I used to have chronic Psoriasis.  It was so bad that I couldn't touch anything as it was too painful.  Layers of skin would split open and eventually drop off by themselves.  Where my skin should have been were layers of puss and blood.  I took so many months off work waiting for it to heal, trying all sorts of treatments including steroid creams, moisturisers, and coconut oil.  The things which I found helped me the most are:

1. Short cold showers
2. Eating hi-water foods and staying hydrated
3. Not coming into contact with soaps, detergents, shampoos, creams, oils, lotions and potions.

Hey Freedom. Does that mean you have hit the 40's? Awesome stuff. Well, well done.

I started off with a luke warm shower this morning and eventually got to cool. I quite liked that. I'm still not ready for freezing though!

Rosal, it's interesting what you found about feeling a lack of energy due to shock after a cold shower. Maybe that's why so many people there were sleeping better at night? Brrrr.

xoxoxox

Awww Sacha. It sounds like you are suffering a little after that wave hit you in the errrrr, nether regions and now sunburn. Poor you! Sounds like you are all happy and light though. Go have a shower!

xoxoxo

Ouch Sasha! I feel for you.The one thing that worked for my sun-scorched skin is cocao butter, lashings and lashings of the stuff will soon sort out this irritation(It really works:).

i love warm & hot showers.  soothing at the end of the day (well except for hot days.  tonight i had an icy cold one, it was 38 today). 

but.... we don't have a regular hot water service (by choice)  so all running water here is COLD.  We can turn on our water heater and get a hot shower in about 15 minutes, but I frequently forget and am in a hurry, so it's usually cold.  if i ever want warm/hot water i usually use a kettle. mostly it is for a hot water bottle (which i LOVE)

in india (himalayan parts) i would always be given a bucket of water for washing, and if i asked could sometimes get a small jug of hot water to go with it:)  it made me rethink my need for 24hr piped hot water. if you don't cook meat/oils you rarely need warm water for dishwashing.

late autumn/winter is another matter though, the water in our pipes is sometimes frozen solid till midday, and when it thaws it is really really cold!  then i do panic when i forget to turn the hot water on   super quick shower!

i think hot water is more of an issue if you have mains water in your shower, as chlorine etc are more easily absorbed into the body in steam form, so i've been told.  another reason to install a rainwater tank, if you don't already have one

hi freedom.  chillblains are so not fun.  i had them during winter in my last pregnancy, the baby had all my blood & my poor toes & fingers froze!  I found that too much fat in my diet was the main problem (and in the cold i want to eat more fat).  It made my circulation sluggish, and though it was a challenge, removing the excess fat removed the problem.
what really has helped me cope with cold the most over winter is going to Darwin  

another interesting thought - i read an article once about a study done on Russian longevity.  The longest lived people  A) swum every day of the year (in Russia) and  were  beekeepers. (bee stings are great immune system stimulants)

violet