Is Hard Water Causing You To Have a Bad Hair Day?

If you’ve ever had a bad hair day, then this article is for you. We’ve all had them, sometimes your hair just doesn’t want to participate with what you hand in mind or maybe your hair is just being lazy and lays flat all day. No matter how much you brush, comb, blow dry or add more product, it still isn’t cooperating and that’s probably when you decide it will be a hat day. 

Before you put that hat on, let’s discuss what’s going on. I hate to break it to you, but bad hair days often always start with the water you’re using. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, 85% of homes in America use hard water and can be defined as highly dissolved minerals in water such as calcium and magnesium.

Over time, these minerals can cause many problems in a home. Some of the effects of hard water can be clogged or corroded pipes, pinhole leaks on copper piping, poor water heater performance, cloudy film on dishes after using the dishwasher, bad taste, limescale buildup on water fixtures, stains in toilets, and soap scum. But the most noticeable effect hard water has would be what it can do to hair and skin. The minerals found in hard water tend to strip away natural oils, leaving hair dry, brittle, frizzy, and unmanageable. 

There are a variety of hair products in the market that help with hard water issues such as special shampoos and conditioners. But the problem with these products is it leaves oils on the hair, which causes a heavy or flat feeling and look. In addition, shower head filters found on Amazon boast that they can soften hair. However, many of these shower filters only have a carbon filter, which is great for removing chlorine, but it does nothing in terms of removing minerals from hard water. 

The most effective way to address hard water is to use a whole house water softener.  A process called ion exchange occurs when water passes through the resin tank that’s filled with small plastic beads that are charged with a sodium ion. The resin beads are anions, which means they are negatively charged. The calcium and magnesium minerals in the water have a positive charge, making them cations. 

The negative charge of the minerals is attracted to the positive charge of the resin beads. To provide a mental illustration, just imagine hard water carrying the heavy minerals that it picked up through its journey from the well or snow melt. It arrives at your home and enters the resin tank, and the resin beads offer the water a deal that it cannot refuse. The resin beads say, “We’ll trade you some of this lightweight salt for your heavy minerals.” The water thinks about it and agrees to the deal. The resin beads are now happily holding onto the minerals, and the water is also happy to get rid of the calcium and magnesium that it picked up along the way. Now the water is only holding onto a little bit of salt and is freely flowing into your home, providing you soft water.

Eventually, the resin tank will be full of minerals and needs to be regenerated. Depending on the number of gallons used, the digital controlled meter will automatically regenerate the tank with a brine solution. The ion exchange occurs once again but this time in the opposite order. The brine solution enters the tank, it trades the resin some salt for the minerals it had been holding onto. The minerals are then flushed away, leaving the resin nice and clean and ready to do another ion exchange. 

The ion exchange process and regeneration all happens without the homeowner having to do anything, except refilling the brine tank with water softener salt pellets. The water that is conditioned and is now coming out of the shower and other water fixtures is soft, free of minerals.

Soft water provides a unique showering experience, to say the least. When using soft water, soaps, shampoos, and conditioners will work better. Hair and skin will feel silky smooth and when it comes to styling hair, you’ll experience more body and an overall healthier look and feel. People who have showered with soft water can attest to how much the water has made a difference. If for some reason they have to use hard water at a friend’s house or a hotel, they immediately regret it and wish they were back at home using soft water.