Explain the Slimy Feeling With Soft Water
Question:
Dear Mr. Timmons, You may have received questions similar to the one that I will pose to you from others, but I am quite confused as to what I have read on the internet. Please allow me to provide you with details. When I take a shower, I want to feel as if all of the soap, body oils, and grime will come off my body immediately. I do not mind if my skin comes out extremely dry after showering. I want to feel clean and I can always put on lotion if my skin is too dry. I have lived in southeastern Kentucky for many years and I have never had any issues while showering. I contacted my municipal water manager here in Hazard, Kentucky and he informed me that the water hardness of our town is usually around 180 parts per million and runs a range of 160-240 ppm at the extremes. The pH is usually around 7.4. During my college and medical training, I have lived in Lexington, KY; Louisville, KY; Cincinnati, OH; Cleveland, OH; Silver Spring, MD; and Burbank, CA. I have never had any problems while showering in those communities.
One time, we visited family friends in rural Iowa and taking a shower was an unpleasant experience. It felt as if the soap would not come off my body no matter how much water I used. When I visit my brother in Las Vegas, NV, it is the same problem with taking a shower - the soap does not feel as if it is coming off at all. I do not know if he has a water softener. When I visit my parents in New Tampa, FL the same situation as with my brother - I can't stand taking a shower as it feels that the soap will not come off no matter how much water that I use. I have read conflicting information on the internet. Some sources state that hard water causes the problems that I experience with showering in IA, NV, and my parents home in FL. Other sources say that it is probably a water softener used to lessen spots on dishes, etc., that cause that slimy feeling of not being able to get soap off of me during showering.
I read your article that states that it is actually a "silky" feeling. I respectfully disagree with your characterization of "silky" as it is a markedly uncomfortable feeling and I have noted that acne seems to be worse when I am visiting my parents as the oils are not effectively removed from my skin. My parents told me that they have a filter for their home, but I am not certain that it is "softening" the water and that is why showering is such an unpleasant experience. The reason that I am sending this e-mail is that I will be moving to the Tampa area to work. I will be renting an apartment in Brandon, FL and I am not certain as to whether I should get some sort of water treatment system or if I should just try the city water first. Most of the literature seems to point to "soft" water as the culprit for the markedly uncomfortable feeling while showering. Some say it is "hard" water. Please explain and advise.
Thank you very much. -G
The Water Doctor's Response:
Dear G, First of all, I will just deal with the facts. Whether the water is silky or slimy is a perception, not a fact. I know many people who feel it is silky and I know many who think it is slimy. Do you like Coke or Pepsi? That's personal taste - you can't say one is better than another to everyone - just you. I love baseball and another person may hate it, so when we go to a game together, he is bored and I am engaged. We are in the same place, so it is our own perception that changes everything. I just wanted to make that point.
Here are the FACTS:
1. Calcium and magnesium are “hard” minerals which combine with soap and form “curd” and suds.
2. This calcium and magnesium and soap curd does lodge in the pores of your skin in hard water.
3. Since there is no calcium or magnesium in soft water, the sodium which is a “soft” mineral, combines with the soap to form suds, without curd.
4. There is no calcium and magnesium in the water and no curd, and sodium does not stick in your skins' pores.
5. Use a pure soap like Ivory - wash one hand with soft water and rinse - it will fell slick - then wash the other with hard water - it will feel “squeaky clean.” Then taste both hands. You will taste soap only on the hard water side. Therefore the soap is gone.
6. Many people with sensitive skin break out when they bathe in hard water. I have seen people with eczema-like skin problems have clear skin after a few days with soft water.
7. There is no soap residue left when you shower in soft water.
8. There is soap residue left on the skin when you shower in hard water.
9. I cannot say why acne would occur in soft water unless the skin is stimulated by the lack of calcium and magnesium in the pores to produce oil.
10. Some people love the slick feeling - others hate the slimy feeling - it's all about perception!
11. With soft water, you get the following benefits over hard water:
b. 30% saving on water heating energy.
c. Dramatically increases the life of all water using appliances and plumbing appliances.
d. Delivers spot-free dishes in the dishwasher.
e. Cuts cleaning time in showers and sinks. Those are the facts.
This is why we offer traditional salt based water softener solutions as well as salt free water conditioners
135 Comments
I have never cared for the taste. If you are concerned with your drinking water, there are a lot of things worse than sodium. A reverse osmosis system removes the sodium and just about every contaminant there is. I have copied one of our Water Specialists – feel free to contact them with more questions.
I was in Cornwall for a week. Noticed the water is very soft there. My skin was smooth and Fresh after I come out the shower. Come back to Surrey. Shower my skin got really oily and bad last few days doesn’t help I have ocd disorder.
Just moved into an apartment complex, and have been disgusted every time I wash my hands, or get into the shower. Never felt “SLIMY WATER”, in all my life- until now.
When I asked the maintenance staff, “what is wrong with the water”- they just laughed, and told me that “I am not used to a water softener”.
I will DEFINITELY be moving, A.S.A.P.
My teenage daughter, also is disgusted by the SLIMY, SLIPPER, GREASY COAT of SLIME, that is left on your body, after a shower.
DISGUSTING!
If you think your own natural body oil is disgusting, I suggest you need a better self-image. If you like your skin “coated” with soap scum and hard minerals, who am I to tell you not to like it? It’s a free country. Here’s what you can do: Fill a spray bottle with water, then add some beer brewing salts and a slice of soap and spray it on your body after the shower in soft water. It will plug your pores, block the oil and make you feel like you want. You also may want to consider joining The Flat Earth Society, if you are not yet a member.
Soft water sucks lol
Totally agree, I HATE soft water! Lived in sorority house and EVERY TIME I TOOK A SHOWER I FELT SLIMEY AND GROSS and I’d break out! When I went home to Lebanon Pa I felt much cleaner, and that water was what I was used to! I would stand in that shower FOREVER at the sorority house trying to rinse off and I kept saying SOMETHING IS WRONG THAT WATER IS DISGUSTING! so I agree with you that I felt totally slimey w/ soft water.
Jamie,
This is a free country and you are entitled to your opinion. Some people believe that their own body oils are slimy, I guess, but whatever makes you happy.
In my case, when I don’t have soft water, I feel dirty… because I am. The soap and curd do not rinse off, but rather stay in your pores. I cannot wait to get asoft water shower…
I suppose that some people like to spread peanut butter on their skin and walk around, but that seems yucky ti me as well.
Whatever floats your boat. I like Pepsi over Coke. What about you?
The same soap in different hardness water test will prove the exact opposite of what Mark claimed. I have tried it. The soap will remain on the skin (and thus be “tasted”) only by the SOFT water. For many people, “soft” water will harm the skin more than hard water because soft water does not bond and remove soap like hard water does. Here is another test you can do. Take a shower without soap in hard water and then later take a shower without soap in soft water. You will notice that you feel hardly any difference between the 2 soap-less showers and NEITHER leaves you feeling slimy. Now take a shower with soap in hard water and then later take a shower with soap in soft water. It is obvious that ONLY in the soft-water-with-soap case, are you left feeling slimy. This should help make the facts clear. Soap is not removed as effectively with softened water, at least water that has been softened by adding salt. Many people develop rashes due to soap not being properly removed due to a lack of helpful minerals and ions in “softened” water. Yes, you can switch to specialty soaps which wash off easier, but many of those soaps are terrible, such as Ivory.
I am publishing this to show how delusional some people are. Are you being paid by one of the companies who sell salt free softeners (which are fiction) or are you just that silly? That is so wrong on every level. You have never done any of that because if you did, you would know it’s a lie… unless you are maybe a member of the Flat Earth Society.
So.. I agree with the comment that if you don’t like the feeling of water softeners then don’t get one.. Most softeners have filters that reduce the minerals in water being supplied to it.. I understand or was told that salt in the case of salt based systems the salt is there only to clean the filter in the system and has nothing to do with how “slimy/slick” the water feels. So back to the question. My current water softener filters the water to a tested 1 grain per gallon.. but my skin does not feel slick after washing off the soap.. while with other systems at friends house I do get that slick feeling. Question.. what is it that gives you the feeling of slick or slimy feeling.. why the difference from one softener or the other.. I was told the salt has NOTHING to do with it.
Most of what you have said is not accurate. Some companies describe it that way, but it is misleading.
A water softener works by exchanging calcium and magnesium for sodium. Your water softener is evidently 1-2 grains and you will generally only get that slick feeling at below 1 gpg. Odds are your softener is not working right. If it is not slick, it most likely is 5-6 grains. The salt has everything to do with it.
We had a salt system put in our house and I feel like I’m covered in oil or something , not a refreshing feeling at all I even tried different soaps and shampoos with no change . The other family members dont seem to be bothered .
But I found a remedy I turn the valve on the system to bypass the day before I take a shower , problem solved ;)
Yes, that solves it – your water is no longer soft. So, you bought a water softener so that you won’t have soft water? That seems very silly.
Your mind is the problem… not the water.
Change your thinking… change your life.
How can you say that softened water feeling slimy on the skin is only a perception? If someone is saying this, why not try to resolve it rather than berating them saying it’s just their perception?
If you are the chef at a restaurant and a customer says the food tastes bad, would you tell them it’s their perception or try and help them?
I think the solution here is having the water go through filters to remove all contaminants rather than replacing the ions.
Hard water contains calcium and magnesium ions. Water softeners remove those ions by exchanging them for sodium or potassium ions.
Two factors contribute to that slippery-when-wet feeling you get after soaping up with soft water. First, soap lathers better in soft water than in hard water, so it’s easy to use too much. The more dissolved soap there is, the more water you need to rinse it away. Second, the ions in softened water lessen its ability to ‘stick’ to the soap molecules, making it more difficult to rinse the cleanser off your body.
That statement came from the website below.
https://sciencenotes.org/why-its-harder-to-rinse-soap-off-in-soft-water/
I also disagree that all the soap gets rinsed off. If you have soft water, when your just about done with your shower and have that slimy feeling on your hands, take them out of the water and rub your palms back and forth applying decent pressure for about 15 seconds. When you pull them apart and look at them you should see bubbles. I always do anyway. Unless my natural oils cause bubbles I agree with the soap is harder to rinse off.