Did you know that hard water can damage your hair, skin, nails, and even your clothes and appliances? More so, this type of water contains a high level of minerals such as calcium and magnesium. More so, even though it contains beneficial minerals such as magnesium and calcium, long-term use causes more harm than good.
It’s Important To Know Why Hard Water Can Cause Damage
More often than not, we drink our water and never think twice about it. But not testing your water can cause permanent damage to your home and body. Whether you moved to a new home or lived there for years, this type of water does take a toll. Moreover, it can cause serious problems and have negative impacts on your family’s long-term health.
While some of the minerals in our water meet safety requirements, the levels of contaminants can harm us and impact our health. More so, our tap water isn’t 100% pure H20, and you don’t know what’s in it until you test it. After all, no one likes or wants bad-tasting tap water. And it’s too expensive to use bottled water for all of our home needs.
In addition, our drinking water contains trace minerals from the soil, lakes, rivers, and corroded plumbing. And depending on your location, it can include high levels of manganese or aluminum. While these minerals can be beneficial, water sediments can carry harmful bacteria with them.
Well, the good news is, there are plenty of water softening systems on the market that can counteract the negative effects. So, the first step is to identify if your water supply has hard water or not. If you’re not sure, below, we will discuss the tell-tale signs to look out for in your home.
1 – Residue On Appliances Or Clothes
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A tell-tale sign of hard water can reflect itself on your appliances and or clothes. Often, it leaves behind scaling, scum, or residue. So if you notice your water leaves behind white scaling around your taps, it’s most likely the leftover signs of residue. Additionally, you will find residue on your plates and cutlery after washing as well.
More damaging, these water issues can leave a film on your clothes and often destroy them in the process. Fortunately, it has a hard time dissolving shampoo and soaps but can cause build-up on your clothes after time. When it damages our appliances, this can and does cause expensive replacement or repair bills. More so, it can damage costly appliances like your dishwasher, washing machine, and water heater.
Furthermore, these water issues can damage faucets and create water pressure problems. Mineral deposits in your water supply lines can block water flow and mineral build-up as well. Over time, this means you will need to replace water lines, faucets, and showerheads which means a huge expense.
Fixing Hard Water Laundry Stains On Your Clothes
Fortunately, you can resolve these stains by doing the following. First, when you do your laundry, add four times the amount of laundry detergent to your wash. Then, add one cup of water conditioner like Charlie’s Soap Booster & Hard Water Treatment (#ad). This conditioner removes problem minerals from your water, such as calcium, that keep detergents from working. In addition, it’s non-toxic and aids in natural biodegradation in the environment.
Additionally, if you want to remove white reside mineral or detergent stains, there’s a fix for that too. You can soak the items in one cup of white distilled vinegar with one gallon of water. Do this for about 30 minutes. Then, rinse well and wash in your machine on a regular cycle.
2 – Skin Flare-Ups Like Redness And Irritation
If you experience dry, irritated skin, you might want to check your water. More so, if you have skin conditions or experience sensitive skin like eczema or rosacea, your water can make it worse. Typically, water issues cause a pH imbalance and can result in skin irritation. As well as irritating the skin, this water can clog your pores and cause skin congestion.
Also, this type of water contains high minerals, so it doesn’t rinse soap scum and lather away as effectively as soft water. Over time, this can lead to a build-up of residue from soap, shampoo, and other products. In turn, this clogs the pores and causes spots and congestion. So, your water can cause skin problems and exacerbate existing issues as well.
However, you can resolve skin problems by changing your face soap to Garnier SkinActive Micellar Foaming Face Wash (#ad). And it works great on all skin types. More so, it’s gentle enough for everyday use. And micellar face wash removes makeup without drying.
Either way, the overabundance of minerals can cause skin irritation and prevent you from wearing the makeup you love too. That’s why it’s important to make sure you rule out water issues in your home. And if you have them, you can find ways to resolve them.
3 – Dry Brittle Nails From Hard Water
Along with skin and hair problems, your water can also damage your nails. Long-term exposure to hard water leads to nail damage. The hard minerals in water break down the layers of keratin in your nails, weakening the nails and destroying the nail beds.
Furthermore, dry nail beds and brittle nails are early indicators of a water problem as well. Since this type of water has a drying effect on the skin, you’ll notice your nail beds are dry. And your nails become weak and discolored. Also, they might not grow as quickly as they used to.
However, there’s hope for your nails, so don’t fret. First, if you experience these nail conditions, always keep your nails clean and dry. Next, apply Hard As Hoof Nail Strengthening Cream (#ad) up to three times daily. Massage into the nail bed, cuticles, and undersides of nails three times per day or as often as needed.
You can also use it over nail polish. You’ll find it prevents splits, chips, peels & cracks in even the most severe cases. And it features a proven formula for strengthening nails and conditioning cuticles for over 25 years. And over 45,000 shoppers love it with five-star reviews. Plus, you can use it on your toenails too!
4 – Your Hair Looks dull, Lifeless, Or You Experience Thinning
Of course, if your water problems affect your skin and nails, they can mess with your hair too. The minerals in hard water, such as calcium and silica, make it difficult to rinse properly. Failure to rinse well can cause product build-up in the hair, leaving it lifeless and dull.
If your hair seems to have a constant film no matter how often you wash it, there’s a strong chance that you can have this problem. One of the other big issues is that it often leads to overwashing. Thanks to the product build-up, people tend to overwash their hair, causing further dryness, weakening their hair follicles, and exasperating the problem.
Another indicator is that your hair is suffering dry and irritated scalp. The minerals present lead to breakage, thinning, scalp irritation, and dandruff. The drier your scalp becomes the more these issues flare-up. And it can affect those with color-treated hair. Plus, it contributes to dyed hair turning brassy or developing green tinges. Color-treated hair washed regularly in this type of water will fade quickly. And this means you will have to dye it more often, increasing the damage.
For people who experience skin conditions, this can result in hair loss, especially for prolonged exposure. In addition, the continued breakage caused by this type of water eventually leads to thinning hair.
Fortunately, you can try the Malibu C Hard Water Wellness Set (#ad). This set help moisturize, restore, and defend your hair against damaging minerals found in hard or well water. And it will lift out stubborn mineral deposits that cause discoloration, dryness, and dullness, restoring your gorgeous shine and bounce.
Key Takeaways
It’s important to know the effects long-term exposure to hard water can have on your health. While they aren’t life-threatening nor anything to cause you alarm, over time, they can escalate and cause long-term damage to your hair, skin, and nails.
If you’re concerned that you might have hard water, it’s key to be proactive and learn about water treatment. By recognizing the signs and taking small steps, you can reverse the damage and get your laundry, skin, hair, and nails back in prime condition.
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