Feel a bit like crying...

[Kaya]

My hair, it seems, has gotten worse since we've moved to the UK. :(

This was my hair back in Georgia:

http://i1313.photobucket.com/albums/t548/tanookitail/Hair%20Toys/DSC_0117_zpsaimpbgq6.jpg

And my hair this morning, after 5 months in England:

http://i1313.photobucket.com/albums/t548/tanookitail/Hair%20Toys/DSC_0151_zps5oo793k6.jpg

I can't help it; I feel like bursting into to tears. What happened? It looked so thick and healthy, with a pretty good hemline back in the states. (Not entirely sure when we took that photo. Perhaps 2011/2012.) Now, it looks incredibly scraggly, with thinning ends, and looks like it's gotten shorter! I know I must have trimmed it back at some point, but surely, it would have grown back. I can't remember the last time I actually had a full-on trim, just S&D.

I know back in Georgia, I had a nice routine of daily oiling with EVOO with a CO wash each night. Here, the water is so hard, that I when I tried to take up my normal routine, my hair just didn't feel right, more coarse and unmanageable, and this was with EVOO and CO-wash. Since then, I've been trying to find a suitable routine and new products, to include the use of cones. I've even tried to stretch my washes, but I can't go for more than a day or so before my scalp gets itchy and I shed massive amounts the next time I do wash. Occasionally, it feels good, but clearly, it's not helping, if today's photo is any indication. :sad

I may have to seriously consider getting a shower softener and see if it makes a difference.

Sorry to whinge on so badly. It's just incredibly discouraging to see the glaring difference in my hair. :cry: If there's anywhere that can understand my hair feelings, it's here on the LHC.

[Arien]

We have very hard water where we live and limescale is always building up on our taps & kettle etc very quickly. Do you get the same thing? We attached a water filter to our shower pipe and it has made a huge difference. Not just to our hair and skin, but shampoo also lasts a lot longer. If you live in a hard water area it can have a big effect on your hair. We got ours from Amazon. They last us a few months at a time before we need to change. I hope you find something that works for you! Stay cheerful! :)

[MINAKO]

whoa, im feeling very sorry for you right now. :,(
its mich shorter indeed and that after three years where it would have to grow about 18".
i dont want to upset you more then you already are, but sugar coating wont help you either. no matter what it is that is causing you hair to break off (i can imagine water hardness and high porosity for example dont go well), find it, change it, get your hair back. the fullness seems to be there, so i dont see why i wouldnt be growing back. buy that filter or for goodness sake wash your hair with mineral water, but dont let something like this ruin your expirience of growing long.
have you used anything to chelate after you moved to the UK. i didnt when i lived in another city where the wter was also super hard and my hair was definitely much dryer, it did not really break, but that doesnt mean anything.
and just to be sure, i would consult a doctor, because in case something is wrong with your scalp, the earlier you know it the better.
i hope you can improve your situation soon. big hug!

[MsVenus]

I have seen this happen with one case of iron deficiency but also the water filter would be a must. You might have to buy bottled water to wash your hair. If I were you, I would try to use the exact same products i used in the US with a water filter or bottled water to start. That might help some.
Best wishes I will pray for your hair

[moontree]

Try a diluted vinegar rinse to finish your shower routine next time you shower, and then seal the damp ends with the oil your hair is friendliest with. ACV rinses can make my hair angry if I do them too much but every once in a while it's a good thing, it counteracts the buildup of hard water. If you're using a brush, stop, and use a wide toothed comb or just your fingers to detangle. You may do this already, but it will help with breakage of dry ends to baby your hair. It looks like your hair has had a lot of breakage, probably because of the hard water... also make sure you are eating a balanced diet and add a multivitamin or a hair/nail vitamin to supplement. If you don't already, wear your hair up in protective styles and get a satin or silk pillow case or sleep cap - my hair used to break pretty easily and making this switch really helped!

That your scalp gets itchy after only a day says to me that you might have a skin problem there or that there might be build up of something your are reacting to on your scalp. It might be good to see your doctor in that case. I agree with suggestions above that a water filter on your shower will help. There are tea rinses that you can do too that help with slip and shine (Catnip comes to mind, and chamomile) that are also good for your scalp.

But most importantly :grouphug: don't lose hope! We are here to support you, and you still have beautiful hair, it seems like you just need to find a new routine to care for it where you are living now. Try making a list of things you still love about your hair, and another list of things you will try out to see if it helps your hair, and try the things on the second list one at a time to see what works best for you. Support and hugs and hang in there!

[Ambrielle]

I am so sorry Kaya :(
I am familiar with both the States and UK. I believe it has something to do with the hard water in the UK (especially if you're located in the south east, water is the hardest there). I have moved around the globe a few times and i had to change my hair care routine every time i relocated because products would stop working possibly due to the water hardness/softness. It took some time to adjust and figure out what worked and what did not but the one thing that always helped was oiling my hair and ACV rinses lately.
How about your general physical and mental health, lifestyle and diet? Hormonal imbalances or deficiencies can cause massive sheds as you know. I'd keep an eye on that and ask a doctor to run blood tests just to be on the safe side. My iron and calcium deficiencies combined with high stress/anxiety levels (that lead to poor eating habits) resulted in a massive shed years ago. My ends got see through, i had to cut back 5 or more inches. Hair is filling in nicely again now. I hope you'll find a solution soon. :grouphug:

P.S: I second MINAKO's suggestion about chelating.

[Wildcat Diva]

Oh gosh! I'm so sad you are having this problem.

I tried doing something different with water. I made a thread about it on here. Miracle water, revisited. That's the thread title.

Biggest problem with it for me is that with this method I don't have good water pressure now, so I have backed off from using it a few weeks due to this. But it worked well. I'll use it again.

You'll need for this some citric acid and vitamin C powder.

For now, I would switch to bottled water if you can and then sort out a more permanent solution. I wash once a week, maybe you could try stretching washes to something like that if it's a good idea scalp wise?

Rooibos tea in a misting bottle might help your scalp to stretch to weekly washes?

HTH.

ETA: I didn't read carefully enough about scalp issue. That's going to take some work. Maybe the acidic miracle water washes will help it? I see you can't stretch now. I hope you figure this out with more help.

[SunlightShines]

A shower filter or bottled water sounds like a good idea, but if it's not in your budget, maybe get a pitcher and fill it with water the night before to let it sit (you could even boil it first?). Maybe add a squeeze of lemon juice to it. Sort of a chelating rinse. I believe there is a thread on it. I don't do CO washes because it makes me shed like crazy. I do have a lot of chlorine in my water. So I use a sulfate free shampoo and once a week I use a small medicine cup to mix 1/2 shampoo & 1/2 ACV and wash with that. It makes my hair feel great and hardly any hair loss when I do it. Now, I'm wondering if I could add the ACV to conditioner with the same results?

[Hootenanny]

I'm so sorry this is happening to you. :grouphug: The water where I live is very hard, and I just want to second Wildcat Diva's advice about trying miracle water. I do a final rinse with citric acid added to distilled water, and it has made a huge difference for my hair. Also, Minako is right that you should try chelating to get the minerals out. I really hope you find a solution!

[MedusaWarrior]

Have you checked with a doctor whether you have something like a vitamin deficiency?

[mz_butterfly]

I'm so sorry about your hair. A couple of ideas on ways to get better water:

Can you set up a rain water diversion system? To cat water in a barrel of some sort? It doesn't have to be a 55 gallon drum but maybe a 5 gallon bucket, a few buckets, or a new/clean trash can?

Is there a YMCA or YWCA close to you where you could get a membership and use their facilities for showering? Maybe they have better water quality?

You say you get itchy when you don't wash (daily? every other day?) If you could stretch this out to twice a week or once a week, you may be able to halt this damage.

Have you considered Sebum Only? Even for awhile, to see if it helps the your hair quality?

I hope you find something that halts this dilemma. Please keep us updated. I am sending you positive vibes.

[meteor]

:grouphug: Hugs to you, Kaya! Cheer up! It will get better!
But I highly recommend changing the routine.

1) Get a water softener;

2) Or use distilled/demineralized water for your washes or explore the miracle water (water + citric acid + vit. C) : http://archive.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=51184

3) Get a chelating/swimmers shampoo to remove mineral build-up from water: Lanza and Joico come to mind, but there are many others.

4) Get back to using those oils, like EVOO. Clearly, they worked for you!

5) Do pre-poo oiling every time you wash - oils mildly protect from low quality water too, making hair a bit more hydrophobic.

A bit from personal experience: I had dried out hair when I stayed in the UK, it was like an overnight change right after the first wash, so I know water hardness makes a huge difference... I've also traveled in the Southern US, and my hair was lush there... again - it's probably all about the quality of water and humidity. Gotta find better products to suit that environment! I'd buy only sample/travel sized products and try them out to find what works.

Hugs to you! Best of luck and happy growing! :D :flowers:

[meteor]

Forgot to add, your ponytail thickness hasn't changed, right? It's just the bottom part of hair that's experiencing breakage? At least that's what it looks like from the pictures. But if you notice ponytail thickness reduction, I'd also recommend visiting a doctor to get blood tests done.

Hugs to you, again! :grouphug: And best of luck! :flowers:

[lapushka]

If you S&D obsessively it can thin out your hem considerably. At one point I had to get rid of half of a head of white dots, and I had to trim from hip back to BSL because it had thinned out so much - it can happen.

The difference is noticeable, yes, but it's not *so* bad - nothing you can't overcome, I'm sure. Just a lot of TLC and patience. It will grow back.

[Beborani]

Please go to doctor first! and take these pictures with you so you dont get dismissed offhand.

[Arien]

My husband had a good suggestion as well. Perhaps since you have moved to the U.K the central heating could be affecting your hair? Perhaps it is more than you are used to? The climates are very different after all. We have had quite a cold winter and I know that my hands certainly suffer due to the central heating in winter... Just a thought.. Perhaps putting a bowl of water out might help?

[meteor]

My husband had a good suggestion as well. Perhaps since you have moved to the U.K the central heating could be affecting your hair? Perhaps it is more than you are used to? The climates are very different after all. We have had quite a cold winter and I know that my hands certainly suffer due to the central heating in winter... Just a thought.. Perhaps putting a bowl of water out might help?

:agree: Yes, that or better still - a humidifier in the room where you spend most time. :) It's true that this stuff makes a huge difference. My nails are broken thinned stubs with central heating but they grow long and thick without it. I'm sure hair is affected just as well.
I'd also suggest keeping hair oiled and up a lot. Protect it even more than you normally would.

[Wildcat Diva]

Yes. I was thinking about humidity as well.

I have a silk sleep bonnet that I sleep in, but I've considered wearing it more during my time at home even when not asleep. I'm thinking that containing the air in there might keep things a bit steamy and moisturize my hair and scalp a bit (I don't sweat a lot inside though.

[meteor]

Yes. I was thinking about humidity as well.

I have a silk sleep bonnet that I sleep in, but I've considered wearing it more during my time at home even when not asleep. I'm thinking that containing the air in there might keep things a bit steamy and moisturize my hair and scalp a bit (I don't sweat a lot inside though.

That's a good point! Silk is not very absorbent (compared to cotton and other materials), so allows your skin and hair hold on to more water and oil. That "greenhouse effect method" ("baggy method") of moisturizing hair by wearing a plastic cap uses a very similar principle, by the way...

[ExpectoPatronum]

Everything I want to say has been said. Definitely see if you can do something about the water situation, but also check with a doctor to make sure nothing is up.

:grouphug:

[Arien]

Yes, but have been using silk gloves at night over my moisturiser all winter to try and combat the dryness with my hands :)

[Kaya]

:grouphug:

Thank you for all of your comment, suggestions and most of all, kind words. As my DH reminded me, I'm a bit more emotional at the moment than normal. It's that time of the month, so raging hormones are robbing me of common sense and my ability to form logical solutions. :rolleyes:

Here's a quick overview of my situation, so that I can cover a few of the general questions asked.

Once we got settled down, I actually returned to my normal habits from before. I lead a fairly healthy lifestyle. I eat a balanced diet, and drink plenty of, if not solely, water. I do take a daily multi-vitamin that has biotin. I usually exercise 5-6 days of week. I'm going to be adding a protein shake to my exercise routine to help build some muscle. There haven't been any drastic health changes/issues either, other than a cold I caught on the flight over here!

As such, I'm inclined to believe that my hair issues are strongly linked to the hard water. Even DH has been having skin issues from it, which he didn't experience in Georgia. For those who have suggested a chelating shampoo, I'm one step ahead of you. :) I actually did some research here when I first started to worry about the hard water and learned the difference between clarifying and chelating products. As such, I'm using Redken's Hair Cleansing Cream. There is a local salon that carries it, so I can restock when I need to. I think my problem was that I thought using that alone would solve the problem. So I've been using it whenever I think my hair feel particularly unmanageable.

I have been playing around with various products to try and balance out my hair's condition. In the states, I was able to avoid using cones, as my daily EVOO habit kept my hair lush and conditioned. But trying to cut back on washings here forced me to try out cones; not that my hair doesn't do well with them. It does ok, as long as the cones aren't super heavy in the shampoo/conditioner. But even those don't seem to help beyond a few days.

I thank you those of you concerned about my scalp. :flower: In all honesty, I've gone more than a day without washing, up to 4 or 5 days. It's just that after a day or two, my scalp does get a bit itchier, with some flaking. I've always been a daily CO washer, so it's always been a case of unhappy scalp, even back in Georgia I experienced this issue. I think I'm just one of those people who don't really like to stretch washes. Plus, the daily sheds that weren't washed out with the daily washes come out on wash day and scare the crap out me with the amount, despite really being reasonable for 3 days worth of shed. :shrug: I'm a daily washer. It's what let me use oil daily: I could easily CO wash it out at the end of the day.

All that being said, I have indeed ordered a water filter for our shower; it should be here Tuesday. Thank the spirits for Amazon Prime shipping here! :D As such, I'm hoping that I can go ahead with a chelating session that night and start back in with my old routine starting Wednesday. I'm fortunate that I can get the two main products of my routine here: EVOO and Suave Daily Clarifying Conditioner.

***My question for you guys: should I consider trimming back the thin ends? It would take me back to just about BSL, which would be rather sad, but would it be worth it to start with fresh ends? Or should I hold off and see if the thickness moves down? I figured I could use Feye's Self-trim method.***

As for other things that have been suggested:

I'm actually pretty good about most of the basic long-hair care points: I use wide-tooth combs, finger detangle when needed, wear protective updos a majority of the time, and use a satin pillowcase, along with a newly acquired satin hair scarf that I'm still learning how to properly use.

I'm not sure if we could afford to use bottled water specifically for washing hair.

As far as I can tell, my ponytail is still about the same circumference, it's just seems like the ends have thinned to nothing, almost without me noticing until I saw the photo today.

I actually don't do S&D very often at all. Mostly if I remember to, and then only for a few minutes. Not enough to thin the ends out so drastically.

I never thought about the humidity levels! Goodness knows that Georgia is a lot more humid that England! I will definitely have to drag out our humidifier. :)

I do apologize if I've missed something. There's been so much good advice, it's been a bit challenging to address everything.

Thank you again for all the helpful comments and positive messages. :grouphug:

[Arien]

If it was me, I think I would give them a good trim. I would like to start again with nice thick healthy ends. I only say this however because that is what I have done to get rid of my dyed ends. I have never really worried too much about loosing my length when I feel I need to. Really it is completely upto you. I think it really is a case of personal preference. Hair is a very personal thing and everyone likes something different :).

[Sinthia]

I am so sorry this is happening to you!!!!!!!!!!!! This happened to my ends when I had dye damage, so to answer your question about cutting off the ends, I honestly would. It will make your hair look a lot more full and thick. I felt so much better when I cut off my thinning ends! I hope you figure out whats going on soon!

[lapushka]

I'm not one for trimming (and please if you've indeed overdone it, no more S&D'ing either). I'd leave it and wait for the thickness to travel down.

[Arctic]

I hope the steps you are taking will help your hair,, and your husbands skin too!

You know, I would probably trim the thinned ends. You can wait for the length to catch up, or grow a nice, thick hemline to longer length. They both take the same time to grow, but the latter looks better during the process, and I think you would enjoy your hair more.

[AZDesertRose]

Kaya, I think the water softener will help a lot. (My parents live in a place with hard water, and they have a water softener on the entire water supply for the house, and it helps a lot, not only with hair issues, but with laundry, dishes, and hand-washing.) If it were me, I'd trim it up to where the hemline is reasonably thick, but I just did something similar to get rid of layers that were annoying me, so I may be biased in favor of trimming hair. My hair also isn't as long as yours, a little shy of APL now. Honestly, it depends on what you would feel better with. Would you rather keep the length, even if it's thin towards the hemline, or would you rather have more uniform thickness?

Best wishes, and I hope that I'm right in that the water softener will help with the condition of your hair.

[butter52]

Oh damned hard water!
I have been in the UK for 2 weeks and after the first week my hair felt dry and brittle and my skin was chalky and dry and sooo itchy.
I have been using vinegar for the last week and it has made a huuuge difference. I just mixed it with the conditioner and the body wash. And then I oil the ends. Maybe you can try something like this either with vinegar or lemon juice to prevent the salts building up and the high pH damaging the cuticle.

Also I would personally get a good trim, i dont see the point of having damaged thin ends if you can have gorgeous full hair at BSL.

[lapushka]

I live in an area with super hard water. My hair has never suffered because of it. I don't think, somehow it's got anything to do with the hardness of the water, but rather with too much S&D. I remember my hair thinning out from it considerably (because I had so many white dots and they needed to go). Half of my hair's thickness was gone, and that showed - approximately like that.

[Wildcat Diva]

You didn't mention if you'd be willing to try the citric acid/C water. Wasn't sure if you missed that point or thought maybe that the water filter will do the same thing. (IDK). I notice a great amount of slip just when adding the C alone. I think it might really help.

[FuzzyBlackWaves]

Must say, I've lived in the UK all my life and the water has never been an issue. Then again I think we're in a 'medium' area? The best of luck with your hair, it's still very beautiful, and other than the length the actual quality doesn't seem to have changed if that makes sense.

[3 Cat Night]

I so sorry about your hair. It's still beautiful. You know, I live in an area with hard water and it has never affected my hair to my knowledge. My sister-in-law lives in a place with the hardest water I've ever seen and they don't have a filter or softener, but she has absolutely gorgeous hair. So it may not be the water.

The prime suspect in my mind would be dry air. If you moved to the UK from the south, your hair probably isn't used to dry, heated indoor winter air. Dry, heated air has a definite effect on my hair. I use humidifier and it helps a lot. Also, a humidifier is cheaper than a water softener.

[Kaya]

I live in an area with super hard water. My hair has never suffered because of it. I don't think, somehow it's got anything to do with the hardness of the water, but rather with too much S&D. I remember my hair thinning out from it considerably (because I had so many white dots and they needed to go). Half of my hair's thickness was gone, and that showed - approximately like that.

I'm not discounting the possibility of too much S&D, but I honestly don't think that I did that much. I've only really done it a couple of times, and less for 5 minutes at a time, cause I get bored and cross-eyed from holding up my hair against the computer screen. But perhaps it added up without me knowing? :confused:


You didn't mention if you'd be willing to try the citric acid/C water. Wasn't sure if you missed that point or thought maybe that the water filter will do the same thing. (IDK). I notice a great amount of slip just when adding the C alone. I think it might really help.

I did see your post about the miracle water. :) I will definitely have to look into that and work it into my routine. Thank you! :blossom:


Must say, I've lived in the UK all my life and the water has never been an issue. Then again I think we're in a 'medium' area? The best of luck with your hair, it's still very beautiful, and other than the length the actual quality doesn't seem to have changed if that makes sense.


I so sorry about your hair. It's still beautiful. You know, I live in an area with hard water and it has never affected my hair to my knowledge. My sister-in-law lives in a place with the hardest water I've ever seen and they don't have a filter or softener, but she has absolutely gorgeous hair. So it may not be the water.

The prime suspect in my mind would be dry air. If you moved to the UK from the south, your hair probably isn't used to dry, heated indoor winter air. Dry, heated air has a definite effect on my hair. I use humidifier and it helps a lot. Also, a humidifier is cheaper than a water softener.

Thank you both for your compliments! :flowers: It means a lot. I understand what you mean Fuzzy. After a good night's rest coupled with a less heightened emotional state, I can see that indeed, my thickness is still there, the quality so to speak, it's just the length at the bottom that has thinned out.

See, I don't know. Maybe my hair's just a wimp! :D I've never, ever been exposed to hard water in my life, ever. My hair is used to the normal/soft water of the states. Heck, even when I was in the military and deployed, I never noticed such a drastic shift in my hair. (Though back then, I wasn't really paying attention!) So perhaps coming to the UK and being hit with such hard water was a bit too much for it to adjust to quickly.

And those of you who mentioned the humidity, I think you are absolutely correct. Even DH mentioned, when I proposed bringing out our humidifier, that he's been waking up with a dry bloody nose. :( So I think the indoor winter heating is wreaking havoc with both of us. We need some humidity!

Anywho, after my emotional breakdown yesterday, I'm refreshed and raring to go with my new game plan!! :cheese:

I went ahead and trimmed back my ends; they're now just a smidge below BSL. And oh goodness! My ends feel so much nicer! :cloud9: It's amazing how having fresh ends can affect your entire being, at least to me. I feel much happier and lighter. (Not that I trimmed so much off to make a weight difference. :o) But yeah, I feel happy and invigorated. Like I'm starting fresh and the sky's the limit. I'll try to post a new photo this weekend. I think they look loads better. There is a tiny sliver that is still a bit thin, but they're close enough that the thickness should catch up soon. I do notice the shorter length and probably will more so when I braid it for sleep tonight, but at least the braid taper won't be so horrific.

DH is picking up a power transformer so we can start using our humidifier tonight in the bedroom. I have another, smaller humidifier on order, to be delivered tomorrow, for our living room. I can keep it right next to me on the couch end table.

The water filter should also be here tomorrow. I plan to chelate tomorrow night and then Wednesday, start back with my old routine of daily EVOO and CO-washing in the evening. I'm hopeful and I have the lovely LHC-ers here to thank for all the wonderful advice and warm support. I tend to bounce back quickly, but it's always much easier when you have people who understand what you're going through. :grouphug:

[Arien]

I'm glad you are happy with your trim :). Nice fresh ends always make me feel good too!!

I'm not sure which type of water filter you have bought but just a thought as it happened to us....

Be a bit careful when you connect it up and first start your shower. It turns out that our shower is a bit picky with which one we use. We have had several of the filters you connect between the outlet and the hose, all the same just different brands and one of them caused the PRD (pressure relief device/outlet pipe) to trip and the shower to stop working so we had to buy and fit a new PRD which was a bit of a pain (In other words the filter blocked the water flow causing pressure to build up).Might not happen to you and you may have bought something different but I thought I would let you know just incase. It is easy and cheap to fix so no problem there but a bit annoying if you have to go without a shower as we found out! I can't remember which brand did it sorry, not very helpful!

[MsVenus]

I suggest you also put your hair up at night and protect it under a scarf at night. A lot of damage can be done to our hair by the nervous, fidgety hands of others while we sleep. Each night a strand or two then it adds up.

[hannabiss]

Glad you trimmed and feel better about your hair! :) I hope your hair does better with the new care and hope to see growth updates!

[lapushka]

Anywho, after my emotional breakdown yesterday, I'm refreshed and raring to go with my new game plan!! :cheese:

I went ahead and trimmed back my ends; they're now just a smidge below BSL. And oh goodness! My ends feel so much nicer! :cloud9: It's amazing how having fresh ends can affect your entire being, at least to me. I feel much happier and lighter. (Not that I trimmed so much off to make a weight difference. :o) But yeah, I feel happy and invigorated. Like I'm starting fresh and the sky's the limit. I'll try to post a new photo this weekend. I think they look loads better. There is a tiny sliver that is still a bit thin, but they're close enough that the thickness should catch up soon. I do notice the shorter length and probably will more so when I braid it for sleep tonight, but at least the braid taper won't be so horrific.

DH is picking up a power transformer so we can start using our humidifier tonight in the bedroom. I have another, smaller humidifier on order, to be delivered tomorrow, for our living room. I can keep it right next to me on the couch end table.

The water filter should also be here tomorrow. I plan to chelate tomorrow night and then Wednesday, start back with my old routine of daily EVOO and CO-washing in the evening. I'm hopeful and I have the lovely LHC-ers here to thank for all the wonderful advice and warm support. I tend to bounce back quickly, but it's always much easier when you have people who understand what you're going through. :grouphug:

Oh that's nice to hear. I'm glad you're happy with the result!

[MicheleZ]

That's the spirit!! Glad to hear you have a game plan!

[Wildcat Diva]

Hope your plans work out great! You've got a good start!

[Johannah]

Good luck with your plans! I hope those things will work for you! Keep us updated :)

[AZDesertRose]

I'm glad to see you in better spirits. I hope the new routine helps! :)

[3 Cat Night]

I'm glad you're feeling better! Good luck!

[meteor]

Yay! So happy you are feeling better! :joy: I love your attitude and proactive approach! Your new routine sounds great! :thumbsup: Wishing your beautiful mane to get back to its glorious and luscious self soon! :flowers:

[Lavendersugar]

A bit late to the thread but I see you are now using a filter and make some good changes. I personally would trim up my hair but that is your choice of course.

I wanted to mention that Malibu and Ion (sold at Sally's) carries these little packettes made to help remove minerals from the hair. They work a lot better than a shampoo. Not that I would stop using the shampoo but uses these more as a monthly treatment. Shower filters are great but do not catch everything. Mehandi.com carries something called rain water that works the same way as the other two. I live with hard water and understand the struggle. Getting the mineral build up off will greatly help.

Best of luck and hope to see some great pics of your imported hair soon!

[Crumpet]

Kaya -- I lived in England for over four years (moved from the USA by means of Germany). The hard water really did a number on my hair. I didn't have the LHC to tell me what I was doing wrong until I was already moving back to the States. I was so upset with my hair. It was dry, crunchy, tangled, lost its sheen, breaking...it was remarkable. I know some people don't seem to have problems with it (I saw a couple posters write that). I think it affects different hair types differently (a good YMMV example). I just wanted you to know that someone else went through it so you don't feel so alone.

Also, I'm glad you did a trim that seems to make you feel more confident about your hair. Moving forward knowing about the possibly culprits and trying to solve the problem should be very empowering. Good luck to you!

(Also -- aside from the hard water, I really miss living in England. I hope you enjoy it!).

[slynr]

Hard water reked havoc on my hair. Dull, lifeless, velcro ends no matter how freshly trimmed. Only solution was frequent chelating and acv rinsing. Finally got a water softener.
I think the shower softener is a great idea and I wish you well. In my case hard water was a nightmare for hair and skin.

[Kaya]

I'm glad you are happy with your trim :). Nice fresh ends always make me feel good too!!

I'm not sure which type of water filter you have bought but just a thought as it happened to us....

Be a bit careful when you connect it up and first start your shower. It turns out that our shower is a bit picky with which one we use. We have had several of the filters you connect between the outlet and the hose, all the same just different brands and one of them caused the PRD (pressure relief device/outlet pipe) to trip and the shower to stop working so we had to buy and fit a new PRD which was a bit of a pain (In other words the filter blocked the water flow causing pressure to build up).Might not happen to you and you may have bought something different but I thought I would let you know just incase. It is easy and cheap to fix so no problem there but a bit annoying if you have to go without a shower as we found out! I can't remember which brand did it sorry, not very helpful!

Thank you for the heads up about the PRD. :flower: We'll keep that in mind when we install the filter. Especially since the showers over here are different from the ones in the states.


Kaya -- I lived in England for over four years (moved from the USA by means of Germany). The hard water really did a number on my hair. I didn't have the LHC to tell me what I was doing wrong until I was already moving back to the States. I was so upset with my hair. It was dry, crunchy, tangled, lost its sheen, breaking...it was remarkable. I know some people don't seem to have problems with it (I saw a couple posters write that). I think it affects different hair types differently (a good YMMV example). I just wanted you to know that someone else went through it so you don't feel so alone.

Also, I'm glad you did a trim that seems to make you feel more confident about your hair. Moving forward knowing about the possibly culprits and trying to solve the problem should be very empowering. Good luck to you!

(Also -- aside from the hard water, I really miss living in England. I hope you enjoy it!).

Oh, thank you so much! :flowers: I was worried I was the only one and that my hair was a complete wimp! :blushing: I'm thinking it might be a case of one's hair being used to hard water versus coming into it with no previous exposure and it wreaking havoc. Plus, yes, it might just be dependent on hair type. It definitely doesn't agree with my hair. :rolleyes:

I'm certainly hoping that the new filter, humidifiers and getting back to my oiling habit will bring my hair back to it's previous state.

As for England, I'm in love! :) It's so interesting and exciting here! As a history nut, I'm in heaven and super excited about being able to travel everywhere we possibly can.

[gwenalyn]

That's great that you're feeling better! I would suggest only making one change at a time so you know what makes a difference. e.g., start with the humidifier for a few weeks, see how it goes, then try the water filter.

[SunlightShines]

Kaya- I'm so glad you've got a good plan set into action! It sounds like you'll be back to having happy hair in no time! Let us know how it goes! :)

[winship2]

Really looking forward to hearing an update on this. Best wishes to you :)