Skin care advice starts with the most basic element in the process. You wash carefully, put on plenty of moisturizer, and still it feels tight, looks flaky, and refuses to be soft. So what is the deal? Is there some hidden factor you are missing?It is very likely that you are. Many people take their usual shower, follow their favorite skin care advice routine, use their specific products, and never consider the single, largest thing they are constantly putting on their skin - water.Is hard water hard on your skin?It can be extremely annoying when troubled skin does not seem to want to go away. Even more annoying is when you are unable to figure out why. Your skin just seems to be unable to retain moisture or stop breaking out, even with the amount of pampering done.Skin care advice starts with knowing what type of water you have. Still, others not even aware they have a water type. Most people, however, do have a water type that they might want to know about. In your case of continuously dry skin or unexplained breakouts, you definitely will want to find out.There are, in fact, two different types of water; hard and soft. If you find that your skin continues to be dry or break-out even after all the work you put into it, the problem may lie in the fact that you have hard water and it is helping to keep your skin dry or causing adult acne breakoutsWater that is considered to be hard means the water contains a large amount of calcium, magnesium, and iron deposits. If you notice your shower or tub slowly but constantly building up deposits, such as rust, soap scum, and lime, you probably have hard water.Many articles are written about products that contain harsh chemicals that dry the skin and cause adult acne breakouts and millions of advertising dollars are spent on products that claim to do the opposite. However, one often overlooked dry skin factor is the hardness or softness of our water. Using natural products free of substances that cause dry skin is vital, but hard water will continue to exacerbate the problem.Clinical studies conducted to determine the influence of water on the skin have also found that hard water irritates the facial skin and blood vessels. Study participants noted an increase in irritation, redness, dry skin, and clogged pores from the elements in hard water. The skin becomes thinner, and the irritated blood vessels removed - the deposits are no longer left on the skin, cleansing products are easily rinsed off, and the blood vessels and skin tissue begin to thicken and heal.There is an overwhelming amount of anecdotal evidence that suggest that softened water can help considerably in reducing flare-ups and other problems associated with this condition. A water softener cannot be guaranteed to work with all people and on all types of skin conditions but it will remove a major source of irritant from the equation and also give you all of the other many benefits a water softener will bring to your home.In summary, any worthwhile skin care advice starts with understanding the hardness of the water you are using to wash your skin with daily. Specifically, hard water, which is found in the majority of the 50 states, contains harsh chemicals and actual contaminants that not only aggravate the skin but often unnecessarily actually plug pores, causing minute infections and resulting in pimples, blemishes, and unsightly skin.—John Russell of IH Distribution, LLC brings you health, anti-aging and skin care products from around the world. Find fabulous skin care tips and great articles on a wide range of topics for women at our Skin Care Blog and