Children Skin Care: the effects of hard or soft water

This article was created in coop­er­a­tion with Beat­rice Jansohn.

When it comes to your baby’s skin, it’s important to avoid using cosmetics or ointments as baby skin is very sensitive. Instead use normal bathing water and if needed, natural cosmetics (please always speak to your doctor before using any products on your baby).

How do you care for a child’s skin?

First of all, it should be said that children's skin should never be cleaned daily with soaps or shampoos. Clear water is usually sufficient here.

Of course, if your child loves the outdoors and is regularly playing in the mud or kicking a ball with friends then a soothing bath or cleansing shower is unavoidable. The bath shouldn’t last too long so it prevents the skin from drying out. After the bath or shower, dry off the children well, dab them gently and avoid rubbing their skin.

It’s key to always moisturize after a bath! A good moisturizing cream is necessary so that the natural moisture content of a child’s delicate skin is retained. As mentioned previously, products should be tailored to your child’s skin, if in doubt please seek medical advice from a paediatrician or dermatologist.

It’s also important to remember to take care of your child’s skin when they’re outside. Wearing sunscreen is essential for all skin types and ages but particularly for young children as they may easily forget to apply when having fun outside. As a parent or guardian, it's best to always carry a small tube of sunscreen in your pocket or bag.

The effects of hard or softened water on children's skin

One of the best ways to help ensure you protect your child’s skin is to check the level of water hardness in your area. You can easily check the hardness of water at home with a hard water test strip. The higher the proportion of hardening substances in the water, the harder it is. This means that the water contains a lot of limescale.

Hard water combined with soap or shower gel, can result in insoluble salts remaining on the skin and hair. This has a negative effect on the greasiness of the skin and makes it rougher. It’s especially important to try and avoid this with your child’s skin.

This unpleasant effect is reduced with softened water. Fortunately, even in regions with hard water, softened water can flow out of the tap, through Water Softener systems, like BWT’s Water Softener range. They ensure hard water is transformed into silky-soft Luxury Water through the ion exchange process.

Children's skin is definitely benefits from softened water. You no longer have to worry about skin feeling rough and dry. Softened BWT Luxury Water can help your skin feel softer and smoother and as a result you end up using less products on your child’s skin. Silky soft BWT Luxury Water is a real elixir of beauty and it’s not just for your little ones