Why Men and Women Shower So Differently (And Yes, Science Says We’re Right)

If you’ve ever argued with a man about the thermostat, the duvet, or why he insists the house is “perfectly warm” when you can see your own breath… buckle up. The shower is yet another battleground in the never-ending Hot vs. Not war.

Women love a scorching hot shower.
Men prefer “lukewarm at best.”
(Or as women call it: glacial.)

So, why the temperature drama? Turns out, it’s not just us being “extra” — there’s actual science behind it.

🔥 Why Women Want to Shower in Lava

Women generally have less muscle mass and more body fat than men, which means we run slightly colder — especially in our hands and feet. Add in a lower metabolic rate (so we produce less heat), and suddenly a steaming shower feels less like self-care and more like survival.

One study even found that men are happiest when a room is about 72°F, while women want it closer to 77°F. This explains every office sweater you’ve ever owned.

Plus, women actually have a higher core body temperature than men, which makes cold air feel even colder. Translation: this is why we want molten lava pouring over us like we’re auditioning for a steamy shampoo commercial.

RELATED: Hygiene Experts Say That We're Probably Showering Wrong

🚿 The Bad News: Scalding Showers Aren’t Great for Us

Before you turn your shower into a human Crock-Pot, dermatologists do have notes:

Too-hot water can:

• Strip your skin of natural oils
• Causes dryness, flaking, and irritation
• Trigger rosacea, eczema, and winter skin chaos
• Damage hair and scalp (yes, even with the expensive conditioner)

Experts suggest keeping water 38°C or lower (lol, okay) and moisturizing right after your shower while your skin is still damp.

🧴 So How Do Men and Women Shower?

How Men Shower:

• Soap
• Shampoo
• Think about nothing
• Rinse
• Done in 3 minutes
  (And somehow leave the shower cleaner than when they entered?)

How Women Shower:

• Use that salon-level, ultra-glossing, heat-damage-shield shampoo that costs more than your first car
• Rinse
• Squeeze water from hair like you’re prepping it for canning
• Apply colour-saving, hydrating, keratin-infused conditioner
• Put on a shower cap so it can “marinate”
• Wash face with a gentle cleanser
• Follow up with anti-aging cleanser, because… 30+
• Exfoliate heels
• Shave armpits, legs, bikini line, and yes — the big toe (don’t lie)
• Rinse
• Remove the shower cap
• Rinse hair
• Realize water is cooling… turn the heat up to geyser mode
• Use body scrub and a loofah on a stick because you’re chasing that “spa day at home” marketing promise
• Rinse
• Detach the shower nozzle to clean the shower like an unpaid hotel employee
• Get out, exhausted… like you just did a triathlon

Somehow, the man you live with will still ask:
“Why were you in there so long?”

Because, Brad… this wasn’t a shower. It was a full-body reset.