Is hard water bad for your hair?

How do I fix hard water damaged hair?

Hard water hair problems arise from water with a high content of calcium and magnesium salts. As a result, the hair looks dull and lacks shine while the ends become dry and predisposed to breakage. Quite the opposite to how you would like your tresses to be, wouldn’t you say? Read the article to discover how to reduce the effect of hard water on your hair.

By valuavitaly What Is Hard Water?

It is called “hard” since the linen washed in the water with high mineral content seems coarse to the touch when it dries. The fabric absorbs the salts from the water and becomes crisp. The same happens to hair when it is washed in hard water.

In the areas where the soil is rich in limestone or chalk which are mostly made of calcium and magnesium salts, the water is hard. These minerals are not harmful to the human body — they are essential for our health. But like any other chemical elements, they have their properties.

What Does Hard Water Do to Your Hair?

Hard water leaves a film of salts on everything. Hair washed in it looks dull, flat, and lifeless. These are the first signs of hard water on hair. Besides, hard water build-up makes it more complicated for hair care products to get inside the locks and, therefore, makes any treatment less efficient. Namely, cleansing products foam poorly in hard water and fail to clean our strands thoroughly. As a consequence, manufacturers add more chemicals to the products to make them work better, which is bad both for our health and the environment.

That said, it might result in very fine, soft locks feeling a bit harder after washing. But in the long run, since the tresses get less moisturizing and nourishment, and you will inevitably suffer from hard water hair damage.

While the water poor in minerals is not great for cooking and drinking, washing in hard water is not good either. Calcium is important for bones, hair, and nails. We take calcium supplements to make them stronger. But a film of calcium on our locks doesn’t add any strength! Just the other way around — the hard water effects on hair are disastrous. Sooner or later, washing hair with hard water might lead to itchy skin, dandruff, dermatitis, and even eczema, not to mention hard water hair loss.