Small Country Town Water: Effects on Skin & Hair

Small Country Town Water: Effects on Skin & Hair

Across Regional Australia, water quality can shift dramatically from home to home — sometimes even from one shower to the next. Whether your water comes from bore water, tank/rainwater, small regional treatment plants, or local town supply, your skin and hair feel the effects immediately.

For many regional households, this unpredictability becomes “normal”… until they experience what consistent, filtered shower water feels like.

Below, we break down the most common water types across Regional Australia, why they create dryness and irritation, and how a shower filter like Flowy helps create a more comfortable, predictable shower. For a national snapshot, you can also see our Australian Water Hardness Map.

What’s Really in Regional Australia’s Water?

Unlike capital cities with centralised treatment, regional water systems rely on a mix of local and seasonal sources, including:

Bore Water

Widespread across regional QLD, WA, SA, NSW, VIC.
Often high in:

  • Calcium & magnesium (hardness) — the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines classify elevated hardness above certain levels.

  • Iron & manganese (can cause brown/orange staining)

  • Sediment & fine particles

Common effects:

  • Dry, tight-feeling skin

  • Frizzy or brittle hair

  • Rapid colour fading

  • Scalp irritation or itchiness

  • Soap/shampoo that doesn’t lather well

Tank / Rainwater

Common across regional VIC, TAS, NSW, QLD.
Tends to be soft but vulnerable to:

  • Organic debris

  • Sediment

  • Microbial particles

  • Rooftop contaminants

Quality depends on:

  • Tank age

  • Filter maintenance

  • Recent rainfall

For more on how to keep tanks, bores and dams safe, you can read this practical guide on water quality in tanks, bores and dams.

Regional Town Water

Used across places like Bunbury, Wagga Wagga, Ballarat, Geraldton, Coffs Harbour, Toowoomba, and many more.
Often treated with:

  • Chlorine or chloramine

  • Varying mineral levels

  • Ageing pipe networks → sediment

Effects include:

  • Dryness

  • Irritation

  • Dull or rough-feeling hair

Seasonal Switching

Many regional households rotate between:

  • Rainwater when tanks are full

  • Bore water during dry months

  • Delivered or town water when levels drop

This fluctuation leads to inconsistent skin & hair outcomes.

Why Regional Water Causes Dryness, Irritation & Hair Problems

Regional water issues typically stem from three factors. If you want the full Australia-wide picture, our pillar article What’s Really In Your Shower Water? goes even deeper into hardness, chlorine and sediment.

1. Mineral Hardness

High calcium and magnesium:

  • Bind to shampoo → poor lather

  • Coat hair strands → frizz & heaviness

  • Disrupt the skin barrier → dryness

2. Chlorine in Town Supply

Even small treatment systems use chlorine. It:

  • Strips natural oils

  • Causes tightness & flaking

  • Makes hair dull and brittle

  • Fades colour-treated hair

3. Sediment & Fine Particles

Found in bore tanks, rainwater systems, and old pipes.

These can cause:

  • Irritation

  • Roughness

  • Residue on skin/hair

  • A “not fully clean” feeling after showering

Real Experiences From Regional Areas

People across regional WA, VIC, NSW, SA, QLD, and TAS share similar stories — regardless of the state they’re in.

One example:
A household using bore water experienced years of heavy-feeling hair, dryness, and poor lather. After installing Flowy, their hairdresser noticed the difference before they even mentioned the change — softer texture, cleaner roots, and a healthier-looking shine.

Another regional customer who switched between tank water and town supply described:

  • Less frizz

  • Smoother hair

  • A noticeable reduction in scalp irritation

  • Skin that didn’t feel tight after showers

These aren’t isolated cases — they reflect a pattern across many different regional water sources in Australia.

Flowy won’t remove every mineral from bore water, but it significantly improves how water feels on your skin and hair.

Sound Familiar?

Regional Australians often notice:

  • Dry, tight skin after showering

  • Scalp sensitivity or persistent itch

  • Frizz, roughness or brittleness

  • Hair colour fading faster than expected

  • Shampoo/soap that won’t lather

  • Hair that feels “sticky” or heavy

  • Brown/orange staining from minerals

  • Lather/rinse results changing between seasons

It’s not your products — it’s your water source.

How Flowy Helps Stabilise Regional Water Quality

Flowy’s Filter Plus blend is engineered for harsh and inconsistent Australian water. It works across:

  • Bore water

  • Tank/rainwater

  • Small town water systems

  • Furnished rentals

  • Mixed-source households

KDF-55
Targets chlorine, heavy metals, and some mineral traces.

Calcium Sulfite
Neutralises chlorine instantly — even in hot rural systems.

Catalytic Carbon
Reduces chemical smells and treatment byproduct irritation.

PP Cotton + Stainless Steel Mesh
Captures sediment, rust-like particles, and tank/bore debris.

The result:

  • Softer-feeling water

  • Better lather

  • Reduced dryness

  • Smoother, more manageable hair

  • Less irritation

  • More consistent water quality year-round

If you want to see how the full system works, you can check out the Flowy Filtered Shower Head.

Why Regional Users Often See the Biggest Improvements

Because regional water often has:

  • More minerals

  • More chlorine variation

  • More seasonal shifts

  • More sediment

…the improvement with Flowy is often very noticeable.

Consistency is what your skin and hair have been missing — and that’s what Flowy brings back.

Want Softer, Gentler Water in Regional Australia?

You’re not imagining it — regional water is unpredictable. Every rainfall, tank top-up, or bore draw can change what comes through your shower.

Flowy helps create stability so your showers feel:

  • Softer

  • Cleaner

  • Less drying

  • Kinder to skin

  • Easier on hair

If you want your shower water to feel more consistent — no matter the source — Flowy is a simple, effective upgrade for regional homes.

Back to blog