Is Hard Water Causing Your Hair and Skin Problems?

You’ve probably noticed that certain products affect your skin and hair, but did you know that the water you use can also be a contributor? If your skin is dry, itchy, or irritated, and your hair frizzy and straw-like, you could be suffering from the negative effects hard water has on your hair and skin. Here are some ways hard water can do damage to your body.

Hard Water Minerals Don’t Clean Effectively

If you have hard water, you have probably noticed that your shampoo and body wash do not form a good lather, so you have to use a lot of it. This is because hard water contains the minerals calcium and magnesium, which react with fatty acids in soap to form chemicals that coagulate and do not dissolve in water. Not only do these chemicals do a poor job of cleaning your hair and skin, but they also create a scummy layer on your body.

Hard Water Irritates Skin

Over time, the buildup of minerals and soap on your skin and hair can leave them looking and feeling less than healthy. Skin becomes dry and itchy from the soapy residue that hard water leaves on your body. The scum not only sucks moisture out of your skin, but also clogs pores, which can lead to acne.

If you have sensitive skin, you might notice you have more skin irritation when you wash in hard water. Simply wearing clothes washed in hard water can cause irritation to people with sensitive skin.

Hard water is especially problematic for people who have skin conditions such as eczema and dermatitis. Sufferers may have more frequent or severe flare-ups of their conditions.

Read about the difference soft water can make on your skin in our article.

Hard Water Harms Hair

When hard water minerals build up in your hair, they can dramatically change the way it looks and feels. Residue can weigh down your hair, making it look dull and lifeless. In addition, hard water minerals strip moisture from your hair, which is why it becomes dry and frizzy. If you notice that your hair is difficult to manage when you wash it at home but recovers when you use the showers at a vacation rental or the gym, the hardness of your home’s water supply could be to blame for your bad hair days.

In extreme cases, hard water can even lead to hair loss. This scary consequence occurs because calcium deposits build up on the scalp, causing hairs to break off at the base.

Protect Your Hair and Skin with a Water Softener

Although the effects of hard water on your hair and skin can be scary, the good news is that they go away quickly when you begin washing in soft water. Installing a water softener in your home is the best way to protect your hair and skin for the long term. Water softeners remove the minerals that cause your home’s water supply to be hard, making it much more suitable for daily washing.

If you are tired of your hair and skin looking dull and feeling dry, invest in a water softener today. Water-Right^® offers a range of products that can soften your home’s water supply to make it kinder on your skin and hair.

Find out even more in our video on hard water problems.