Seeing everyone uses water during their daily skincare regime, we thought it would be interesting to find out if water can be bad for our skin since everything has the potential to become an irritant, right?
Given the natural variations of water from different areas or regions, the water we frequently use can generally be classified into two categories – the “hard water” and the “soft water”. “Hard water” has a higher mineral content than “soft water”. Unfortunately, these minerals are made up of magnesium, calcium, and iron which can cause skin irritation.
You will know you’re using hard water when the usual soapy product make less lather (not as rich and bubbly), making it difficult to wash off the residue of your soap. This may result in increasing the sensitivity of delicate skin.
CARING TIP: If you’ve tested the hardness and pH level of your water and found that neither are desirable, you can boil your water and keep it in the fridge for safer skin-caring. Alternatively, get a filter system installed in your home to ensure water doesn’t stand between you and flawless skin.
Can my SKIN absorb harmful chemicals through water?
Your skin can’t “absorb” chemicals from the water directly but rather, it is the mineral-rich water and over-cleansing that can be slightly abrasive or have a drying effect on your skin, especially sensitive skin. Chances are, you will be absorbing harmful chemicals via facial soap or cleanser than from the tap water itself.
CARING TIP: Choose a cleanser that is detergent-free and specially formulated for very sensitive skin. Try Pevonia’s Ligne Lavandou, a sensitive skin cleanser that provides a gentle touch to your (sensitive) skin by combining the most soothing and healing ingredients such as Shea Butter, Propolis, Bisabolol, and Neroli Essential Oil, to calm skin sensitivity, easing blotchiness, and irritability while moisturizing the skin.
Could anyone be allergic to water? Unfortunately, yes. Aquagenic urticarial, or water allergy is a very rare disease where any type of water feels painful upon contact with the skin. The allergy causes itchy hives.
If you find yourself extremely sensitive to water, and have tried all sorts of methods to help and/or prevent the allergic reaction, it is best that you speak to your doctor about the potential aquagenic urticarial condition.
Fun Fact: It might surprise you to learn that 25% of all bottled water actually comes from tap water. Some are treated, some are not. Dasani and Aquafina are two popular brands of bottled water that come from city sources that are osmosis filtered then bottled. Some brands don’t bother to even filter their water and are bottled straight from the tap! (source here)
