How Hard Water Affects Your Skin?

The skin is the largest organ of the body, and it serves as a protective barrier, keeping infections and germs away from reaching the internal organs.

Skin is comprised of three layers: the epidermis, dermis, and subcutis. The epidermis or outer layer of skin is where all the action happens. The outer layer of your skin contains cells called keratinocytes, which make up 90 % of the entire epidermal layer.

Keratinocytes produce keratin, which is an insoluble protein. When these cells die off, they produce a natural exfoliant that sheds off the outer layer of your skin. This natural exfoliant removes dead cells and also prevents new cells from accumulating too close to your body's surface, which helps minimize inflammation and bacterial growth.

There are many things that can take a serious toll on your skin, including hard water. Hard water can be caused by not only the presence of various minerals in the water but also the water itself being in contact with minerals in pipes and other plumbing.

There's a certain level of hardness in water and any water supply that falls in excess of 5 grains constitutes as hard water - or when it comes in contact with pipes or when it comes in contact with the skin, it can leave mineral deposits behind which is what creates the hard scale.

This hard scale can make your skin feel dry and flaky and it may also restrict the skin's ability to absorb moisture and also cause certain irritations.

This is why you should be careful about showering too often in hard water because if you have dry skin, exposing it to hot water makes the situation worse.

Many people don’t know that the hardness of your tap water can affect your skin and your overall health. Hard water can make your skin dry and itchy, and cause rashes and dermatitis.

It also tends to leave the soap to be less effective, which means you may need to wash with even more soap to get clean.

How To Protect Your Skin From Hard Water?

You might be aware of the harmful effects of hard water on your skin and hair. Splashes of hard water on the face can cause pimples on your face, while exposure of your hair to hard water can dry them up.

Protecting your skin from the effects of hard water is extremely important for everyone. Hard water can be very harsh on our skin and using these required home remedies will help you in protecting your skin while bathing in hard water.

Protect yourself from the harsh effects of hard water by using these home remedies:

Use a water softening shower filter.
Use distilled or bottled water.
Mix two tablespoons of honey with one tablespoon of milk to take a bath with this mixture.
Take a bath using baking soda, but be careful while bathing because it can leave a bitter taste in your mouth.
Use mild soap while bathing instead of bar soap or any other acid-based soap. You can also use moisturizer after taking a bath.
Avoid bubble baths because it can form chemical reactions with hard water as it contains unnecessary chemicals that can damage your skin cells and hair follicles which can result in hair loss and acne breakouts.

7 Side Effects Of Hard Water On Your Skin

Hard water is known for its adverse effect on the health of your skin. Hard water causes a lot of skin diseases. It causes pimples or acne on your face. It also causes rashes and red patches on your body. The mineral content in hard water tends to form a layer on the skin making the skin dry and rough. This makes your skin look dull and old.

Here are some of the adverse effects of hard water on the skin:

Skin becomes dull and dry: Since hard water contains high levels of calcium and magnesium, it reacts with soap and removes all the natural oils from our skin. As a result, your skin becomes dull and dry.

Skin loses its elasticity: Hard water reduces the effectiveness of skin care products. This is because they do not absorb properly into the skin. This can make your skin lose its natural elasticity.

Acne and pimples: Hard water can cause acne and pimples as it leaves an oily residue on the skin. It also blocks the pores of our skin and makes it susceptible to bacteria and fungi which can cause acne breakouts.

Age spots: The mineral content in hard water increases the speed at which the skin ages. Constant exposure to hard water can cause age spots on your skin

Aggravates skin conditions: If you are suffering from eczema and psoriasis, hard water can make your condition worse because it can dry out your skin by removing the natural moisture and oil from your skin.

Damages the pH balance of your skin: The lack of moisture in your skin due to the usage of hard water can affect the pH of your skin, which could potentially cause breakouts.

Long-term damage: Hard water is that water which has high mineral content. It can result in many skin issues. It may not show any issues initially but the long term effects are damaging to your skin. The combination of hard water and your soap or face wash creates soap scum which can clog your pores and cause other skin problems. Your facial skin will become dull, flaky, dry and may start to wrinkle prematurely.

Take Away

Using hard water for everyday activities like bathing and laundering can get expensive, not to mention that hard water can get in the way of your health and beauty goals.

This is where a water filter comes in. By using a water filter pitcher, you can reduce the number of minerals in your water and all the problems they cause. This process will leave you and your family with softer, healthier skin and hair.