Whether you’ve had a long cry or just can’t seem to stop sneezing, having red eyes are usually a sign of tiredness or allergies. When you know the cause of your bloodshot peepers, there’s typically no need for concern. But what if you can’t seem to track down the cause?
There are a number of people, for example, that are met with irritated eyes after a routine shower. Of course, this can be a jarring sight, and not understanding why it’s happening can leave you confused or worried about the potential underlying causes.
So, what causes red eyes after a shower? Thankfully, dealing with bloodshot eyes post bath is a common enough issue that rarely warrants a visit to the doctor’s office. Most of the time, you can peg your problem on the products you use in the tub, the harshness of your shower water, or even the temperature of the water.
While it may still seem tempting to pull up WebMD and self-diagnose the cause for your fiery eyes, we pray you read on as we breakdown the common reasons for eye irritation in the shower, and what steps you can take to prevent it!
Why Do Eyes Turn Red?
Your eyes are more than just the window to your soul; they’re the window to the rest of your body. In fact, one of the most common reasons people get sick is by rubbing their eyes after touching something with bacteria or other germs and irritants.
Because of how quickly these micro-aggressors can enter the body through your eyeballs, your immune system is always at the ready to attack. At first notice of a foreign body, your T-cells (aka your first line of defense) will work to combat the threat.
This battle won’t go unnoticed by you, as your eyes will turn red once your immune system tries protecting you. If it’s a larger particle that’s made its way into your peepers, this redness can be accompanied with pain, blurred vision, or an excess of tears.
If you wake up with red eyes, find yourself with them after a day of wearing contact lenses, or notice a color change after being in the sun, this is likely because your eyes are trying to regulate themselves after being without ample oxygen.
Shower Products Causing Eye Redness
If there’s one thing just about everyone can agree on, it’s that getting shampoo in your eyes absolutely sucks. It’s among one of the most annoyingly painful experiences a person can go through. But did you know that you don’t even need to get shampoo in your eyes directly to feel the burn?
Shampoos are among one of the more acidic products we use in our personal care routines. On the pH scale (a scale that measures how basic or acidic substances are), most shampoos are notably more acidic than the membrane of the human eye.
Obviously, it’s not enough to cause serious damage to the eye, but it is enough to turn the whites of your eyes nice and red.
When you’re in the shower, with the water hot and the curtain pulled shut, you’re creating a confined space in which the scents from your bath products can easily travel. If you have shampoo, soap, scrub, or body wash that’s even just a bit more acidic than your body can handle, you can say hello to bloodshot eyes.
Luckily, this is an easy cause to rule out. Do you notice yourself blinking, or even crying, when you use one of your bath products? Does the scent of your products sting your nose or immediately make your eyes water? If that’s the case, it’s a fair assumption that your red eyes are caused by choices in cleansers.
Avoiding Red Eyes Caused By Products
Try to keep your cosmetic choices as clean and natural as possible, especially if you’re prone to skin irritation. Keeping things basic is something we can all benefit from, as you can easily rule out possible aggressors, and not expose your skin to a mixture of ingredients.
By opting for more natural options, you’re also ruling out two of the most acidic ingredients in beauty products: perfume and alcohol. You would never spray your fragrance directly in your face, nor would you ever allow your eyes to go near alcohol – so why would you give it the chance to come near your peepers in the shower?
If you want to finish off the remainder of your products before you search for more basic counterparts, we suggest trying to keep your eyes closed as much as possible (while being safe, of course). This will ensure that your eyes aren’t as exposed to the gasses from your products.
Once you’re ready to make the switch, we suggest looking for bath products of more neutral acidity. If you’re not too picky about your products, baby shampoos and other kid-friendly options are literally formulated to be tear-free, and have a pH balance similar to that of your eyes.
For more grown-up options, we like this shampoo and this body wash from Korean brand Pyunkang Yul. Both are pH optimized and built to be extra gentle on even the most sensitive skin (and eyes).
Shower Water Causing Eye Redness
If you can rule out your bath products when it comes to your red eyes, it may be less about your choice of products, and more about your water supply.
How ironic is it that the water that’s supposed to be cleansing your body of irritants and contaminants could be causing you skin and eye issues over a length of time?
Eye redness is but one of the many symptoms that come with exposure to harsh water, so if the cause of your bloodshot eyes is due to contaminated H2O, you’ll be able to notice it fairly quickly.
Symptoms Of Harsh Shower Water
Most of us moisturize after washing our bodies, but have you noticed your skin needing more lotion than usual, or feeling a bit more dry than it usually is? Should you feel your skin feeling extra tight or irritated instead of hydrated post-wash, this could be a sign of contaminated water.
Of course, this could be due to a new soap, or even cold or windy weather, so make sure it’s not due to other reasons before you blame your water.
Hair loss and thinning can also be a symptom of strong water. Human bodies lose a lot more hair than we may be aware of, ranging from 50-100 hairs every single day.
You know your hair best, and are probably acutely aware of how many hairs you’re shedding. So, if you suddenly notice a spike in the number of strands you’re finding on your pillow, or in your hairbrush, you may have a water problem.
Noticing a strange taste or smell when dealing with water in your house is one of the most obvious ways to deduce a water problem. Finding white buildup and mineral spots are also signs of hard water in your pipes.
So take notice – if you find that you’re experiencing any of the situations mentioned above, in succession with your red eyes, you can likely hold your water accountable for your eye irritation.
Common Water Contaminants
You may be wondering what exactly is going on in your house water that’s causing irritation. More likely than not, your water probably has too high of a percentage of any of the following: minerals, chlorine, or allergens.
The water in your home is treated to make it safe to bathe in, drink, etc. Most of the time, these added treatments are balanced to ensure safe use, but sometimes (and this is a common problem in older houses), you may see an influx in one or more additives that can cause problems.
Chlorine
After a day at the pool, it’s common for your eyes to be red due to the use of chlorine. But did you know that you come in contact with the element even when you’re not taking a dip?
Chlorine is a common disinfectant for your house water, and in miniscule amounts, you will likely never notice that it’s there to begin with. But for those with sensitive skin, or those dealing with a chlorine increase in their water, this chemical may wreak havoc on your eyes.
Some signs of too high of a percentage of chlorine in your water include:
- Bubbly or hazy water
- Strangely colored water (leaning towards yellow or brown)
- Feeling a film on your skin after touching water
- Smelling chlorine
- A ring of rust on your tub, sink, washing machine, etc
- Pipe damage
- Dingy colored clothes
- Red, irritated eyes
- Dull, dry hair
- Brittle nails
- Red, itchy, or irritated skin
If this is the cause for your eye redness, look into getting a home water filter installed. Ensure that you’re using a filter that includes activated carbon, which targets chlorine buildup specifically. This filter will clean your water of any and all contaminants, saving your eyes, and your home, from any irritants.
Mineral Buildup
You’ve probably heard of the phrase “hard water” used to describe the unsafe, mineral rich water that could be in people’s pipes. After constant exposure, this water can affect your health and belongings, so it’s extremely important that you deal with it as soon as you notice an issue.
If you have hard water in your home, it’s due to high percentages of dissolved minerals like calcium, magnesium, iron, salt, or any other metallic based elements.
In high amounts, these minerals can cause painful eye irritation, usually accompanied by itching or even swelling. This is a very aggressive kind of irritation, so pinpointing the cause to be hard water is fairly easy.
Some signs of hard water in your home include:
- Gradual decrease of water pressure
- Excess soap scum or white film on tub and sinks
- Metallic tasting water
- Film on laundry
- Itchy, red, or dry skin
- Limp, overly greasy, or dull hair
- Red eyes
- Sudden spike in blood pressure
While the effects of hard water can get increasingly more severe over time, you can stop all of your issues with the installation of a water softener.
Other Allergens And Contaminants
Unfortunately, if you live in an older home, your pipes may not effectively clean your water in the way that they’re supposed to. Because of the lack of a high quality filter, tiny contaminants, germs, and bacterias can irritate your eyes in the shower.
A quick and easy fix that you can do entirely on your own is installing a filtered shower head in your bathroom. There are a ton of options online, but our favorite is this one by Aqua Earth.
This showerhead doesn’t just filter out dust, bacteria, and other allergens, but it also filters out chlorine, fluoride, and other heavy metals – ensuring that your shower water is the absolute freshest it can be.
Red Eyes From Hot Water
Nothing is more relaxing than a hot shower at the end of a long day, but turning the water up near boiling is probably the cause of your red eyes.
Choosing to shower in hot water in the morning could leave you with more bloodshot eyes than usual, since you’re exposing your already oxygen-deprived peepers to intense heat.
Hot water, and the steam that emits from it, effectively expands the blood vessels in your body – and this is especially true for your eyes, which are chock full of fragile capillaries.
The emotional pain of switching to a lower water temperature is temporary, but the relief your eyes (and skin, and hair) will feel after doing so is forever. It’s overall better for your health to shower in lukewarm to warm water, so we highly suggest making the switch, even if it’s just every other day of the week.
Treating Red Eyes After A Shower
Red eyes after a shower rarely last for an extended period of time, but if you have somewhere to be, or if the redness is met with irritation or blurry vision, finding a quick fix may be important to you.
Try out these home remedies and see which one works best for you:
Rinsing With Fresh Water
If you have pinpointed the issue to be the state of your water, but haven’t yet looked into a water filter or softener, rinsing your face and hair using filtered water is a worthwhile option before you install a more permanent solution.
You can use the water dispensed from your fridge, or water bottles, but we recommend buying a gallon or two of distilled water from the grocery store. This kind of water is purified, meaning it’s entirely free of any sort of irritating contaminants.
Eye Flush
Consider purchasing a saline solution to flush your eyes out post-shower. They are inexpensive, easy to use, and completely eye-safe. What’s great about this option is that you have full control over where the solution is going, and it offers a higher-pressure way to rinse your eye of any contaminants.
Eye Drops
Redness reducing eye drops are a quick, almost instant fix to irritated eyes. They work by constricting the superficial blood vessels in the whites of your eyes, effectively reducing any redness or irritation.
Unfortunately, this option isn’t available for everyone. Those with glaucoma or any other existing eye issues (aside from near and farsightedness), may want to talk to their optometrist about using redness reducing eyedrops, as it could further irritate the condition.
Those pregnant or breastfeeding should also talk to their doctor before using any eye treatments, as it might affect a developing baby, or the production of milk.
Cold Therapy
Soothing red eyes can be as easy as popping two spoons in the freezer before your shower, and gently placing them on your eyes once you’re out. The cold metal against your eyelids can constrict your blood vessels just as effectively as eye drops, but this method is safe for anyone to use.
You can do the same method with a gel-based eye pack, a damp towel placed in the fridge, or even a couple of slices of frozen cucumber.
Warm Compress
For red eyes brought on by lack of sleep, irritation from your contacts, or a day out in the sun, using a warm compress to increase blood flow (and therefore oxygen) to your peepers can provide serious redness relief.
Final Thoughts
While catching yourself in the mirror with bloodshot eyes after a shower can be a shocking sight, it very rarely means anything serious. However, if you are worried, talking to your doctor about your concerns won’t hurt.
Typically, with proper preventative care (and aftercare), dealing with red eyes can be a less of an issue in your life. Now that you have these tips in your arsenal, you can meet your bathroom mirror just as bright eyed and bushy tailed as you did pre-wash. Happy showering!
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