From hard to soft water

[Rebeccalaurenxx]

So currently I live in Los Angeles california (very hard), but I am moving to portland next month, they have moderately hard/soft water.
Currently after every wash I ACV because I see a difference. What will moving to an area with softer water do?
Should I quit the ACV when I move? What are the benefits of soft water and what may I need to do with my routine that maybe I couldnt/shouldnt do with harder water? Any feedback?

[Sarahlabyrinth]

I find that when I am in an area with soft water I don't need to use vinegar rinses, and my hair is so happy!

[Garnetgem]

When i lived in an area with softer water i found that my shampoo foamed up much better so i didn't need to use as much..also my hair seemed softer and more light feeling..since i have been using hard water i am prone to clogged follicles something that never happened when i was using softer..over all soft made my hair and scalp much happier..

[Chromis]

I did a similar move and still found the ACV rinses very nice, but I didn't need as strong a rinse!

[Lady Stardust]

I live in a hard water area and notice a difference as soon as I go to a soft water area. Soft water makes my hair feel softer and my hair feels like it has more volume and "flows".

In answer to your question, yes you could probably drop the ACV rinses, at least to begin with, and see how you go from there. I agree that you'll need less shampoo to get a lather too.

I'm afraid I can't suggest anything useful about long term routines because I've never been in a soft water area for more than a couple of weeks :-)

[luvlonghair75]

If you have hard water, how much ACV should you use? I'm willing to give it a try.

[lapushka]

I tried washing in distilled water for a while (part of my experimenting phase) and it was as if I couldn't "wash" my hair. I am used to hard water and I think I'm of the few people around here that doesn't have any issues with it. On the contrary, I get issues when the water is soft. :shrug: I can't make head nor tails of it, but it is what it is. I'm happy it works with the water I have! :thumbsup:

OP, I would ease on the vinegar rinse maybe. Try without it, maybe? You'll just have to experiment a bit. Good luck!

[arcadianblue]

I've been living in an area with soft water for a year now. Before this, the hard water where I used to live made my hair extremely tangled due to mineral build up. I used to ACV once in a while. Frankly, it helped only for a very short time. Since using soft water, I never felt the need to ACV as my hair is softer now and no longer prone to tangles. I haven't changed any other routine regarding hair care. As suggested above, perhaps you could monitor your hair without ACV when you move and see what you could do onwards.

[lapushka]

I've been living in an area with soft water for a year now. Before this, the hard water where I used to live made my hair extremely tangled due to mineral build up. I used to ACV once in a while. Frankly, it helped only for a very short time. Since using soft water, I never felt the need to ACV as my hair is softer now and no longer prone to tangles. I haven't changed any other routine regarding hair care. As suggested above, perhaps you could monitor your hair without ACV when you move and see what you could do onwards.

Hey, BTW, welcome to the forum! :flower:

[arcadianblue]

Hey, BTW, welcome to the forum! :flower:

Thank you very much! I was thinking of writing an intro, but I just jumped into the main forum!

[spidermom]

We have soft water here, and vinegar rinses make my hair crazy, finger-in-the-light-socket fly-away. So I don't do them. However, when I was staying at my father's house where the water is hard, I had to do a vinegar rinse at the end of every wash, otherwise my hair looked dull and felt coated.

[Ilax]

In my city the water is full of calcium. When I moved to places with softer water I noticed that the hair was softer and combed. I usually do the last rinsing with a gallon of cold water and apple vinegar that eliminates the problem of too hard or soft water. However, water does not last is better for hair. At least for my experience ;)

[luvlonghair75]

We have soft water here, and vinegar rinses make my hair crazy, finger-in-the-light-socket fly-away. So I don't do them. However, when I was staying at my father's house where the water is hard, I had to do a vinegar rinse at the end of every wash, otherwise my hair looked dull and felt coated.

So if hair feels that light and frizzy then it's too much ____? Hubby says our water isn't too hard but it's not uber soft, either. Thinking we should get it tested again.

[Chromis]

So if hair feels that light and frizzy then it's too much ____? Hubby says our water isn't too hard but it's not uber soft, either. Thinking we should get it tested again.

It is a logarithmic scale, so small differences in the numbers can mean much larger variance than people think. Also, saying not too hard, but not that soft is super subjective. I have lived in places where the pH was 8.7 and the KH was off my scale. When people here talk about having hard water, this can cover an incredible range. Anything over 7 is hard, but if you are at 8 that is ten times harder.

I will caution pH is not the end-all-be-all and mineral hardness plays a big part too. In the city itself the pH of Portland's drinking water typically ranges between 7.4 and 8.1 and the hardness is about 80 ppm which is moderately hard, but the city's water is currently treated to be at a pH of 8.2 (which only means that is what is coming from the treatment plant, what pipes it goes through will change this especially in older areas and so will temperature!). In nearby Beaverton, my water had a pH of 7.7 most of the year which is still hard, but feels silky soft compared to where I lived in SoCal or to here! Also, many places (including Beaverton hence my disclaimer) switch water sources during the year. I could always tell when we switched because my shampoo bars suddenly stopped lathering :laugh:

[lapushka]

Thank you very much! I was thinking of writing an intro, but I just jumped into the main forum!

You're welcome. Well, you've been baptized now. :p Just join in with the chatter! We'll get to know you for sure. :)

[lucid]

Our water hardness is 44 ppm
Ca is 13,8- 17,5 mg Ca/l
pH is 7.45-8

I'm wondering if mineral buildup is possible here?

[DweamGoiL]

I originally lived in a soft water area and my hair was happy and product worked well and tub baths were awesome. Then we moved to hard water and hair was dry, frizzy and felt stiff unless I used loads of conditioner. I also fell into the habit of ACV rinses, which my scalp did not appreciate, but my hair liked. Now, we are back to soft water and as others have said, hair is much happier, silkier, and shinnier. No more stiffness and I am able to use hardly any conditioner at all except when I detangle. I also don't need to clarify as often. I guess now I can use shampoo bars if I choose, but I like the gel shampoo. Soft water rocks!

[Rebeccalaurenxx]

Thanks guys! good to know, dont think the boyfriend appreciates the smell of ACV anymore so itll be nice to get to quit them lol

[Beeboo123]

I feel so silly, but how do I tell if my water is soft or hard? Are there test kits?

[Cherriezzzzz]

Thanks guys! good to know, dont think the boyfriend appreciates the smell of ACV anymore so itll be nice to get to quit them lol

My husband doesn't like it either! But he said I always end up changing what I use so he'll deal with it haha

Give yourself a nice clarifying shampoo and deep conditioning treatment at your new place and start shampoo and conditioner! You'll want to remove any old mineral busy build up. It's nice also to just have one less thing to do!

I wonder if softer water means you'll have to wash your hair more often?

[meteor]

I really agree with what Chromis was saying, especially in regard to the wide ranges and temperatures and water source switches and pipes affecting the water that goes through them...

I think the only way to adapt is to try a few products and see what works best.
And as others have mentioned, I simply needed less of everything in soft water: less shampoo, because it lathered well and less conditioner, because the hair was smooth and tangle-free anyway. I didn't need oils/serums and leave-ins either.


I feel so silly, but how do I tell if my water is soft or hard? Are there test kits?

Try searching online first by googling your location and "pH" and "water quality" or go straight to your local authorities webpage where they cover water quality.
Municipal authorities usually publish this information online, based on samples they regularly test in labs, for example in annual or quarterly reports called something like drinking water quality summery analysis or something like that, it depends on the location...


ETA: And yes, you can also get pH strips (at least that will give you pH if not mineral composition of water), since we know that pipes affect the water that goes through them anyway and water sources can be switched, etc... so there can be discrepancies between published data and what you actually get out of a tap on a given day.
And pH strips can come in handy if you want to do acidic rinses and any at-home treatments, as well. ;)

[Rebeccalaurenxx]

I wonder how soft water does with the scalp? I have SD and use medicated shampoo so will I need less?

[lapushka]

I wonder how soft water does with the scalp? I have SD and use medicated shampoo so will I need less?

The one time I used soft water it seemed like it didn't clean as well. But you'll have to wait and see. It's not that that one time made my SD break through either. I love hard water and couldn't be without it, I'm afraid (and no I don't use vinegar rinses).

[Beeboo123]

Thank you meteor!

Water hardness here ranges from 32-134ppm, and pH ranges from 7.7-8.4. Do you think this will cause buildup?

[Chromis]

Thank you meteor!

Water hardness here ranges from 32-134ppm, and pH ranges from 7.7-8.4. Do you think this will cause buildup?

You probably want to test it, that is a pretty wide range. You can buy kits, or try taking a water sample to an aquarium or pool supply store. Many large pet stores will do this for free even which is especially handy if you already have other pets to shop for.

[Rebeccalaurenxx]

Someone mentioned in another forum that with softer water, they could use sulphates less. I know I'll still need them every once in awhile to clean up my scalp, but I'm curious what you guys think about going SLS free with softer water?

[arcadianblue]

Someone mentioned in another forum that with softer water, they could use sulphates less. I know I'll still need them every once in awhile to clean up my scalp, but I'm curious what you guys think about going SLS free with softer water?

Based on what I know, the answer to your question depends on whether your scalp is an oily type and reacts badly for some reason to the sulfates in the shampoo. The sulfates are used to cleanse the oil from your hair, and hard water makes it harder for them to do their job because they just create unecessary minerals. So basically, you could try going SLS free with soft water if your hair does not get too oily too fast like mine.

[lapushka]

Based on what I know, the answer to your question depends on whether your scalp is an oily type and reacts badly for some reason to the sulfates in the shampoo. The sulfates are used to cleanse the oil from your hair, and hard water makes it harder for them to do their job because they just create unecessary minerals. So basically, you could try going SLS free with soft water if your hair does not get too oily too fast like mine.

Are you sure about that? Any source to that?

I find that my sulfates clean my oily scalp pretty darn well, and I have *very* hard water. I don't do vinegar rinses or lemon rinses and can go a week without washing (and I am oily, though my scalp has normalized a bit in recent years).

[Silverbleed]

From what I experience, I am fine without SLS with soft water. Currently on vacation with slightly harder water and I have used some diluted SLS because I had a lot of build up in a very short time, within a week. While at home with my super soft water, I get no build up. So I only use SLS once every year or 6 months to get rid of possible build up but I don't really have to. Also my scalp really prefers soft water.

I do use a shampoo bar and acv however. I ned a lot more acv here on vacation. Here it's half half while at home I use about 1/20.

To add on my reply, if I want to I am able to go water only at home. But it's too much trouble for me. While here with harder water I really don't want to try it felt so gross xD

[arcadianblue]

Are you sure about that? Any source to that?

I find that my sulfates clean my oily scalp pretty darn well, and I have *very* hard water. I don't do vinegar rinses or lemon rinses and can go a week without washing (and I am oily, though my scalp has normalized a bit in recent years).

Yes, it is the difficulty of forming a lather in hard water. This might work here:
http://www.waterfiltrationhq.com/what-is-hard-water/

However, I think SLES/SLS are improved in some shampoos to withhold the negative effects of hard water. Does your shampoo contain EDTA or other chelating agents to reduce precipitation?

[Rebeccalaurenxx]

Well, I can't wait til I move to my new place and can see how my hair and scalp reacts to the water.

[lapushka]

Yes, it is the difficulty of forming a lather in hard water. This might work here:
http://www.waterfiltrationhq.com/what-is-hard-water/

However, I think SLES/SLS are improved in some shampoos to withhold the negative effects of hard water. Does your shampoo contain EDTA or other chelating agents to reduce precipitation?

Yep, lots of them do!

[Dark40]

When I live in an area that has soft water I don't have to do ACV rinses either, and my hair is a lot happier too.

[Arciela]

I live in NYC which has very soft water and moved here from LA. My hair has become so soft and shiny. I don't really need to do ACV rinses or anything. I can use any shampoo and conditioner here and my hair comes out great and the condition improved since i moved. :flower:

[lapushka]

I am going to be using the last bit of my Schwarzkopf "Kiwi Shine" shampoo tomorrow. So I can toss out another bottle. :lol: It is supposed to make hard water soft, but I doubt it does that. It's just a regular shampoo, IMMHO. At least, I haven't noticed anything *amazing* from it. :confused:

[Ribbons]

Can some one please share the ratio of water and ACV you use in the ACV rinse ? And how do you use it ? Do you pour it in damp hair and wash again or spray it over the hair ?
thanks.

[lapushka]

Can some one please share the ratio of water and ACV you use in the ACV rinse ? And how do you use it ? Do you pour it in damp hair and wash again or spray it over the hair ?
thanks.

When you use it is different for everyone. You'll have to experiment with that a little. When I used it I think I used about a teaspoon to a L water.

[Sarahlabyrinth]

When you use it is different for everyone. You'll have to experiment with that a little. When I used it I think I used about a teaspoon to a L water.

I also use a teaspoon to a litre of water. I just pour it over my wet hair in the shower, after washing, conditioning and rinsing my hair. Then just leave it in and dry my hair as usual.

[Rebeccalaurenxx]

I live in NYC which has very soft water and moved here from LA. My hair has become so soft and shiny. I don't really need to do ACV rinses or anything. I can use any shampoo and conditioner here and my hair comes out great and the condition improved since i moved. :flower:
Good to know! Glad to hear something from someone that's actually from LA.

[Rebeccalaurenxx]

Update: my hair really likes the soft water, I have been in portland for 2 days and so far its very very soft, i was even able to use some shea moisture conditioner which my hair HATES when im in LA. lol

[lapushka]

I'm glad you're liking the soft water. :)