I live in a very dry desert state that has some of the hardest water I've ever used.
With the combination of those two things, I've noticed that my skin tends to get really dry, and my hands get so dry that my knuckles even crack and bleed.
It can be frustrating, because there weren't any lotions strong enough to control it! I don't like looking as scaly as a fish, so I decided to look into what solution I could come up with for this problem.
Slathering on lotion all the time is one somewhat effective way of fixing it, but every time I wash my hands, I have to keep putting more lotion on.
I considered investing in Bath & Body Works stock, because I felt like I was their biggest customer! I got tired of this lotion bath I had to take every time I washed my hands, so I decided to look into another solution - getting a water softener.
I was initially hesitant because I was worried that it would be expensive to have a water softener.
(I shouldn't have been so worried considering how much I spent on lotion every week!) I wanted to do some homework to see if this actually would help, or if it was just a myth that some water softener company came up with.
I talked with some of my friends, and asked them if they had a water softener, and one told me she did - and it saved her skin.
My interest was piqued, and I asked her to tell me more.
She told me that not only would it help keep my skin moisturized, it would also make my dish detergent and laundry detergent (and all other types of soaps, for that matter) last longer.
With soft water you only need a small amount of soap to work up a nice lather.
I asked her which Arizona water softener company she used, and she said American Home Water.
She was really happy with their professionalism, and said they did a good job.
I decided to take the plunge, because as she pointed out, I would save money on soap, lotion, shampoo, conditioner, detergent, etc.
I was pleasantly surprised when I found out that water softeners really aren't all that expensive, and most companies don't charge very much for installation.
The results of my water softener experiment have been great! I was so excited when my hands weren't dry and cracking - and I don't look like a fish anymore! My "scales" are gone, and so is the hard water buildup that I noticed on my shower nozzle.
It makes cleaning the shower a lot easier, which is a benefit I didn't even realize until I had my water softener installed.
If you're trying to decide if you want a water softener, talk to some friends.
Ask for a good referral, and go for it.
You'll see benefits you weren't expecting, the least of which is softer skin.
I'm so happy to have my water softener, and I couldn't' ever go back to hard water.