The male skin is tough, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t need care. After shaping your hair and your beards, you need a smooth skin to compliment it. With hard water, it is challenging to get that smooth and oily skin you need.
Hard water not only clogs pipes but also clogs the pores on your skin. When that happens, you end up with dry skin, and sometimes you might have breakouts.
If you have experienced clogged pipes and stained surfaces, you probably have hard water in your home. Hard water contains calcium, magnesium, and other mineral deposits. If the minerals can clog pipes, imagine what they will do to delicate skin. The good news is, you can prevent all that.
What is Hard Water?
Hard water is any water with a high content of dissolved minerals. These are minerals that your body needs (although in trace amounts), so taking the water will not cause any adverse health effects to your body. However, the water leaves a residue on your dishes, your clothes, and your skin and hair.
How Does it Affect Your Skin and Hair?
As a man, you do not want something that messes up your hair. But when you use hard water, it leaves a buildup of soap residue. The residue clogs the pores on your skin, hindering the body’s ability to release natural oils. If the body cannot release natural oils, you end up with acne and eczema.
The salts also leave your skin feeling dry as it draws out the moisture from your skin. Dry skin makes you look old as it causes fine lines and wrinkles.
These are only short term effects. If you use hard water for a long time, the iron, calcium, and magnesium might lead to the formation of free radicals. These can break down collagen, which are the fibers that keep your skin firm. You can prevent all that by getting a sleek and compact water softener for use at home. The water softener doesn’t have to cost you much or take up unnecessary space in your home.
The hard water makes your skin sag and develops fine lines and wrinkles as the collagen breaks. It also aggravates conditions such as flare-ups and eczema. Sensitive skins will start experiencing these conditions earlier than normal skin.
In the short term, you will have dry, flaky, and itchy skin. Sometimes you will have breakouts. The water will also affect your hair, giving it a dull appearance that can give you an itchy scalp. If you do not want dry hair, avoid hard water.
Protect Your Skin and Hair
- The easiest way to avoid hard water is to use a water softener at home. A water softener removes the minerals in the water, leaving the water soft and easy to rinse off. Modern water softeners are more efficient and only take up a small space in your home. They also come with an easy to read manual for easy installation.
- Before you buy a water softener fit for your home, you need to use soap-free skin cleansers. These are gentle on your skin and do not leave residue on your skin.
- Keep your shower short and avoid very cold or very hot water.
- Use warm water when washing your face and avoid frequently washing it.
- Avoid rubbing your face after cleaning it and instead dab it with a soft towel
- Apply a moisturizing body lotion when the skin is still damp. This will help you trap the moisture to ensure the skin does not dry all day. If your skin is sensitive or dry, use fragrance-free moisturizers.
Test the Hardness of Water at Home
You can test your water at home to see how hard it is. Put water in a bottle and add a few drops of hand wash soap. Shake the bottle and observe the bubbles that form. If only a few bubbles form, then your water is hard. Add more drops and continue shaking. If the bubbles still do not increase, then your water is really hard. Sometimes the water turns cloudy instead of forming bubbles – another indication of hard water.
Conclusion
Hard water may not cause any diseases, but it is not good on your skin, your hair, and your clothes. You, therefore, need to get a water softener to soften your water. You will not only have soft skin but also lengthen the life of appliances, clothes, and kitchen utensils.
