Eczema And Hard Water? Symptoms have moved!

Dear Clean Water Man:

We had a water softener installed because our children's dermatologist recommended it to help with our teenage son and daughter's eczema.  Initially we were very pleased with the results since the facial eczema and scaly scalp symptoms went away within five days.  Then, the eczema appeared on our childrens' bodies, especially their backs and stomach areas.  Our water treatment company has been kind and returned several times to test the water, but it always tests perfectly soft.  Is there any way the water is sometimes hard and just always soft whenever a test gets done?

Itchy in Fairfield, CT

Itchy:

Thank you for your letter.  I came and tested your treated water and it is perfectly soft and your current water treatment company is doing a fine job for you.  I asked you a bunch of questions and there was one issue that you needed to change, and after my follow up call to you, I discovered that my diagnosis was correct.

Many times, detergent mixed with hard water leaves a residue on clothing.  When the clothing is worn during the day, perspiration reactivates the detergent and the detergent irritates the skin and can cause eczema type symptoms or outright eczema.  This is what happens when hard water causes eczema in the clothing areas.

Unfortunately, without proper knowledge, soft water can cause the same problem, although through a different mechanism.  When hardness is removed from the wash water, there is nothing to keep the detergent from developing massive amounts of suds.  Think of the Brady Bunch episode when someone put too much detergent in the wash.  Tons and tons of suds.  The suds build up, and, especially with top loaders, they can even sit up just below the lid and not get rinsed away.  To some extent, even the no or low suds hE detergents can suds up quite well in soft water.  The remedy is simple: the amount of detergent used in the washing machine needs to be reduced.

For top load washers, use about a quarter of the recommended scoop.  For hE front loaders, cut it down to half the recommended amount.  Giant amounts of suds are just evidence of using too much detergent.  Lessen the amount of detergent and the skin irritations will decrease significantly.

www.cleanwaterman.com

Dull Hair. Is it really my water?

Dear Clean Water Man:

I spend a fortune on coloring my hair and within a few days after each trip to the salon, my hair color is already faded.  I have tried six different salons in the last two years and nobody seems to color my hair with a product that stays bright and fresh for more than a week.  My most recent stylist says I must have hard water.  How can that cause my hair to be dull and lifeless?  Is it really my water?

Jennifer in Easton, CT

Jennifer:

Thank you for letting me visit your home and test your water.  Yes, you do have hard water and it also has an elevated pH, which makes any hardness in the water even more sticky and able to coat surfaces.  Each of your hairs is a surface, a somewhat permeable surface, that grabs on to hard water minerals (calcium and magnesium).  The hardness builds up to become a coating that prevents the coloring from being seen in all of its glory.  I pointed out the glasses you have been washing in your dishwasher are coated with a white film which is made out of the same crud that is on each and every hair on your head.

After I install the water softener in your home, the hardness will be removed and there will no longer be a coating on your hair.  The color you choose will shine out for all the world to see instead of being covered and hidden by a layer of crud.

www.cleanwaterman.com

Orange Hair. Help!

Clean Water Man:

I just moved into a new to me house and after three weeks, I noticed my hair is turning orange.  I color my hair blonde and I am really upset about this and my stylist says there is iron in my water at home.  What can I do?

I don't want to look like Ronald McDonald!

J. in Greenwich



J:

Luckily you live in Connecticut where I have my business and was able to come and test your water and yes, you have a significant amount of iron in your water (over five parts per million) and your water is also hard and acidic.  I installed a water treatment system which included a backwashing sediment filter to remove the heavy precipitated iron, a neutralizer to raise the pH, and a softener to polish off the remaining iron which is in the dissolved form.

Iron is an incredibly good stainer and it can stain your hair and the fixtures in your home at levels even below the EPA standard of 0.5 parts per million.  When the stylist has made your hair light colored it has been treated to accept color (blonde) and the unfortunate thing about the treatment is that it also makes any discoloration in your water stick much easier.  There are special shampoos and treatments to remove the iron and other discolorations, but the best solution is to just get the staining culprits out of the water.  Within two weeks of adding your new water filtering system almost all the iron should be gone, even the iron that built up on the inside of the plumbing and in the water heater and you should notice that your hair remains whatever color you choose.

MY WEBSITE

Acid Neutralizer For Well Water - What Is It?

Pictured is a backwashing acid neutralizer.  It uses calcite and (in extreme cases) magnesium oxide to increase the pH of acidic water.  Acid water is technically any water that registers lower than 7.0 on the pH scale, although, due to many factors, how far below 7.0 YOUR well water will need to be before it causes problems will vary.  One way to know that your well water is acidic is blue/green stains in your toilets and sinks.

This image courtesy of Imerys, the best manufacturer of calcite products.

The filter is filled to about 18 inches from the top with calcite (shown above), a granulated product made from crushed marble.  It is a natural method for neutralizing acidic water. When the water is acidic, it will dissolve a small amount of calcite, actually in a reaction similar to but nowhere near as violent as mixing vinegar and baking soda.  When enough calcite is dissolved to bring the pH to 7.0, the reaction naturally stops.  This is a safe and effective treatment for acid water.

See Clean Water Man, Inc's website at www.cleanwaterman.com

Frizzy Hair Caused By My Water?

Dear Clean Water Man:

My hair is terrible.  It is stiff and frizzy and I have no way to control it.  My hair stylist said that my water must be "hard".  What does this mean and why is it a problem with my hair?

Sincerely,

Straw Head, New Milford, CT


Dear Straw Head:

Hard water is water that has an excess of the two minerals, calcium and magnesium.  The reason these minerals make hair unmanageable is because each of your hairs gets coated with hardness.  What amounts to dissolved stone dries onto your hair and makes your hair hard and frizzy.

This is a simple problem to fix.  Just have a water softener installed in your home to have the hard minerals removed from your water.  Your hair will be soft and manageable.

See Clean Water Man, Inc's website at comwww.cleanwaterman.com