Washing hair in hard water area

gwen80

Hi

I've not long ago moved to the South East and the water is very hard. At first it was ok, then suddenly my hair became a matted mess. I'd tried a new shampoo and conditioner at the same time and assumed it was that, but now I've ditched those products and my hair is still a nightmare. When I've washed it I can hardly get a brush through it and I'm wrecking my hair desperately trying to get the knots out - my hair has never been anything like this before. I've bought some detangling products to help and they do help slightly, but the problem is how knotty my hair is getting in the shower.

Having said all this, I see women walking around with nice hair - they don't have big knots in it and they have shaved it all off to cope. How do you manage hair with hard water? Any tips appreciated

Thanks

Gwen

ivyleaf

I live in London area too, and have found it more difficult to sort out my hair after washing it since I've started to grow it - it's just below my shoulders now, very thick and the ends go curly.

I've found a good quality large-tooth comb helps, and also some conditioner. I wouldn't try to get a brush through it while it's wet, in fact I use the large-tooth come all the time now rather than a brush.

HTH a little bit!

CupOfChai

I use conditioner and a wide-toothed afro comb to comb out after washing, never a brush on wet hair. Also I brush my hair just before washing to get knots out then if it could have got tangled, so I'm not yanking on weaker wet hair.

j.e.j.

I'm also in the South East. I love going to soft-water areas! Where we are we have to descale the kettle almost weekly and you also have to use more shampoo and soap to get it to lather here.

I use a wide-toothed comb and I put a bit of coconut oil in the ends of my hair, which seems to keep it in good condition.

If you can be faffed, rinsing your hair in kettle water also helps a bit!

baby_frogmella

Have you thought about buying a water softener? I used to have one when living in Kent and couldn't live without it! You don't have to spend a small fortune either, you can get one for less than £200 on ebay:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/WATER-SOFTENER-Timer-AS110-Aquasmart-Neta-5-15mm-/151050638404?pt=UK_H_G_Major_Appliances_Oven_Cooker_Hoods_ET&hash=item232b51d444

gwen80

baby_frogmella wrote: »

Have you thought about buying a water softener? I used to have one when living in Kent and couldn't live without it! You don't have to spend a small fortune either, you can get one for less than £200 on ebay:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/WATER-SOFTENER-Timer-AS110-Aquasmart-Neta-5-15mm-/151050638404?pt=UK_H_G_Major_Appliances_Oven_Cooker_Hoods_ET&hash=item232b51d444

Does that fit into the pipes? If so I've heard of it, but I'm renting at the moment so it's not feasible.

notanewuser

gwen80 wrote: »

Does that fit into the pipes? If so I've heard of it, but I'm renting at the moment so it's not feasible.

My sister has one that screws between the shower head and the hose. Lasts about 4 months and costs about £40. I'll try and find a link.

ETA - here it is. It's lovely showering at her flat now. I lied though - it lasts around 12 months with 2 of them showering at least once a day.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dechlorinating-sensitised-Sensitive-Skincare-Co/dp/B0025TYZTG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1379511422&sr=8-2&keywords=shower+filter

LittleMissAspie

Try a citric acid or apple cider vinegar rinse in demineralised water. I don't know what the proportions are but do some googling. The acidity stops deposits from the hard water from sticking to your hair. You're supposed to do this after each wash.

Once a week or so use a clarifying shampoo, this is a shampoo with tetrasodium EDTA in the ingredients. This ingredient chelates the minerals and metals that are already stuck to your hair from previous washes and cleans them off. A lot of clarifying shampoos can be stripping which why you use it once a week and not every day. The Co-op does a cheap shampoo with tetrasodium EDTA in it, it's called apple family shampoo in a big bottle for like a pound. There are also more expensive ones from the big brands, Paul Mitchell does one and Bumble and Bumble.

Pennylane

If you can use rainwater for your final rinse. My Mum always used to do that to us kids because we lived in a hard water area.

Alton_Towers

I think you do get used to the water, but I find if I can't use conditioner then I use a leave in conditioner which does help.

gwen80

Thanks for all the suggestions. Some of them aren't preferable as I have OCD as well, so sorry, but I'm not sure I could use rainwater. From the suggestions so far, I think the filter thing is probably the best option for me. I'm already using a wide toothed comb. I'll get hold of some chelating shampoo as well I think.

The last post from Alton Towers - that was what I was wondering? Do people who've lived down here for years have matted, tangled hair? Or do the locals all have water softeners installed? I don't understand :undecided