How to Protect Your Skin from Hard Water if You Can’t Afford a Water Softening System

Everyone knows that that hard water can be tough on your pipes and your washing appliances like your dish washer. The hard calcium, magnesium, and other mineral and metal deposits can build up and cause serious clogs. If the hard water is this bad for your home, you can only imagine the ill effects it has on your skin. According to Skinkraft.com, water that contains a high amount of undissolved minerals isn’t a serious risk to your overall health, but it will leave a greasy residue not only on your dishes and clothing after the washing cycle, it will also have a negative effect on your skin condition too. Because hard water is filled with minerals as opposed to pure water, it will leave a buildup of soap which can clog pores and inhibit our natural ability to release the oils we produce. This can inevitably lead to bad acne and/or eczema. What’s more, hard water will leave you with persistent dry skin as it inhibits the natural moisturizing of the skin. You will eventually begin to look older than your age while the dry skin leads to wrinkles and fine lines.   

So how do you go about getting rid of hard water? The one truly effective approach is to install one of the many water softener systems on the market today. These systems are connected to your plumbing system and usually use salt to soften your water, ridding your H20 of all those unwanted minerals that are doing damage to your pipes and your otherwise healthy skin. But these are trying economic times and what if you just don’t have the cash budgeted for a new water softener system? If that’s the case, you should be aware of the ill effects hard water can have on your skin and then you can make a plan to do something about them. 

Long Term Effects of Hard Water

Says Skinkraft.com, since hard water is filled with iron, calcium, magnesium, and other “free radicals,” they are known to break down the skin’s natural collagen which is what keeps it firm. This can lead to premature aging while fine lines emerge and the loose skin begins to sag. Exposure to hard water for prolonged periods of time can result in extreme cases of eczema and other aggravating skin conditions.    

Short-Term Effects of Hard Water

Short-term effects of hard water on the skin will result in itchy, dry flakes that are a constant cause of irritation. Your hair will also dry out and appear dull looking. This can lead to an annoying itchy scalp condition.  

How Can You Protect Your Skin from the Ill Effects of Hard Water?

The simplest, most cost-effective solution for fighting the ill effects of hard water to is use an over-the-counter water softener solution which can make the soap easier to rise. This will eliminate at least some of the soap residue that can build-up on your skin. You can also invest in soap-free cleansers that are said to be gentle on the skin, and you can make certain to keep your showers very short, avoiding extreme cold and hot temperatures. Skinkraft.com stresses the importance of using warm water on the skin, but at the same time, avoiding frequent face washing. When you are done, you should gently dab your face with a clean dry towel rather than an aggressive “rub down.” As a final dry skin preventative, you should use a moisturizing body lotion on the skin so that it can trap your natural oils and moisture thereby preventing further drying of the skin. Anyone with overly sensitive skin should look into moisturizers and body washes/soaps, that are said to be free of fragrances.  

An Easy Test for Gauging Your Water Hardness with Soap

Fill a drinking glass with 350ml of water, then add 10-12 drops of liquid handwashing soap. Rinse the mixture with a spoon vigorously. If very few soapy bubbles result, it means you have hard water. You can repeat the test to check for hard water severity by slowly adding more and more soap to the water and continue stirring. If very few bubbles continue to show up and the water also looks cloudy, you just might have a case of severely hard water.  

Even if hard water is said not to have any prolonged ill effects on your overall health, it can still be a constant source of irritation to the skin, and this can’t be good for your overall well-being. There are a number of ways to combat hard water using over-the-counter methods that come with little cost, but the only real solution is the installation of a water softening system. If you can’t afford to pay full price for one right now, perhaps you can find a reputable company that will allow you to pay for your service over time.  

This is a guest blog entry.