You are very careful when it comes to your hair. Who isn’t? You carry a supply of shampoos and conditioners with you when you travel. That is because you don’t trust the quality of hair products hotels and resorts provide you.
Too Much Hair Care!
But do you still feel the difference in your hair after all this effort? Let me see, what did you miss? You carried your shampoo, your conditioner, your hair serum, your water… wait, did you carry your water?
Yes, the only variable is water when you travel. That is the reason your hair behaves differently when travelling. Maybe the water is hard, maybe it’s chlorinated or maybe mineralised. All we know is, it’s different and that can cause hair issues.
People who suffer from hard water hair loss here is something that will help you.
Let’s start from…
WHAT IS HARD WATER?
From the outside, you can not judge the quality of water. All you can see from the outside is that the water is clear, you know its flavourless and you know its two hydrogens and one oxygen. But these are not the only characteristics water has. Water can be filtered, distilled or bottled.
If you’re really fancy, there is water that is organic, kosher and Kabbalah.
And then there is hard and soft water. The water is hard or soft depending upon the mineral content it has. Water is hard when the mineral concentration in water is higher than normal. Minerals such as calcium and magnesium are picked by the water from the rocks and soil when it flows through the rivers or other waterways. Soft water, on the other hand, is low on minerals. That can be because the water is not yet flowed like rainwater or that can be because of the rocks it has been in contact with had low to no-soluble mineral content. But because of our hydrologic cycle. The water fluctuates between hard and soft. For example; when the hard water in the oceans and lakes evaporates and later becomes rain, it leaves the minerals behind and becomes soft.
WHY DOES HARD WATER NOT MAKE LATHER?
You might have noticed that it’s hard to get a good lather in hard water. I’ll explain why does that happen!
Soaps and shampoos contain a white component called sodium stearate. Sodium stearate with the help of water clears oil and dirt from the scalp. The components of soap dissolve in water and make lather. But in the case of hard water, things are not the same. In hard water, the soap chemicals react with the minerals that form insoluble compounds. Eg- Magnesium reacts with stearate and forms magnesium stearate that makes it difficult to get a good lather in hard water.
Sure it does!
HOW DOES HARD WATER AFFECT THE HAIR- SCIENCE BEHIND IT!
Hard water can treat your hair very badly. It does not affect your health overall but it does damage your hair badly. The reason behind this can be the minerals that hard water contains. These minerals make it hard to produce a lather and thus a good rinse is not achieved. This causes buildup in your hair and leaves residue behind that can cause breakage and hair loss as well.
Another reason is that hard water contains minerals like magnesium and calcium that are not good for your hair. These minerals are positively charged and the hair is negatively charged.
This magnetic attraction results in making the hair dull, weak and frizzy.
Consequences of washing your hair with hard water can be:
- Hairfall
- Dull hair
- Frizziness
- Split-ends
- Eczema of Scalp (Dandruff)
- Hair Thinning
- Hair Breakage
- Minerals block pores of your scalp causing itchiness and inflammation.
HOW TO SAVE YOUR HAIR FROM GETTING DAMAGED FROM HARD WATER
Relax! Take deep breaths. You don’t need to freak out. We have a solution for the water hardness. I can’t promise that these tips will have an instant effect, but eventually, they will surely help you save your hair from the hard water hair loss.
Deep Cleansing Shampoo
Hard water or no hard water, include a deep cleansing shampoo in your hair care regimen once a week. It helps in cleansing the build up on the scalp and removes hard water deposits.
Vinegar Rinse
Vinegar is antimicrobial in nature. Rinsing from the vinegar can stop fungus growth on your scalp as well as can neutralise the effects of hard water. 1/4 cup of Apple cider vinegar is to be mixed in a glass of water, add a few drops of your preferred oil for nourishment. Put this in a spray bottle and spray it on your hair after shampooing. Rinse after 15 minutes.
Citric Rinse
Citric rinse effectively chelate minerals in hard water. You can use lemon or lime and dilute it in water and saturate the mixture on your hair before you wash them with shampoo.
Leave-in Conditioner
Moisturising your hair with the leave-in conditioner is a good idea. This creates a moisture barrier and prevents your hair from drying.
Baking Soda Hair Wash
Baking soda also helps in removing residues from the scalp. Plus it won’t strip out natural essential oil from your scalp.
Argan Oil
Argan oil is basically a solution to everything. EVERYTHING! It adds the moisture to your hair and locks it. If you need hair repairs, nothing better than argan oil can be offered to your hair.
Beetroot
Beetroot juice contains proteins, vitamin B and Vitamin C and carbohydrates. All these nutrients are great for healthy hair. You can directly use it on your scalp and revive your damaged hair.
Coconut Oil
Coconut oil is highly beneficial for your hair growth and hair strengthening. You can apply it on your scalp and leave it on overnight and wash it off the next morning.
Aloe Vera
Aloe Vera maintains the pH level of your scalp and helps in hair growth. It reduces inflammation and adds strength to your hair. You can directly apply aloe vera juice on your scalp and hair and leave it for a few hours before washing with lukewarm water.
Water Softners
Last but not least, you can use water softeners that help in reducing the hardness of the water and make it more favourable to use. They are easily available in the market and online as well.
Hard water can be really harsh to your hair, you need to take care of them. I hope the above-mentioned information is good enough for you to do that. Do let me know in the comments section if you have faced the same issue ever before.
Also read: Haircare tips while travelling