Why Hard Water is Hard on Your Hair

And What You Can Do to Achieve a More Manageable Mane

Have you found yourself wondering why, after taking countless steps to achieve healthy hair; your strands remain brittle, broken, and unmanageable? The answer could lie in your water faucet. Many areas throughout the country are plagued with hard water. Hard water is water that has seeped through soil and rocks, picking up high amounts of minerals along the way. Hard water is quite harsh on skin and hair, and may have even left its telltale stains on your toilets, tubs, and sinks. The fight for soft skin and beautiful hair is an uphill battle when bathing and washing with untreated hard water. Your skin may feel very dry and even crack, and hair can become rough, brittle, frizzy, and lose its luster. Luckily, there are steps you can take to combat the damaging effects of hard water.

Option #1: A softening system to take care of the overall problem

In many regions, it is common for homes to have a water softening unit. If you aren’t utilizing yours, or don’t have one and believe you may need one, check with your water company to get the 411 on the water hardness in your area. You can also order a test kit to perform on the water that is coming directly into your home. A water softening unit is a plus because it takes care of hard water coming out of every faucet in your home. The way it works is simple. The unit is filled with beads full of resin. Before entering your home, water is filtered through the unit where the beads take hold of the hard water minerals, thus removing them from the water coming through your pipes. The result is softer water that treats your hair much more kindly.

Option #2: Equip your showerhead with a filter

An inexpensive, quick, and easy fix to get to the root of hair problems caused by hard water is to pick up a showerhead filter at a home improvement store. Once installed in your shower, you will notice an immediate difference in how your soap and shampoo lathers and rinses. You’ll feel a huge difference in the softness of your hair and notice the shine start to return to your locks.

Option #3: Use a clarifying shampoo to strip your strands of mineral build-up

After using hard water to wash and rinse your hair, a good clarifying shampoo is an absolute must to rid your tresses of that gunky build-up of unfriendly minerals. A powerful chelating shampoo will bind to the hard water minerals that have wreaked havoc on your hair and wash them right down the drain.

Option #4: Create an at-home acidic rinse to cut through the damage

Try a rinse made from apple cider vinegar or lemon juice to relax the scales of the hair. This will allow the mineral build-up from hard water to easily flow away from your hair and will also cause your hair to resist any further product build-up.

There is hope for reclaiming a full and beautiful head of hair!

After you’ve tackled the source of hard water damage to your hair, your locks will undoubtedly be in need of some serious TLC. A keratin-rich treatment will go the extra mile to ensure your hair will restore health and reach its greatest potential. Keranique is a treatment system formulated to work at the hair follicle, strengthening and repairing each hair strand and nurturing healthy, full regrowth. Its proven system consists of revitalizing shampoo, volumizing conditioner, regrowth treatment, and repair treatment. These products will work together to repair all you’ve lost after hard water damage and your hair will turn out looking better than ever!