Dry, Itchy Skin After Showering in West Palm Beach

What is in the shower water

• Chloramine most of the year. The 2025 report lists a highest annual average total chlorine residual of 3.2 ppm.
• Free chlorine for 21 days each summer, when the city says residents may notice a chlorine odor.
• Hardness reduced at the city's lime softening plant; the report does not publish a hardness number, so a test at your tap tells you where you stand.

All of this is within drinking water standards. The question is preference.

Disinfectant and comfort

Some people notice a tight or dry feeling, or a pool smell in their hair, after showering in chlorinated or chloraminated water. Shower head filters often have too little contact time to do much with chloramine at shower flow rates. A whole-home system designed for chloramine treats the water before any shower. Living Water describes its Puronics whole-home systems as removing chlorine and chloramine. See whole-home filtration in West Palm Beach.

Do you notice it more in July?

If your showers feel or smell different for a few weeks every summer, that lines up with the city's annual switch to free chlorine. It is a useful clue: if the switch bothers you, disinfectant is likely part of what you notice, and a whole-home filter addresses it all year.

Hardness and soap

Hard water can leave soap film on skin and hair. Because the city lime softens its water, this is often less of an issue here than in very hard water areas. If you are on a private well, hardness may be much higher, and softening becomes more relevant.

Pools, beach and sun

Living near the water in West Palm Beach often means time in pools and the ocean and plenty of sun, all of which can leave skin feeling dry on their own. Before blaming the shower, notice whether the feeling follows a beach day or a swim. If it shows up even on quiet days at home, and especially if it changes during the summer chlorine switch, water is more likely part of it.

Low-cost changes worth trying

• Cooler, shorter showers.
• A gentle, fragrance-free cleanser.
• Moisturizer right after drying off.
• Rinsing off sunscreen and pool or ocean water promptly.

If dryness or itching continues, or you have eczema, psoriasis or another skin condition, see a dermatologist. No water system treats skin conditions.

Test your shower water

At the free in-home test, Jorge measures chlorine and hardness and explains what a whole-home system would and would not change. Call, text or WhatsApp (305) 793-5974.

Updated 2026-10-17 · Living Waters · Jorge Canela, Water Quality Specialist