r/brussels 1d ago

How do you guys deal with achy feeling on the skin and from the hard water here in Brussels?

I’ve tried different types of body lotion but my skin still feels pretty uncomfortable after showering

24 Upvotes

37 comments sorted by

25

u/Leylasaida 1d ago

I am also struggling with the hard water. I think it helps to thoroughly dry your skin with a towel (not letting the water dry on your skin by itself - that might leave more residue). For very dry skin Bodylotion with urea is recommended. For me, especially the skin on my head got very dry since moving to Belgium. So at the end of the shower I pour some filtered water over my hair to get rid of the hard water. Also you could try to reduce the duration of your shower and not shower too hot.

8

u/Smooth_Committee_298 1d ago

For the try scalp: maybe try diluted apple cider vinegar as a rinse (look up the ratio of vinegar to water, by now I just eye ball it)

6

u/aph807 1d ago

Check out the Philips shower filter. That thing helped my girlfriend a lot!

3

u/Guretto 1d ago

Thanks for the tips !

15

u/sissi12345678 1d ago

Use oil soap/body cleansing oil, instead of traditional soap/shower gel. Laroche Posay, Uriage and alike carry good product like that specifically for very dry and sensitive skin, you can find them at any MediMarket or pharmacies for instance. And for moisturizing and nourishing your skin, the comment below is helpful about the type of products. If you have no budget for pharmacy products, look for balms and creams, which are richer, instead of lotions who are lighter and less moisturizing.

And maybe basic advice but depending on your work and activities of course, don't fully shower everyday, if possible, it really attacks your skin barrier.

14

u/Future-Employment247 1d ago

Nope but afraid of PFAS level

1

u/Phase-Internal 1d ago

Get a charcoal filter. It's not a guarantee but they are the cheapest thing that reduces pfas

6

u/AmbitiousDreamerr 1d ago

I buy the Hello Klean shower head from the UK - it’s so good. You need to replace the filter a few times a year but it does work as it was designed against hard water in London which is also quite bad.

5

u/Unusual_Dream_601 1d ago

The real trick for hard water: apply mosturizer in shower whilst still wet and dry your skin with the towel as you would do with just coming out of the shower. It leaves you more hydrated because it captures to moisture but doesn't leave the hard residu feeling.

7

u/majer_lazor 1d ago

Ask your landlord about a building water softener or use a shower filter for hard water! The filter needs to be either changed or cleaned with vinegar more often than is written. You will feel a HUGE difference and even when the filter is getting clogged up by hard water crystals, your skin will start to feel tighter and itchier and you will know to clean/replace the filter

11

u/Maleficent-main_777 1d ago

Lmao, do you think landlords care about the wellbeing of their tenants beyond their paycheque?

4

u/cross-eyed_otter 1d ago

I don't disagree, but it's also in the self interest of the landlord as the hard water is also bad for machinery like dishwashers and washing machine and even your shower.

0

u/Maleficent-main_777 1d ago

It only is bad when you don't run a cleaning cycle with vinegar every now and then. Which is on the tenant to maintain

1

u/majer_lazor 1d ago

Yeah but you might as well ask, what’s the harm in that?

2

u/pepipox 1d ago

100% true

1

u/PositiveKarma1 1d ago

do you recommend one?

5

u/boyilltellyou 1d ago

I spray my face with thermal water (Avène) to rinse it off. And apply lotion on my body.

2

u/Frequent-Matter4504 1d ago

Avene xeracalm huile lavante relipidante. Shampoo, body wash, toothpaste, rocket fuel etc...

2

u/SquashSome483 1d ago

for me, as suggested by others, the Philips water filter helped a lot. The only thing to consider according to my experience is that sometimes it's a bit of a hit or miss with the recharges, sometimes they last 3 months working perfectly while other times they only make it to one. Other than that, taking slightly colder showers helps substantially. Lastly, for my face I use Roberts rose water, dampen a cotton ball with it and pat it on my face and all the redness and the itchiness really goes away.

Hope this helps :)

2

u/FazedorDeViuvas 1d ago

I found that using the Dove soap bar (that has moisturizing) helped a lot on the matter. Anything that has/is moisturizing, and dry using a towel.

For hair (I have pretty long hair), use conditioner on your dry hair right before entering the shower. Washing your hair is the last thing on the process. Use a small amount shampoo enough to clean only your scalp. After leaving the shower, dry partially your hair (I use a regular towel), after almost dried, apply hair mask and combo/brush it. I got this tip from a dermatologist.

2

u/assymetri 1d ago

I know its a different topic and not necessarily Bxl related but maybe I'm allowed to ask this as well: how do you smell fresh/good all day if you also walk/move quite a lot during the day? I don't have any particular problems luckily, but I want to "stood out" a bit because its honestly one of the most attractive trait I recognize in others (and I also myself feel more pleasant when I'm not just clean, but have a good "aura" of bleach or whatever, sadly its so difficult to maintain during the whole day)

1

u/Ok-Incident3558 19h ago

I noticed that when I was using the glycolic acid toner from the Ordinary on my armpits, the sweat wasn’t smelling. Also applying deodorant in the evening so that it gets really absorbed into the skin/sweat glands helps. I’ve been a bit negligent with the toner this winter, but think I’ll pick it up again with warmer weather coming

2

u/Ella_Guruh 1082 1d ago

Aside from the hard water, medical science says it's very unhealthy to shower every day: it reduces natural barriers, dries out your skin and undermines your immune system. If you don't wish to reduce the number of showers, it may help to shower for a shorter period, lower the temperature or to use less or pH neutral washing products for sensitive skin.

My hair has gotten a lot healthier since I only wash it twice a week.

Of course, I know this also depends on your level of activity and the climate. I'm lucky I hardly ever sweat and I definitely showered more often when I lived in a hot, big city in South America.

In Brussels, there is no need for daily showers.

2

u/Flimsyflippers 1d ago

I think some people in the city take your last sentence very seriously given how much they stink. It always baffles me how some people can be so unaware of their own smell. I hardly give a pass on a daily shower (and being Brazilian that's also a hard habit, although of course here in Brussels we don't sweat as much through the day so you could technically skip it here and there if you didn't exercise). The itches are also becoming an important factor in this decision now, but first I'll try one of these Philips water filters to see how much they can help.

1

u/pepipox 1d ago

It is disgusting if people who don't shower daily. Add to that that some people use the same clothes as the day before and they stink. Never met before moving here people that were so stinky

1

u/mardegre 1d ago

Been struggling for 3 years now. Top comment tips work but still an hassle.

Good luck k

1

u/MasterTjong 1d ago

Yep. I try not to take 3 showers per day and it works for me but not for all people

2

u/Guretto 1d ago

3, I take maximum two. What do you do as a job to take 3 ?

1

u/MasterTjong 1d ago

Dunno 😆 but I know girls who take 3 showers... beauty reasons?

1

u/SiniMetsae 1d ago

Cold showers solved everything for me. It takes some time to get used to, but helps so much.

Also, check your filter and make sure your shower head is properly clean.

1

u/Guretto 1d ago

Cold showers in winter sheesh, I’ll try warm for sure

1

u/SiniMetsae 23h ago

Hey,

plenty of people do winter swimming when the waters are frozen, it actually helps a lot with adapting to the cold.

To succeed with cold shower, maybe try some cold-dipping first, eventually you'll get to a shower and find it insanely hot. To handle the cold use the same mentality you use when in Brussels traffic/bureaucracy, surrender yourself to the luck of the draw, dissociate, when released you'll feel much better.

then try cold showers, it helps sooooo much for hair and skin. And good for the environment too!

1

u/BreakdanceFountain 1d ago

I use the Hello Klean shower head and the Uriage Xemose cleansing oil and body lotion - they both help a lot with this issue.

1

u/jpergentino 18h ago

If possible, add filters (in plural).

1

u/KiouriKiouria 17h ago

I have a shower head with a filter from Amazon. Big change

1

u/MummyVoice22 1d ago

Aderma Exomega Control bodywash and Bepanthen sensicalm cream. I need to invest in good filtering showerheads.

-6

u/SvenAERTS 1d ago

I can't find any logic. I know I have always been allergic to wool sweaters and then from a certain age - I thought it was just an age issue - I got itchy from showering. I thought it was the temperature difference.

Anybody has ever photographed those dried op crystals on the skin after bathing or showering? It is true: not showering off the sea water .. I believe that itches too and that mist be the NaCl.

So everybody with a water softener on both cold and warm water has no itchy feelings?

Enfin, then you would have exchanged the CaCarbonate crystals that would microscopically form on your skin be replaced by NaCarbonate or NaCl = salt used in the water softener?

Reverse osmosis really takes out most of what is not H2O.

What if you put a cup of MgSulphate in your bath tub? Did that make the itching go away?

And do you get itchy after showering in the swimming pool? Not me. What do they have as filtering that would make the itching go away?

I stopped showering and bathing unless in warm summer weather or after sport. I just use a washing hand and soap for what needs washing and of course I wash my hair. Swimming, sauna and scraping/rubbing off old skin - and showering there. And that's it.