Why Your Shower Might Be Making Your Skin and Hair Dry
Hard water, hard life: why your shower hates your skin and hair.
You step out of a hot shower expecting to feel fresh and clean… but instead, your skin feels tight, your scalp itches, and your hair looks like it’s been through a wind tunnel.
You’re not imagining it — your shower might actually be the culprit. And if you live in Perth, it’s practically a guarantee.
The “Clean” Water That Isn’t So Clean…
Perth’s tap water is disinfected with chlorine and chloramine — chemicals designed to kill bacteria. That may be good news for your bad breath, but bad news for your body!
When warm, these chemicals react with organic matter (like your skin oils and hair proteins), stripping away the natural moisture barrier that keeps you soft, smooth, and shiny.
Add to that Perth’s infamously hard water — packed with calcium and magnesium — and you’ve got a recipe for irritation. Those minerals don’t rinse clean; they cling to your skin and scalp, forming a film that blocks moisturisers and shampoos from doing their job.
Science in the Shower (The Sneaky Chemistry Bit)…
Hard-water minerals cling to your shower glass the same way they cling to your skin and hair
Here’s the nerdy truth — hard water ions react with soap and shampoo, turning them into soap scum instead of lather. That’s why your conditioner never quite works and your shower glass never quite shines.
Those same minerals can raise your hair’s pH, causing the cuticle (outer layer) to stay open — say hello to frizz, dullness, and breakage.
Meanwhile, your skin barrier (the outermost layer that locks in hydration) gets stripped away by chlorine.
It’s like taking a chemical peel every morning and calling it hygiene.
The Perth Problem…
Unlike cities that get mostly soft rainwater, Perth draws a lot of its supply from the Gnangara Mound aquifer and desalination plants, where the resulting water is loaded with minerals — up to 250 mg/L of calcium carbonate in some suburbs. That’s officially classed as hard.
And because Perth water is heavily chlorinated to handle the long journey through hot outdoor pipes, you’re getting a double whammy:
Mineral hardness (drying, clogging, residue)
Chlorine/chloramine (stripping oils, irritating skin)
If your towels feel stiff, your hair feels straw-like, or your skin itches after a shower — you’re literally washing in the problem.
Why Your Moisturiser Doesn’t Stand a Chance…
Why your moisturiser can’t keep up with Perth’s hard, chlorinated shower water.
You can spend hundreds on serums, creams, and salon shampoos, but if your water is full of minerals and chlorine, you’re just fighting symptoms.
Think of it this way: would you wash your face in pool water every day?
That’s basically what most Perth homes do.
The Fix (That Doesn’t Involve Moving to Tasmania)…
Here’s the part everyone ignores: you can’t “filter” your skin or “condition” your pipes — you need to fix the water before it reaches your shower.
That’s where a Pure₂O Whole-Home Filtration System steps in.
Our stainless-steel system removes chlorine, chloramine, sediment, and organic compounds before they ever hit your taps.
The result:
Softer, smoother skin
Shinier, less frizzy hair
Towels that stay soft
And a shower that actually feels clean
You’ll notice it after one wash — no kidding.
The Bottom Line…
Perth’s water isn’t toxic — but it’s tough love. It’ll keep slowly dehydrating you like a sun-baked grape.
If you’re ready to stop showering in pool water and start bathing in actual clean water, Pure₂O can make it happen.
The Pure₂O Whole-Home Filtration System — clean, softer water from every tap.
Ready to feel the difference?
Book your Free Water Quality Test and see what’s really in your shower water.
👉 Learn More at pure2o.com.au
