Water Quality and Skin Health

Howdy! Here is another nugget of truth to ponder. Your skin is the largest organ of the human body and is directly influenced by water quality. An interesting fact: the skin consists of approximately 64% water, and hence, its importance in skin health cannot be underestimated. In this article, we will only consider the effect of water hardness on the skin.

Let’s delve into the details…

Water hardness is primarily defined by the concentration of mineral ions, specifically magnesium and calcium, in the water. Hard water has a high concentration of these mineral ions, whereas soft water has a far lower concentration. It is these metal ions that are responsible for scaling (scaling refers to the precipitation of minerals that consequently form compacted layers) your water pipes, as well as the electrical heating element of a conventional kettle. If this phenomenon occurs regularly at your home, you know that you have hard water. Another criterion that distinguishes hard water from soft water is the ability for soap to lather and clean. It is difficult to lather soap (making it foam) in hard water, and it is much easier to do so in soft water.

The pH of water is also related to water hardness. The pH scale is used to measure the acidity or alkalinity of a substance. The pH scale ranges from 0 to 14, where a value below 7 is acidic, a value above 7 is alkaline, and a value of 7 is neutral. Pure distilled water generally has a pH of 7, which means it is neutral on the pH scale. Due to the mineral content of hard water, it is alkaline and therefore has a pH higher than 7.

The pH of large portions of the skin on the face and body is in the range of 4.7 to 5.7, which means it is slightly acidic. This pH is maintained by the skin’s acid mantle, which is the protective barrier of the skin. Exposure to hard water can, therefore, disrupt the skin barrier and its natural oils, leading to moisture loss. Hard water also causes the deposition of soap scum, and the surfactants in the soap leave a thin layer of this behind on the skin. It is these deposits that clog the oil-secreting pores. This causes dry, itchy, and irritated skin. The use of hard water can also worsen skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis. Therefore, the overall effectiveness of lotions and moisturisers is lower, as the skin is not entirely clean when applying them.

It is thus ideal to wash your skin with soft water, as it will ensure that your skin is better cleaned and that the skin’s barrier is not disturbed, thereby preserving its natural oils.
What are the possible remedies?

• Ensure that you bathe or shower in cold or lukewarm water, not hot water.
• Wash your face with a pH-stabilising cleanser.
• Install a water softener at home.
• Install a softener filter on the shower head.
• Seek help from a skincare professional.

Best Regards
Andries

References:
1. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/368509605_Water_Hardness_and_Skin_issues
2. https://www.learnskin.com/articles/how-hard-and-soft-water-affects-the-skin-and-hair/
3. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9716057/
4. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022202X1732938X
5. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9804584/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022202X24019717#:~:text=Function%2Fimportance%20of%20skin%20pH,Lambers%20et%20al%2C%202006).