Can Hard Water Cause Hair Loss?
Your lifestyle, diet, genes, presence of a medical condition and hair care products that you use have a pivotal role to play in the appearance of your hair. However, along with these, hard water could possibly be a huge enemy that’s causing immense damage to your locks.
Are you worried about the large amounts of hair on your floor? Has the hair fall been aggravated since you have relocated to a new place?
If your answer to most of these questions is yes, then you are washing your hair with hard water, and all of your efforts to keep your hair strong and improve its texture are going down the drain!
Hard water can cause great damage to your hair leaving it dull and prone to breakage.
But don’t worry! There are steps you can take to treat hard water damage and restore your hair to its former glory.
But Can hard water really damage your hair? The answer is a resounding yes.
In this blog, we’ll take a deep dive into the science behind hard water and hair damage, as well as provide you with the best hair loss treatment options to restore your hair’s health.
What Is Hard Water And How Does It Affect Hair?
Hard water is water that contains a high concentration of minerals such as magnesium, calcium, and iron.
These minerals can bond with shampoo and conditioner, making it difficult to rinse the product from your hair.
This can lead to buildup on the scalp and hair making it dull, lifeless, and prone to tangling.
In addition to the buildup, the minerals in hard water can also strip your hair of its natural oils, leaving it dry, brittle, and prone to breakage.
The high levels of calcium and magnesium can also make it difficult for your hair to absorb moisture, leading to frizziness, split ends, and dullness.
The Science Behind Hard Water And Hair Damage
Hard water can put your hair through a great deal of hardship! It negatively affects your hair, ruins its texture and leads to hair loss.
Your once healthy, lustrous locks will start to look dull and limp, the hair will feel thinner and the scalp will turn unhealthy.
Hard water can affect hair in several ways. First, the minerals in hard water can react with the shampoo and conditioner, creating a buildup on the hair and scalp.
This buildup can make it difficult for your hair to absorb moisture, leading to dryness and frizziness.
Second, the minerals in hard water can strip your hair of its natural oils, leaving it vulnerable to damage.
This can cause split ends, breakage, and dullness. Additionally, hard water can also make your hair more prone to tangling, which can lead to further breakage and damage.
What Is Hard Water Doing To Your Hair?
- Hard water reacts with the components of the shampoo and messes with the chemistry of your scalp and hair, drying it out.
- The minerals in the water make it so much harder to rinse off the shampoo, thereby leaving an accumulation of shampoo residue which clogs the scalp.
- The minerals tend to crystallize on the scalp and make the hair brittle and breakable.
- The minerals do not let your scalp absorb any conditioning agent too, and this makes the hair dry and frizzy, also increasing your dandruff.
- With time, the hair lacks volume and looks flat and unhealthy.
- The abundance of minerals in hard water encourages and supports infectious agents too and makes your scalp prone to frequent infections.
How To Protect Your Hair From Hard Water Damage?
There are several steps you can take to protect your hair from the damaging effects of hard water.
Use A Clarifying Shampoo
One of the best ways to remove buildup from your hair is to use a clarifying shampoo. Clarifying shampoos are designed to remove impurities and buildup from the hair and scalp, leaving your locks feeling refreshed and revitalized.
Install A Water Softener
If you have hard water at home, you may want to consider installing a water softener. A water softener works by removing the minerals in hard water, leaving you with cleaner, softer water for your hair and skin.
Use A Hair Rinse
Another way to protect your hair from hard water is to use a hair rinse after shampooing. A hair rinse can help to remove the minerals in hard water, leaving your hair feeling softer, shinier, and more manageable.
Use A Leave-In Conditioner
A leave-in conditioner can also help to protect your hair from hard water damage. Leave-in conditioners are designed to moisturize and nourish your hair, helping to prevent dryness, frizziness, and breakage.
Final Thoughts:
Hard water can have a significant impact on your hair, from dryness and frizziness to breakage and split ends.
But with the right steps and products, you can protect your hair from the damaging effects of hard water.
So, if you are concerned about the impact of hard water on your hair, take action today to protect your locks from its damaging effects.
At New Roots Hair Clinic, we pay close attention to diagnosing and treating all forms of scalp and hair disorders.
Our expertise is managing hair loss and hair damage from diagnosis to dealing with it successfully via surgical and non-surgical treatments.
FAQs
A pre shampoo treatment provides a strong barrier between the hair and the hard water; it helps minimize the accumulation of minerals which tend to coat the hair shaft. Castor oil, Aloe Vera, and Hyaluronic acid are the very best pre shampoo treatment options which hydrate, nourish, and repair the hair.
Hair care experts advise attaching a water filter to the shower head t filter out minerals such as calcium and magnesium which tend to make the water hard and are the cause for dry, brittle, damaged hair.
A chelating shampoo is composed of chelating agents, which bind with the minerals in the hard water and get rinsed off. Pick up a shampoo that has an EDTA complex that will get rid of the mineral build-up and reduce the frizz. However, do bear in mind that chelating agents can be rather irritating on the scalp if used very often, so use a chelating shampoo only once a week.
Yes, hard water can be bad for your hair. The minerals in hard water can react with shampoo and conditioner, causing buildup and stripping your hair of its natural oils, leading to dryness, frizziness, breakage, and split ends.
There are several signs that you may have hard water, including spotty or cloudy glasses and dishes, a buildup of mineral deposits on fixtures, and difficulties with soap lathering and sudsing. You can also have your water tested to determine its hardness level.
While hard water itself is not a direct cause of hair loss, the dryness, breakage, and tangling that it can cause can contribute to hair thinning and loss over time.
Yes, you can still use hair products with hard water. However, it may be necessary to use a clarifying shampoo or hair rinse to remove buildup and ensure that the products are able to penetrate and nourish your hair.
