Is Soft Water Bad For Your Skin?

Depending on whether you have hard or soft water, the water in your home can actually have significant effects on the condition of your skin. This blog explores whether hard or soft water is better, and what does a water softener do to your skin!

Why is hard water bad for your skin?

Hard water is water containing more dissolved minerals in it than soft water, specifically calcium and magnesium. This poses several issues. Hard water can cause soap deposits in the bathtub, dull-looking laundry, spots on dishes, scaly deposits inside faucets, showerheads, and appliances, restricting water flow, robbing heaters of their efficiency and shorten their service lives.

Ever wonder why your skin breaks out, feels irritated, or gets extremely dry after showering in hard water? That same soap scum builds up on your home appliances and walls can actually buildup on your skin!

Here is what hard water does to your skin:

1. Clogs your pores and causes breakouts

The limescale residue, though almost noticeable, stays on your skin long after you shower and clogs your pores. Your body naturally produces oils that are distributed via the skin's pores, but when clogging occurs, the oils become trapped which leads to the formation of pimples. Clogged pores can lead to breakouts and worsen sensitive skin conditions like acne or eczema.

2. Results in Dry Skin

Hard water not only causes breakouts but can also make your skin feel dry, itchy, and irritated. The calcium and magnesium minerals in hard water can actually strip moisture from your skin while clogging up the natural oils your body produces. This means that your skin is unable to hold in moisture and lubricate itself.

3. Causes Skin to Age Faster

With all these harmful effects on your skin, it's no surprise that hard water causes your skin to age quicker. According to expert dermatologists, the magnesium and iron ions found in hard water for "free radicals" to damage healthy skin cells. This results in collagen breakdown which is a structural protein that helps your skin feel firmer, causing wrinkling and the formation of fine lines.

If you are experiencing these negative effects of hard water; don’t worry – there’s a solution.

What does a water softener do to your skin?

One of the biggest advantages of having a water softener installed in our home is the fact that soft water is better for cleaning. This includes dishes, laundry, and even your skin! Water is softened through the ion exchange process in which minerals, like calcium and magnesium, are removed and replaced with sodium. Don't worry, the amount of sodium added is less than eating a slice of bread!

Soft water requires less soap and fewer rinses to achieve optimal results, making it easier to rinse soap away. Soft water also balances your skin's pH level, so you’re left with hydrated smooth skin after every wash. And, as an added bonus, soft water can help to reduce topical issues such as eczema and acne skin. In fact, after installing a water softener, you may not need to purchase that expensive body wash and lotion you thought you needed!

What does soft water feel like?

Does soft water dry out skin? No, quite the opposite actually. If you think that soft water leaves you feeling slippering, the truth is that you’ve been using hard water and you’ve probably grown accustomed to the feeling of the residue it can leave behind on your skin. However, what you’re really experiencing is the grimy soap residue all over you – not to mention dead skin and dirt that didn’t get washed away.

Why does soft water feel slippery? When some people first have a water softener installed in their home, they notice a slick or slippery feeling to their skin. Soft water removes mineral ions and washes all of that soapy stuff off so your skin is left feeling totally clean and smooth. With soft water, the sodium and potassium allow soap to mix with water, so it instantly lathers better. When rinsed away, the skin is not covered in soap scum, since the natural oils from your own body haven’t been stripped from your skin, it feels different. What people are feeling is their skin's own natural hydration instead of a scummy residue.

Soft water helps to get rid of irritation and improves the health of your skin.

Should You Get a Water Softener?

Although you could make adjustments to your current skincare routine to counter the effects of hard water, a water softening system in your home makes your life a whole lot easier. Water softeners remove the hardness minerals from all your taps and faucets, leaving you with silky hair and soft skin.

Skin and hair issues may not be the only problem hard water is causing you and your family. Check out our other blogs to see how hard water affects your appliances and home.

If you’re concerned about skin issues, consider getting a water softener installed in your home. If you’re sick and tired of dealing with hard water in your home, a water softener is the most effective and most permanent solution to hard water challenges!