Is RO Water Good for Your Skin? Find Out Here!
Written by: Alexandra Uta // Last Updated: May 10, 2023
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With all the possible benefits that reverse osmosis water has on our internal health, what about our external?
Aside from the benefits of being adequately hydrated, reverse osmosis water may also have a positive effect when used directly on your skin, mainly if your feed water contains harsh chemicals and bacteria.
Let’s discuss.
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Key Takeaways
- Reverse osmosis water may benefit your skin, particularly if you are reactive to any chemicals or dissolved minerals found in water supplies.
Is RO Water Good for Your Skin?
Is RO water good for your skin?
Yes, RO water can be good for your skin. As the water is very pure, you can rest assured that no chemicals, metals, pesticides, or bacteria etc. are in the water you might want to wash yourself with.
Municipal water, for the most part, is considered safe for skin and bathing, but that doesn’t mean it is free of contaminants. Even ‘healthy’ impurities such as calcium and magnesium can irritate the skin and cause buildup. It makes sense that the cleaner the water, the cleaner your skin will be.
Besides, your skin is actually an organ, and it is able to absorb things from its surrounding environment. In this case, any impurities that are in the water you use to clean your skin with can be absorbed through your pores.
Using RO water for face-washing reduces the risk of absorbing unwanted items from your tap water and gives your skin a cleaner, purer feel.
What about “RO water molecules are often smaller than regular molecules, which may be more easily absorbed into the skin to hydrate it from the outside”? Yeah, that’s a myth.
Benefits of Using Reverse Osmosis Water for Skin Care
Chemicals and minerals found in municipal water can strip your skin of its natural oils, causing various skin issues, but the first one you will most likely notice is dryness and irritation. Using RO water to wash your face may contribute to the following:
Overall Improved Skin Condition
RO water is soft water, as the water-hardening minerals have been removed. Hard water minerals can exacerbate skin conditions such as eczema, whereas soft water is much more gentle. RO water also does not contain other chemicals that could cause allergic reactions in the skin.
Calcium, when it sits on the skin, can strip it of its natural oils and contribute to clogged pores, causing acne and other kinds of inflammatory skin conditions.
Combats Inflammation
Reverse osmosis water tends to be on the acidic side of the pH scale. There has been some evidence to suggest acidic water helps with inflammatory skin issues, though the studies were performed on water with a lower pH than RO water.
No Build-Up of Soap Scum or Residue
Hard water can contribute to soap scum and residue left behind on your fittings and fixtures, but also on your skin. Cleaning your face with RO water allows for a more thorough cleaning.
Save on Soap
The hard water barrier on your skin may prevent cleaning agents from washing your skin correctly. Reverse osmosis water is soft water that will not prevent cleansers from penetrating your skin, ensuring that your soap and other products are effective and longer-lasting.
Reduce Formation of Wrinkles
Dehydration of the skin can lead to premature aging. Staying hydrated on the inside and the outside with reverse osmosis water can contribute to proper skin hydration and reduce the formation of wrinkles.
Further Reading:
Should I Use RO Water to Wash My Face?
There are benefits to washing your face with reverse osmosis water, and if you have enough of it available, it is worth putting some aside to clean your face with.
While most municipal water supplies are safe for the skin, RO water may help with dryness, inflammation, or irritation. In any case, it certainly won’t hurt!
Should I Use RO Waste Water for Bathing?
It is not advisable to use RO waste water for bathing of any kind, as it contains concentrated levels of all the chemicals and germs it filtered out and could irritate your skin.
There are various other methods for reusing RO waste water that are much better!
What Are the Cons of Using Reverse Osmosis Water on My Skin?
The downside is if you use a lot of water, you may not have a reverse osmosis system with a high enough output to cover your household drinking as well as skincare needs.
Some have also suggested that water with a lower pH may strip your skin of oils and cause dryness, though the pH of RO water may not get low enough to do that.
What Is RO Water Exactly?
Reverse osmosis water is a type of filtered water. It means that it has passed through a reverse osmosis filter system, and that system has removed most of the floating and dissolved nasties contained in it.
A reverse osmosis system has a membrane that has very tiny pores. Contaminated water is pushed through this membrane, and while the water molecules can fit through, the larger contaminants cannot, and they are left behind.
Reverse osmosis systems and their extra filtration steps effectively remove almost all contaminants from water, leaving you with nearly 100% pure H2O.
If you have any thoughts about the question, is RO water good for skin, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment below!
About the Author Alexandra Uta
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