Why do I get Hives after I Shower?

I sit in my bathroom with the sliders open. No matter how carefully I whisper, the water splashing into the tub echoes down the hallway. The bathroom is full of steam. My skin starts to tingle and prickle. It’s right about now that the hives start to appear on my skin small, slightly red welts that eventually come together to form a large patch of redness on my skin. Some can be confused for a bloodstain or a bruise, but it’s not either of those things it’s probably just hives. So why do some people get hives after they shower? We’re here to answer that question.

Why do I get Hives after I Shower?

People who experience this condition often wonder why they get hives after showering, and the answer to that question is pretty simple.

This is a condition called aquagenic pruritus, or water-induced itching. It can be caused by an allergy to something in your shower water (usually chlorine), but it’s also more likely to be caused by something called aquagenic urticaria, which is an allergic reaction to water itself.

So why does this happen? It all has to do with your body’s reaction to heat and cold. Your skin contains a protein called keratin, which plays an important role in helping your skin protect itself against damage from heat and cold. Some people have keratin that’s particularly sensitive to temperature changes these people are said to have “cold” or “hot” skin.

When you’re exposed to hot or cold temperatures for long periods, these proteins start to break down and release histamines into your body. This causes inflammation that leads to hives. And because we shower every day, we’re constantly exposing ourselves to the heat of our showers which makes us more likely than most people.

Well, there are a couple of reasons:

1. You might have sensitive skin. If you’re prone to hives or eczema, then showers can trigger your body’s histamine response because everything you rub against starts producing more sweat as soon as it hits the water and that’s enough to set off your immune system.

2. You might have allergies or sensitivities to certain ingredients in your shampoo or soap-like sodium Laureth sulfate (SLS) or fragrance additives like phthalates and parabens which can also trigger histamine release.

3. If you’ve been getting hives after you shower, it’s probably because of a few different things. The most common cause is usually an allergy to one or more of the ingredients in your soap.

You can check the label on your soap bottle to see if it contains any of the following:

• Coconut oil
• Palm oil
• Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES)
• Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS)