hard water Archives - Top Medical

Is Hard Water Bad For Your Skin?

The significant impact of hard water on one’s skin is dryness. Hard water results in your skin looking dry, and it can also lead to other skin issues such as acne and blemishes. When water has increased amounts of calcium, it doesn’t dissolve detergent, soap or any other cleaning products — which means the soap residue remains on your skin, dishes, hair or clothes. This results in blocked pores as well as sensitive peeling skin.

How to Neutralize

To begin with, consider using a water softener in the house. If not, you can consider installing a water softening shower head which can filter the hardening minerals for less than having to install a whole-home water softening system.

Moreover, utilizing a gentle cleanser for cleaning the skin can also help. Water quality and temperature are also crucial considerations when you want to have healthy skin.

By avoiding hot water, you are not fully shielding your skin against drying, since hard water results in soap build upon one’s skin regardless of the temperature. Hot water cannot aggravate dryness and exacerbate conditions such as eczema, dermatitis. Also, showering for a long time can deprive the skin of its natural and protective oils, which lead to irritation.

Recommended Products

People suffering from dermatitis and other conditions of the skin will need to take special care of it to make sure that their skin remains hydrated properly after cleansing.

Dermatologists recommend dabbing the skin when you get out the shower other than briskly drying. Avoiding some soaps and using a solid moisturizer can aid you to achieve healthy skin even when you shower using hard water. When you are picking a face or body wash for hard water, it is essential to pick a non-soap based detergent that is safe for the body.

Nutrient-Rich Products

Vitamin C can aid to restore a dull appearance, and vitamin A aids to get rid of fine lines as well as wrinkles that appear when the skin is not hydrated appropriately. Also, exfoliation will assist to remove dead skin cells and promote the faster turnover rate of cells.

Bottom Line

So, is hard water bad for your skin? It does have some negative effects on one’s skin, but those issues can be addressed with simple solutions. Hard water contains certain minerals that tend to dry skin out. Dry skin can thus lead to irritation and/or break outs. Some simple remedies to this issue is to install a water softening system, replacing shower heads with water softening ones, and taking care of your skin with the right products.

Is Drinking Softened Water Bad for You? – What to Know

Water is, in many ways, life itself. Every being on the planet needs water to survive. For us, water works to regulate body temperatures, to lubricate our joints, to transport nutrients in our bodies and support immunity. Vital organs like kidneys and the liver depend on water for their function of blood purification and detoxification. But does soft drinking water interfere with these processes and is drinking softened water bad for you? This article will go into detail about how hard and soft water differ and what the pros and cons of each are.

Hard Water

Water from the many parts of the world is naturally hard. Hard water is super-packed with minerals that serve as electrolytes in cell function in our bodies. Such ions include potassium, magnesium, and sodium among others.

Without these essential minerals, no matter how much water you drink you will be at risk of dehydration. The electrolytes help in water retention in cells. We always lose water when we breathe out, when we sweat and when we use the washrooms. When there is no water retention mechanism in our bodies, there is an excessive loss that upsets the natural balance leading to dehydration.

The Geological Survey of the United States estimates that 85% of the nation has hard water sources. Lately, however, many people are using water softeners to achieve desirable benefits with water. There have been concerns that drinking softened water might be bad for health. Are these allegations true in any way?

Softened Water

During water softening, calcium and magnesium get replaced with sodium ions. If the hard water contained lots of magnesium, then it would take more sodium to soften the water.

Why is water softened?

• In order to prevent damage to water pipes – hard water clogs pipes

• For easy washing – hard water forms scum with soap and damages the fibers in our clothes

• For bathing – hard water can be irritating to the skin and damage our hair

So, what happens when you drink soft water? Despite popular belief, softened water is not salty. During water softening, sodium bicarbonate is formed, as opposed to the table-salt compound sodium chloride.

Sodium in Food vs. In Softened Water

The quantity of sodium in softened water is quite low, compared to sodium found in natural food. An 8-ounce glass of softened water contains less than 12 mg of sodium. The same glass of milk contains approximately 120 mg of sodium and a glass of orange juice packs about 25 mg of sodium.

Doctors recommend that we not exceed 2,400 mg daily consumption of sodium. Drinking soft water in a day generally adds about 160 mg of sodium to your natural diet. If you are concerned about the effects of softened water, it is prudent to talk to a doctor about diet changes. In rare cases, doctors have discouraged anyone from drinking softened water.

People watching their sodium intake can consider water purification. That is water softening that uses potassium instead of sodium. The systems achieve the best water for your health and cleaning.

So, is drinking softened water bad for you? Drinking softened water is not bad for your health. Most of the sodium in our bodies comes from processed foods. Even when using softened water for drinking you can maintain the right sodium levels in your body by eating fresh foods and using less table salt.