Water pressure and hair

[Carrie Ingalls]

So, this is something that I have noticed over the years and wondered if any of you have had similar experiences.

In my experience water pressure makes a huge difference in the length of time it takes to wash my hair (mostly the rinsing phase). In fact it has gotten to the point where if there is more than one shower that I could use I will scope out which one has the best shower head/water pressure and only use that shower stall even if it is a little more out of my way.

This spring the shower stall I had been using was "repaired"...I had not noticed anything wrong with it and in my opinion they actually ruined the shower by changing the shower head to the wimpy variety.

Also, it should be noted that having a higher water pressure doesn't have to mean you are using more water (some folks I've encountered seem to think this), you can use a good high efficiency (water conservation) shower head and still have great water pressure.


I realize some of the other variables in the mix are hair type and thickness and wash routine. So what are your preferences when it comes to washing/rinsing your hair and water pressure?

[neko_kawaii]

I can't stand shower heads that sting because the water is coming out so fast. My sister loves them. I think my shower head is lovely and rinses my hair quickly. My sister asks how I ever manage to wash my hair. I suspect that she associates the stinging fast water with efficacy because my hair does not rinse faster under her shower head than mine.

I have lived in places with ancient clogged up pipes and shower heads. Talk about hard to rinse your hair! (We discovered at the 100 year old house I lived in for college that turning on the tap in the tub to a trickle created better pressure in the shower. There was, however, no solution to the trickle of water for filling the tub besides putting a pot of water on the stove to boil, because by the time you had enough water in the tub for a bath, it would be cold.)

[sumidha]

Oh man, the water pressure at my boyfriend's mom's house is so bad I can't wash my hair inside, period. I'm really happy now that it's summer I'll be able to use the hose in the garden. Yay clean hair! :D

[melusine963]

I lived for a number of years in a house with absolutely pathetic water pressure. It was nothing short of miraculous when I went to visit someone with a power shower.

[Bagginslover]

I love a good high pressure shower anyway, its fabulous for achy muscles! It does make for a good scalp massage too, I put the head low enough that its only a few inches from my scalp, its wonderful!

[shutterpillar]

I don't like showers with too much pressure... like Neko mentioned, where it is stinging your head because it's shooting out at you so fast. Our shower head has a variety of different settings, and I choose the one that offers a full stream on the outside with a stream in the middle that has a very gentle pulse to it. It rinses my hair perfectly. :)

[Nique1202]

One of the best things I ever did was to install a shower head on a hose (so I can pull it and point it anywhere I need it to rinse off) with variable pressure/output settings. My water pressure is VERY fickle so having the adjustable shower head to widen/narrow the stream to decrease/increase the pressure to exactly the right level was one of the best things I ever did for my hair. Now I know it's all getting rinsed out!

[nobeltonya]

I prefer pretty high water pressure, and also relatively hot water. It significantly reduces the amount of time it takes to rinse my conditioner out. :disco:

[Firefox7275]

It's better for my water and energy bills not to have a power shower. Plus high pressure water beating down cannot be good for the hair it must dislodge cuticles, that is not treating your hair like a cashmere sweater. I wash my hair upside down with a hose shower so that I can get an all round clean scalp, and I use cool water to keep the cuticle closed because this is gentler on hair and my colour.

[trolleypup]

I have multiple shower heads...the main two are on movable arms but are generally pointed at head/hair and body. The nozzles on both are low flow/high pressure/fine spray...so decent power and penetration (of thick hair), but not stingy. There is also a handheld that is a single narrow aperture and nothing else, so a power jet, high pressure, medium flow, but still not stingy...that is the one I use for scalp cleaning and massage since it powers through my hair, I don't use it for washing or rinsing my length. I usually run it tepid, and my hair doesn't hold much water after, so I'm guessing the cuticle stays down. I preen before hair washing, and rarely loose a full length strand in the process...if it is damaging, well, I can live with it.

I hate stingy hurtyshowerheads, regardless of the flow or lack thereof, I've been know to bring my own cheap low flow heads rather than deal with either low pressure or stingyness.

[Carrie Ingalls]

It's better for my water and energy bills not to have a power shower.
I'm not sure you can make the generalization that a shower with high pressure would increase your bills. In my experience if the water pressure/shower head is wimpy/weak my showers take much longer and (I imagine) actually end up using more water. [note: I have no way to quantitatively prove the previous postulation]. Also, I think another factor that would impact the bills would be the temperature of the water you are using.


The nozzles on both are low flow/high pressure/fine spray...so decent power and penetration (of thick hair), but not stingy.

These are the type of shower heads I grew up using and what I often find myself wishing for...*sigh* Another nice perk is that many of them you can turn off at the shower head without messing up the water temperature during the shower. Of course the water should be turned completely off in the usual way when you are completely finished.

I also find nice strong water pressure helps combat scalp buildup.

[Firefox7275]

I'm not sure you can make the generalization that a shower with high pressure would increase your bills. In my experience if the water pressure/shower head is wimpy/weak my showers take much longer and (I imagine) actually end up using more water. [note: I have no way to quantitatively prove the previous postulation]. Also, I think another factor that would impact the bills would be the temperature of the water you are using.


You don't know the water system in my current apartment nor previous home, whether I am on a single rate or economy 7 tariff, gas boiler or electric immersion, nor my personal hygiene habits nor the size of my utility bills, so you have no idea whether that is a generalisation or not!! I don't live your life, I probably don't even live in the same country as you and likely have very different bathing habits to you. As I said, it is better for MY water and energy bills not to have a power shower.

[Carrie Ingalls]

You don't know the water system in my current apartment nor previous home, whether I am on a single rate or economy 7 tariff, gas boiler or electric immersion, nor my personal hygiene habits nor the size of my utility bills, so you have no idea whether that is a generalisation or not!! I don't live your life, I probably don't even live in the same country as you and likely have very different bathing habits to you. As I said, it is better for MY water and energy bills not to have a power shower.

Firefox7275, I am very sorry I have communicated poorly. My post was in no way meant to be malicious or presume knowledge about your living situation or personal habits. I was wrong to infer in my post that you were making a generalization. Please forgive me for coming across harshly. I was merely trying to explain my thought process which I acknowledged that I have no way of proving even as it applies to me alone (a case study if you will).