How Could My Skin Be Sensitive to Water?

Living in the southeast of the United Kingdom means that all our water over here is hard, meaning it's full of natural minerals. You only have to check your kitchen and bathroom appliances to know this to be true. For example, a chalky and scaly substance from water clings to the inside of the tea kettle or shower head.

The impact of hard water on my skin

My skin became dry, cracked, and very uncomfortable, and I believe hard water from my faucets was to blame. If I made any sudden movements, those cracks in my skin would spilt even more, causing my skin to bleed.

For years I always wondered why my overall health improved when I used to go away on holiday to foreign climates. In the 80s, my family and I regularly took summer breaks in Italy, Malta, Austria, Portugal, etc. We were fortunate. They used to be 2-week vacations too.

Environmental impact on allergies and skin

Growing up with allergies meant that my parents would try anything to try and alleviate my suffering. Very often, the places we visited would have warm and dry weather without much greenery.

It was amazing to get away from the high pollen levels of the UK and live in a different environment for a couple of weeks. It did my allergies and skin a world of good!

My family and I attributed the improvement in my allergies to the sunny climate, which undoubtedly helped in spadefuls. However, I now realize we missed something crucial that was key in helping me get better. The soft water in the climates was the real magic that was happening.

Showering with soft water improved my skin

I used to hate getting in the shower at home. I would dread it. On holiday, just being under the shower in the hotels and apartments we stayed in felt absolutely glorious on my skin. The water would feel like velvet flowing over my skin. I always wanted to stay in.

We also noticed that we never needed to apply so much moisturizer to our skin while away. Amazingly, I never put 2 and 2 together back then. I thought being out in the sun and down the beach all day was the thing that was doing all the work. When in fact, the soft water was doing all the work.

Investing in a water softener at home

My allergies would return in full force within a few weeks of being home from vacation. It was so demoralizing. I would want to cry. I would fantasize about living abroad and never having to deal with this.

Years later, my then-wife and I invested in a water softener. Water softening is a process by which calcium, magnesium, and other metals are removed from the water. Within a month, I noticed that my skin had become more radiant. It was less dry, and I was glowing for a while.

Unfortunately, the improvement in my skin health did not last as long as I had hoped. It's almost as if my skin knew it was being tricked, and it fought back. I still use my water softener to this day. It was well worth the purchase. Of course, it is not like being in a warmer climate where the water is naturally soft, but it is the next best thing for me.