Question

Everyone loves a hot shower, except maybe your skin and hair. As it turns out, hot water dries out skin and leaves hair dry and easily broken, Sejal Shah, MD (Doctor of Medicine) in New York City, told Women’s Health. And if you dye (染)your hair, the color is likely to fade faster once the water gets steamy. To make matters worse, by making your skin lose natural oils, hot showers—above 99 degrees Fahrenheit—may bring about health problems. You may not like it, but the showers temperature that offers the greatest hair and skincare benefits is, well, cold.

Cold showers “strengthen the contractile fibers around pores(毛孔), muscles, and hairs which improves the firmness of skin,” says Carl Thornfeldt, MD with over 30 years of skin research experience. Though many people believe hot showers open and clear pores, it’s actually wiser to close them. “Closing pores helps keep pollution from getting into the skin, at least temporarily,”

The benefits of cold showers are numerous, but surely we can’t be expected to stand under cold water shivering every day especially in winter--not to mention that too cold (below the body’s average temperature of 96.6 degrees Fahrenheit) is also bad. Fortunately, Dr. Thornfeldt recommends a happy medium. “The best solution is to take a warm, not too hot shower and then finish off with cold water for the last few seconds to still gain the rewards of the cold water,” he says.

That doesn’t sound too unbearable. Considering the fact that our beloved, steamy showers may cause so much damage to skin and hair, it’s best to switch to slightly warm temperatures to avoid losing natural oils and drying out, especially in winter when indoor heat is already sucking moisture(水分) out of skin. So, when the main part of an extremely comfortable warm shower is complete, finish off with a cool splash. Your hair and skin will thank you!

1.Why does your hair dislike a hot shower?

A. It leads to hair loss B. It make your hair fragile

C. It make your hair go grey D. It causes hair-related illness

2.How do cold showers benefit skin?

A. They brighten skin color B. They drive dirt out of skin

C. They make skin stronger D. They make pores nearly unseen

3.What does the underlined word “shivering” probably mean?

A. shaking with cold B. trembling with fear

C. recovering from pain D. fighting with courage

4.What kind of water is advised to use for showers?

A. Completely cold water

B. Water as warm as your body

C. Warm water and cold water by turns

D. Warm water mainly and cold water at the end

Answer 1