A Derm PA Gives Her Honest Culligan Water Softener Review, After 6 Months

If you've ever wondered why your hair feels like straw despite investing in high-end conditioner, or why your skin stays dry no matter how much moisturizer you slather on, the culprit might be lurking in your pipes. Hard water—that mineral-heavy H2O flowing through an estimated 85% of American homes—could be sabotaging your efforts.

"The minerals in our water can build up on our hair and skin," explains skin care educator Amy M. Koberling, PA-C, a dermatology physician assistant with seven years of experience. This buildup of minerals on your skin breaks down the skin barrier, which is a collection of lipids that work together to keep irritants and pathogens out (or good things like water and hydration inside our skin). In fact, some minerals can even lodge themselves between lipids, per Koberling.

Luckily, there's an easy solution to reducing the harm of hard water: a water softener. "When we soften our water, we're essentially removing those hard water minerals that are present," says the skin care pro, who experienced the perks of installing a water softener firsthand when adding a Culligan Water Softener to her home in Miami earlier this year.

Hard water contains high concentrations of minerals, primarily calcium and magnesium ions. It results from groundwater traveling through areas with high mineral concentrations, such as limestone or bedrock.

While generally considered not harmful, hard water can wreak havoc on your body, from your hair to your skin. As mentioned, A compromised skin barrier becomes more susceptible to irritation and dehydration—potentially worsening conditions like eczema, acne, and rosacea.

Koberling first realized she was dealing with hard water after a visit to her parents in Ohio. Koberling noticed her hair and skin were better during her trip, so she started diving into the source: her parents owned a Culligan Water Softener.

Once Koberling realized the positive impact of the hard water, she began to see the negative effects of hard water. Her skin was more acne-prone at her home in Florida, where the water contains high concentrations of calcium and magnesium. Plus, her daughter's skin was noticeably dry.

"Inherently toddlers don't have dry skin," explains Koberling. "I knew that there must be something happening, and I didn't want to just start putting lotion on her. I wanted to actually find out the source."

Water softeners use a process called ion exchange to remove problematic minerals. The system replaces calcium and magnesium ions with sodium ions, effectively "softening" the water before it reaches your taps.

When water enters your home, it flows into the softener's main tank filled with resin beads—tiny, negatively-charged particles about the size of a ballpoint pen tip. As hard water passes through, calcium and magnesium ions (which carry a positive charge) are attracted to and bind with these beads, effectively trapping the minerals.

Every Culligan installation starts with a free in-home water tester and consultation. This allows a water specialist to test the water in your home in real time to ensure they can recommend the right system.

These specialists typically look at water hardness, chlorine, and pH levels—but the testing can be more involved based on your water sources or specific location concerns. For these more intense cases, the water is sent to an IL EPA-certified lab to test for an additional 45 contaminants, such as PFAS (forever chemicals), bacteria, arsenic, or lead.

Koberling said this live testing and demonstration sold her on the spot: "They're showing you exactly what's going on with your water and what would happen if you decided to install a water softener."

Using two beakers—one with her tap water, one with softened water—they added the same amount of dish soap to each. The softened water sudsed up dramatically more because it wasn't competing with mineral buildup.

While the testing process might feel like a quick gimmick, it's actually essential to the process. At the consultation appointment, your specialist gathers information about your pipe size and the flow rate of your water, which can impact their product recommendations.

What's more, it's a chance to test the water for other contaminants, like high levels of chlorine or iron. These additions could require other specialty systems, like the Aquasential® Smart High Efficiency Municipal Water Softener (for chlorine) or Aquasential® Smart High Efficiency Softener-Cleer (for iron).

One of the biggest concerns about installing a water softener is the disruption it might cause. Will installers tear apart your plumbing? Leave a mess? Create more problems than they solve?

Koberling's experience with Culligan defied those expectations. Unlike a previous dishwasher installation that resulted in plumbing issues under her sink, the Culligan team worked cleanly and efficiently.

The installer consulted with her about placement options, explaining why certain locations would or wouldn't work based on access to the main water line. They settled on a spot outside her kitchen window—discreet, functional, and out of sight. The system itself is surprisingly slim, designed to tuck away without becoming an eyesore.

What stood out most? The communication. "He showed us where he recommended putting the equipment and why exactly," Koberling notes. "It wasn't just like he put it where he wanted to and left. He was very open to any questions we had."

The changes started immediately. Koberling noticed from her very first hair wash that her shampoo lathered better and her hair came out shinier and softer. For her skin, that tight, dry feeling after washing disappeared right away.

But the long-term effects proved even more dramatic. Her hair became progressively shinier and healthier-looking. Her acne flares decreased noticeably. The persistent dryness and dehydration that had plagued her skin improved week after week. Perhaps most tellingly, her toddler daughter's mysteriously dry skin resolved.

While skin and hair improvements might have been the initial draw, the household benefits quickly became apparent to Koberling.

Those annoying white spots on dishes? Gone. The crusty buildup on faucets and shower heads? Disappeared. Laundry came out softer with brighter colors and whiter whites.

Even that mysterious yellowing that slowly overtook white clothes over time—the kind where you don't notice until you hold an old white shirt next to a new one—started reversing.

Culligan isn't the only water softener on the market, but several factors set it apart. Koberling chose Culligan partly because her parents had installed their system years prior, and it still worked perfectly—a testament to the brand's longevity.

The system requires minimal maintenance. Salt delivery happens automatically every six months, and the equipment itself runs without much intervention. Six months into ownership, Koberling hasn't dealt with any upkeep issues or service calls.

One notable feature: Culligan offers smart technology that provides updates and monitors water usage, but Koberling opted out. "I'm that person who turns their Wi-Fi off at night," she laughs. "I don't feel like I need to know on my phone anything about a water softener."

Water softeners aren't cheap; installation costs vary by system size and home setup. But consider what you're spending on skincare products that aren't working, hair treatments that barely help, and cleaning products you're burning through at double speed—and the math starts making sense.

Koberling now routinely asks patients about their hard water situation when they're doing everything right for their skin and hair but still struggling with persistent dryness or flare-ups. "This is like alarms are going off in my brain. Okay, what's your hard water situation? Do you have a water softening system?"