Hard Irish Water and Eczema. I Think I Found My Trigger.

I've had eczema since I was a baby.

I've tried most things over the years.
Creams, prescriptions, diets, the lot. Some helped a bit, but nothing fixed it.

It was so tricky to stay disciplined. Any bit of progress I'd make would be paired with an itch-attack during the night which would reset everything.

A few years ago I started spending more and more time at my girlfriend's house in Kerry and noticed my skin would calm down after a few days there.

I didn't think much of it at the time.

When I spent time in Kerry I'd naturally be more relaxed, lessed stressed. I always attributed the improvement in my skin to the peaceful seaside calming my mind along with my skin.

Then it kept happening every single time I went down. Even on weekends where we didn't leave the house.

And each time I went back home to Limerick, my skin was itching within hours.

It was the water.

My home in Limerick sits right in the hard water belt.
Most of Leinster, Munster and the midlands does too.

Kerry, Donegal, the west coast sits in soft water areas.
You can see exactly where you fall on the map above.

Hard water has a high mineral content - mainly calcium and magnesium - and it doesn't rinse off your skin cleanly.

The best way I can describe hard water on reactive skin is this:

Think of when you wash a glass that wasn't dried properly.
Water spots begin to form and cling to the glass.
The same thing is happening to your skin too.

For eczema-prone skin, which already has a weakened barrier, this makes everything harder. It's slow and cumulative and very easy to miss if you've never lived somewhere with soft water and had nothing to compare it to.

I used to time my showers when I'd arrive in Kerry. Get straight into the shower, like I was trying to rinse the hard water off my skin and give it a chance to reset before anything else. I didn't fully understand why I was doing it at the time. It just seemed to help.

The other thing I started noticing was what happened when I was in a rush at home in Limerick.

Shower, dash out, let my skin air dry while I was getting ready or doing something else. By the time I got around to putting anything on, my face would already be burning. Just that low-level irritation that's hard to explain to someone who doesn't have it - skin reacting to nothing obvious, already on edge before the day has started.

In Kerry I'd take my time. Get the moisturiser on while my skin was still damp. It'd be fine.

Same routine. Different water. Completely different skin.

Once I saw that I couldn't unsee it.

What you can actually do about it

The honest proper answer is a water softener.
If you can get one installed, do it. It makes a real difference and it's worth the investment if you're in a position to do it.

Most people aren't. I haven't. So here's what I do instead.

Get your skincare on immediately after the shower.
Don't dry off and leave it for ten minutes. Damp skin absorbs better and you're not giving the mineral residue time to settle and start irritating. If a skincare product stings, do not use it.

If your hands are affected, dry them completely.
Keeping your hands moisturised all day is virtually impossible. I'm hoping you wash them at least ten times a day, which if you suffer with eczema, can often feel like you're stuck in a loop. Do not leave the bathroom until your hands are bone-dry. That's my new rule that has served me incredibly well over the past year and has kept my hands clear.

Rinse your shampoo and body wash out properly.
Hard water doesn't lather the same way soft water does, which means products don't rinse out as cleanly either. They need more time to come out fully. Take an extra minute in the shower. It sounds like nothing. It's not nothing.

Shower filters - worth having, but know what they actually do.
I use a shower filter and it has been worth it. But it's important to be honest about what it actually does. It removes chlorine and harmful contaminants, which is great for reactive skin. It does not soften the water. If you're buying one thinking it'll fix the hard water problem, it won't. Still worth having - just not for that reason.

Products that have worked well for me
A few things have been consistently good and worth mentioning.

Sanex Zero Body Wash
Fragrance-free, minimal ingredients, doesn't strip the skin. Available in most Irish pharmacies and supermarkets. Nothing exciting about it. That's the point.

Simple Hydrating Light Moisturiser
I got this from Boots for about €4 and it's been a game changer for me. It absorbs super quick into the skin and doesn't sting even the worst gashes in my skin caused by eczema. In my opinion the best moisturiser is the one you'll stick to, and the moisturiser you'll stick to is the one you don't even notice is on your skin.

Gaia Filters Shower Filter
I think we all need to have a look at what's landing on our skin and sticking to it all day. Hard water isn't the only concern in Irish water and considering that I've noticed a difference since using it, it's been a worthy investment.

My eczema hasn't disappeared.

But once I understood the water and adjusted a few small habits around it, things settled in a way they hadn't before. More than most of what I'd tried up to that point.

If you've been doing everything right and your skin still won't calm down, it might be worth checking where you live on that map first.