Every time you unload the dishwasher, you can’t help but notice unsightly blemishes on your glassware and dishes. Your faucets have also developed scaly buildup.
These are the signs of hard water. And unfortunately, the mineral deposits in your home’s water aren’t just doing a number on your dishes and fixtures — they’re also taking a toll on your skin.
Hard water can impact both your skin’s health and its appearance. And no matter how many creams and moisturizers you invest in to remedy the problem, you’ll never totally eliminate it without getting to the crux of the matter — your hard water.
Fortunately, addressing your water issue and, in turn, restoring your skin’s health doesn’t have to be complicated.
Here’s a rundown on the top four signs of hard water on the skin and how you can stamp out hard water in your home.
1. Signs of Hard Water Include Increased Flaking and Dryness
One of the biggest effects of hard water is increased skin dryness. When your skin is healthy, its tone will be even and its texture smooth. It will feel comfortable, as the skin’s moisture will serve as a barrier against infection and irritation.
Meanwhile, if your skin is dry due to hard water, you may struggle with flaky and dry skin all year long, especially during the winter.
That’s because deposits of hard water, combined with soap residue, disrupt the lipid barrier that protects your skin against irritation. This may cause your skin to look parched and feel tight or dry, even after you’ve applied moisturizer to it.
2. Increased Eczema
Yet another one of the top symptoms of hard water on the skin is an eczema flare-up, which can exacerbate conditions like a hard water rash.
Eczema, a chronic condition affecting the skin, occurs when your immune system’s response is overactive. Signs of eczema include patches of itchy and dry skin; scaled lesions; and uncomfortable rashes.
Food sensitivities, some kinds of fabric, product fragrances, and dermatitis often trigger flare-ups of your symptoms.
How Hard Water Aggravates Eczema Symptoms
Worsening eczema is a sign of hard water because hard water’s calcium and magnesium ions interact with a protein in your skin called filaggrin. This interaction leads to damage to the lipid barrier that is supposed to be protecting your skin.
3. Acne Breakouts
Common symptoms of hard water on the skin also include breakouts and blemishes.
Your skin surface’s pores are located over the skin’s sebaceous glands, the glands that produce the oil your skin needs to remain supple. This oil plays an important role in moving skin cells that are dead from your pores’ lining to your skin’s surface.
When cellular bacteria and debris become trapped in the pores, bacteria that break down your trapped oil begins to trigger an immune system response.
However, hard water’s minerals may change your skin oil’s consistency from liquid form to wax form, so one of the potential signs of hard water is pore clogging and, in turn, breakouts.
This is the case even if you use non-comedogenic products on your skin that are designed for skin that is prone to blemishes.
4. Accelerated Skin Aging
The top signs of hard water on skin even include accelerated skin aging.
Over time, your skin loses the ability to repair and rejuvenate, as the skin’s turnover of cells slows down. Oil production also takes a dip, and pores enlarge.
Ultraviolet exposure is believed to cause the majority of aging signs. However, hard water’s calcium and magnesium content may also produce free radicals capable of damaging skin cells and contributing to elastin and collagen breakdown in your skin.
Rejuvenating Skin and Reducing Signs of Aging
Elastin and collagen play a crucial role in giving your skin elasticity and firmness. So, if your skin is constantly bombarded with hard water, it could easily start to sag and develop fine lines and wrinkles.
The good news? Skin aging and other above-listed signs of hard water can be mitigated with soft water, which you can easily generate with the help of water filtration products in your home.
Mitigate the Signs of Hard Water on Skin with the Help of a Water Filtration System from AquaBliss
At AquaBliss, we design water filtration products that filter out the harmful sediments and chemicals that damage your hair and skin.
By protecting and revitalizing your hair and skin, water filtration can help you achieve a higher level of health and happiness. That’s why we take pride in offering our products like showerhead filters.
Get in touch with us to learn more about how to remove the signs of hard water in your home and breathe new life into your skin.
