Why does the skin tighten after showering? With these 10 tips, your skin will feel great again

Do you know this feeling? – you come out of the warm shower and your skin immediately starts to feel tight. You have a strong need to put cream on straight away. And even after a few hours your skin is still flaky and tight.

Your skin loses a lot of moisture due to the heat, the water and your shower gel. It has evaporated from your facial skin, so to speak. If this happens to you often, your skin is lacking moisture. This usually occurs with dry skin - but can also happen with oily skin. Either your skin type has always been dry or your skin has only become dry due to external influences such as showering. Dry skin can be painful and itchy. It is also usually sensitive. People with neurodermatitis in particular are familiar with the excruciating itching that accompanies bleeding wounds and scaly eczema. In the cold season, a change in the weather does not pass your sensitive skin by so easily.

With these 10 tips you can reduce the feeling of tension after showering or even get rid of it completely:

It's actually a real trend - and for once it actually makes sense: showering only once a week. It doesn't have to be that strict. We'd say: make it depend on the situation.

Some people may still turn up their noses if someone only showers once or twice a week. But this is actually healthy for our skin and you don't have to stink because of it. The less oil you wash off your dry skin, the more moisture stays in your skin.

Thousands of good microorganisms live on your skin and prevent pathogenic viruses and bacteria from settling. This is your skin's microbiome. Showering too often washes away this microbiome and throws it out of balance. If you wash your skin less, your skin will no longer be as dry.

Try it out: shower once or twice a week with mild washing products. If necessary, you can wash your armpits and intimate area separately with a washcloth and mild washing lotions or water.

In this video from Puls, Ariane Alter tries out what it's like to shower only once a week. She also talks to experts about why showering less often is good for the skin.

It is best for the shower water to be at least body temperature, i.e. 36-37 degrees or slightly below. Water that is too hot will remove moisture from your skin. Ice-cold water is also not ideal for dry skin because it would trigger too much stress.

You should shower for a maximum of 15-20 minutes. Anything less is of course even better. Too much contact with water will continually dehydrate your skin, as the oils are washed out by the heat and water. And this oil is your own cream, trying to keep moisture in your skin.

When showering, it is best to use pH-neutral soap bars (syndets) or mild shower gels for the sake of your skin and not soap, as this would dry out your skin even further and destroy your microbiome . If you have very dry skin, it makes sense to switch to a nourishing shower oil to prevent drying out while you shower.

Apply cream before showering? Sounds strange, but it makes sense if you have very dry skin. Let's say your facial skin is very damaged because wind, weather and other stresses have taken their toll on your skin. The steam from the shower is so drying that you don't know how you can shower at all - without your skin feeling constantly tight. Wash your face quickly with water or a mild cleanser and then apply a low-irritation cream . The layer of cream protects your skin from the water and steam, so that your skin is no longer degreased as much. This way, your skin retains its moisture and doesn't dry out as quickly. It can also help if your legs are dry and flaky to apply cream before showering.