Itchy Skin After Shower: How to Get Rid of it?

A warm shower is a prime source of relaxation for many people after a busy day. However, feelings of zen may disappear in mere seconds if itching starts and you can’t stop scratching your skin. 

Yes, we know how irritating it can be, and this is why we decided ourselves to writing this blog, to spread awareness of the most common and not so common causes for itchy skin after shower and how to get rid of the itch. 

Causes of Itchy Skin After Shower?

If you are still scratching your head (and body) and wondering, ‘why is my skin so itchy after shower?’ then don’t worry. We have got you covered. There are various reasons that can cause that itchiness after a shower.

Sometimes, treating the itch can be as simple as applying a hypoallergenic moisturizer. Other times, it may require additional care and prescription medications to soothe itchy, sensitive skin. 

But first, let’s take a look at some of the most common causes for dry, itchy skin after taking a shower.

Dry Skin

There are various medical terms for the condition “dry skin”–xeroderma, xerosis, asteatosis to xerosis cutis. No matter what you call it, this skin condition can cause dry, itchy, irritated skin due to lack of moisture or sebum on the skin.

What might be causing your dry skin? Well, there is no exact answer. There are various factors that can trigger dry skin, such as genetics, taking certain medications, dehydration, not moisturizing your skin, certain medical conditions, and extreme weather conditions. 

Two contributors to excessive itching after shower may be the kind of water you have in your home (hard vs soft) or perhaps the body wash you are using which may contain drying ingredients (sulfate containing surfactants like SLS or SLES) that can strip away natural oils from your skin.

Treatment

The best way to soothe dry, itchy skin is to take proper care of your skin, keep your body hydrated, and use a gentle, fragrance-free moisturizer to keep your skin moisturized at all times. 

If your condition does not get better with self-care, then consult a dermatologist, who may prescribe corticosteroid creams to soothe the symptoms. 

Eczema

Eczema is a chronic skin condition that can cause itchy, dry skin. It can also lead to red rashes and tiny bumps on the skin. The symptoms associated with eczema can intensify during a flare-up and subside during periods of remission. 

Itching after shower is often experienced by people with eczema. Everything in your shower, from hot water to harsh chemicals in your body wash to not moisturizing the skin afterward, can worsen your eczema and cause the itch. 

Treatment 

• Make sure that you use lukewarm water to take a bath.
• Make bath time short.
• Use an eczema shampoo and body wash to cleanse your skin.
• Make sure to moisturize your skin within 3 minutes of taking a bath with an eczema cream.

Weather Conditions

Extreme weather not only causes flooding and drought, but can also strip away natural oils from your skin leaving it dry and itchy. Especially in winter, the cold, dry air can cause winter rash, which is actually your skin becoming excessively dry, rough, irritated, and red. 

Taking a hot shower with this winter rash will make its symptoms worse, causing red itchy skin after shower. 

Treatment

The best way to soothe the symptoms of winter rash is by keeping your skin moisturized with a gentle moisturizing cream at all times and using a mild fragrance-free cleanser to clean your body during a bath. 

In many cases, a doctor may prescribe the use of medications to soothe the itching and irritation. 

Contact Dermatitis

Contact dermatitis is a type of eczema. The skin causes a reaction when it comes in contact with a certain irritant or allergen. This can lead to red rashes (or purple if you have a darker skin tone)  on the skin, dryness, and itching. 

The skincare products we use in our daily lives are some of the most common causes of contact dermatitis. According to Webmd, your skin may react in two ways to these products. One is an allergic reaction on the skin. This is also known as allergic contact dermatitis. 

The second one is irritated skin, which is known as irritant contact dermatitis. Some of the common chemicals in these products that can cause a reaction are:

• Fragrances
• Parabens
• Sulfates
• Phenoxyethanol
• Formaldehyde
• Methylchloroisothiazolinone
• Quaternium-15

When you take a bath with a product that contains any of these chemicals, it can trigger a reaction and lead to itchy skin after shower. 

Treatment

If you suspect any of the bath products you are using are causing a reaction, immediately discontinue their use and consult a doctor for proper treatment. Also, while buying your skincare products, choose the ones that are free from any of the above-mentioned chemicals. 

Bath Routine

For many of us our bathing routine may be just that–routine. Aside from having selected the same old soap or body wash at the grocery store or online we don’t give it much thought. However, water temperature and water type can have a great impact on our skin. If you are one of those who love to take hot showers to relax at night before going to sleep, then you may be more prone to experiencing itchy skin after a shower at night. 

Especially if you are doing the following things quite often:

• Taking long hot baths or showers. Hot water can strip away natural oils from the skin and leave it dry, itchy, and irritated.
• Showering too often. If you shower more than once daily, even with lukewarm or cool water, it can still leave your skin dry and itchy. 
• If you are not moisturizing your skin after showers.

Treatment

You can avoid itchy skin by shortening the duration of your showers, using lukewarm water instead of hot, and using skincare products that are free from skin-irritating chemicals. 

Hard Water

Most of us don’t pay much attention to what type of water we are using to take a bath. There are many areas in the USA that have a hard water supply for household use, such as Indianapolis, San Antonio, Minneapolis, Jacksonville, and Kansas City (just to name a few). 

Hard water is the term used for water with a high amount of calcium and magnesium minerals. When you take a bath, hard water leaves behind unwanted deposits on your skin.  This makes it hard for the skin to maintain its natural oil balance and keep it moisturized. 

As a result, you may experience itchy skin after shower or bath. 

Treatment

If you also live in an area that has a hard water supply, a way to get rid of it (not inexpensive) is to use a salt-water-based softener to eliminate hard water minerals and make the water suitable for use. 

Can Itchy Skin Be a Sign of Something Serious?

Most of the time, itchy skin is caused by the common causes we have listed above. However, there are other times when itchy skin after a shower can be a sign of a more serious medical condition that may require proper treatment under the observation of a doctor. 

Aquagenic Pruritus

It is a skin condition that causes itchy skin every time your skin comes in contact with water. One may experience the reaction within a few minutes of exposure to water. However, it does not cause visible symptoms of rashes or hives on the skin. 

However, aquagenic pruritis can cause intense burning or stinging sensation. Even though the exact cause of this condition is not clear to researchers, many believe that it is caused by abnormal cellular processes in the nervous system, immune system, or the skin. 

Treatment

The doctor may prescribe the use of various medications and procedures to help relieve the itching, such as antihistamines, analgesics, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), and phototherapy. 

Polycythemia Vera

Polycythemia vera, commonly known as PV, is a chronic bone marrow disease. This condition can cause the body to start producing more red blood cells, and they often experience thickening of blood. 

Some common symptoms of PV are headaches, dizziness, bleeding, visual changes, and redness on the face. People who are experiencing PV are more prone to experiencing body itching after shower, especially if it’s a hot bath or shower.

Treatment

There is no permanent cure for PV. However, it can be managed with the help of blood draining occasionally (decreasing the volume of blood). This process is called phlebotomy.  Other methods of treatment involve using low-dose aspirin regularly, immune-modulating drugs, and chemotherapy drugs.

Avoiding the triggers, such as using hot water to take a bath or taking long or excessive baths, can help reduce the itching. 

Hodgkin Lymphoma

Hodgkin lymphoma is a cancer in the lymph nodes that causes the lymph nodes in the neck, chest, armpits, or groin to grow. Itchy skin is a common symptom of this condition. 

The immune system in the body releases certain types of cells known as cytokines to fight against cancer. These cells, when reaching into the nerves in the skin, can cause intense itching. 

Even common activities like taking a shower or drinking alcohol can trigger an itching episode. Sometimes even the medications used to treat this condition can also cause itching.

Treatment

The treatment for Hodgkin lymphoma includes chemotherapy, stem cell treatment, and radiation. Moisturizing can help soothe the itching. However, it may not treat it entirely. 

Cholinergic Urticaria

This is a kind of hives that develops when there is an increase in the body’s temperature. There are various factors that can trigger the increase in temperature, such as exercising and using hot water to take a bath. 

Each hive is usually smaller than the size of a mosquito bite. However, they form a group and take the shape of a large hive. If you are experiencing red itchy spots on skin after shower, they may be caused by cholinergic urticaria.

Treatment

The itching associated with it will get better when the condition itself is treated. Usually, antihistamines and medications like Claritin, Allegra, and Clarinex are prescribed. 

How to Get Rid of Itchy Skin After Shower?

If your itchy, irritated skin after shower is caused by the medical conditions mentioned above. Then, the only way to get rid of itchiness is by treating the condition under the care of a licensed  physician. 

However, if the itching and dryness are caused by eczema or other common reasons, then they can be soothed by doing the following. 

Bathtime Care

Here are a few things that you should keep in mind while taking a bath. 

• Make sure that the soap, body wash, or shampoo you are using to take a bath is free from any harsh chemicals. 
• Use lukewarm or cool water to take a bath instead of hot water.
• If you still love taking hot baths, shorten to a maximum of 5 to 10 minutes. 
• If you suspect that taking a bath every day gives you itchy skin, then take a bath on alternating days. 
• If you have eczema, then use a gentle shampoo for eczema to take a shower. 
• Avoid using a hard loofah to scrub your body during the bath.

After-Shower Care

Just like you have to make sure that you do the right things while taking a shower, there are a few things that you should remember and do after taking a bath.

• After the shower, pat dry your skin with a soft towel instead of rubbing it.
• Avoid applying any alcohol-based or scented products on your body after a shower.
• Moisturize your body within 3 minutes after taking a bath with a daily moisturizing cream.
• Applying a moisturizer to your still damp skin after a bath can help lock in moisture more readily. 
• If you have eczema, use an eczema cream to moisturize the skin. 
• Avoid wearing clothes made with skin-irritating fabrics such as wool. 

If despite taking proper precautions during and after bathtime you still experience extreme itchiness after shower then consult a doctor to evaluate the itch situation and get timely treatment. 

How to Prevent Itchy Skin After Shower?

Apart from paying attention to your skin during bathtime, there are a few other things that you must do. These tips can help you prevent rough, dry, itchy skin, whether it is before or after a shower. 

• Avoid wearing tight clothes or those made of synthetic fabric. Instead, wear loose-fitting clothes made with breathable materials. 
• Keep your body hydrated by drinking plenty of water during the day. 
• Cover your body while going out in direct sunlight, or use sunscreen to protect it. 
• Maintain appropriate humidity for the air in your home, office, and room with the help of a humidifier, especially during winter. 
• Avoid scratching your skin when it’s itchy. It can create an itch-scratch cycle and can damage the skin barrier which can lead to other complications. 
• Avoid using any skincare product that contains fragrance, alcohol, parabens, sulfates, or phthalates on your skin. 
• Always use fragrance-free laundry detergents to wash your clothes and bedding. 

If your skin is still itchy even after following the above-mentioned tips and taking proper care of your skin, then consult a doctor. They may prescribe the use of prescription or OTC anti-itch creams to calm the itching on the skin. 

Best Moisturizer for Itchy Skin After Shower

If you have itchy, irritated, dry skin and you are searching for a good moisturizer to soothe your skin after a shower, then try Happy Cappy Moisturizing Cream. It is specially formulated to be used by people of all ages. 

This moisturizer for dry skin is fragrance-free, paraben-free, and sulfate-free. It contains ingredients like licorice root extract that helps soothe the itching and glycerin that helps keep the skin moisturized. 

It also helps restore the delicate skin barrier and soothes the symptoms of itching, irritation, and dryness that can be found in those with eczema prone skin. It is quick-absorbing, and non-greasy making it suitable to be used multiple times each day.

Gently massage it all over your body after taking a shower while your skin is a little damp to moisturize it and soothe the itching and dryness. 

Conclusion

Itchy skin after a shower can be experienced for various reasons. Dry skin, eczema, reaction to skincare products used for bathing, and using hard water for showering or bathing are some of the most common reasons.

The itching and irritation caused by these can be managed by using the right products during bath time that are free from harsh chemicals. Use a gentle daily cleanser and keep the skin moisturized twice daily, especially after taking a bath with a moisturizing cream for itchy, dry skin. 

However, there are some other uncommon reasons that can cause severe itchy skin after a shower, such as aquagenic pruritus, polycythemia vera, and Hodgkin lymphoma. These medical conditions can cause itchy skin that needs proper treatment by a doctor. 

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