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MirKing
April 21st, 2019, 10:53 AM
I m not sure if there is a thread but I could not find one. I can only assume I have hard water based off how my bathroom grows and unfortunate scale/scum. Both my skin and hair are so dry and flaky no matter what I try. No dandruff shampoo I have tried has worked. It almost aggravated it worse. I can't afford a dermatologist. If all you lovely folks on here had any tips to combat hard water it would be very appreciated. My hair seems to be shedding worse and my scalp stays greasy and dry and flaky all at once.

MusicalSpoons
April 21st, 2019, 11:05 AM
You could try some of these threads: https://cse.google.com/cse?cx=partner-pub-3235226288598694:5897013588&ie=UTF-8&q=Hard+water&sa=Search :)

Edit: sorry I can't be more help right now. I have very hard water and haven't found anything that drastically works - though my skin does appreciate a shower filter, which filters out the chlorine but none of the minerals.

lapushka
April 21st, 2019, 11:58 AM
I m not sure if there is a thread but I could not find one. I can only assume I have hard water based off how my bathroom grows and unfortunate scale/scum. Both my skin and hair are so dry and flaky no matter what I try. No dandruff shampoo I have tried has worked. It almost aggravated it worse. I can't afford a dermatologist. If all you lovely folks on here had any tips to combat hard water it would be very appreciated. My hair seems to be shedding worse and my scalp stays greasy and dry and flaky all at once.

There have been so many hard water threads on this forum, you can't imagine. LOL!

We have hard water. I have extremely dry skin. My mom has normal skin, so does my dad. Same water. Different people. Dad has normal/oily scalp + SD (seborrheic dermatitis), and so do I. My mom has extremely dry (non flaky) scalp. Mom can go 3/4 months without washing her hair. I as well as my dad need weekly washes.

I have had hard water (limescaly) all my life.

If you have a scalp issue, a regular doctor can help you just fine. But you really need to see a doctor for this. I doubt it has anything to do with the hardness of the water.

I have Nizoral 2% shampoo for my scalp, but that needs to be prescribed in the US.

And it doesn't have to be SD, it can just as well be psoriasis, or eczema or any other condition.

Why can't you see a dermatologist? Can I ask?

Tinyponies
April 21st, 2019, 12:42 PM
Hi MirKing,
Having had issues with very hard water too, I started using bottled spring water for my water only washes and for me that helped a lot. I’ve also read about people using bottled spring water or distilled water as a final rinse after their regular wash.

Alternatively a weak vinegar / citric acid / lemon juice (basically acidic) final rinse might be also something to look into.

Rowdy
April 21st, 2019, 01:17 PM
I m not sure if there is a thread but I could not find one. I can only assume I have hard water based off how my bathroom grows and unfortunate scale/scum. Both my skin and hair are so dry and flaky no matter what I try. No dandruff shampoo I have tried has worked. It almost aggravated it worse. I can't afford a dermatologist. If all you lovely folks on here had any tips to combat hard water it would be very appreciated. My hair seems to be shedding worse and my scalp stays greasy and dry and flaky all at once.

My husband's skin and scalp were just like this and I've had combination skin forever. I got one of these for our shower: https://www.amazon.com/AquaHomeGroup-Stage-Shower-Filter-Water/dp/B07MQTMCBP/ref=pd_sbs_60_5/158-3117958-7854601?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B07MQTMCBP&pd_rd_r=ae456398-6468-11e9-b7b1-9768eea003d5&pd_rd_w=DbGN3&pd_rd_wg=MGJEu&pf_rd_p=588939de-d3f8-42f1-a3d8-d556eae5797d&pf_rd_r=9THS06E9SBV1C60RBH2J&psc=1&refRID=9THS06E9SBV1C60RBH2J

It's really helped his scalp this past year and he can shower more frequently without his skin drying out. After about 6 months with it my face skin seems to have normalized. So far the first filter I put in has lasted over a year for the two of us, but our water is just mild-moderately hard.

MirKing
April 21st, 2019, 02:48 PM
No insurance and most extra money goes to kids or kitties people keeping dumping on my road

MirKing
April 21st, 2019, 02:50 PM
Thank you for all the replies

Deborah
April 21st, 2019, 10:28 PM
The cheapest thing to try would be to just get some distilled white vinegar from any grocery store. I used to pour about 1/2 or 3/4 cups of the vinegar into a pretty big plastic bottle (around 48 ounce bottle). Then fill the rest up with cold tap water, and shake it in a little. After you are all finished cleaning and rinsing your hair, bend forward from the waist and pour the entire bottle over your head. It will be cold, so I keep my back under the still running shower. DON'T RINSE IT OUT. Dry as usual. The vinegar smell will go completely away.

That's a pretty strong vinegar rinse, but it worked well for me, and did not dry out my hair or scalp at all. These days I use Citric Acid powder, and like it more because there is no smell at all, but the vinegar is a good place to start. Some folks prefer apple cider vinegar, but it makes no difference to your hair which you use, and distilled white vinegar is usually cheaper and has less smell, so I like it better.

milosmomma
April 21st, 2019, 10:59 PM
I second a vinegar rinse. I use apple cider vinegar but I believe you can use any kind. If your scalp is dry because of hard water i would maybe suggest doing a deep condition and maybe include your scalp just to get some moisture into it. Not on a regular basis unless your scalp likes it(mine would probably shed more) and follow up the DC with a vinegar rinse :)

BleachedBerry
June 5th, 2020, 12:20 PM
My husband's skin and scalp were just like this and I've had combination skin forever. I got one of these for our shower: https://www.amazon.com/AquaHomeGroup-Stage-Shower-Filter-Water/dp/B07MQTMCBP/ref=pd_sbs_60_5/158-3117958-7854601?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B07MQTMCBP&pd_rd_r=ae456398-6468-11e9-b7b1-9768eea003d5&pd_rd_w=DbGN3&pd_rd_wg=MGJEu&pf_rd_p=588939de-d3f8-42f1-a3d8-d556eae5797d&pf_rd_r=9THS06E9SBV1C60RBH2J&psc=1&refRID=9THS06E9SBV1C60RBH2J

It's really helped his scalp this past year and he can shower more frequently without his skin drying out. After about 6 months with it my face skin seems to have normalized. So far the first filter I put in has lasted over a year for the two of us, but our water is just mild-moderately hard.


Yes a water filter for the shower would be good. Much easier then distilling water just to wash your hair and will be beneficial to skin as well.
Malibu C. Has a shampoo and conditioner designed for hard water. They also have a treatment as well.
Vinegar rinses are a great idea. Also a clarifying shampoo may help but will be quite drying.

BleachedBerry
June 5th, 2020, 12:29 PM
Yes a water filter for the shower would be good. Much easier then distilling water just to wash your hair and will be beneficial to skin as well.
Malibu C. Has a shampoo and conditioner designed for hard water. They also have a treatment as well.
Vinegar rinses are a great idea. Also a clarifying shampoo may help but will be quite drying.


https://malibuc.com/collections/hair-care/products/hard-water-wellness-collection

Milynn
June 5th, 2020, 12:50 PM
I also warmly recommend shower filter: there are several different in the market, and some are able to deal with unhoped minerals as well. I aquired two of those, one to replace the original shower filter and other which replaced the hand part... Do not know what it is called.

Nonetheless, I can see clear difference! These in total were around 100 euros, and they are good for a year, then the container must be replaced. Mine also lowers the PH levels, which is great for dry scalp and skin and makes water much softer.

PallasAthena
June 7th, 2020, 01:18 PM
Even though I don't love doing them, I too recommend vinegar rinses. I can't remember a time I did not have hard water and a weekly or even just monthly vinegar rinse can really help. A lot of people insist you should use apple cider vinegar with the mother but white vinegar will do. I have also heard good things about lemon or lime juice or citric acid. I may try those myself because I really don't like the smell of vinegar!

I also use diluted white vinegar for cleaning in my house and it really helps with all the filmy gunk that gets all over the shower and fixtures. You can use straight vinegar as well, I just dilute because it lasts longer. It's really amazing how shiny it can make things without the kind of noxious fumes you get from products like CLR.

Feral_
June 7th, 2020, 01:51 PM
Even though I don't love doing them, I too recommend vinegar rinses. I can't remember a time I did not have hard water and a weekly or even just monthly vinegar rinse can really help. A lot of people insist you should use apple cider vinegar with the mother but white vinegar will do. I have also heard good things about lemon or lime juice or citric acid. I may try those myself because I really don't like the smell of vinegar!

I also use diluted white vinegar for cleaning in my house and it really helps with all the filmy gunk that gets all over the shower and fixtures. You can use straight vinegar as well, I just dilute because it lasts longer. It's really amazing how shiny it can make things without the kind of noxious fumes you get from products like CLR.

Pre- water only when I used to wash my hair with a bastille soap I used an acidic rinse afterwards to rebalance the pH.

Tried acv and I really didn’t like the smell. I also tried some commercial rinses with herbs in that were meant to disguise the smell but I’ve a sharp sense of smell and I could still smell it! I know people say the vinegar smell disappears when it dries, which is true. But I’m outside a lot and if I got caught in the rain, or sweated through exercise, I smelt like a chippy again!

So I switched to lemon juice for my acidic rinse. I diluted some fresh lemon juice with distilled water and added a few drops of rosemary essential oil. Put it in a spray bottle and used that after the soap wash then rinsed it. It worked really well and no fish ‘n’ chip shop smell.

godivawannabe
June 10th, 2020, 11:43 AM
A water filter is probably the best way to go. I don't have one, though, and I use an acv rinse, which seemed to solve the problem for my hair. If your scalp is dry, I would try applying a facial toner like kikumasamune or hadalabo premium on the scalp, it really helped keep my scalp from drying out from harsh shampoo.
For the skin, I think humectants like hyaluronic acid or glycerin would be helpful, combined with a heavy cream. Hyaluronic acid would hold in moisture and the cream would "lock" the water in so it doesn't evaporate.
I haven't tried this myself, but I heard that oils like squalane work well for others. r/skincareaddiction has a lot of good information, if you want to check it out :)

godivawannabe
June 10th, 2020, 11:45 AM
Salicylic acid like neutrogena t-sal may help dandruff, as I don't think salicylic acid would react any differently in hard water. It gives scalp exfoliation too as a bonus. I hope you find something that works for you! Rooting for you! :cheer: