Hard water can have a couple of effects on your household and one of them is on your skin. In case you have hard water, you are probably aware of soap scum, which is the reaction between minerals in your soaps and hard water. It can be unsightly and hard to clean. You might be familiar with limescale too, which is the collection of minerals on fixtures in your home.

Maybe you are unaware of how hard water affects your skin, which is common if you do not have a whole house water filtration system. The minerals in hard water can also impact your skin, and find out what those effects are by reading until the end.

What Defines Hard Water

Hard water with a high volume of “hard” minerals, primarily calcium and magnesium. It is measured by using grains per gallon (gpg). In order for water to be considered hard, it should register above 3.5 gpg. Therefore, why will it matter if the water that runs through the plumbing system is hard or filtered? Hard water can cause wear and tear on household appliances, which causes buildup on the plumbing and showerheads, and your laundry will be stiff, discolored, and dingy.

Common Effects of Hard Water on Your Skin 

If you are in an area that has hard water, you could be familiar with the following skin issues:

• Irritation
• Dry skin
• Acne/ clogged pores
• Irritated scalp / dry scalp/dandruff

Soap Scum

Hard water has dissolved minerals like magnesium and calcium. These minerals make it more difficult for water to form a soap solution, and it leaves a scummy residue behind. If there is hard water in your home, you will notice that there is white soap scum on your bathroom fixtures. Hard water also clogs your shower head and plumbing, which reduces pressure.

What you might not know is that the same soap scum will build up on your skin. You are not going to get a nice lather because there is residue clogging your pores in the same way it is clogging your pipes. Clogged pores could lead to breakouts and bad skin conditions like eczema or acne.

Irritated Scalp

Hard water is going to dry up your scalp by making it hard to completely wash out the traces of shampoo. Using hard water to shower will also leave a thin layer of soap on your scalp, which can dry out and it leads to irritation. In conditions where your scalp is already dry, like dandruff, is going to be made worse by the hard water presence.

Dry Skin

Soap scum because of hard water can clog your pores, and a lot of people discover that it causes them to feel itchy, dry, and irritated. The minerals found in hard water strip moisture from your skin while stopping natural body oils from lubricating your skin and keeping moisture. Hard water can also make your skin age faster. That means it causes you to look older than you are.

Hard water impurities such as magnesium and calcium can form free radicals that can damage healthy skin cells. That will lead to wrinkles and fine lines. Free radical damage can cause collagen breakdown, which is a structural protein that can help your skin look and feel healthy and firm.

Poor Lather

Hard water can dry out the scalp because shampoo traces are hard to wash out. Shampooing in hard water can also leave a thin soap layer behind your scalp, which dries out and leads to irritation.

You can contact the water softener system Warren anytime if you are ready to filter hard water in your home.