5 Negative Effects of Hard Water on Skin and Hair

If you’ve ever dealt with mineral clogs on your shower head or sediment buildup in your water heater, you know that hard water can be a huge nuisance. But there are other ways hard water can interfere with your life that you might not be familiar with. Did you know that hard water can contribute to skin problems like psoriasis? Or that it can cause your hair to dry out?

Hard water can cause you and your family a lot of problems in ways that you don’t expect. Here are some of the more problematic effects of hard water on skin and hair.

1. Dry Hair

Is your hair dry and frizzy? Does your child’s hair have split ends? There’s a good chance the problem is hard water!

To be clear, the effects of hard water on skin and hair are not caused by the minerals in the water itself. However, those minerals prevent soap, shampoo, and detergent from fully dissolving, leaving behind a layer of soap film that can stick to your hair. It can then dry your hair out, leaving it frizzy, cracked, and riddled with split ends.

2. Dry Scalp and Dandruff

Were you wondering if the same problems that hard water can cause for hair apply to the scalp as well? Unfortunately, the answer is yes. The scalp is sensitive to anything that saps moisture, and the drying effect of soap film can leave your scalp flaky and dry. If you have existing dandruff problems, hard water might exacerbate them as well!

3. Acne and Breakouts

Acne, pimples, and breakouts are enough of a problem without your water helping them along. But hard water can do just that! The same soap film problem that makes your hair and scalp dry? It can also leave a residue that clogs your pores. Hard water also prevents soap and cleaning products from lathering, making them less effective. If your skin cleanser isn’t working properly, you might want to look into purifying your water.

4. Eczema and Psoriasis

While hard water doesn’t cause skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis, it can exacerbate them. If you have these problems, your skin is very susceptible to drying. This leaves your skin vulnerable to soap residue remaining on your skin, causing irritation and drying out, and making eczema and psoriasis worse. Additionally, hard water prevents soap from lathering and makes it less effective, requiring you to scrub more and for longer. This can also dry out your skin and make existing problems worse.

5. Detergent on Your Skin

Laundry detergent can cause rashes and redness if it maintains long contact with your skin, especially if your skin is sensitive. This can be a real problem for babies and toddlers, and hard water can be the culprit. Laundry detergent that doesn’t fully dissolve in hard water can stay behind on clothing as a residue, opening the possibility for the detergent to irritate your child’s skin.

The negative effects of hard water on skin and hair can seem endless, but there is a solution: a complete home water filtration system. By refining, cleaning and softening your entire home’s water, you can limit or even prevent the severeness of these detrimental health effects. The Guardian Water Service’s water refiner uses a proprietary five step purification process to ensure your home’s water won’t contribute to existing skin and hair problems. Schedule your free water quality test with one of our water experts to see the difference our system can make in your home.