If you’ve been feeling like the water in your daily shower has become a bit viscous lately, rest assured that your mind is not playing tricks on you. Chances are that you have “soft” water, and a number of factors are leading your senses to experience that slimy sort of feeling.
What Is “Soft” Water Vs. “Hard” Water?
Many of us have heard these descriptors a great deal, but what do they all mean? Simply put, “soft” water has usually been put through some kind of a process that cancels out certain minerals. By replacing ions containing magnesium and calcium with potassium and sodium substitutes, it changes the water fundamentally. “Hard” water, meanwhile, still retains these minerals. Usually, it is naturally imbued with these minerals due to soil and rainwater.
How Do Soft and Hard Water Affect the Soap in Your Shower?
Have you ever stepped out of the shower and realized that your skin feels slightly stretched and a bit…parched? Perhaps you even feel a little “too” clean, and there is a very thin layer of what appears to be some soap scum. This is a sign of contact with hard water. After showering with soft water, however, it’s likely that you’ll exit the shower with a slight feeling of sliminess. You’ll notice that it’s easier than ever to get a lather going in the shower…but rinsing it off is a whole different story entirely.
How Does My Soap React with Hard and Soft Water?
Remember that the skin is the largest organ in your body, and it is naturally coated with a layer of oils that are meant to help protect all of your organs from a stunning array of harsh elements. When you’ve showered with hard water in the past, you may have noticed that it felt like your skin was a bit “stripped”; this is because the minerals in hard water have combined with your soap to cleanse your skin a bit too much. With soft water, meanwhile, you may have noticed that your skin’s natural coating of oil remains — and that your soap just kind of blends with it and sticks to the surface. This is what leads many to perceive that the water is “slimy”, which is not true. It is just that the interaction between the water and your skin leads to a more moist sensation, because the layer of soap scum has not stripped your skin.
Switching from Hard to Soft Water
Did you know that, regardless of the way it makes your skin feel, soft water is more likely to actually clean that epidermis? Especially if you’re used to showering with hard water, the sensation of cleansing yourself with soft water can be somewhat surprising. It can be hard to believe that you’re actually getting cleaner with that slippery sensation. However, the more you shower with softer water, the more you may grow to like it. Many report that their skin — and even their hair — feels more hydrated months after switching to a softer water. Some find that they don’t need to use as much soap in general, which is better for the environment — and one’s yearly spending on personal hygiene products like body wash. There can be a kind of adjustment process, however, when you’re getting accustomed to the sensation of showering with soft water. As with anything in life, it’s all about how the water makes you feel.
Hard Water and Soft Water: A Personal Preference
A lot of people tend to develop their own personal preferences when it comes to the composition of their water, and that is to be expected. What feels “slimy” to one person may feel moisturizing and luxurious to another. Fortunately, a qualified plumber can help suss out your situation and provide you with more information. After having a technician from Benjamin Franklin Plumbing out to take a look at your water, you will feel more educated about your own shower water — and you’ll become more empowered to make decisions moving forward.