Careful! Hard Water Can Cause Unpleasant Skin Issues
Living with hard water is tough on your skin. Hard water is when the water is chocked full of minerals that cause your skin to dry out and clog your pores. Bathing and washing in hard water for an extended period of time can have long-term effects on both your skin and your hair quality. Hair can become dull and lifeless, while skin becomes dry and more prone to acne.
The problem is that you can’t choose what type of water your taps run – not initially. If there are hard water minerals in your local groundwater, then they will be in your tap water. The best solution is a home water softener unit, but it takes time to order and install a large appliance. In the meantime, we can offer some of our hard-water insights on how to protect your skin and hair in a home with hard water.
Keep Showers Brief and Warm
Limit your skin’s exposure to the hard water. You need to take showers, but they don’t need to be long. Take quick showers and keep the temperature at comfortably warm. Don’t take cold or hot showers, and go as quickly as you can. These methods are very helpful in minimizing the damage that hard water does to your skin. Hot and cold water can both make the drying effects of hard water worse. By taking short and mild showers, you can minimize the harm done to your skin.
Use Water-Free Cleansers
When living with hard water, often the best choice you can make is water-free skincare. Use water-free cleansers and face wipes that don’t require you to wash several minutes with water every time you get clean. You can exfoliate, cleanse, and moisturize with a minimal amount of water. You will need to experiment with the right water-free products for your skin. Each skin has a balance depending on your personal skin’s features. If your skin is dry or oily by nature, tends toward chapping, or needs regular exfoliation, you can find cosmetics that require no water or very little water.
Take Baths with Oil
Hard water dries out the skin and encourages rapid drying when you step out of the shower or bath. To protect your skin, you need to replace and trap moisture so that your skin can retain water in the dermis. This will keep your skin soft and un-chapped. A quick way to cover your entire body with oil is to take an oil bath. Pour a little almond oil or liquid coconut oil into your bath and let it coat your skin as you soak. When you dry, pat your skin lightly instead of scrubbing with the towel so the oil remains on your skin.
Apply Moisturizer After Washing
If you don’t take an oil bath, apply lotion or heavy moisturizer instead. Look for high-emollient solutions that will both add moisture and lock moisture into your skin. Take time to lotion your face and your entire body, because when you shower, hard water dries out every part of you that the water touches. It’s important to remember lotioning after each shower or bath so that your skin doesn’t take long-term damage. Leave-in conditioner is also a good idea for your hair after you are out of the water.
Install a Home Water Softener
Of course, the best way to prevent hard water damage to your skin and hair is to not wash in hard water. While you can’t change your municipal water supply, you can change what flows through your pipes. With a water softener unit installed in-line with your plumbing, you can soften every tap in the house and even the outdoor taps so that hard water stops taking its toll.
To consult on water softening solutions for your home, contact us today.
