hard water

[heatherainsley]

I couldnt see one where people talk about how they deal with hard water and their hair thought it might be nice to throw some ideas out.
I am just using acv rinses right now.

[vampodrama]

I'm interested too. we have so hard water that *everything* calcifies...

[wendyg]

1) Shower filter (removes chlorine)

2) Final rinse with half gallon bottle of filtered water (Britta filter) with a little lemon juice or vinegar added to change the pH.

Does wonders.

wg

[Magicknthenight]

i was looking for shower filters.
Is their anywhere their not too expensive? and how often do you have to replace them?

[Phalaenopsis]

Even though are water here isn't that hard, I'm also going to get a shower filter. The difference after a rinse with filtered water and some lemon juice was amazing :)

[TambourineDream]

ooh this is really useful, I live in London/Brighton and HATE the hard water. (though, tbh, I've never actually showered anywhere with soft water so don't know what the difference would even be!)
I also have really old crappy pipes so who KNOWS what other kind of deposits have found their way into the water.. :confused:
heatherainsley, are you doing any kind of washing routine as well, or just the rinses? Do you find your hair responds well to the ACV? I'm thinking of trying it out :)
wendyg your system sounds really good; I never thought of getting a Brita filter... I used to see adverts for it all the time! Has it made a noticeable difference to the health of your hair?
Ok, sorry for being so nosey! I just really want to find out what works and if I can expect a difference before I start buying stuff!

[1MegMeg]

i was looking for shower filters.
Is their anywhere their not too expensive? and how often do you have to replace them?

We have extremely hard water here and I purchased a shower filter at Home Depot for approximately $23. It came with the filter contraption and the first filter, which lasts around 6 months. It goes on between the pipe that comes out of the wall and the shower head, so so no need to replace your existing shower head. The brand I got was GE.

[happymommy]

Shower filter. I have an iwater that I got at Bed Bath and Beyond for $35. The filters are $18 and have to be replaced every 6 months.

[jivete]

Hard water won't be fixed by a simple carbon filter. You need a water softener for that. The filter will remove the chlorine, smells, etc but not the hardness or the ph.

Hardness and high ph aren't necessarily going to occur together, but the ph is usually raised when treating for hardness and I know our water utility leaves it that way to prevent corrosion in metal pipes. So in my area, our water is hard (about 140mg/L reduced from like 300-400 mg/L and has a ph of 9 to 9.5).

Info on hard water: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_water

And a fairly inexpensive softener I'm considering purchasing for my shower:

http://www.watersticks.com/shower.htm

HTH. I've heard that soft water really helps your skin/hair. I'm excited to get my water stick and see if it makes a difference.

[Dee 08]

This is really useful information.

[yogachic]

That's all too much work for me. I just stick with my hard water.

[heatherainsley]

ooh this is really useful, I live in London/Brighton and HATE the hard water. (though, tbh, I've never actually showered anywhere with soft water so don't know what the difference would even be!)
I also have really old crappy pipes so who KNOWS what other kind of deposits have found their way into the water.. :confused:
heatherainsley, are you doing any kind of washing routine as well, or just the rinses? Do you find your hair responds well to the ACV? I'm thinking of trying it out :)
wendyg your system sounds really good; I never thought of getting a Brita filter... I used to see adverts for it all the time! Has it made a noticeable difference to the health of your hair?
Ok, sorry for being so nosey! I just really want to find out what works and if I can expect a difference before I start buying stuff!
well i just moved to an area with really hard water right now all i am doing is the acv rinses after washing it is helping for me my scalp is getting better not so dried out, i should also mention i live in the high desert so it is also very dry here.

[Chromis]

Pretty much the same as everyone else, plus gallons of CLR for my weekly battle of the bathtub in which you'd need a before picture to tell there was an after....

[Anje]

Pssst, Chromis, I think white vinegar works pretty well in the battle, too, at least on soap scum. Cheaper than CLR, too.

Distilled or bottled water rinses are another alternative (for hair, not cleaning) if you want to avoid vinegar or citric acid for some reason.

[RoseRedDead]

I use either a white vinegar or apple cider vinegar rinse; the ratios I use are 2-3 tablespoons per 32 ounces of tap water. This helps a lot with shine and softness.

Oh, and in my experience, NEVER USE TAP WATER IN YOUR MISTER BOTTLE! This is a huge no-no for me, as it causes extreme tangles once dry. I always use distilled water (you can buy gallon jugs of this at Wal-Mart, etc).

-RoseRedDead, who lives in Indiana on top of a lot of shale, with water containing a lot of minerals and calcium that tastes great for drinking, but is not so wonderful for hair, and causes white rings on all drinking glasses in the house

[lora410]

I use a shower filter which cost $20 and the replacements are $15. I typically have replace mine every 4 months. I honestly think the shower filer has not only gave me georgous hair, but cleared up face. When the filer was out for a week ( I didn't know it needed replacing) I couldnt figure out why the heck my hair was getting so dry and nasty.

[Chromis]

Pssst, Chromis, I think white vinegar works pretty well in the battle, too, at least on soap scum. Cheaper than CLR, too.

Distilled or bottled water rinses are another alternative (for hair, not cleaning) if you want to avoid vinegar or citric acid for some reason.

Oh I've tried! With vinegar before and after pictures wouldn't have been of any use, there wasn't *any* difference! My hair likes the vinegar at least though :)

[Magicknthenight]

Shower filter. I have an iwater that I got at Bed Bath and Beyond for $35. The filters are $18 and have to be replaced every 6 months.



We have extremely hard water here and I purchased a shower filter at Home Depot for approximately $23. It came with the filter contraption and the first filter, which lasts around 6 months. It goes on between the pipe that comes out of the wall and the shower head, so so no need to replace your existing shower head. The brand I got was GE.

we have one of those removable water things. That you can take off the hook. Does it make a difference when installing the shower filter? cuz you gotta unwind it to take it off
just wondering
I'll have to go get one this weekend if i can. probably at home depot since its cheaper & im low on money right now
thanks!!!

[HairyCarrie]

I use the PUR water pitcher. I have a bench in my shower for the pitcher, so I fill it up right away with warm water. By the end of my regime the water will have filtered down into the pitcher (it takes a few minutes to go through the filter). I then do a final hair and body rinse with the PURer water. It's still warm so it's comfortable.

I don't know if it's doing anything significant to my hair - I just started 2 weeks ago - but it makes me "feel" better about eliminating chlorine and other chemicals. Plus with all the other tips I've gotten here, my hair is feeling pretty great anyway, so I think it's the combo of stuff that's working.

http://www.purwaterfilter.com/pur2st7cupov.html

[misstwist]

I've lived in the midwest my entire life and almost all the water around here is on the "very hard" end of the scale. But, honestly, when I've stayed places where the water has been softened I haven't noticed any effect on my hair and the water just feels slimy and tastes utterly gross.

[wendyg]

Tambourine Dream: no comparison. I grew up in the US and never had a water problem even when traveling, but when I got to London to live, the water turned my hair to straw. It makes it very rough and brittle and my hair is so fine it's very difficult to work with conditioner. Using filtered water, I don't need conditioner. (I was only very lightly.)

wg

[Kimberly]

I have recently realized -- to my shock -- that my hair actually seems to LIKE hard water. It makes my hair look and feel thicker and it curls more and seems better off overall. I use CV bars. I was using a WV rinse every wash, but now I have taken to using a weak WV rinse only when my comb starts to get glopped up and I and get annoyed by it, which usually takes a few washes. Also, water that's been "softened" makes my hair look fried, and my skin dries out, too.

[TambourineDream]

water that's been "softened" makes my hair look fried
Eek. I hope this doesn't happen to me; I'm not sure my hair could cope with much more frying!!
I'm still determined to try and soften my water though- in the name of experimentation and all that. I'm not going to take the plunge just yet and get one of the pricey water softening systems, I will definitely invest if I notice good results though. I'm off shopping tomorrow to get myself some ACV so I can start rinsing. I'll look for a filter jug while I'm at it and shamelessly copy HairyCarrie's set-up (if you don't mind!) since it sounds relatively hassle-free and makes sense to me.

I'll keep you guys updated on the happiness of my straw hair! :)

Oh, has anyone tried any products designed specifically for those in hard water areas? I was considering getting LUSH's 'Hard' shampoo bar, but I need to calm down and try one thing at a time, lol.

[happymommy]

we have one of those removable water things. That you can take off the hook. Does it make a difference when installing the shower filter? cuz you gotta unwind it to take it off
just wondering
I'll have to go get one this weekend if i can. probably at home depot since its cheaper & im low on money right now
thanks!!!


It won't make a difference. You put the filter in between where the hose attaches to the shower down pipe. I have one that splits off into a seperate head for dual sprays and it works fine.

[Masara]

I've just got back from holiday. I spent 2 weeks in Brittany where the the water is very soft (just full of nitrates) admiring my hair which was so smooth and shiny (and wierdly straight) Then I got here and after 2 washes, it is rougher and duller, but with a lot more wave.

It happens every year. I grew up in a hard water area (Chiltern hills- nothing but chalk) so I'm used to my hard water hair. but 4 years of uni in Scotland made me realise that there was something else possible.
I keep meaning to take a jug of filtered water up to the shower from the kitchen jug but I keep forgetting. It's just come to me that there is no law against me buying a second jug for the bathroom. I'll try that for a bit and if I see a difference, I really must see if I can get a shower filter.

[justgreen]

I've been using 12 ounces of distilled water as a final rinse, for over a year now. Nothing beats it.

[Chromis]

I've lived in the midwest my entire life and almost all the water around here is on the "very hard" end of the scale. But, honestly, when I've stayed places where the water has been softened I haven't noticed any effect on my hair and the water just feels slimy and tastes utterly gross.

I find there is a large difference between soft water and softened water. I'm guessing the salt used in the water softening process might be the culprit but I don't know that much about them.

For my money, I'd prefer to do what my Grandparents do, which is having an RO system. They just have theirs hooked to the tap but darned if I wouldn't want one for the shower too!

[Anje]

I've lived in the midwest my entire life and almost all the water around here is on the "very hard" end of the scale. But, honestly, when I've stayed places where the water has been softened I haven't noticed any effect on my hair and the water just feels slimy and tastes utterly gross.

Would that happen to be hotels? I don't know what they do, but I think practically every hotel I've stayed at has the slimiest water, ever. It isn't really like that in most people's homes. Softened water does take longer to rinse things out, oddly enough. Link. (http://chemistry.about.com/od/howthingsworkfaqs/a/softwaterrinse.htm) Another link. (http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mhardwater.html)

As far as taste goes, I think it's generally recommended not to drink much softened water. The minerals in hard water are often good for you (unless you have fun heavy metals involved), and all the extra salt in softened water is not, particularly if you have any sort of cardiovascular issues.

[misstwist]

I was first exposed to softened water at my ex-in-laws home in West Des Moines. It took me awhile to figure out why the water felt and tasted so nasty. Many restaurants in this area also soften their water, there are several where it is just undrinkable because of that.

We are entertainers and travel a lot. Some hotels/motels soften their water, less than half of those we stay at, but when you spend as many nights on the road as we do, you tend to go for cheap motels that don't engage in that kind of foolishness. We stayed in one hotel this year that I will never go back to, for many reasons, where the softened water was so bad I had to use bottled water to make coffee.

Thus ends the threadjacking rant. ;)

[FrannyG]

I use distilled water as a rinse with a dash of ACV. It works like a charm for me. I also agree about no tap water in mister bottles.

[wendyg]

Softened /= soft, correct. AIUI Boston has some of the softest water around, and I've known *more* women there with gorgeously kept knee-length hair...

They really ought to sell London water as paint thinner or something.

AIUI soap lathers better in soft water but rinses out easier in hard.

wg