Hard water question!

[Sparkles122]

Does the hardness of your water have anything to do with how it affects your hair? Like will chemical process done to the hair have a harsher affect on someone that has been washing their hair with hard water? Some of the things I read online say it does not. However I feel like I might have hard water, not definitely sure, and it might be affecting my hair

[MusicalSpoons]

In short, yup! This article is a good starting point: http://science-yhairblog.blogspot.com/2016/03/hard-water-and-your-hair.html :)

[Sparkles122]

In short, yup! This article is a good starting point: http://science-yhairblog.blogspot.com/2016/03/hard-water-and-your-hair.html :)

The reason why I ask this is because i had virgin hair with 2 demi permanents on it, and then i got a full head of bleach highlights which completely destroyed my hair. I feel like one round should not have done this, I could be wrong. Thats why I was thinking it was my water. However before the highlights my hair was fine and grew actualy kind of fast, so idk

[MusicalSpoons]

Hmm, I see. I'm no expert on chemically processing hair but it could have been too high volume developer, left on for longer than necessary, or the demis did more damage than you thought? Water could certainly have a role to play as well, if it's changed at all recently (would be a very annoying coincidence for you though). Upon re-reading your first post I realise this is your central question: "will chemical process done to the hair have a harsher affect on someone that has been washing their hair with hard water?"
I actually don't know, sorry (that will teach me to come on here late at night when I'm supposed to be sleeping and eagerly jump in without reading it properly). Hair in worse condition will fare worse with a chemical treatment than hair in better condition, but it also depends what exactly is done to prep the hair for bleach, which is where my knowledge runs out.

(I still highly recommend Science-y Hair Blog though, as a reliable source of accurate info about all sorts of hair topics.)

[lapushka]

Does the hardness of your water have anything to do with how it affects your hair? Like will chemical process done to the hair have a harsher affect on someone that has been washing their hair with hard water? Some of the things I read online say it does not. However I feel like I might have hard water, not definitely sure, and it might be affecting my hair

I have had hard water all my life (white residue on the taps if you let it and don't maintain the taps or toilet bowl well). I have never had any issues with my hair. But that's my side of it.

There are people who apparently suffer from hard water. I don't see how, personally, because... Hey it's been this way all my life. My hair doesn't seem ruined, right? ;)

I am now using a shampoo (kiwi shine from Schwarzkopf, long discontinued) that is esp. anti hard water, but apart from tangles gliding out better (last week, or it was a fluke, it happens), I haven't seen a difference really.

[Sparkles122]

I have had hard water all my life (white residue on the taps if you let it and don't maintain the taps or toilet bowl well). I have never had any issues with my hair. But that's my side of it.

There are people who apparently suffer from hard water. I don't see how, personally, because... Hey it's been this way all my life. My hair doesn't seem ruined, right? ;)

I am now using a shampoo (kiwi shine from Schwarzkopf, long discontinued) that is esp. anti hard water, but apart from tangles gliding out better (last week, or it was a fluke, it happens), I haven't seen a difference really.


With hair as long and beautiful as yours that is good to know that hard water has no effect. Im basically tryjng to distract myself from the sheer fact that i think when i got the highlights she lied about what volume peroxide she was using. Because, if I had hard water or not, prior to this I too had no issues.

[lapushka]

With hair as long and beautiful as yours that is good to know that hard water has no effect. Im basically tryjng to distract myself from the sheer fact that i think when i got the highlights she lied about what volume peroxide she was using. Because, if I had hard water or not, prior to this I too had no issues.

That is tough! This has nothing to do with the hardness of the water, but does your hair feel mushy or brittle. It is important to determine that you might or might not need protein in your deep treatments. Brittle? You need moisture. Mushy? You need some protein. If it feels OK, then just a plain old whatever good nurturing conditioner or deep treatment will do.

[lushfanatic]

I think you've already come to the conclusion that it was likely the chemical processing that did this to your hair, but generally, I wouldn't recommend a sudden change in water if you've been used to hard water your whole life. I went abroad where the water was really quite different to what I'm used to and it affected my scalp terribly, which in turn made my hair unhappy. If it's just your lengths that are suffering then I don't think you have any major issues. Hope things get better for you!

[Sparkles122]

I think you've already come to the conclusion that it was likely the chemical processing that did this to your hair, but generally, I wouldn't recommend a sudden change in water if you've been used to hard water your whole life. I went abroad where the water was really quite different to what I'm used to and it affected my scalp terribly, which in turn made my hair unhappy. If it's just your lengths that are suffering then I don't think you have any major issues. Hope things get better for you!

I was trying to find other excuses besides the chemical processing because it was a good friend who did it. But sadly that is the conclusion. The other strange thing is that my legnth/ends are fine. The only damaged parts are near my crown, on the left and right side of my head. Above this area is also fine. So idk what happened

[harpgal]

Hard water is definitely hard on my very long, fine hair. It produces tangles and makes it hard to manage. I live in Florida where the water is very hard and use a Water Stick to produce soft water. When I am in Seattle, my hair is very tangle-free.

Perhaps, very fine hair has a tougher time with hard water. I can only speak from my own experience.

https://watersticks.com

[Sparkles122]

Hard water is definitely hard on my very long, fine hair. It produces tangles and makes it hard to manage. I live in Florida where the water is very hard and use a Water Stick to produce soft water. When I am in Seattle, my hair is very tangle-free.

Perhaps, very fine hair has a tougher time with hard water. I can only speak from my own experience.

I too have very fine hair but alot of it. Ive only lived in this house for 3 years and prior to this i lived in the next town over. The reason why I am so confused is because this same hairstylist highlighted my hair the same way she did a few weeks ago, only this was 10 years ago and this didnt happen. The difference between now and 10 years ago was that my hair was virgin prior to highlighting and this time it was virgin but then i put 2 demi permanents on it. So maybe that did something to it

[lushfanatic]

I'm guessing you have a lot of breakage and dryness? I'd say start with conditioning treatments that you know usually work for you and if they don't work satisfactorily (after about a month+) then look for something else, but with fragile hair I wouldn't mess around with it too much. Take it one step at a time so you know what is working and what isn't as you nurture your hair back to a good state.

Oiling your hair can be really effective depending on your hair type - is this part of your routine?

[Sparkles122]

I'm guessing you have a lot of breakage and dryness? I'd say start with conditioning treatments that you know usually work for you and if they don't work satisfactorily (after about a month+) then look for something else, but with fragile hair I wouldn't mess around with it too much. Take it one step at a time so you know what is working and what isn't as you nurture your hair back to a good state.

Oiling your hair can be really effective depending on your hair type - is this part of your routine?

Definitely alot of dryness, no breakage, yet anyway. Yes on another thread they suggested some good conditioners which have been working well, and ive also tried mixing some oil into it. I think even the small amount i used might be too much for my hair though, because surprisingly even with all the damage my hair felt pretty weighed down after the oil

[lushfanatic]

Definitely alot of dryness, no breakage, yet anyway. Yes on another thread they suggested some good conditioners which have been working well, and ive also tried mixing some oil into it. I think even the small amount i used might be too much for my hair though, because surprisingly even with all the damage my hair felt pretty weighed down after the oil

You mentioned that you have fine hair, so I wouldn't recommend leaving the oil in without washing it out with shampoo afterwards. If you have finer hair it's really easy to go overboard with oil even if you wash it out with water straight after.

I have a lot of dryness naturally and some heat damage so I've been using olive oil weekly and letting it sit in my hair for at least an hour before washing it out with a shampoo that I know cleans my hair to my liking. Try this with an oil of your choice once or even twice a week if it's something you're interested in.

[Sparkles122]

You mentioned that you have fine hair, so I wouldn't recommend leaving the oil in without washing it out with shampoo afterwards. If you have finer hair it's really easy to go overboard with oil even if you wash it out with water straight after.

I have a lot of dryness naturally and some heat damage so I've been using olive oil weekly and letting it sit in my hair for at least an hour before washing it out with a shampoo that I know cleans my hair to my liking. Try this with an oil of your choice once or even twice a week if it's something you're interested in.


Im definitely going to try that, thank you

[Capybara]

Here are a few threads with some more information:
https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=137953
https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=141237
https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=133976
https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=60818
https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=94090

[Alibran]

It could be related to the hard water if your hair was already damaged from minerals deposited on it. (Mineral deposits result in sharp edges which make the individual hairs snag on each other rather than sliding smoothly, and that can cause breakage.) Hair that's already damaged is going to suffer more from bleaching than hair that's in good condition.

[Sparkles122]

It could be related to the hard water if your hair was already damaged from minerals deposited on it. (Mineral deposits result in sharp edges which make the individual hairs snag on each other rather than sliding smoothly, and that can cause breakage.) Hair that's already damaged is going to suffer more from bleaching than hair that's in good condition.

My hair was in good condition before this happened. So much so that i barely needed to use conditioner (maybe thats where i went wrong) so that is why i am so confused by this. Unless of course, it was not in fact a 20 volume but rather a 30 or even higher volume

[Sparkles122]

Here are a few threads with some more information:
https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=137953
https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=141237
https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=133976
https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=60818
https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=94090


Thank you, I will read them over

[lapushka]

Maybe she goofed on the process somehow. I would not talk hair with that friend at all for a while at least. A... long while. ;)

[Sparkles122]

Maybe she goofed on the process somehow. I would not talk hair with that friend at all for a while at least. A... long while. ;)

Like a forever while lol

[lapushka]

Like a forever while lol

LOL, girl you're reading my mind. ;)

[Kalamazoo]

I don't know whether the tap water here is hard or soft, but it has so many chemicals in it that a lot of people make a point of drinking bottled water instead. I buy bottled spring water. If I'm planning to bathe or wash my hair, I heat a large pot of spring water on the stove, carry it to the shower, & use a dipper to pour it over myself. I like what spring water does for my hair. I also tend to add a little ACV & a couple drops of peppermint & clove EOs to the water...

[R.L.]

I definitely know it can. I was raised in WA but we just moved to the South (slightly harder water here but not that much). I’ve spent the last year and a half dealing with suddenly dry, snapping hair, and constant split end. My hair just would not absorb anything and I losing so much hair. I use a shower filter, clarifying shampoos, deep treatments, daily oiling, shampooing with soap based products (disaster), air drying or blow drying, changing ingredients... Finally as a last ditch effort I decided to see if maybe the water was the problem, so I mixed my conditioner 50/50 with lemon juice and washed my hair with that to chelate and it was like MAGIC. My hair wasn’t tangly, or splitting, or breaking, and was back to absorbing products. The water hardness isn’t drastically different here, but the minerals are. On a side note, I stopped washing my face with the water here, and only use micellar water now, and the acne I have been getting has stopped (after never having acne in my life). Definitely look into it.