Perth Water & Hair: Why Showers Cause Dry Skin & Frizz (2025)

Perth Water & Hair: Why Showers Cause Dry Skin & Frizz (2025)

Perth Water & Hair: The Complete Guide to Why Your Shower Might Be Damaging Your Skin and Hair

If you're living in Perth and battling dry skin, frizzy hair, or shower screens that cloud over almost overnight, you're not imagining it.

Perth has some of the hardest, most mineral-heavy water in all of Australia — and it can genuinely affect your skin, scalp, and hair health. This is especially noticeable if you have sensitive skin, eczema, colour-treated hair, or naturally dry or curly hair.

In this guide, you’ll learn what’s actually in Perth’s water, why it affects your skin and hair the way it does, and the most practical steps you can take to protect yourself.

(Related reading: Do I Need a Shower Filter?)

What’s Actually Flowing Through Your Perth Showerhead?

Perth's water comes from three main sources:

  • Groundwater (the largest supply)

  • Desalination plants

  • Surface dams

Because so much of Perth’s water moves through limestone aquifers, it naturally absorbs high levels of calcium and magnesium — the minerals that make water “hard.”

These aren’t minor differences… Perth water sits around 180–250 mg/L hardness, which is significantly higher than most Australian cities.

Perth Water Quality: The Reality Check

Hardness Level: HIGH (180–250 mg/L)

Perth consistently ranks among Australia’s hardest water regions.
Hard water:

  • Strips away natural skin oils

  • Makes hair feel coarse or frizzy

  • Reduces shampoo and soap lather

  • Leaves mineral residue on everything

Chlorine Content: MODERATE to HIGH

Chlorine is added for safety, but in Perth:

  • Hot weather

  • Long pipe runs

  • Groundwater mineral content

…all amplify how harsh chlorine feels on the skin and scalp.
This combination often causes irritation and fades hair colour quickly.

pH Level: ~7.5–8.0 (Slightly Alkaline)

This alkalinity:

  • Lifts the hair cuticle

  • Disrupts your skin’s moisture barrier

  • Increases dryness immediately after showering

Perth Water Scorecard

Hardness — 8.5/10 (High)
Perth water sits around 180–250 mg/L hardness, making it one of the hardest in Australia.
Effects: Dryness, frizz, poor lather, mineral residue.

Chlorine — 7/10 (Moderate to High)
Chlorine reacts strongly with mineral-heavy water and hot WA temperatures.
Effects: Colour fading, scalp irritation, dry skin.

pH — 7.5–8.0 (Slightly Alkaline)
Higher than skin’s natural 5.5 pH.
Effects: Tightness, barrier disruption, faster moisture loss.

Does Any of This Sound Familiar?

If you're a Perth local, you’ve probably dealt with:

  • Hair that feels dry, rough or frizzy even after conditioning

  • Scalp irritation or unexpected flaking

  • Shampoo that barely lathers

  • Skin that feels tight or itchy after drying off

  • Stubborn limescale on taps and tiles

  • Soap that never fully rinses away

  • Colour fading faster than it should

  • Eczema flare-ups after showering

These are classic signs of hard water + chlorine + high pH.

Why Perth's Water Is Particularly Harsh on Skin and Hair

1. Hard Water Causes Real Cuticle Damage & Moisture Loss

Calcium and magnesium bind to hair strands, making hair:

  • Rough

  • Dry

  • Hard to detangle

  • Prone to breakage

  • Frizzy, especially in humidity

On skin, these minerals clog pores and block moisturiser absorption.

2. Chlorine + Minerals = A Double-Assault Layer on Skin & Scalp

When chlorine reacts with Perth’s mineral-heavy water, it forms residues that coat the skin and hair — very difficult to rinse out.

This is why many Perth residents say their hair “never feels clean” no matter the products used.

3. Alkaline pH Disrupts the Skin Barrier

Healthy skin sits around pH 5.5.
Perth water is closer to 8.

This gap leads to:

  • Tightness

  • Redness

  • Faster dehydration

  • Sensitivity

  • Barrier fatigue

Water Quality by Perth Suburb

According to WA Water Corp reports:

  • Joondalup, Wangara, Clarkson: very high hardness

  • Rockingham, Mandurah, Baldivis: strong groundwater mineral presence

  • Midland, Bassendean: higher sediment from older pipes

  • Fremantle, Cottesloe: desal blend with sharper chlorine “bite”

Your exact suburb changes the feel of your shower — but all Perth regions share the same core issues.

How a Quality Shower Filter Helps (Especially in Perth)

A high-quality filter can reduce:

  • Chlorine

  • Chlorine byproducts

  • Sediment

  • Scale-forming minerals

  • Heavy metals

This results in gentler water for:

  • Dry or curly hair

  • Blonde or colour-treated hair

  • Sensitive skin

  • Flaky or irritated scalps

  • Eczema-prone skin

Perth is one of the cities where customers report the fastest, most dramatic improvements after switching to a filtered showerhead.

(See: Best Filtered Shower Head in Australia 2025 Guide)

Why Flowy Is Purpose-Built for Perth’s Water

Our Flowy Filter Plus uses:

  • KDF-55 → reduces chlorine + heavy metals

  • Calcium Sulfite → excellent chlorine removal in hot water

  • Catalytic Carbon → improves smell and clarity

  • PP cotton + stainless steel mesh → catches sediment

Perfect for Perth because:

  • Calcium Sulfite excels at high temperatures

  • KDF-55 targets metals commonly found in groundwater

  • Filters reduce residue, irritation, dryness, and frizz

  • Noticeable results often appear within 1–2 weeks

Ready for Softer Water in Perth?

You don’t need a whole-home system to see real improvements.
A well-designed shower filter can make a dramatic difference.

Check it out here: Flowy Filtered Showerhead

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