The Strange Relationship Between Chlorinated Water and Seasonal Itch (And How to Finally Stop the Itch)

Are you noticing an increase in scratching as the weather gets colder? That constant, annoying itch that sneaks up on you and lingers on your arms, legs, and back? You probably blame the dry winter weather or your wool sweater, but what if the pesky problem is right before your eyes, and gets to work the moment you step into your daily shower?

In fact, the very water you use to wash your body could be the hidden trigger for your seasonal skin irritation. That "winter itch" could be a year-long problem with seasonal aggravations, and it’s actually increased by a common chemical in your tap water — chlorine!

It's time to think beyond lotions and creams, and make a call to action to fix the problem at the source. The reminder of chlorine in your shower is the first step to feel relief and have the nice, healthy, glowing skin you want!

Find out how Vitaclean helps change your dry, itchy skin routine

 

What is the Purpose of Chlorine in Your Water Anyway?

Before we explore how chlorine can affect skin, let's take a step back to examine why we've got chlorine in our water supply in the first place. Chlorine has been a champion in public health for more than a hundred years. Chlorine is added to the water supply by our municipal water treatment facilities for water disinfection in order to kill any harmful bacterias, viruses and parasites like E. coli and Giardia. This critical public health measure has been called one of the greatest public health achievements of the twentieth century by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Chlorination has made our tap water safe to drink.

As a public health intervention, chlorine is doing its job, but not necessarily for individual wellness – especially when it comes to our skin health. When you take a hot, steamy shower, chlorine doesn't just stay in liquid form in the water. The heat causes chlorine to vaporize as gas, which is inhaled into your lungs as you absorb it through your skin pores. You are exposed to chlorine gas in a very immersive way.

 

The Science: The Effects of Chlorinated Water on Your Skin Barrier

To explore why chlorinated water leads to itching, we need to examine the skin's outer layer, the stratum corneum. Imagine this layer as your body's bodyguard—a protective barrier formed from hard skin cells and natural oil (lipids) that insulate moisture in and irritants out.

Chlorine is what's known as an oxidizing agent. It specifically targets the cellular structure of harmful microorganisms. It doesn't know the difference between the bad bacteria and your skin's beneficial components.

This is what eventually happens with frequent chlorine exposure:

• It Removes Natural Oils: Chlorine will strip your skin of the protective sebum and lipids. When this occurs, your skin barrier will be vulnerable and weakened, as you are now lacking the natural oils that would have allowed your skin to retain moisture.

• It Leads to Increased Water Loss: When your barrier is compromised, it can increase transepidermal water loss (TEWL). This is the process (as shown in research on TEWL) that moisture pulls from your skin's deeper layers into the air, which leads to dehydration, tightness, and flakiness.

• It Disrupts the Microbiome: Your skin has a delicate ecosystem of good bacteria that acts as a protective barrier against infection and inflammation. Chlorine disrupts this ecosystem, and may cause skin conditions like eczema and acne to increase in severity.

The result? Skin that is tight, dry, itchy & irritated because your natural defense was washed down the drain.

 

Signs You Could Be Reacting to Chlorine

Does that sound familiar? The response to chlorine isn't always a significant rash issue. A lot of times it's just a combination of subtle chronic signs that you've been ignoring just as "having dry skin".

Here are some of the signs:

• Tightness after Shower: Skin feeling tight and 'squeaky clean' right after you shower.

• Continuous Itching: You experience a low-grade itch that is continuous and always in the same spots on your legs, arms, or back, and gets worse after bathing.

• Dry, Red, and/or Flaky Patches: You notice dry patches that feel and look scaly, and they don't seem to improve with moisturizer.

• Increased sensitivity: Your favorite lotions/skin care products are suddenly causing stinging and irritation.

• Worse Exacerbation of Skin Conditions: Flare-ups of eczema, psoriasis, or dermatitis when there seems to be no other trigger.

• Chlorine Rash: For more reactive folks, this can result in a red, itchy rash or hives, much like what can happen immediately after swimming at a pool according to health experts on chlorine rash.

There Really Are Awe-Inspiring Skin Transformations With Filtered Water

 

Why It Gets Worse in Certain Seasons (Hint: It’s Not Only the Weather)

If the chlorinated water was a year-round problem, what makes that itch so unbearable at certain times of the year? Because environmental factors are metabolic mayhem for the skin!

• In Winter: The cold air outside has little moisture, and indoors, forced heating is blasting dry air robbing your skin of humidity. When you use long hot showers to warm yourself, you are also hot-boxing your chemically-sensitive skin with steamy chlorine vapor. It’s a triple whammy of dry air- hot water- chemical overload resulting in what is referred to as “the winter itch.”

• In Summer: You are probably spending more time in chlorinated pools, which adds exposure. Sunburn compromises the skin barrier, increasing the drying effect of chlorine when you take your daily shower.

No matter the time of year, the overall issue remains the same. Your shower should be the ultimate place for cleansing and rejuvenating, but for many it has become a chronic aggravation.

 

Common Misconceptions Surrounding Itchy Skin and What Doesn’t Work

Most individuals will talk about common possibilities with itchy skin, but more often than not, many of these remedies simply offer temporary solutions and do not address the real underlying problem.

• Myth 1: "Just drink more water." While internal hydration is crucial to one's overall health - no amount of internal hydration can repair an external barrier that is being damaged on a daily basis by chemicals. You can't outrun the drying effects of chlorine!

• Myth 2: "Just moisturize more." Slacking on lotion after a shower is absolutely vital, but it is a reactive measure to take. This is kind of like putting a band aid on a leak in the roof while it is still raining. You are simply trying to replenish what just got stripped away within a millisecond, and you're not thinking about how to stop it from ever being stripped away.

• Myth 3: "Use a mild soap." Switching to a pH-balanced, fragrance-free cleanser is a huge step but if the water you rinse with has chlorine, you will still be exposing your skin to the major irritant.

The true solution is not reducing the symptoms; it is getting rid of the source. It is fixing your water.

Stop The Itch At The Source. Upgrade Your Shower Today

 

How Filtered Shower Water Can Help Itchy Skin

Consider a shower where the water works with your skin. That is the power of a filtered shower head. The trick is to remove the irritant—what I call chlorine—before it touches your body.

One of the most efficient and proven scientific ways to do this is Vitamin C. Studies on dechlorination have shown that ascorbic acid (or vitamin C) is a fast acting dechlorination agent; which, neutralizes chlorine and chloramines instantly to create harmless compounds.

By filtering your shower water, you:

• Preserve Your Skin Barrier: By removing chlorine from your shower water, you avoid the loss of your natural oils to support an intact and functioning skin barrier, which leads to healthy and consistent skin appearance.

• Hydrate: With a functioning skin barrier, your skin can retain some moisture and not be dry and flaky through your natural hydration from within.

• Calm sensitive skin: People who experience chronic conditions like eczema and psoriasis tend to see good results when they discontinue chlorine from daily activities.

Shop Filters that neutralize Chlorine - Try Vitaclean Now

 

Inside Vitaclean’s Triple Filtration Technology

All filters don't operate equally. Vitaclean developed a robust method to remedy, soften and improve your water from your shower head that's beneficial to your skin and hair. Vitaclean's shower heads implement a powerful Triple Filtration System:

1. Microfiber Cloth Filter: The first line of defenses against rust, sediment and other impurities that aggravates skin and clogs pores.

2. Ceramic Balls: Ceramic balls soften hard water by removing calcium and magnesium without chemicals or salt of any kind. Softer water can create more foamy soaps and soaps that rinse clean. Softer water inhibits buildups and residue from your products.

3. Vitamin C Gel Filter: This is the most critical stage of the system. Our patented filter adds high-quality, pharmaceutical-grade Vitamin C into the water stream instantly neutralizing 99% of chlorine. It also provides an additional antioxidant boost to your water and is infused with essential oils to provide a relaxing aromatherapy experience during your shower.

This multi-stage process doesn't just filter out the bad stuff, it adds back the good stuff, easily turning your daily shower into a healthy revitalizing experience.

Meet Your New Favorite Shower Head

 

Customer Spotlights: Flaky Skin to Smooth

Don’t take our word for it! The results may speak for themselves.

"I have had eczema on my back and my arms for years, and just when I thought I could tolerate it, the winter season would approach! I had my doubts at first, but after just one week of using the Vitaclean showerhead, my constant itching stopped. At the end of one month, the red patches on my arms and back had completely disappeared. I don't think my skin has ever been this calm and comfortable." - Jessica

"Living in a city like mine - known for hard chlorine water, my hair was always frizzy and my skin always felt tight. The Vitaclean system changed everything. I have softer skin, I am using way less moisturizer, my hair is finally manageable. It is now a non-negotiable part of my routine." - Ben

Want Smoother Skin in 30 Days? Start Here

 

Dermatologist-Approved Tips to Maximize Your Filtered Shower

A good-quality shower filter is a great first step, but good habits will help you get the most out of the results. The following recommendations are provided by the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) to help you deal with dry and itchy skin:

• Use Lukewarm Water: Extremely hot showers can strip oils like chlorine. Feel free to keep your showers comfortable but make sure they aren't scalding.

• Keep Showers Brief: One of the biggest contributors is water exposure so keep your showers short as possible, five to ten minutes keeps your exposure to a minimum.

• Pat, don't rub: After your shower, you should be gently patting your skin dry with a soft towel instead of rubbing hard.

• Protect and prevent moisture loss: After you dry off, and while your skin is still damp, apply a thick, fragrance-free cream or ointment to your skin. To protect and prevent moisture loss, make sure to do this within three minutes of getting out of the shower. This step helps seal moisture from your purified shower.

By incorporating these habits with the chlorine-free water from your filter, you are creating the best possible environment for your skin to heal and thrive.

 

Conclusion: It’s Time to Change the Definition of Clean

For too long we’ve accepted that “clean” comes at a cost – dry, itchy, irritated skin. We have all been taught to manage the symptoms by using a never-ending cycle of lotions and creams instead of questioning what is in our water to start with.

It’s time for a new definition of clean. Clean isn’t something that strips your skin – it is purifying your environment so your body can operate naturally. Clean is taking ownership over what comes in contact with your skin every single day, and turning two minutes of routine into a self-care practice.

Your skin is a marker of your wellness journey.

Stop fighting a battle against your own shower. Stop the itch at its source and be free for those two minutes, for the calm, glowing skin that is waiting beneath the surface.

Say goodbye to dry, itchy skin — Start filtering with Vitaclean today

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

• Can chlorine in shower water cause itchy skin?

• Yes. Chlorine strips the skin of its natural protective oils causing damage to your skin barrier, inadequate moisture retention, and dry, tight, red and itchy symptoms.

• Is my winter itch related to my water?

• It is likely to be a significant factor and the combination of dry air in the winter and hot showers with chlorine is a perfect storm for skin irritation that worsens "winter itch”!

• What is the best shower head for dry or sensitive skin?

• The best shower head for dry or sensitive skin is a shower head that filters out elements that commonly irritate it, like chlorine. With a Vitamin C filter, the Vitaclean shower head neutralizes 99% of chlorine - making this an ideal shower head for protecting sensitive skin.

• How does Vitaclean filter chlorine out of water? 

• Vitaclean uses a gel filter with a Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) infusion. As your shower water goes through the filter, the Vitamin C is instantly mixed with and neutralizes chlorine and chloramines - making them 100% harmless before reaching the skin.

• Does filtered water help eczema?

• While a shower filter is not a cure for eczema, a lot of users report that they experience a reduction in flare ups, redness and itching. Filtering out a known irritating compound, like chlorine, reduces irritation, calms the skin and contributes to a healthy skin barrier, and less irritation.