Does Soft Water Help Dry Skin?

Nov 7, 2022

You might be pleasantly surprised by the number of health benefits that soft water provides.

Amongst these are the help it provides to our skin – especially for those who suffer from dry skin conditions.

When you weigh up the hard water vs soft water debate and the effects that it has on your skin, it’s tough to find any redeeming features for hard water.

So, here’s a question for anyone living with hard water. When you step out of the bath or shower, does your skin feel silky smooth? Does it feel dry and itchy? And after washing, do you need to cover yourself in skin creams to stop your skin from looking reptilian!

You may inherently suffer from dry skin or, worse still, conditions like dermatitis or eczema. Whilst hard water may not have been the underlying cause of these, it certainly won’t help to ease them.

The health and condition of our skin has lots to do with whether we regularly use hard or soft water.

What effect can hard water have on the skin?

Hard water contains a number of dissolved minerals, especially calcium and magnesium. When washing, these minerals make it harder to form a lather with soaps, shampoos and shower gels.

That’s bad enough – but what many people don’t realise is that instead of building up a nice foam (or even a bubble bath!), the soap leaves a residue behind on the skin. All this does is clog up your pores. The natural oils that your skin produces get trapped and the skin adversely reacts, creating undesirable skin conditions.

Not only that, it also leaves a scummy appearance on baths and shower screens.

A feeding ground for dry and irritated skin

The minerals in hard water don’t just encourage the blocking up of pores in your skin, which may lead to irritation and dryness, they also strip your body’s natural oil production from providing important lubrication to the skin. By taking moisture away, every time your skin comes into contact with hard water, it can result in drier and drier skin.

And when skin takes on a dry and wrinkled appearance, it has the effect of making people looking older than they really are – thus increasing the need to slather on expensive body moisturisers! Skin that is frequently exposed to soft water will naturally stay better moisturised, look healthier and more vibrant.

Indeed, dermatologists explain that hard water can actually damage healthy cells, which could lead to lines and wrinkles. Soft water prevents any damage from occurring because it is less harsh on the skin. You’ll also stay cleaner when using soft water.

When you step out of the shower or bath, don’t confuse that squeaky clean feeling with actually being properly cleaned. All you are experiencing is sticky soap residue clinging to your skin, preventing a certain amount of dead skin and dirt particles from being washed off.

In contrast, softened water leaves the skin feeling almost slippery to the touch. This is exactly how it should be! You’ve cleaned away any dirt and grime but left the skin’s natural oils intact – so the skin feels smooth. That’s what happens when you have a water softener fitted!

Eczema in children – links to hard water

There is much evidence suggesting that hard water aggravates skin conditions. Indeed, UK research has shown that children living in hard water areas are 50% more likely to suffer from eczema.

Can soft water cure dry skin conditions?

It would be a step too far to suggest that by installing a water softener you will immediately cure eczema, dermatitis or persistent dry skin complaints.

But what soft water will do is help bring relief for a range of dry skin related conditions.

If you or your loved ones suffer from dry skin and are continually itching because of it, it may be that hard water is making the situation far worse than it need be. If you are currently living in a hard water and don’t yet have a water softener, it might be time to start giving the idea serious consideration.

Check out our MolliVita water softeners. Our range caters for all sizes of property – from apartments to mansions and everything in between.

You can order online here or, should you want to speak to one of our friendly team, please feel free to call us on 01243 252360 or contact us by email: hello@mollivita.co.uk

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