Why Hard Water Is Hard On Your Skin

Our skin is very important to our overall wellbeing. After all, it is our biggest organ and it protects us in so many ways. It's no wonder that skin care is such a huge industry - the skin care market could be worth over $24 billion in the UK alone! 

 

It's important to us here at PWP, too! People don’t always realise how much hard water is affecting their skin; there are a number of factors that cause conditions such as dry skin, eczema and psoriasis. These can include climate, genetics and in some cases even stress, but not everyone is aware that hard water can be an important factor too!  

 

We have had so many customers over the years tell us about how much their skin has improved after installing one of our systems and it's something we'll never tire of hearing (it's one of the many reasons that love what we do here at PWP). 

 

Tap water is something we use every day and for most it’s not something that is given a great deal of thought – but it is so important to our day-to-day lives, and that certainly goes for its relationship with skin! Changing something as fundamental to your environment as your home water supply is a great way to combat skin issues! 

Your skin is potected by an outer layer, the "skin barrier". A good way to think of it is as if it were a brick wall, with a specialised type skin cell acting as the bricks and 'lipids' acting as cement. This “brick wall” is mainly affected by hard water in a couple of ways - through soap scum deposits and by how hard water upsets our skin’s PH balance (we have mentioned the skin barrier in a previous entry to the PWP Though Catalogue, where we discussed the impact of alcohol based hand sanitisers on skin – well worth a read if we do say so ourselves!) .  

Ions in hard water (such as calcium and magnesium) bind to soap – this makes it harder to fully rinse off of our skin, leaving deposits of soap scum. It is referred to as “surfactant deposition”; this residue, or film, clogs pores, meaning your natural oils can’t effectively maintain your skin’s natural moisture. It can also be present in our clothing - after all, your hard water is going through your washing machine too and further skin irritation can result from this. The residue left on your skin will also be present in clothing after it is washed in hard water, meaning that your skin could be in constant contact with yet another source of irritation. 

 

Skin PH balance is also important. Our Skin’s natural ph is actually slightly acidic, which means that hard water isn’t ideal for skincare as the levels of calcium and magnesium in hard water make it more alkaline. The acidity of our skin's surface, the “acid mantle”, protects against bacteria and helps to keep the structure of the skin’s surface layer in place, so preserving this is very important to skincare. Vigorously cleansing and exfoliating due to the film left by soap scum, the inherent alkalinity of hard water and the ph of the cleaning products you use can all act together to compromise the acid mantle. Whether you treat your hot water or not, it’s worth keeping an eye on the ph of the products you use at home – too high a ph can make it take longer for your skin to return to its normal levels of acidity. 

 

If you are experiencing a condition such as eczema or psoriasis, your skin barrier’s ability to adequately protect your skin is already compromised – couple that with hard water’s potential to aggravate skin through surfactant deposition and it's adverse effect on the acid mantle, it’s fair to say that troubled skin and hard water aren’t a great combination! 

When we purify your home water supply, we protect everything the water touches. Our water purification systems will completely remove the hardness (as well as unwanted chemicals and impurities) from your water, and with that all of the negative effects that come with hard water. Cleansing and rehydrating your skin with water that has been beautifully softened, purified and polished is the best way to keep it protected – get in touch with us to book your free demonstration, so you can see for yourself the benefits of pure water!