I know this may have been discussed on the old LHC, but I have a question or two
about water softeners.

1. Who has or had a house water softener and Loved it!

2. Has anyone just really hated it for their hair?

We are buying a new home and really want a softener. Had one years ago,but
honestly never thought about my hair back then and didnt take note of how
it was.etc. ;)

Thanks

Deb

We have a built-in water softener, and I like it. The water here is really hard, and this cuts soap scum build up, and means I can easily use shampoo bars if I want.

Even with this, though, the water isn't silky soft (like the water in Vancouver, say, where it can feel like soap's just not rinsing out).

Maybe it's a matter of settings? Though I've never noticed any on mine...

(Mine uses salt -- If I didn't want the water soft after a trial, I would just stop filling that reservoir.)

I don't have a water softener, but I personally wouldn't buy it - my hair doesn't seem to like soft water, I couldn't comb it when I was in a place with soft water.

But if your hair likes it (have you tested that before?) I'd try it.

I'd say softened water is not as nice as naturally soft water, but it is worlds better than hard water (our water is extremely hard).

I know this may have been discussed on the old LHC, but I have a question or two
about water softeners.

1. Who has or had a house water softener and Loved it!

2. Has anyone just really hated it for their hair?

We are buying a new home and really want a softener. Had one years ago,but
honestly never thought about my hair back then and didnt take note of how
it was.etc. ;)

Thanks

Deb

We got a house water softener a few months ago and my hair and skin is loving it. Makes hair/skin feel so much softer!

We got one a few months back, and I really don't notice much of a difference with my hair and skin. What I do notice is that there isn't soap scum everywhere and that my dishes no longer have spots on them. I notice also that it takes far less soap to get lather, that I can actually lather a bar of soap now, and that I'm using lots less detergent for clean clothes and dishes. The softened water also tastes much better, though I try to drink primarily the RO water rather than the softened stuff because the extra salt can be hard on your heart over the years.

We have a water softener (Lindsay, fwiw) and it is a definite improvement over untreated water. In our case, the public water isn't hard, but it is delivered in an old piping system, and is occasionally rusty.

Definitely get the water at the new home tested, and if it's hard, or has other issues that a softener will help fix, then go ahead and do it. Regardless of what product you use, softened water will make it work better than hard water will.

8) Jim

Thanks everyone! I think we will end up with a softener. I like that its better on
plumbing,cleaning,laundry and skin. Im sure my coarse hair will like it! Thanks.


Deb

If your hair is coarse, it may really enjoy the softened water. My naturally slippy hair seems to be even flatter since we installed our system (we had to get a softner, whole house filter, and RO system for drinking water....our well water is horrid even though it's a very deep well). Unfortunately, the softner is a complete necessity. My parents never had a softner at their house, but they had nearly perfect water from their well. A slight hardness, but not bad at all. My hair loved their water best.

We have had a water softener for the last 13 years and I LOVE it for my hair (and laundry). It is much easier on my hair. I remember my mother telling me that when she was a girl in rural North Dakota, they saved rain water (it is soft, of course) to wash their hair. When I've had to use hard water, I've never liked it as much as the soft. Also, having soft water protects your sink and tub fixtures and your water heater from the lime buildup, and that's a good thing too. You probably won't want to drink the soft water, so try to make some arrangement for that. We have a separate spigot at the kitchen sink where cold hard water is available for drinking.