or cold water better?

Because kinky and curly natural hair behaves very differently depending on what it's exposed to and in contact with, understanding how it responds to hot water vs. cold water can help you to manage your natural hair better. This article will help you to decide when to use hot vs. cold water on your hair.

Warm Water is great because:

• It loosens dirt and oil so it can be washed out easily
  
• It opens up pores and the hair cuticle to improve product take up
  

Unfortunately it also makes hair look more frizzy!

Therefore, it's great for the beginning of the washing process.

Don't use hot water on your hair though! Hot water:

• Can damage the hair cuticle; this is because heat causes the cuticle to lift dramatically and it might eventually peel or crack off the surface of the hair
  
• Will leave your hair feeling dry

Cold water is great because:

• It closes up both the scalp's pores and the hair's cuticle layer
  
• By flattening the cuticle it increases the hair's shine and reduces frizz
  

Therefore, it's important to finish your hair wash off with cold water - I also do this for my face. Rinsing your face off with cold water helps to reduce acne (obviously in addition to drinking lots of water and trying to eat well) this is similar to sealing off the hair cuticle with cold water. 

In summary, cold water pores and cuticles to shrivel up warm water makes them open up.

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