If you wash your hair with hard water, your hair may be bearing the brunt of it. Although it is not detrimental to your health, hard water can ruin both the color and texture of your hair.
According to a study, more than 85 percent of families in the United States live in hard-water areas. Many people do not consider water quality in their hair care routine, yet, water is one of the many determining factors for extreme hair loss. In particular, hard water makes your hair feel dull and dries out your scalp causing hair to easily break.
What Is Hard Water?
Hard water is water that has a high mineral count.
The water contains calcium and magnesium salts, which are the two main minerals that make the water "hard." While such water is not a health risk, it interferes with nearly every housework task, from dishwashing and doing laundry, to bathing and grooming.
Due to its high content of calcium and magnesium salts, hard water does not foam easily, compared to soft water.
How Does Hard Water Affect Your Hair?
After washing your hair, a couple of times, minerals present in hard water form a film on the scalp. This film blocks moisture from entering the hair, resulting in a dry, frizzy, dull and odd colored hair.
Moreover, consistently washing your hair with hard water can give rise to a build-up on the scalp, triggering a dandruff-like condition to appear. This happens as hard water forms small scales along each strand of hair, making them catch on each other, becoming more difficult to achieve an in-depth rinse.
Excess mineral build-up can then cause dryness, as well as causing your natural hair color to fade. Additionally, hair lacks fullness as the calcium and magnesium build-up creates the perfect conditions for bacteria, yeast, and infections to occur. That’s because shampoos and soaps become ineffective as said minerals crystallize on the hair strands.
What Can You Do About It?
Considering the damaging effects of hard water on your scalp and hair in general, you need to take steps to prevent hair damage. Here are ways you can save your hair from your shower water.
Do A Vinegar Rinse
The acidic quality of vinegar balances the pH of your hair and scalp as it works to remove the mineral build-up from hard water and keep itchiness and scalp infections at bay.
On top of that, vinegar (white or apple cider), seals the hair cuticle keeping the moisture locked in. This makes hair smoother and easier to untangle, and less vulnerable to breakage.
Or A Lemon/Lime Rinse
A teaspoon of lemon/lime juice mixed into a cup of water and rinsing your hair with it can help remove the calcium and magnesium build-up.
Just like the acidity in vinegar, the citric acid in lemon and lime work as natural clarifying treatments for your hair. As well, lemon’s antibacterial properties remedy infections and dandruff.
Install A Shower Filter
Installing a filter in your shower head is yet another way to reduce hard water issues.
The filter can help prevent minerals from accumulating in the shower head deposit or reduce limescale, as well as chlorine and other compounds from hard water. Your hair and skin will indeed benefit from sifted shower water.
Use Shampoos Best For Hard Water
Because your hair is not able to lock in moisture when using hard water, it is essential to use hair care shampoos that will provide adequate moisture to your hair.
A hard-water shampoo can be the difference between having a good lather to wash out any filth and build-up, as opposed to multiplying the build-up and not purifying your hair.
Use Bottled Water
Alternatively, you can use spring or bottled mineral water for a final rinse.
Filtered water does not leave minerals and sediments in your hair, and leaves you with renewed, soft, and super sparkly hair. However, this can be a temporary solution, because it is a relatively costly fix and will leave you with a pile-up of plastic bottles.
Use Natural Leave-In Conditioners
Natural leave-in conditioners like coconut, jojoba, argan, and almond oils will deep condition and restore hydration to your hair.
Apply some drops any of the natural leave-in conditioners after towel-drying your hair, for a smooth, shiny look.
August 04, 2020 at 01:00AM
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