Have you ever paid attention to the order in which you take a bath? More precisely, do you wash your hair or body first?
A few days ago, "wash your hair or body first when you take a bath" appeared on Weibo hot search, and netizens were surprised that "there is actually an order for taking a bath", and they found that everyone's bathing order is really different.
Some people think that if they wash their body first and then their hair, the shampoo will stain the body when it is washed over the body; Some people always wash their bodies first, because "the body is very comfortable after washing, and you can wash your hair slowly".
At the same time, the voice of "washing hair first will increase the burden on the heart and blood vessels, and induce cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases" has also appeared.
Is it so dangerous to take a bath in the wrong order? Isn't it true that taking a bath "from scratch"?
More people wash their hair first?
In the order of bathing, there has always been a big difference between people.
Under the hot search entry of "wash your hair or body first when you take a bath" on Weibo, some media launched a vote. The results showed that about 67% of netizens used to wash their hair first, while 23% chose to wash their bodies first.
Source: Weibo @pear video
Dr. Ding Xiang also conducted relevant statistics in 2022, among the nearly 40,000 voting netizens, 43.45% chose to wash their hair first, 21.25% chose to take a bath first, and 33.19% were more Buddhist, and they could choose.
There are also ...... that don't wash|Source: @丁香医生
Overall, slightly more people choose to wash their hair first. In fact, it is true that there are quite a few well-known characters and literary characters who like to wash their hair first.
Michael Rosen, a British children's literature writer and British children's literature writer who is popular all over the Internet, described his bathing process after being discharged from the hospital after recovering from his illness in the storybook "All Kinds of Love": "I take a bath, wash my hair first, I like hot water to hug me." ”
“nice”表情包|图源：《Hot Food》视频截图
Also used to washing his hair first is the Korean drama "White Moonlight" Song Joong Ki. At the 2016 Seoul fan meeting, some fans boldly asked him about the bathing order, and he bluntly replied "wash from scratch".
Even in the play, you wash your hair first|Source: Screenshot of the video of "Vincenzo".
A similar order is described in many literary works. Mao Dun Literature Award winner Yao Xueyin's "Li Zicheng" describes the protagonist Red Lady as "washing her hair first, then taking a bath, and her whole body is suddenly refreshing and happy". In the famous writer Lao She's autobiographical work "Under the Red Flag", the rule that Grandma Bai followed when washing "me" for three times is also "wash your hair first and be a prince; After washing the waist, one generation is higher than the other."
Of course, most of the reasons why modern people choose to wash their hair first are conditioners and baths.
In order to get the best out of the various active ingredients, the conditioner usually needs to be left on the ends of the hair for a few minutes, which is perfect for bathing – if you choose to wash your hair last, you can only stand and wait for those minutes.
However, northern children who like to scrub their baths may choose to wash their hair after washing. There is no other reason, the shampoo foam slips on the body, and it is not good to "rub the mud". The recent hit TV series "My Altay" shows the bathing culture in the north very well, and it can be seen that when everyone rubs each other in the bathhouse, their hair is relatively dry.
Source: "My Altay"
In the famous Tangquan Palace bath in "The Legend of Zhen Huan", Zhen Huan also chose to take a bath first. However, she should not be in the shower, most likely to keep her hairstyle.
Source: Screenshot of "The Legend of Zhen Huan".
In addition to the "head-body dispute", the debate over whether to wash your hair or face first is also in full swing.
He Jiong is a faithful executor of "washing your face first and then washing your hair". On the stage of "Happy Camp", he and Lin Youjia had a dispute over whether to wash their faces and then their hair when taking a bath. Mr. He believes that "the dirt on the face will get into the pores when washing the hair, and finally washing the face is not good for the skin". Lin Youjia believes that if you wash your face first, the foam produced by washing your hair will remain on your face, which will also damage your skin.
Source: Screenshot of "Happy Camp".
In the variety show "Please Refrigerator" ten years later, He Jiong ushered in his "opponent" Wang Jiaer in the field of "washing your face first or washing your hair first", this time the two directly took out the posture of playing a debate match, of course, no one was completely convinced in the end.
Source: Screenshot of "Please Refrigerator".
In the 2021 Korean variety show "I Live Alone", Key (Kim Ki-beom), a member of the boy group SHINee, was shocked by a group of fans after showing his order of "washing his face first and then washing his hair" - "What about the residual shampoo foam on my face?"
Source: Screenshot of "I Live Alone".
Is there a correct order to take a bath
In fact, more than a decade ago, the debate about the bathing order arose.
On November 21, 2013, a report in Nikkan Hyundai magazine claimed that "about 14,000 people die in Japan due to improper bathing", and at the end of the paragraph, it was recommended to wash the body with warm water first to help oneself adapt to the temperature change and reduce the burden on the blood vessels and heart. Since then, the idea that "you should wash your body first and then your hair when you take a bath" has gradually emerged.
However, the article also mentions that "about ninety percent of the dead were elderly people over the age of 65", and their deaths were not just due to the order of bathing. The claim that "washing your hair first will induce disease" is somewhat exaggerated.
But if you are a high-risk group - the elderly, chronically ill or autoimmune weakened, then you should still pay a little attention to the fact that in the winter when the room temperature is much lower than the bath water temperature, the drastic change in the temperature of the surrounding environment of the body will cause large fluctuations in blood pressure in a short period of time, which may indeed trigger acute cerebrovascular diseases such as stroke. For ordinary people without underlying medical conditions, the impact on health is minimal whether to wash their hair or body first.
Of course, there is a scientific basis for putting your hair wash last.
Research by Rodney D. Sinclair, a scholar at the Victorian Skin and Cancer Foundation, has shown that the core of the hair, the main body of the hair, is mainly made up of keratin, and the hydrogen bonds between the keratins maintain the shape of the hair like a "chain"; The outermost layer of the hair is a thin cuticle that protects the hair.
Composition of hair|Source: References[3]
In the process of washing the body, the high temperature and humidity environment in the bathroom will make the scalp and hair fully moisturized in water vapor, and the hair cuticle will also open, at this time, washing the hair will be more conducive to cleanliness and scalp health.
However, people with skin problems such as acne and acne should choose this order carefully. Stephanie, Ph.D. in Life and Health Sciences at the University of Saclay in France, believes that the last shampoo may cause the active ingredients in the shampoo to remain on the body, which are not thoroughly cleansed, which can cause potential damage to the skin and even aggravate skin problems.
In this way, washing your hair or body first will vary from person to person.
Regarding washing your face, Dr. Stephanie also recommends leaving it after shampooing, as residue from shampoos and conditioners can also flow to your face with water. However, if you are used to washing your face first, you don't have to worry too much, you can wash your face with water after washing your hair to avoid shampoo remaining on your face.
As for the statement that "it is good to wash your face first, the pores of your face will open when it is hot, and if you don't wash your face first, makeup, dust and other dirty things will sneak into the pores and cause the skin to deteriorate", it can only be said that it greatly underestimates our pores. The pores are also called hair follicle orifice, and although they are tubular structures, they have a stable microbial environment inside, which is regulated by nerve and hormone levels, and even in an environment with high temperature and humidity, they do not physically open, so it is inaccurate to say that dirt sneaks into the pores.
Pore structure|Source: References[5]
Overall, there are slight differences between different bathing sequences, and you can choose according to your own situation.
These areas should be cleaned with pride
In fact, the question of where to focus on washing may be more worthy of our attention than where to wash first in the bath.
Yael Adler, a well-known German expert in dermatology and venereology, phlebiology and nutrition, proposed in his book "The Secret of the Skin" that it is not necessary to scrub the whole body with cleaning products "equally" when taking a bath, and the feet, armpits, groin and hip folds should be the focus of the bath.
One of the reasons why these areas need to be cleaned is that they may be concentrated in places where sweat glands are concentrated, such as the soles of the feet and armpits.
Studies have shown that there are about 3 million sweat glands on the human skin, among which the soles of the feet (700 per square centimeter) and the armpits (150 per square centimeter) are one of the areas with the most sweat glands, and the daily sweating rate of these two parts is also extremely high. In addition, the feet are in "close contact" with the shoes for a long time, and the position of the armpits is also very hidden, which can easily become a "paradise" for bacteria and viruses to breed.
Human sweat rate at room temperature 30°C and humidity of 40%|Source: References[10]
Secondly, there are many skin folds in the armpits, buttocks, groin and under the breast, and these folds are warm, moist, dark and oxygen-devoid, which is a paradise for countless skin pathogens to inhabit and thrive. This is especially true for people who are overweight, as they have more friction and deeper skin folds, and a larger amount of sweating makes skin irritation and infections more likely to come to the door, and they should be taken care of when bathing.
In addition to the concentrated distribution of sweat glands and folds, the hairline and ears are also the objects that need to be paid attention to.
Ear pinna can be neglected during the face washing process, leaving dirt behind, and if products such as facial cleansers in the hairline area are not cleaned properly, residual foam particles may clog pores, and skin diseases such as acne and acne can arise unconsciously.
Looking at it this way, the "little thing" of taking a bath is not simple. But in general, as long as you make sure that you are clean in place, you can wash your hair or body first. If you raise the bath threshold too high, it will not be good if it becomes 2.11% who choose "not to wash".
Resources
[1] Scientific Rumor Refutation Platform (ID: Science_Facts): Will taking a bath in winter and washing your hair before triggering sudden death?
[2] Liu Yin. (2014). Don't take a bath "heavy" and "lethal" is unreliable. Science & Technology Daily.
[3] Liu Chen. (2017). Fun Science. Beijing United Publishing Company.
[4] Department of Dermatology, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital: The best bathing order! Do you wash your face or hair first when you take a shower?
[5] Xu Feng. (2018). Top Priorities: A Guide to Self-Help for Youth with Hair Loss. China Textile Press.
[6] Yael Adler. (2019). Skin's Secrets. Oriental Press
[7] Popular Science China: Stop! These parts of the body are too clean, but they are harming themselves! What should be cleaned is neglected
[8] Sinclair, Rodney D.(2008). Healthy hair:what is it?. Journal of Investigative Dermatology Symposium Proceedings, 12(2):2-5.
[9] Marsh J, Gray J, & osti A. (2015). Root-to-Tip hair health. Healthy Hair. Springer, Cham,29-44.
[10] Arlegui L, Smallcombe J W, Fournet D, et al. Body mapping of sweating patterns of pre-pubertal children during intermittent exercise in a warm environment [J]. Eur J Appl Physiol, 2021, 121(12): 3561-3576.
Author: Min Min Du Yuxin
Editor: Yanni Chen
Duty Editor: Min Min
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