The short answer is yes. Hard water can have a detrimental effect on our skin, nails, and hair and it’s the usual cause of those bad hair days. Although it is possible to limit the effects with some simple life hacks, this will not fix the underlying cause. The only way to make the water soft and kinder for our hair, skin, and nails is to install a water softener. In this article, we will take a closer look at how hard water damages our hair.
What is Hard Water?
Hard water contains an elevated level of dissolved minerals including calcium, magnesium, and in some cases, iron-rich areas too. These minerals make the water harsh on our skin and hair, and they inhibit the formation of soap suds in shampoos and detergents. This reduces their cleaning power, and adding more makes no difference.
How Does Hard Water Harm My Hair?
If you’ve got hard water in your home, the most noticeable consequence is hard water spots on dishes or plumbing fixtures. These spots are caused when a splash of water lands on the surface, and then the water evaporates away. What you’re actually seeing are the minerals that are suspended in the hard water.
These minerals are also left behind on your skin and hair after you bathe or take a shower. These are hard minerals that can clog your skin pores and become tangled at the base of hair follicles. This material is the source of many skin breakouts and hair that feels brittle and hard to manage.
These minerals tangle in the hair, which makes it feel heavy and flat. When the skin pores on the scalp are clogged, the formation of natural oils that lubricate the skin is prevented. This makes the scalp vulnerable to dry skin issues, and it may feel greasy. As we mentioned earlier, the formation of soap suds is limited by hard water minerals. This reduces their efficacy and in an attempt to make them work better, many people add more to get their desired results. But, this is a waste of expensive soap, shampoo, and other hair products because the core problem is hard water. Attempting to rinse the hard water away with the application of more hard water is simply impossible.
How Can I Fix This Problem?
The application of apple cider vinegar can reverse many of the effects of hard water for a short time. Washing hair in a chelating or clarifying shampoo can help and rinsing the hair in a lime or lemon water rinse reduces tangling. But, the only lasting solution is to remove the dissolved minerals which make the water hard. For this reason, many people install an ion exchange water softening system. This removes the minerals and exchanges them for salt (potassium or sodium) which is more benign in nature. When people switch to soft water, they are amazed at the positive benefits on their skin, nails, and hair.
If you’re looking for soft water, contact your local water treatment specialist.
By EcoWater Systems.
EcoWater Systems of Nebraska is the largest water treatment company in the state and is a member of Water Quality Association.