Heavily chlorinated tap water is destroying my hair!

[lelu]

I've been happily doing the baking soda/ACV method for about a year with my soft well water at home, but now I live in college dorms. The shower water has so much chlorine that I can smell it on my skin after a shower and it makes my hair feel very sticky, oily, and waxy. I've tried every combo possible with the baking soda/ ACV ratios and even tried switching ACV with white vinegar and then lemon juice to no avail. I resorted to bringing jugs of my home water for a while to wash with, but that it too much hassle. I've found that sulfates are the only thing that work, but after not using them for over a year, my hair is so dry. I'm using Suave Naturals shampoo and conditioner (so at least I have no cones) at the dorm and using the baking soda/ACV at home still when I go home every weekend.

How can I dilute the sulfates to make it more mild? Can I mix the shampoo in some conditioner and then use the conditioner as normal? Is there any other DIY method to get the chlorine out of my hair?

[barely.there]

try getting a filter for your shower head. they are about 20-30$. my dad has to use one because whatever is in the water gives his skin rashes. I hear they are good for softening water for the hair as well.

[ladyfey]

Can you get a filter for the shower? It screws right on between the shower head and the pipe. I use one and love it. If it is a communal shower, it would be a pain though.

[lelu]

I'm not allowed to alter the dorm showers, so a filter is out of the question.

[barely.there]

I'm not allowed to alter the dorm showers, so a filter is out of the question.

That blows.

Try picking up a couple jugs of distilled water from the grocery store and wash your hair in the sinks. (hopefully you have your own sink in your room? if not, just wash out the communal sinks first.) and wear a shower cap when you are in the communal showers.

:/

[heidi w.]

I've been happily doing the baking soda/ACV method for about a year with my soft well water at home, but now I live in college dorms. The shower water has so much chlorine that I can smell it on my skin after a shower and it makes my hair feel very sticky, oily, and waxy. I've tried every combo possible with the baking soda/ ACV ratios and even tried switching ACV with white vinegar and then lemon juice to no avail. I resorted to bringing jugs of my home water for a while to wash with, but that it too much hassle. I've found that sulfates are the only thing that work, but after not using them for over a year, my hair is so dry. I'm using Suave Naturals shampoo and conditioner (so at least I have no cones) at the dorm and using the baking soda/ACV at home still when I go home every weekend.

How can I dilute the sulfates to make it more mild? Can I mix the shampoo in some conditioner and then use the conditioner as normal? Is there any other DIY method to get the chlorine out of my hair?

I do NOT support the idea of washing the hair on a regular basis with Baking Soda. It is far too harsh and stripping for shampooing with on a regular basis. I ONLY recommend this hair washing method when one wants to CLARIFY the hair, which should only be performed on an AS-NEEDED basis and not on any regularity of schedule. Once a week, for example, would be far too frequent in my book.

I wonder that the water in the dorm room is hard water AND chlorinated. I don't imagine you can install shower head water filters from a hardware supply store given this is all school property, even though it can be installed or removed with ease. It's different than renting, occupying a dorm room and using dorm showers, etc.

With baking soda hair washing combined with hard water and chlorine, you're just asking for a boatload of problems. And you're experiencing them right now. All kinds of dryness and misbehaving hair. Find a way to shampoo scalp related hair, condition the length, use a vinegar or lemon rinse and overall you should then be fine.

Oh, re-read, you say lemon and vinegar isn't working? Stop using the Baking Soda!! This is really a core part of the issue for all your hair's behavior. You're stripping your hair every single time you are washing your hair. There's no need to do that, and worse yet, it doesn't appear that you're replacing what you've removed. Baking Soda is very drying to the hair when used so often. As stated, clarify the hair on an as-needed basis, not with an regularity of schedule. Your hair is behaving the way it is not because of not using sulfates. It's because you're using Baking Soda.

heidi w.

[WaitingSoLong]

I have heavily chlorinated tap water, too. I don't "do" filters because of the expense. I use a shampoo designed to help get chlorine out (http://joico.com/products/shampoo/kpak/kpak-chelatingshampoo)once in awhile. Maybe once or twice a month. I cannot say the chlorine levels have really harmed or altered my hair but I have nothing with which to compare it because I have lived here since before TLHC and my "hair awareness". I knew pools made my hair feel funny and smell like shlorine for days after. That is about it. My water smells liek chlorine and at times, the taste is so unbearable we cannot drink it. I can't wait to get back on well water!

The Joico shampoo linked above has replaced my clarifying routine and is one of the best finds for my hair. It also takes care of the hard water issue (tho I do have a softener) and is not so harsh it cannot be used as often as once a week if you want. Someone told me there are cones in it but it still clarifies nicely and I use cones all the time anyway.

[lelu]

That blows.

Try picking up a couple jugs of distilled water from the grocery store and wash your hair in the sinks. (hopefully you have your own sink in your room? if not, just wash out the communal sinks first.) and wear a shower cap when you are in the communal showers.

:/

I did this for a while, but I don't have a sink in my room and I would have to carry 3 gallon jugs down the hall to the showers :\. It worked, but it just wasn't practical.

[heidi w.]

That blows.

Try picking up a couple jugs of distilled water from the grocery store and wash your hair in the sinks. (hopefully you have your own sink in your room? if not, just wash out the communal sinks first.) and wear a shower cap when you are in the communal showers.

:/

Most college dorm rooms in the US do not have a sink in the dorm room itself. It's a communal sink or a number of them in the dorm restrooms. So, then washing hair in the sink becomes a problem of cleaning out the sink first because kids put all kinds of crap down these sinks. I've seen it all. I've seen overflowed toilets cause people don't know how to properly toss tampax. I've seen overflowing garbage cans with used sanitary napkins. Some people are really gross. So, she has to then carry her jugs of distilled water, clean the sink, wash the hair with cooler and tepid jug water....and the hassle continues.

I vote to cease using Baking Soda as a shampoo product.

heidi w.

[heidi w.]

I have heavily chlorinated tap water, too. I don't "do" filters because of the expense. I use a shampoo designed to help get chlorine out (http://joico.com/products/shampoo/kpak/kpak-chelatingshampoo)once in awhile. Maybe once or twice a month. I cannot say the chlorine levels have really harmed or altered my hair but I have nothing with which to compare it because I have lived here since before TLHC and my "hair awareness". I knew pools made my hair feel funny and smell like shlorine for days after. That is about it. My water smells liek chlorine and at times, the taste is so unbearable we cannot drink it. I can't wait to get back on well water!

The Joico shampoo linked above has replaced my clarifying routine and is one of the best finds for my hair. It also takes care of the hard water issue (tho I do have a softener) and is not so harsh it cannot be used as often as once a week if you want. Someone told me there are cones in it but it still clarifies nicely and I use cones all the time anyway.

There are shampoos that remove chlorine, but they can be tough to find. Swimmer's Shampoo is, I've always thought, a kind of chelating product ... which is a step up from clarifying the hair somehow. So I'd search carefully.

heidi w.

[lelu]

Your hair is behaving the way it is not because of not using sulfates. It's because you're using Baking Soda.

heidi w.

The amount of baking soda I use is about 1 tsp. to 2 cups of water. It's very diluted. While using baking soda at home, my hair is wonderful. It's very shiny and manageable. At the dorm, however, it is oily, waxy, and sticky. Not dry. When I switched to the sulfates it became very dry.

[jeanniet]

The problem may be more the hardness of the water than the chlorine, but you can take a look at the miracle water thread: http://www.longhaircommunity.com/archive/showthread.php?t=51184.

I don't have a chlorine issue, but do have minerals in my water, so I do a final citric acid rinse (based on the miracle water recipe, 1/4 tsp. per gallon of water), and that works quite well. It's a cheap fix and won't cause any harm, so I'd give it a try. You can dilute your shampoo down considerably (probably as little as 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. in 8 oz. of water), or try another method of washing such as CWC or CO. I would start with heavily diluting the shampoo and then go from there.

[Anje]

I have the answer!

You need Instant fishtank dechlorinator! I use the stuff that also takes care of chloramines (because that's what my city uses) and requires just 2 drops per gallon. I've used it on my own hair before, with good effect.

Fill up the required number of gallon jugs with tap water at washing temperature. Add dechlorinator. Shake. Wash.

[luxepiggy]

Go to the grocery store, and ask them for a product called "produce protector (http://www.freshpreservingstore.com/fruit-fresh%C2%AE-protector-by-ball%C2%AE/shop/382772/)" - it's usually in area that contains supplies for canning/preserving fruits. The ascorbic acid neutralizes chlorine in the water, and as a bonus, the citric acid acts as a sequestering agent for any dissolved minerals in the water supply. The container costs less than $5 and will last you forever - I use a teaspoon at most per wash.

To wash your hair, find a regular plastic cup and something a bit larger (I use an empty plastic soup container, the kind they use for a Chinese takeaway). Fill the cup with water, add a shake of produce protector (<1 teaspoon). Do not use this mixture directly on your hair as it's too strong and can be drying. Instead, once in the shower, pour a splash from the cup into the larger container and fill up the rest with water from the showerhead. Use that dilute mixture for your hair.

[lelu]

The problem may be more the hardness of the water than the chlorine, but you can take a look at the miracle water thread: http://www.longhaircommunity.com/archive/showthread.php?t=51184.

I don't have a chlorine issue, but do have minerals in my water, so I do a final citric acid rinse (based on the miracle water recipe, 1/4 tsp. per gallon of water), and that works quite well. It's a cheap fix and won't cause any harm, so I'd give it a try. You can dilute your shampoo down considerably (probably as little as 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. in 8 oz. of water), or try another method of washing such as CWC or CO. I would start with heavily diluting the shampoo and then go from there.
This looks like the only solution so far. How do I dilute the shampoo? Dumb question, but I feel like it would foam up in the water, LOL! I've tried cowashing as well, but I still get the gunk (but a lot less). What is CWC?

[caadam]

This looks like the only solution so far. How do I dilute the shampoo? Dumb question, but I feel like it would foam up in the water, LOL! I've tried cowashing as well, but I still get the gunk (but a lot less). What is CWC?

Whenever I've diluted shampoo or conditioner, I use a plastic condiment bottle (you know, the kind you can buy to put ketchup in and squeeze it out of the pointed tip). I would say start with a little and work your way up to the amount of product your scalp and hair like.

So, maybe start with a quarter-sized quirt of shampoo in the bottle and fill the rest up with warm water. Yes, it will foam, but the foam will eventually pour out and go away as you fill up the bottle with water. :) Put on the top, shake, and apply to the scalp.

CWC means "condition-wash-condition." It's a nice method for a lot of people. What you do is apply conditioner to your hair from the ears down. Then, apply shampoo only to your scalp. Lather, massage, and then rinse everything off. The idea is that with the conditioner on your scalp, it protects the length of your hair from the shampoo. Then, once everything is rinsed off, you do a second application of conditioner to all of your hair. CWC.

The citric/ascorbic acid rinses are pretty good. I got citric acid and ascorbic acid both coming in the mail because I'm WO, and my hair responds well to acid rinses. I've been doing lemon rinses so far and it's done well to keep the length of my hair clean of any extra mineral deposits from my hard water.

[swearnsue]

I have an idea you can use in addition to the others. You say you are home on weekends, so you can shampoo your hair at home. Then try to wash your hair only Wednesday at the dorm so that you have only one per week with the chlorine.

[ladylowtide]

I would wash your hair at home. If you can get away with washing your hair once a week. I wash my hair on Sundays so I can have it nice and down on Monday-Thursday. I usually put up on Friday. Don't forget to brush with your BBB once your hair gets oily. The first time I stretched my washes to once week (hair washes, obviously I shower my body with my hair up more often than that eww), I looked a mess, but in two weeks my hair was fine, less oily than it had ever been.
So just avoid the problem all together...
Also I CWC when I do wash, no sulfates, no cones.

[gogirlanime]

Get a shower filter and my mom uses this stuff for it, I read the ingredients it's basically just vitamin c in ascorbic acid form. Get some vitamin c powder and let it soak into your hair every now and then. Also, apple cider vinegar rinses will help with chlorine and mineral build up.

[caadam]

Get a shower filter and my mom uses this stuff for it, I read the ingredients it's basically just vitamin c in ascorbic acid form. Get some vitamin c powder and let it soak into your hair every now and then. Also, apple cider vinegar rinses will help with chlorine and mineral build up.

She can't get a shower filter because she's not allowed to alter the showers in her dorms.

And one of our local chemistry ladies on LHC has already confirmed that ACV does not remove minerals from the hair—only citric acid will. Ascorbic acid will neutralize chlorine, too.

[danacc]

I also vote for the CWC method.


Some other things that may help:

Apply coconut oil heavily to the length before using the CWC method. This will provide some protection during that first rinse. Conditioner is good at getting out the oil, and will protect the hair during subsequent rinses.
If you think the water may be hard in addition to being chlorinated, follow up the CWC with a diluted vinegar or citric acid rinse.
Stop using baking soda altogether. I understand it worked when you always washed at home, but it sounds like now that half or more of your washes are done at the dorm, you need to baby your hair as much as possible. Baking soda is harsher on the hair than CWC.

[ladycaladium]

I would suggest stretching washes if you can and then keeping your hair dry in the shower with a shower cap.

If you go the swimmers shampoo route, I've seen it for sale in CVS and Rite Aid...

[sfgirl]

I have this same problem. I can't get a filter until I move out in june, so my CV bars are useless at the time. :( CWC with an ACV wash works though.
For CWC, how much should you dilute the shampoo? The longest I can stretch washes out here is maybe three days. (my skin is very oiley here in the bay area. I used to live in AZ,a nd never got a zit at all, or a greasy scalp. Now I get both a lot.)
Thanks for the help!

[kittensoupnrice]

Do you have any access to sulfate-free shampoos? Quite a few of the drug stores in my area carry sulfate free shampoos, and my hair seemed to like them okay.

Otherwise, I'd probably do the CWC that everybody else is recommending, or stretching washes.

[spidermom]

When I dilute shampoo, I always shake it up and make it foamy. It's sort of like washing my hair with mousse.

[Deborah]

I have very hard, heavily chlorinated water in my home. I just wash as usual (CO for me) then end with a citric acid rinse. I put 1/2 teaspoon of citric acid powder in a quart bottle, add a very small amount of hot water, then shake the heck out of it. Then I fill the rest of the bottle with very cold water, and shake it again.

After washing and rinsing with the shower, I pour the entire bottle of cold citric acid water over my hair, let it sit for a minute, then grab the towel and go. No rinsing. This works great for me. It seems to counter the chlorine and the hardness quite well.

Good luck with whatever you do! :)

[turtlelover]

Robert Craig used to make a GREAT hard water shampoo. I haven't used it in eons since my water is OK where I am at now, but it worked very well. MUCH better than baking soda, and it wasn't super expensive.