Do you feel like no matter how much moisturizer or conditioner you slather on that your hair and skin are still parched AF? Your water could actually be to blame.
Whether you’re heading on vacation or moving to a new city, a change in water hardness can greatly affect the state of your hair. From styling to manageability, learning how to combat the effects of hard water on your hair is essential to maintaining healthy hair and creating a flawless style.
What Is “Hard Water”?
Depending on where you live or where you’re traveling to changes in temperatures are a given, but have you thought about the hardness or softness of the water? Certain countries or cities have varying water sources that contribute to these differences. If you notice your hands feel a little extra scaly, water spots on glasses and cutlery, clothes feeling hard after washing, or dry and brittle hair, chances are that you’ve got hard water.
Hard water is classified as a buildup of minerals and deposits within the water source. When utilizing this type of water on hair and skin, buildup forms, making it difficult for moisture to penetrate the hair shaft or epidermis. This is why even oily scalps or hydrated skin can end up with overly dry results.
How Hard Water Affects Your Hair (& Everything Else)
Hard water contains a high level of minerals (like calcium and magnesium) in it that are determined by where your water source is. These minerals get left behind on your scalp and strands, which leads to negative effects. If you’re not addressing the issue, a dry, flaky scalp, lackluster volume, and brittle strands could be in your very near future.
How To Combat the Impact of Hard Water
If you have the option of installing a water filter for your house or simply on your shower head, this a great place to start. This can cut down on the number of minerals and deposits impacting your beauty routine. In addition to this, the product choices and regimens you follow are essential.
Add A Weekly Detox:
Depending on how often you wash your hair, you’ll want to add a product to detox your strands, ridding them of buildup. KEVIN.MURPHY MAXI.WASH has long been a cult-favorite for just this reason. This gentle wash will rid hair of chemical and product buildup without stripping the hair of essential oils while brightening and purifying the scalp.
KEVIN.MURPHY MAXI.WASH
Choose Gentle Formulas:
For everyday use, pick a shampoo and conditioner that removes buildup without stripping your hair of necessary moisture. Redken Acidic Bonding Concentrate Shampoo, Conditioner and Perfecting Leave In Conditioner are the perfect solutions. Why restoring the pH of hair to a more acidic state, this sulfate free range will calm your cuticle and address hair damage and dryness, leading to noticeably softer and stronger results.
Redken Acidic Bonding Concentrate Shampoo, Conditioner, Perfecting Leave In Conditioner
Leave-In’s + Heat Protection:
Similar to the way lotion should be applied to damp skin post-shower, once hair is cleansed and conditioned, a key step is to apply leave-in products in order to seal in moisture and heat protectants to cut down on damage and dryness from heat styling.
On damp hair, layer KEVIN.MURPHY STAYING.ALIVE and Redken Oil For All to seal in moisture and add a layer of protection. Then, apply Wella Professionals EIMI Smooth Thermal Image to protect hair from the heat and ensure a smooth finish.
