Have you ever taken a shower at a new place, such as a hotel or a friend’s house, and noticed that your hair feels differently afterwards than it does when you shower at home? As it turns out, there are some very common water contaminants that can negatively affect the look, feel and general healthiness of your hair. Today we’re going to talk about how your home’s water quality can affect your hair and what you can do to keep your hair looking and feeling great!
How hard water can affect your hair
Hard water is one of the most problematic water quality issues that can affect the health of your hair. When your home’s water is hard, it contains high levels of calcium and magnesium. When you take a shower in hard water, these minerals will cling to your hair. This can have a number of different effects, including:
- Drying out your hair. Instead of making your hair shiny and smooth, showering in hard water will dry out your hair and give it a “rough” feeling. Hard water will also dry out your scalp, which can increase the amount of dandruff you have.
- Leaving mineral deposits in your hair. In addition to causing actual dandruff, showering in hard water can leave small traces of hardness minerals in your hair that give the appearance of having dandruff.
- Possible hair loss. When some people shower in hard water, the minerals in their water “plug up” their hair follicles. This makes it easier for hair to break off at the base, which can cause hair loss (especially for people who are already prone to hair loss).
- Preventing your hair from cleaning properly. Hard water does not lather as well with soaps and shampoos as soft water does. As a result, you will not get as much out of your hair cleaning and moisturizing products when you shower in hard water. This can prevent your hair from being as clean and healthy as you want.
How chlorine can affect your hair
Another water quality issue that can affect the health of your hair is high levels of chlorine. Chlorine is a disinfectant that’s added to our public water supplies in order to kill dangerous pathogens that could otherwise spread diseases. However, if you don’t remove chlorine from the water in your home, showering with high levels of the chemical can have the following effects on your hair:
- Chlorine can interfere with your scalp’s natural moisturizing abilities, which will make your hair dry and frail.
- The drying-out of your hair and scalp caused by chlorine can accelerate hair loss.
- If you dye your hair, chlorine can fade colors quickly.
What can you do to remove the water contaminants that affect your hair?
The best way to protect your hair from the problems listed above is to soften and filter the water you use for showering in your home. You can do this by installing a whole house water softener and filtration system that will remove hardness minerals, chlorine and other contaminants from the water that comes out of every tap in your home. The WaterMax from Hague is a great solution for keeping your hair healthy because it will both soften and filter your water using a single system.
If you have any questions about how water quality can affect your hair, or if you’d like a water system serviced or installed in your home, contact North Carolina Water Consultants, your whole house filter and water softener dealer in North Carolina and South Carolina. We service areas all over the Carolinas, including towns like Mooresville, Maiden and Iron Station, NC.