Have you ever found that your extreme dry skin was caused by your water?

Question

Our dermatologist cant pinpoint it but 3 of 5 in our family has really dry skin that started about 3 months ago.

Answer 1

Very hard water can certainly donate to the problem, though strictly speaking it's not the cause. With hard water you have a lot of minerals like calcium in the water, which prevent the soap from being completely washed away. Lots of the minerals will combine with the soap to form a sort of soap curd, or crud, if you prefer. That residue stays on the skin after a bath or shower, and is irritating to the skin, and will also tend to dry the skin out. The problem isn't just limited to your bath and shower, though. That same problem extends to the washer, and the detergeant you use to try to get the clothes clean. The soaps and detergeants you use can't work in the hard water, or be rinsed off/away easily, and the residue soap curds and dirt get left behind. If you find yourself using a lot of soap to create suds, or you notice a white residue left behind in your pots, pans or tea kettle which looks like powder or fur, then it quite possibly is whats behind your trouble. The best cure is to install an inline water softener to treat the water as it comes into the house. That will also buy some life for your hot water heater, which will fairly rapidly clog up and die from the minerals in the water.
On the other hand, if you have been living in this location for some time, and had no problems until just recently, then the water likely isn't the source of the trouble. Water companies and wells don't change sources, and suddenly become hard or softer. So unless you made the change in location just prior to the problem showing up, it isn't your water. You can also consider some other things, like if you remodeled and put in extra insulation in the house, or installed a gas heater. Gas tends to make for dry air, and a tightly closed up house tends to have drier air as well. In this case, you'd want to have a humidifier to add moisture to the air around you. I won't go into the whole soap change question, because I assume the dermatologist would have already covered all the obvious stuff. But if you just moved 3 or 4 months ago, then yes, the water could be behind the trouble. You can have it tested yourself, or contact the local water company who provides service, because they have it analyzed all the time and can tell you. If it's a well, the local county extension agent can probably put you in touch with a lab to test it, or you can check the yellow pages for a water testing lab near you.

Answer 2

Absolutely. Very often excess chlorine can cause dry skin and scalp irritation.

I suspected it for years, then confirmed it when we moved for 4 years to a primitive cabin where we bathed in rainwater. Voila - no more dry skin.

You can buy a filter for your showerhead that gets most of the chlorine out. You can neutralize the alkalinity by rinsing in diluted vinegar mixed with lavender oil. Helps somewhat to use a corrective soap, like Basis, or an olive oil based soap from your health food store. Also helps to bathe less often.

Answer 3

I use exfoliating gloves (rub lightly to remove dead skin) with Johnson's baby cream lotion bath. It's not tear free so careful. Then use a hypoallergenic facial moisturizer. (I sometimes use St.Ives but use sparingly) It sounds like you have dry skin because of the redness. Exfoliating will help smooth the bumps. Drink lots of water too.

Answer 4

yes! i put on lots of lotion right after and try not to put the water heat too high..hot water can cause dry skin as well

Answer 5

yes in my house all 3 of us have dry skin now -- and the dry cold in north texas doesnt help

Answer 6

Yes

Answer 7

definitely! Go get some salt pellets and put them in your water heater! Your water is too hard and it needs to be softened. That should solve the problem!

Answer 8

Yup.
Solution? Get a water softenener installed in your home.

Otherwise, extra moisturizing body wash, and lotion after. Every single day.