Will clarifying shampoo help with hard water and yellow hair?

[rose313]

I have Googled "hard water shampoos" but I'm not sure where to start. Every time I tone the yellow out of my blonde hair it seems to be fine for a few days then the yellow gradually comes back. I thought it was because I was only using semi permanent toners and they were not sticking to my hair. I finally used a permanent ash blonde toner which worked well but a few days later (and only 2 washes) it looks darker and more yellow than it was when I first did it.

I am not sure if I have hard water in my house or not and I don't know how to find out. But I was wondering if a clarifying shampoo could help me, and how often I should use it.

Right now I am using Joico, Aphogee, and Herbal Essences shampoos and conditioners.

[Ms. Littlefish]

You may be interested in using a violet toned shampoo or using a chelating shampoo such as the one from Kenra. I don't recommend Kenra for every wash, though. Clarifying shampoo won't do anything for hard water.

[rose313]

I will research chelating shampoos. I have used two different brands of silver/violet shampoo and have also made my own toner using Manic Panic Ultraviolet (blue-based purple) and conditioner. The toner worked for only a few washes (if I left it in for longer than a few minutes my hair would turn gray) and the silver shampoos, which I've been using for years, (I like the smell) do nothing :(

On another forum I use, I had asked if my hair was too dark to tone and if I'd need to lighten it more. I was assured my hair was light enough, but I am wondering if it really is. I don't want to use permanent dyes or bleach so if I have to I would probably just deal with this awful yellow.

[Arien]

I know when you have hard water, shampoos to not lather up as well as softer water and therefore you need to use more of said shampoo. We have very hard water here. In my experience, the more gentle shampoos do not tend to lather up very well, whereas harsher shampoos, for example some clarifying shampoos tend to lather easier. Also sulphate shampoos tend to lather better than non sulphate shampoos. That doesn't really help much with your query mind! :D

I think you would notice if you had particularly hard water because you would get a build up of lime scale on your kitchen taps/kettle etc fairly often.

[melusine963]

I agree with Ms. Littlefish that you should try a chelating shampoo (sometimes sold as swimmers' shampoo). A clarifying shampoo is only designed to get rid of product build up, but an actual chelating shampoo will tackle the mineral build up that comes from hard water. You could also try installing a shower head filter.

[Panth]

Hard water is easy to tell - basically, do you get bad limescale, e.g. on shower heads, taps and particularly in the kettle? Does the water from the tap look cloudy and leave limescale rings on glasses when left overnight? If yes, then you have hard water, i.e. lots of calcium-based minerals in your water.

Water can have other minerals too. E.g. if you see a rusty orange stain beneath taps you may have lots of iron in your water.

Clarifying shampoos are designed to deal with product build-up (i.e. silicones, waxes, hairspray, etc.). They will not (generally) do anything for mineral build-up. For that you want a chelating shampoo (often advertised as 'swimmer's shampoo').

If the mineral problem is primarily calcium-based you can also do vinegar/acidic rinses after each wash to reduce the rate of build-up. However, IMO it is impossible to make an acidic rinse strong enough to completely prevent mineral build-up without it being strong enough to damage the hair or scalp. 1 teaspoon vinegar in 1 medium glass of water is sufficient (and, as a bonus, it smooths the hair cuticle and thus imparts shine).

[rose313]

Yes I do have that rusty orange color! I get it in my sink and bathtub near the drain if I don't clean it often enough. I don't really get anything that looks like limescale though. I have seen some hard water maps that water companies make that are very interesting, but I don't think there is one for my area. Very occasionally my water right out of the faucet will be cloudy, but that doesn't happen with any consistency.

There's an Ion swimmer's shampoo that's sulfate free, I have never paid attention to sulfates before but this seems like a good place to start. I like Ion products in general especially for the low price. I could look into that.

[jeanniet]

Your local water company may do an annual water analysis that may be available on their website, so check there. We have well water that's hard and contains iron and other minerals. I use citric acid rinses (1/4 tsp. per gallon of water) as a chelator to remove deposits, and it's worked very well for nearly four years now. ACV didn't do much, but the citric acid really helps. I do use a chelating shampoo every once in a while (Joico), but they're pretty harsh so I avoid it as much as possible. I maybe do the shampoo a couple of times a year.

[Panth]

Yes I do have that rusty orange color! I get it in my sink and bathtub near the drain if I don't clean it often enough. I don't really get anything that looks like limescale though. I have seen some hard water maps that water companies make that are very interesting, but I don't think there is one for my area. Very occasionally my water right out of the faucet will be cloudy, but that doesn't happen with any consistency.

There's an Ion swimmer's shampoo that's sulfate free, I have never paid attention to sulfates before but this seems like a good place to start. I like Ion products in general especially for the low price. I could look into that.

If you get the rusty colour in sinks/baths but not the limescale and cloudy water, then your problem is almost certainly iron-based minerals in the water not calcium-based ones. That is also suggested by your hair, as calcium-based mineral build-up will cause tangling but not usually discolouration, whilst iron-based build-up commonly causes discolouration.

However, it shouldn't matter either way - a chelating shampoo should work on any sort of mineral deposits. However, you could search or ask people for recommendations particularly for products that will remove iron-based deposits.