In this post we answer your question: “how do I know if hard water is affecting my hair?”

Is Hard Water Affecting My Hair?

Hard water, while not posing a health hazard, does bring about uncomfortable effects like itchiness and discomfort. Notably, these effects manifest significantly in your hair:

• Dryness
• Flatness
• Frizziness
• Hair damage and breaking
• Flaky scalp
• Tangles
• Hair color issues

Dealing with hard water-related hair and skin problems can be quite frustrating, and it can also lead to increased expenses on products like shampoo and soap. Fortunately, a water softener can effectively address these issues and more. Here are the key indications of hard water affecting your hair and skin, along with guidance on selecting an appropriate water softener for your needs.

How Does Hard Water Impact My Hair?

Hard water damage can affect hair of varying lengths, thicknesses, and textures. This is primarily due to the presence of minerals like calcium and magnesium, which render water hard and work against the natural oils from your skin and scalp. Regrettably, increasing the frequency of showers or hair washes is not the solution. Washing your hair multiple times a day only exacerbates the problem. These issues stem from the quality of your water, not your personal hygiene routine.

Common Signs

Here are some common signs indicating that hard water is negatively affecting your hair: 1. Scalp Dryness: Hard water deposits a mineral film on your skin that obstructs your oil glands’ function. This results in a dry, flaky, and itchy scalp, which is not conducive to healthy hair. 2. Hair Follicle Issues: The numerous hair follicles on your head can all be vulnerable to hard water problems as hardness minerals can clog these pores, leading to itchiness, inflammation, and reduced hair growth. 3. Hair Dryness: Dry hair often follows a dry scalp, and hard water makes it challenging for your body to maintain adequate hair hydration, particularly if your hair is long. This can leave your hair feeling straw-like, filmy, or limp. 4. Impaired Appearance: The various effects of hard water on hair can result in dullness, making your hair difficult to manage, appear frizzy, flat, and unkempt even after styling. This also applies to color-treated hair, as hardness minerals can interfere with color chemicals, leading to the need for more frequent treatments, potential discoloration, and damage. 5. Hair Damage and Loss: Dry hair is more susceptible to breakage, tangling, and thinning. Over time, these effects can lead to hair breakage and even hair loss. 6. Cleaning Problems: Hard water makes it harder to lather shampoo and soaps, while also complicating your rinsing routine. This results in the need for more time and effort when washing away conditioner and other products, leaving you feeling less clean and experiencing product buildup on your scalp and hair. Related links: How Do You Fix Dry Hair From Hard Water? How Do You Treat Extremely Hard Water?

Finding the Solution

Home water systems are a popular long-term solution for dry hair in central Florida. This can range from water softeners to water conditioners and whole house water filtration systems. Getting the right water system includes testing your water to understand what’s in it. Purity Bay offers this as a complimentary service during in-home estimates. We specialize in a wide range of home water solutions, including water softeners, reverse-osmosis systems, whole home water filtration systems and anything in between. Whether you need help selecting a water system or servicing an existing system, our experienced team can help you out! Schedule an appointment today!