Coming to college, my hair and skin have not been the same. For months, I have switched up my routines and products, but nothing has helped. My favorite skincare and shampoo do not have the same effect anymore, except for when I am back at home, so why does everything feel off the second I go back to my dorm? After months of getting my hair professionally done, going to the dermatologist and talking to my friends about similar issues, there has been one common answer: the water.Â
Everyone I have talked to has had the same issues, where your skin is breaking out or drying out (somehow both), your hair feels brittle or greasy and nothing in your routine has changed. It sounds dramatic, but the water in your dorm can completely change how your skin and hair behave, and once you understand why, it actually makes a lot of sense.Â
When you are back home, your skin and hair are used to a specific type of water. Then once you move to campus, your hair isn’t used to the totally different water system. Many colleges, especially in older buildings, have what’s called “hard water.” This means the water contains higher levels of minerals like calcium and magnesium. It’s not harmful to drink, but it does seriously damage your beauty routine. Hard water doesn’t rinse off well, so it leaves a film on your skin and hair that builds up over time. The extra minerals make it harder for shampoo to lather and do its job. The buildup can make your hair feel greasy, weigh it down so it won’t hold shape and cause dryness and breakage over time. If you have noticed your hair feeling coarse no matter what products you use, it’s most likely not your shampoo; it’s your shower.Â
Your skin isn’t immune either. That same mineral residue can clog pores and disrupt your skin barrier. You might be dealing with random breakouts, flaky skin, irritation and redness. Even worse, hard water can make cleansers not work as well, so your skin never feels fully clean.Â
There are also other factors that your body doesn’t react well to. It’s not just the water, but the whole dorm environment. Shared bathrooms mean inconsistent water pressure and temperature. If your dorm has super hot water, as mine does, that can strip your skin and scalp even more. So now you’re dealing with mineral buildup and dryness at the same time. Your usual products aren’t the issue; they are just reacting differently in hard water.Â
Here are a few things that I have noticed help both my skin and hair now that I have identified the issue. You can’t change your campus water system, but you can work around it. A few small adjustments that have worked for me are using a water filter that works for your dorm shower and it helps reduce the mineral buildup, using a clarifying shampoo once a week removes residue a normal shampoo leaves behind, moisturizing more than usual and avoiding super hot showers.Â
If your skin and hair felt better at home, there’s a reason, and there are things that help. Moving to college has taught me it isn’t just a lifestyle change but a physical one, too. With all of the new things you are experiencing, there are already a lot of factors working against you. Once you figure out what is causing the issues, it is so much easier to manage.