Chillin’ in the Shower
Written by Mike Cheliak on January 3, 2010 – 12:34 pm -Every winter I get a really nasty case of dry skin which usually sets in around the time that the weather gets decidedly colder in December.
I am not a big cream and body lotion guy but I have used stuff in the past that relieves some of the symptoms. Many people suffer the same type of patchy and itchy skin and it varies in location. Mine is usually the hands and my right and left sides as well as a couple other small areas.
For years I have heard that avoiding hot showers in the winter will help. This makes sense in that you avoid stressing the skin with really hot water. The problem is that most of us REALLY like a nice hot shower after a workout or being outdoors in the cold.
It is also true that too much exposure to harsh deodorant soaps and such will also cause a drying effect on the skin. For that, I switched a long time ago to a lighter scented, moisturizing body wash.
The soap may slow the onset of my itchy skin problem but it doesn’t eliminate it and I eventually end up suffering the same pattern of problem.
That is until this year. I finally made a commitment to eliminate hot showers from my daily routine. I like cooler showers in the summer anyway so I just continued to take cooler showers right through the fall.
December came along and I still stuck with my cool shower routine. I now have my showers below body temperature (slightly cool but not cold). I don’t know what the actual temperature is but it doesn’t come across as even warm.
By this time of year I am usually deep into my itchy stage and some areas are very red and quite uncomfortable. As of today, I still have absolutely NO signs of any irritation at all. I am not using any body lotions or wonder creams and I still use my mild moisturizing body wash but nothing else has changed.
Will this be my cure for my winter rash? I don’t honestly know. There is one thing for certain. Chillin’ in the Shower has become really enjoyable for me and I can guarantee it saves money in heating water!
In happiness and health as always,
Mike C.
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