Cold water is TERRIBLY unpleasant coming out of the shower head. I couldn't agree more. That's the whole reason behind the post. After a typhoon on Guam, it was three to four months before we had electricity (and therefore hot water). While the temperature there made the several months with no hot water bearable, we really don't have that luxury this far north.

I'm thinking with your situation, the answer would be to find the right temperature and then pull the nozzle out for shower head flow. You would need to then just push the lever in and out and turn the shower head off only, skipping the step of waiting until the temp is correct. You do have the separation of waiting for temp separately from shower head flow, right? If not, I can problem solve again for you.

I'm really glad you commented. Some may think these steps are a non issue. When you are uncomfortable getting clean and have too much else on your plate (refugee camp volunteering, working in Africa, post typhoon recovery in Micronesia . . . I've been there for the most part) to problem solve what others think are the basics, you really need all the help you can get. I don't know how many times since I've figured this out that I would have been so thrilled to have someone give me some tips while I was still in the bush or war zone.

By the way, it can work in reverse also. In many countries in the Gulf, the water is stored in tanks on the roof. Even putting the nozzle completely on cold can burn you so severely as to cause several degrees worth of burning if no one tells you ahead of time about the roof top storage system. Trust me, I was almost scarred for life and it was very painful. This after a day when a bomb evacuation (not a drill) has been initiated at your work place is not very much fun. If you work overseas in an extreme desert environment and your water tank is stored on the roof or anywhere without shade, wait until early morning when at least the water temp has had a chance to cool down. Even then, with the nozzle turned completely to cold, things can be uncomfortably hot as well.

Let me know if you have further questions. I'll be willing to problem solve for you as I'm only in an uncomfortable situation, not a life threatening one.