Hard water

bolgbui41

I moved to a new place in October and I’ve noticed my hair and skin have become really, really dry and dull. I had put it down to a combination of being unwell and medication side affects. Both skin and hair improved a lot when I was home in December and January, but after 10 days in the new place I’m all dried out again. I’ve realised that the water here is a lot harder than anywhere I’ve lived before, so I’m thinking this might be the issue.

Any suggestions on how to combat this? I usually use herbal essences shampoo and tresemme perfectly undone conditioner on my hair, but I think maybe a clarifying shampoo might be good? I use la Roche posay hydreane legate cream on my face which seems to keep my skin there in ok condition, but the rest of me is drying out. My hands are particularly bad from washing - the effects of the usual nivea cream I use is wearing off really quickly. Any help appreciated!

MinnieMinx

Well for starters, your product choices could be improved.
Herbal essences and Tresemme are particularly awful. The brands sold in the high street contain cheap detergents as bulking agents to keep the price low so when you’ve finished the bottle, treat yourself to a quality salon brand instead. Something like Pureology or Joico, for instance. Use less product as you don’t need masses of lather to clean your hair. Focus on the scalp area.

If the water contains a lot of base metals, you could try using a chelating shampoo every few weeks to really clean the hair. Chelating shampoos are formulated to remove metals and minerals whereas clarifying shampoo simply removes product build-up so don’t waste money on a clarifying shampoo as it won’t be cost effective. I don’t think you’ll find a decent chelating shampoo in the high street shops so either buy online or from a good salon. Joico do one as well as a clarifying shampoo so make sure you choose the chelating shampoo, if you buy online. You only need to use it occasionally so one bottle will last you a very long time.

Chelating shampoos are very drying so you need to add the moisture back into your hair so after chelating, I recommend you use a good quality moisturising mask.

If your mum’s place has cleaner water and you have transport, consider filling some big bottles with her tap water when you visit and use this to rinse your hair.

I can’t advice on skin care as that’s not my area but I personally like Jane Iredale products.

Hope this helps?

SozBbz

Yeah as Mini has said, those products are quite low end and don't exactly contain the best of ingredients.

If money is a factor, one thing that can help is adding a dash of vinegar to your final rinse. Helps remove build up and acts a bit like a clarifying product.

If you own your home, you could consider getting a water softening device fitted.

bolgbui41

Thank you both! The products I'm currently using aren't the ones I usually use - I'm not in Ireland, and these were basically my only choices due to limited brand choice and allergies. They're just meant to tide me over until some stuff I ordered online comes in. I'll have a look at Pureology or Joico, and at the chelating shampoo. I've never heard of this before and the water is quite mineral rich, so it's a good idea.
I'm renting and a couple of thousand miles from home, so unfortunately can't call into the mammy!
Any recommendations for the moisturing mask? My hair is very fine and gets weighed down quite easily, so I've generally avoided them in the past.
Thanks again for the suggestions!

retro:electro

You should try using an Ionic shower head. I got one on amazon for about €20. I feel your pain. I went through most of my adult life living in a hard water area and would spend an absolute fortune on products trying to right it and while I would sometimes get fleeting satisfaction, I was more often than not left frustrated that nothing seemed to work or do the job. The thing is, since you are washing your hair with the hard water, there is only so much a product is going to do. Using a shower head filter will help but it won’t eradicate it completely. It’s just a case of trial and error with a few things, I think.

It was only when I moved to a completely different area last year that I noticed a massive difference in my water and thus hair condition. I don’t think I’ve had one bad hair day since moving. Hard water is a pain!