Living in an area with hard water can affect you and your household from skin and hair issues to the decreased lifespan of appliances. One of the most noticeable ways is how hard water affects your hair. Hard water often causes brittle, stringy, and unmanageable hair which can be a huge headache. There are several ways your home’s hard water could be damaging your hair, but there are also ways to treat or prevent the problem altogether.
Hard Water Means Half as Clean
One of the first signs of hard water we see in our hair is how poorly shampoo reacts to it. Hard water does not allow shampoo to lather to its full extent. This puts a big dent in washing your hair properly, as the shampoo can't penetrate to the hair shaft. It's as if you've only washed your hair halfway.
Goodbye Hair Dye
A second sign of hard water to look out for is if your dyed hair cannot hold color. Color-safe shampoo and conditioners won't be enough to make your recent salon visit last when you're fighting an uphill battle with hard water. The mineral contaminants take hold of your hair and strip out essential oils, leaving your hair weak and vulnerable to color loss.
Tangles Hurt
Hard water also makes your hair feel dry, brittle, and tangled. This happens because the once smooth hair shaft becomes rough when hardened water makes the roof-like shingles stand up. You'll never be able to rinse out all of your shampoo when your hair is standing on end like that. Forget about being able to comb your hair. Styling will be a nightmare due to excess minerals weighing your hair down or causing it to frizz!
Rinse and Repeat
Lastly, hard water will cause soap and shampoo to leave a nasty film behind on your hair. Hard water minerals like calcium and magnesium are left behind to wreak havoc on your hair and skin. When mixed with shampoo or soap, these minerals form a calcium and magnesium salt film. It's a never-ending cycle of washing and rinsing just to remove the film, although you may never feel like you’re truly clean.
The Quick & Easy Solution
The best treatment for these hair problems is through prevention by installing a water softening system in your home. Water softeners add the appropriate salts to your water supply to properly balance it while removing harsh, damaging contaminants. Contact the water treatment professionals at Advantage Water Conditioning to explore our water softener options for your home and get your hair back on track.
