Okay, so this is going to be my first big post here :). It needs more research, but I have a liberal arts degree so... I tried my best. Hopefully someone else can chime in! Also, you can skip part one if this is too long for you!
Part One: Tap water's effect on skin I've recently relocated to Houston, TX from the Pacific Northwest. The water in the PNW is known as some of the best tap water in the country. It doesn't contain fluoride (to clarify, I'm not opposed to drinking fluoride, just putting it on my skin), has a pH range of 7.2-8.2, and is some of the softest city water. Almost no one there bothers to filter their tap water, and some even insist water from the tap tastes better than bottled water.
The first thing I noticed in Houston was how terrible the tap water tasted. Even filtered water from the tap had a strange taste and texture. After a few months I noticed my hair thinning in the front and tons of split ends... things have never effected me before...but I assumed it was the stress of a new job. However, my skin became progressively worse eventually leading me to r/AsianBeauty (love you guys!). My skin was so dry it started to peel, I started getting pimples weekly (note: before the move I got about 4 pimples in my lifetime), the pores on my nose grew so big they should've gotten bail-out money, and my skin seemed resistant to EVERYTHING that used to work.
Here's how I deduced that the water specifically was the culprit for my skin woes. 1) Skin is a fickle friend, so this doesn't pinpoint water by itself, but my skincare regimen that had been working for years, stopped working. 2) Humidity. My first thought was the climate change... but Portland, OR has a yearly humidity average of 73% while Houston, TX has an average of 75%. 3) My skin, hair, and nails were also suffering. My whole body felt like it was becoming brittle. Also, while my job can be stressful, I definitely felt more stressed in grad school, so I was doubting that this was the reason for my hair breakage. 4) On a trip back home last summer (when humidity is peaking in Houston and Oregon is extremely dry) my skin was less dry, my pores cleared up, and my hair felt soft and luscious instead of dry and brittle.
Part Two: WHY tap water can harm your skin Tap water is constantly tested and is (almost) always safe to drink in the US. Almost no other cities get the benefit of fresh mountain spring water running through their taps, yet their water passes the strict guidelines. (Also want to note that this isn't putting Portland above other cities... they can be extremely stupid about their water. A few years ago they wanted to drain the entire reservoir because someone peed in it. California might never have forgiven us if that happened).
Here are some of these guidelines:
- Testing several hundred times per month
- Free of harmful bacteria
- Free of dangerous pollutants
But here are some aspects that could harm your skin:
- pH levels can range from 5.0-9.0
- silicon dioxide is unregulated (silica in water can exist in dissolved, particle, or colloidal form which can result in "build up" on scalp or film over skin)
- Fluoride added (debated, but some argue that when used topically, it damages collagen and contributes to dry skin)
- "Hard" water is acceptable, and common, in most cities. Hard water is generally more basic and contains additional deposits, such as calcium.
Crap.
Part 3: The best water for your skin
Non-Acidic Drinking-water with a pH lower than 6.5 is considered acidic and may contain lead or copper (usually from degrading plumbing). Water from lakes, streams, even mountains tend to be more acidic because of the increasing CO2 while well or ground water is less acidic as it is less affected by CO2.
Non-Basic Drinking water with a pH higher than 8.5 is considered basic. Basic water is actually what has caused my skin woes, since Houston water is generally more basic than Portland's. Cities with well/ground water systems usually have water with a higher pH.
Softer water Hard water contains dissolved minerals (like calcium) while soft water is treated water where the only mineral is sodium. While soft water generally has a lower pH than hard water, calculating "hard" and "soft" water is not solely based on the pH, but a number of different factors that my brain doesn't let me understand because science iz hrd.
Aaannddd... a bunch of other stuff that is too complicated for me. Hopefully someone else can come up with other aspects we should look for in water!
Part 4: What to do This is where I'm stuck. Filtering water (carbon, ion and sulfite, fluoride, and sediment are all considered filters, but they each do something different. Most people are familiar with carbon filters.) will help with SOME of the issues of tap water. Filtering helps remove silicon dioxide, a significant amount of fluoride, large particles, contaminates, harmful and harmless bacteria, etc... Filtering can also have an effect on pH, generally lowering it through the removal of particles and minerals.
However, water hardness is effected by calcium and magnesium levels. Water softeners act through adding sodium ion which dissolves calcium and magnesium deposits (ok, doesn't "dissolve" but ion-exchanges, catalytic conversion... oxi-whatever... SCIENCE!). These, however, are generally giant-ass machines that are thousands of dollars. Bottled water is usually softer than tap water, but some aren't, so do research before-hand!
So, while water hardness has clearly harmed my skin, it seems that there is nothing I can do about it unless I only want to bathe in Disani.
My current filter solution For now, I've found this great mini carbon filter Every Drop that works perfect for my bathroom vanity. My bathroom sink didn't fit the faucet filters, and the big filters looked ugly. This one also comes in a little case, and I use the bottom as a little bowl to keep the filtered water in to dip my konjac sponge into. Plus, it's super cute!
Here's some pics of the filter, as well as my new vanity set up for my skincare routine and face masks. I'm still making the transition into full-AB, so I have some non-AB stuff on my vanity (so sorry!). Also still waiting on my 100+ face mask haul that none of my non-AB friends understand or support...
Also, here's some sources:
Climate
Weather
US Water Regulations
Super biased blog about fluoride, but still interesting
Filters vs. Softeners
pH of drinking water
Hard vs. Soft water
TL;DR Both pH and hard water can harm your skin, hair, and body. Bottled water is (usually) "soft" and has a lower pH. But, if your butler or trained Tibetan Mastiff can't remember to stock your bathroom cabinets like a refrigerator from MTV Cribs, you can make like the plebeians and use a charcoal filter.
Submitted April 17, 2015 at 08:17AM by RlyRlyGoodLooking http://ift.tt/1aCcK8U AsianBeauty
