Cleansing your skin with hot water, be it in the shower or at the sink, can dry it out. Hot water has the ability to strip the natural, protective oils and lipids from your skin, which. is why derms recommend washing with lukewarm water. 

However, a cold rinse can actually help relieve dry and irritated skin. “It can reduce irritation, itching, or redness, helping to calm atopic conditions,” noted board-certified dermatologist Ava Shamban, M.D., founder of SKINFIVE, as a cold temperature can help reduce inflammation. Just make sure the temperature remains chilled, not freezing, as you don’t want to completely shock the skin.