Hard Water’s Damaging Effects To Your Hair
Last updated on June 18th, 2024 at 03:12 pm
If you’re anything like me (engrossed in personal care information), you’ll start wondering about the strangest things; Things like, is the water I’m washing my face with full of bacteria. How hard water damages hair and is it also damaging my skin?
Above all, is my water slowly eating away at my body?
OK, maybe I’m a little more weird than the average female.
Still, when you are concerned about treating your body as well as you possibly can, these kinds of thoughts may enter your head (don’t front like it doesn’t LOL).
Well, lately I began to think about hard water which is water that has too much calcium in it.
I live in New York. It’s not the purest of all places to live but guess what? Our water is better than the average state! According to the Environmental Protection Agency:
“Ninety-nine percent of New York’s rivers and streams, 95% of the state’s lake acres, all of the state’s Great Lakes shoreline, and 99% of the bays and tidal waters have good water quality that fully supports aquatic life uses.”
I’m pleasantly surprised. Well, you know i couldn’t stop there right? I wanted to find out if New York is a hard water state. And it’s not! Yes, that’s great because hard water can affect your hair and skin in the following ways
How hard water damages hair
The water causes your shampoo to leave an excess film on your hair. The build up leads to brittle hair that breaks. Having fine natural hair, I certainly don’t need brittle hair to add to my already fragile hair’s list of concerns.
How hard water damages skin
Similarly, how hard water damages hair it can also damage your skin. The water causes dry, often irritated skin along with clogged up pores.
Now, of course I’m much more concerned with how hard water affects my hair. ha! such vanity.
On a serious note, not only can hard water dry out your hair and your skin causing both to lose their luster, it’s just plain uncomfortable. When you wash your hair, you’re more prone to itchy scalp as well (I seriously thought I had hard water because my scalp does tend to itch a bit right after washing my hair).
While New York may not be a hard water state, it’s not a soft water state either. I still feel the need to use a shower filter as I am prone to dry itchy scalp. Applying pure coconut oil or almond oil to my hair and skin definitely helps.
To find out if you are in a state that has hard water, visit http://water.usgs.gov/owq/hardness-alkalinity.html
Hard Water Hair Care Checklist
If you live in an area that has hard water, you’re going to need to give your hair some specialty care. Here’s a hard water hair care checklist so that you can be aware of all the things you need to do to protect your hair from the damaging effects of hard water.
Well water can be especially hard on the hair. Ask anyone with well water and they will tell you, especially if they do not have a water softener. And even then, well water can wreak havoc with your hair. Symptoms of hair maladies due to hard water or well water can include dry or damaged hair; hair that is resistant to coloring, highlighting, perming or relaxing or straightening; hair that lacks body and shine; hair that is thinning or breaking; hair where the color fades too quickly; highlights that turn ruddy or discolored; and perms that fall out.
To know how to combat the effects of well water on your hair, it helps to know a little about what well water is, and why it does to hair what it does. As rain water filters through the earth, it picks up minerals such as Calcium, Iron, Copper, Magnesium, Silica and Lead. These minerals can cause different reactions in hair. For example, if water has an abundance of iron in it, hair will be discolored, turning an orange or rust color. Copper with give blond highlights a green tint. Magnesium causes hair to appear weighted down and lack volume. And calcium can prevent the proper processing of color, highlights, perms or relaxer/straighteners.
Short of washing your hair with bottled water, which some people with really bad water have had to do, there is an excellent set of products offered at Hair Care USA that can treat the ill effects of well water. Best of all, these products can be used in conjunction with your well water or hard water. By far the best and most potent is the Malibu Crystal Gel Treatment.
Malibu Crystal Gel Treatment removes Iron, Calcium, Chlorine, Copper, mineral discoloration and even medications from the hair. It is an excellent prep for chemical services such as highlights and perms. Malibu Crystal Gel Treatment comes in a small packet. To use, simply open the packet, pour the contents into the palm of your wet hand, then rub wet palms together to form a rich gel that when applied to hair turns to a lathering treatment. For severe build-up and extremely hard well water, the Malibu Crystal Gel Treatment should be processed under heat, such as under a hooded dryer. Although this can be done at home, it is recommended that this be done in the salon.
If your water is not that bad, but is still hard, you can try the Malibu Hard Water Weekly Demineralizer. This removes all hard water minerals that can discolor or damage hair. It eliminates brassiness, normalizes hair texture, and revitalizes shine and manageability. It may be used daily, weekly, or as often as desired. Like the Malibu Crystal Gel Treatment, Malibu Hard Water Weekly Demineralizer comes in a small packet. To use, simply open the packet, pour the contents into the palm of your wet hand, then rub your wet palms together to form a rich gel that when applied to hair turns to a lathering treatment.
The Malibu products offered at http://www.haircareusa.com are specifically designed to treat problem areas of the hair with natural, food-grade wellness ingredients. They are preservative-free and sulfate-free. If you have well water or hard water and need help with your hair, visit haircareusa.com and try the Malibu products. You will notice the difference from the first time you use them.
Thank God I dont’ use well water! Thanks for sharing the info. Michael.