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
My hair feels scummy and my scalp does not feel clean now that we have installed the FUSION XT water softener. I thought it would be the opposite! Do we need to adjust the FUSION XT in some way?
You will need to test the water to determine if it is working. Here’s our most popular test kit:
https://www.uswatersystems.com/hardness-field-analysis-test-kit-2403.html
My husband and I bought a house in Tillsonburg, ON moving from another farming community in the same county.
Tillsonburg’s water is considered to be ‘hard water’ and feels incredibly slimy, I reacted to it developing a serious rash, burning sensations, blisters and the skin splitting. Painful to say the least. We were advised to get a water softener and carbon filters and told by the company that it would solve all of the issues. It did not. I continued to experience the rashes and burning to less of a degree. We had the water tested through our local hospital but they only tested for two bacteria.
I grow up on a farm which had hard water, the feeling of the hard water is not the feeling of the slime that is Tillsonburg’s water. We now have a water softener and the water is still slimy. Not the silky water that is the result of softened water which I have experienced in other areas with softened water.
I started doing research and then had the water tested again at an independent lab. The results are that there is sulfides in the water, this has caused the slimy feel, the skin reaction rashes and burning and there were indications of sulfides in the water had we known what to look for.
The water softener and carbon filter cartridge we were advised to buy did not and were not meant to treat the sulfides in the water.
From my experience before spending the money on a water softener or and a water treatment system have a full water test done by an independent lab. Find out exactly what is in your water, find out if the issue is a build up in the pipes in the house, the water source, the hot water heater etc… And treat the problem accordingly.
We had to spend the money on a system that treated the sulfides in the water, we now have silky water that you have when having a water softener and I do not react to the water anymore either. Don’t just go based on a sale representative or even a hospitals lab test remember the l found out the hospital lab only checked for two bacteria.
And there is a difference not a perception of slimy vs silky water. Our water was slimy due to sulfides. Once the sulfides in the water were dealt with we had and have silky soft water.
Measure Twice – Cut Once! That’s what a professional water analysis does.
We always advise people to do that.
Depending upon your water analysis, I may have recommended a whole house system. What were your levels of sulfides? Dis they check for hydrogen sulfide or do you mean sulfates?
Hey “doctor”, Calcium and magnesium are not minerals. They are elements. As in the periodic table of elements. They could also be called atoms and/or their ions or even isotopes, if you want to specify. But elements are not minerals, just as a mineral is not a rock, just as a rock is not a planet. Just as atoms are not molecules. I could go on.
I can see from your e-mail address you are a really bright guy(“farts make bubbles”). Where do you trolls come from? Technically, calcium and magnesium are elements, BUT they do not typically occur that way in real life – They are compounds and as such are appropriately labeled minerals. Now, just go away if you don’t have somethings of substance!
I have a water filter for my house, after the softener. My question is, could I filter some of the “softness” out of the water with the correct cartridge? Thanks!
Water is either hard or soft and you cannot filter out softness. You can filters out many other things and you can use reverse osmosis to remove sodium.
I bought rainsoft and I don’t feel the silky or smooth when I wash my hands or take a shower, the technician test the water in front of me and test good according to them the color is blue that I’m not getting hard water. Why is it I’m not feeling the silky or smooth feeling? Now they want to down grade me to see if I can get that feeling by changing head unit check valve
The only explanation is that the water is hard. You could send us a sample in a bottle and we will be glad to test it for you.
I got a water softener along with the carbon filter installed 2 weeks back. I feel the slimy feeling after shower. Glad to know that’s a sign of water being soft. My question is is the soft water safe for drinking. I understand the carbon filter removes the chlorine from the water but what about the Resin filter that the water goes through. Do I need an RO system too. If yes, then is it correct that RO system will “demineralize” the wate. Too much confusion
My hard water reading was 8 grains.
Ram
Is it safe to drink the water? Whether it is soft or hard, in my opinion it is not safe, because of all the chemicals. The carbon filter helps, but RO removes the widest spectrum of contaminants of any water treatment process. If you drank a bathtub full of water a day, you would not get 5% of the minerals your body needs, so demineralization is not an issue. I encourage everyone to get a Reverse Osmosis system.
I am not convinced about the common explanations for the slimy feeling of softener water. It is not the soap, natural body oil, calcium, sodium, or the lack of them. I installed a new water softener and did not put salt nor potassium yet. The water feels slimy even without using soap. I do not have this feeling if I use the water form the reverse esmosis filter. There must be a certain chemical being released from the resin. All what I hope for it is not toxic. I really think it has to be studies extensively to insure safety
Resin is “charged” when it comes from the factory, so immediately upon installation, it is exchanging the calcium and magnesium in the the water for sodium and you will experience the slick feeling. You are “overthinking” this without supporting facts. It has been studied for over 75 years. My questions is: what are your qualifications and how long have you been studying it?
Mark,
We had a whole house water treatment (carbon media) and softener (with rock salt) system installed a few months ago, which reduced the hardness in our public water from 15 grains to one. Immediately thereafter and since, my son and I have experienced allergic reactions and have had constant sore throats. We soon realized we hadn’t reduced the dishwasher detergent at all, and had some serious etching done to our kitchenware. We then dialed the detergent back to less than half. We even tried a rinse aid. Yet, our symptoms have not subsided. All our kitchen items that emerge from the dishwasher or are hand washed are slick with a film and readily show fingerprints like crazy. I believe you said soft water should leave no soap residue. In our case, I am not sure. I wonder if using too much soap combined with inadequate rinsing, such as from an older dishwasher clogged by years of hard water, could leave soap residue. Given the numerous potentially allergenic chemicals in dish soaps, I am concerned. We use an overnight wash setting as recommended to extend the time to break down the soap. Yet, I have felt the chalkiness and tasted the soap on the rim of a slick glass and gotten an immediate allergy type reaction. I have also read where people claim they reacted poorly to rock salt. Might there be salt residue in the water and after washing? I believe our plumber used blue pipe dope at some pipe fixtures. That stuff also concerns me. Any help or ideas would be appreciated.