What to know
- Showering with very hot water strips away protective oils, leaving skin dry or itchy.
- Staying in the shower more than 10 minutes increases irritation risk; experts recommend 5–8 minutes instead.
- Vigorous scrubbing or harsh soaps can worsen dryness and irritation—opt for gentle, fragrance-free products and a lighter touch.
- Cold showers aren’t a cure-all; lukewarm water is best for maintaining skin health.
As temperatures drop and the air dries out, your daily shower routine could be worsening your skin. Before you step into a steaming hot shower, experts reveal common shower habits that can leave your skin dry, itchy, and irritated—and easy swaps to keep your skin healthy all season long.
According to shower company Showers to You, Google searches have been surging by 5,000 per cent over the month of September. A nurse practitioner says everyday shower habits could be a contributing factor.
From showering for too long to turning the temperature up too high, here are five bad habits Showers to You says you need to swap out.
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Shower habits that could be affecting your skin health
Turning up the temperature too high
As relaxing as a steaming hot shower might feel, it might also be making your skin drier. Too-hot water can strip the skin of its natural oils, leaving it dry or itchy.
Adult-Geriatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Aleksey Aronov says lukewarm water is best because it matches core body temperature, recommending temperatures of 36–40°C.
Staying in the shower for too long
Sometimes, all you want is hot water running over you after a long day, but Aronov says it’s important to avoid staying in the shower too long.
“More than 10 minutes, or showering with water that is too hot, can lead to drying out the skin and stripping it of its natural oils. For everyday showering, it is recommended to keep them between 5 and 8 minutes,” he said in a press release.
Scrubbing too hard
You might feel dirty after a long, sweaty day, but scrubbing too hard can do more harm than good.
“Vigorous scrubbing can irritate the skin, particularly if you’re already using hot water or harsh cleansing products. Instead, a gentler approach can help avoid unnecessary irritation and protect the skin’s natural oils,” Aronov said.
Using harsh soaps
Aronov recommends using gentle, fragrance-free or hypoallergenic soaps to avoid contributing to dry or irritated skin — especially if your skin is prone to dryness or itching.
Assuming colder is always better
Though very hot water is bad, cold water isn’t always better; so find a middle ground.
Cooler water may help the skin retain more of its natural oils, but evidence on its benefits is still limited and mixed.
Some say it supports immunity and improves sleep quality, but others say it’s not a universal health solution. So, lukewarm water, as mentioned earlier, is better.
Recommended shower swaps for healthier skin
- Keep showers around 5–8 minutes.
- Choose lukewarm water rather than very hot water.
- Avoid vigorous scrubbing.
- Use gentle, fragrance-free or hypoallergenic soaps.
- Consider cooler water if your skin is particularly dry or irritated.
“From reducing the temperature to spending a little less time in the shower, the advice shows that you don’t need to completely overhaul your routine. Small changes can make a difference, particularly for people who regularly experience dry or irritated skin,” Martin Smith, founder of Showers to You, said in a press release.
