Hard water killed my hair

[coscass]

I went up north for the weekend + a day, and showered once up there. I figured it wouldn't be that different, since I have hard water, too (we both have water softeners, too), but the second I stepped out of the shower--holy frizz. I didn't do anything different than I normally do, either. I cowash, condition, rinse with cold water, and blot dry.

I have no idea what to do now. My hair was acting so great last week, and now it's frizzy and feels... not so nice. Any ideas what I should do?

[Pear Martini]

Just dont wash it til you get home, I would suppose. I have gone trough the same thing while travelling and never fund a way to deal with it. Where are you? Where were you before?

[coscass]

Just dont wash it til you get home, I would suppose. I have gone trough the same thing while travelling and never fund a way to deal with it. Where are you? Where were you before?
I didn't plan on washing it until I got home, we were only supposed to be there until sunday, but we ended up staying an extra day and I just couldn't take it anymore. And what do you mean, where am I and where was I before?

[heidi w.]

She was asking about the general outline, not necessarily specifically, of last week's hair wash LOCATION and water quality -- and traveling zonage LOCATION. I don't think anyone here wants you to reveal overly confidential information, but perhaps a general indication of where you are, now, might help.

Even though 2 places have hard water and softeners, water quality is still not the same. A softener doesn't equalize it all in every location.

When you get home, you may need to clarify. You can try just simply washing the hair and see how that goes. IF it goes well, then cool beans. BUT if not, you may be looking at a need to clarify the hair. I would wash first and see what happens; I wouldn't assume you need to clarify. Remember, it's very important to condition the hair as part of any clarifying hair wash, no matter store purchased or home recipe.

heidi w.

[Anje]

Honestly, I'd try rinsing with distilled water or diluted vinegar. Both will help get the extra minerals off your hair.

Your hair will behave differently in different locations. If you stay in a place for a good length of time, your routine will likely need to adjust accordingly. On returning, your hair should also recover, though clarifying, chelating, or removing built-up minerals in some other way might speed the process.

[jera]

Honestly, I'd try rinsing with distilled water or diluted vinegar. Both will help get the extra minerals off your hair.

Your hair will behave differently in different locations. If you stay in a place for a good length of time, your routine will likely need to adjust accordingly. On returning, your hair should also recover, though clarifying, chelating, or removing built-up minerals in some other way might speed the process.

Does vinegar get minerals out of hair really? :confused: I'll have to remember this. Does it matter what kind of vinegar yoiu use?

[Anje]

I tend to use white vinegar (cheaper), but apple cider vinegar's popular around here.

It does seem to clean mineral buildup and soap scum off showers quite well, and it was enough to keep buildup at bay when I did water only washing. Also good for getting mineral buildup out of coffee makers.

ETA: I believe I've heard that citric acid is even better. However, this tends to be less available, comes in a crystaline form, and you have to find a not-too-caustic dilution. I think that's something like 1/2 tsp. max per quart of water, if you're dumping it on your head, but I'm not sure. Also, you need to ensure it's fully dissolved, or again, you end up with acid crystals on your skin, which is a bit uncomfortable.

[Fiferstone]

Try an ACV rinse. If the crunchiness is mineral buildup, that will help. My dilution is 1 cup of water to 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar. That is invariably my final rinse afterwashing my hair. My water is so hard it kills water heaters within their warranty period.

[Boudicca]

I have the same problem if I travel down South. It usually rihts itself after a couple of washes in normal water. A nice deep condition works well, too.

[bumblebums]

An acidic (esp. vinegar) rinse is what you need. 1 tbsp of vinegar per 1 cup of water, or even more vinegar. Some people use as much as 50/50. White vinegar or ACV should both work.

Where I grew up, we had really hard water. It was so bad that our teapot had a thick brown deposit of limescale and other gunk, and there were limescale deposits all over the tub. We would clean the teapot by soaking it with vinegar overnight.

As far as I know, hard water does not cause permanent damage to your hair. I was born and raised in the same city and always had so-so hair, but my mom and I both noticed that when we traveled to a different city, which had soft water, our hair got fluffy, shiny, and all sorts of wonderful. If soft water can overturn a lifetime of hard water deposits, a single wash isn't going to ruin your hair. Think of it as a calcium/magnesium treatment! :)

[MissManda]

I am so sorry to hear about your experience with hard water. :( I went through something similar when I stayed in Los Angeles for over a month. I never felt clean after a shower, ever, because the water was so hard. It totally ruined my hair and now most of my length is damaged from it (not too badly, but it's there). :( My hair looked awful and I couldn't even leave it down, so I always had it up in a ponytail or braid. I think it got thinner during that time, too, because I started re-gaining thickness after I got back from L.A. and joined LHC.

I don't have much advice to give, but I empathize with you deeply. *hugs*

[thelittleredfox]

I live in the North West, and our water is really soft. But I lived in Berlin for several months last year, and the water there was horrifically hard - soap wouldn't even lather. I found it went back to normal after a few washes with normal soft water.