Most shower-related conversations tend to focus on how long you stay in there, and how hot the water is, but do you know if you’re showering in hard or soft water?

According to Dermatologist Vikram Rajkomar, showering in hard water means that free radicals can be caused by the calcium and magnesium can be left on your skin, leading to skin ageing, and dry, irritated skin.

How to tell if you’re showering in hard water.

Hard water is water that contains a high amount of minerals, namely calcium and magnesium as mentioned. These minerals can change your skins pH balance, which tends to make skin drier and more sensitive, and can be harsh for those who suffer from conditions such as eczema.

However, dry and itchy skin can arise from a variety of conditions, so to find out if hard water is responsible for your red and irritated skin, a simple test to check is to fill a bottle a third full with tap water, add a few drops of soap, and shake well. If the water is cloudy and not very foamy, then you have hard water.

If you discover you do live in a hard water area, don’t panic, it’s isn’t inherently bad. There are ways to combat irritated skin and hard water.

Mitigate dry skin with more hydrating products, such as Manuka honey, aloe, and colloidal oat. Or you can limit your showers to once a day, and see if the dryness and itchiness subsidies.

The most effective way, however, is to invest in a water softener, which would exchange the calcium and other materials for sodium, which would make the water soft again.

If your skin is suffering from the effects of hard water, and you need water softening services in Beaconsfield, then give us a call!