Hard water is bad for your hair health. Use proper hair care products and home treatments to reverse its damaging effects. Read on to know more…
Water appears to us as a colorless liquid. However, there are several mineral salts dissolved in it. As long as the level of these dissolved minerals is low, it is soft water. When mineral content is on the higher side, it becomes hard water. What happens when you use this mineral-laden water for washing your hair daily? Hard water starts damaging your hair.
Damaging Effects of Hard Water on Hair
Every time you wash hair, minerals from hard water penetrate through wet hair strands. This mineral build-up is the root cause of all your hair problems. Here are the common identifiable signs of hard water hair damage –
- Dry hair: A thin layer of heavy minerals on hair cuticles prevents proper absorption of moisture resulting in rough, dry, and tangled hair.
- Dull hair: Hard water robs off the natural shine and vibrancy of hair. It looks dull and lifeless.
- Hair fall: Hard water residues irritate scalp skin resulting in extensive hair fall.
- Discolored hair: Those with color-treated tresses often notice that the applied shade fades out faster.
Hard Water Damaging Your Hair – What to Do at Home
First of all, choose the right hair care products. In addition, you need some natural remedies to treat hair damage caused by hard water.
Use clarifying shampoo
Regular shampoo and clarifying shampoo are not the same. Regular shampoo has mild cleansing properties but clarifying shampoo acts as a deep cleanser. Its deep cleansing properties eliminate all mineral residues from hair shaft and scalp. Clarifying shampoo is suitable for all types of hair. Use it once every 3 weeks. On other days in between, you can continue using everyday shampoo. Weekly application of clarifying shampoo is not a good idea as it makes hair extremely dry.
Follow up with a deep hair conditioner
Instead of a regular conditioner, pick the one with a special formulation for deep hair conditioning. Before buying, check its composition on the label. Those with hydrating components such as green tea, coconut milk or shea butter are just right for you. A standard daily conditioner smoothens only the outer surface of the hair. A deep conditioner penetrates into the core of hair shafts. Its rich nutrients amplify hair moisturization. Restores strength in rough, brittle strands. Even if you have a leave-in conditioner, do not skip rinse-out deep hair conditioner after every wash with clarifying shampoo.
Use leave-in conditioner
As the name suggests, you do not rinse off this conditioner. It has a light-weight texture which can stay on hair strands for a longer duration. Leave-in conditioner is an integral part of post-shampoo hair care regime for hard water damage. Whether it is regular or clarifying shampoo does not matter.
Unlike typical conditioners, this one is not meant for wet hair application. Towel dry your washed hair a bit. Then, massage a leave-in conditioner on the damp surface before your hair dries out completely. Start from the middle and go down till the end of hair strands. Leave-in conditioner supplies much-needed nourishment to dull, lifeless hair and locks-in hydration. Protects hair from any further damage.
Homemade hair mask to repair hard water hair damage
Take a ripe banana and mash it well. Mix a tablespoon of coconut oil. Apply this smooth thick paste of coconut oil and mashed banana on every single strand of hair and all over the scalp. Wait for an hour and then wash off thoroughly with regular shampoo. Banana contains two important ingredients – potassium and silica which add strength and elasticity to brittle hair shafts. Fatty acids in coconut oil replenish moisture to fight hair and scalp dryness. This mask is an effective remedy for color treated hair damaged by hard water.
Hair treatment with fresh lime juice
This is a once-a-week treatment to get rid of scalp irritation. Dilute 1/4th cup of lime juice in 3/4th cup of water. Massage it gently on hair strands and hair roots after shampooing. Rinse it off and then apply hair conditioner. The acidic property of lime juice neutralizes harmful effects of mineral-rich hard water to refresh the scalp.
FINAL TIP: When hard water is damaging your hair, rinse it upside down to prevent breakage. In other words, bend your head forward and let shower water fall from the crown towards your forehead.