Why does your hair feel different abroad? Water hardness is the answer
Have you ever come home from holiday thinking your hair felt as dry as straw, your skin peeling from lack of moisture or just feeling different from how you feel after a shower at home? Well, there is no need to buy the next best hundred-pound shampoo, but you definitely have to get the best skincare device. And keep reading and educate yourself on water hardness.
Water has levels of hardness? Yes, I once asked myself the same question. Water is determined as being hard if high levels of minerals such as calcium and magnesium are found.
The hardness can be measured using the scale below:
- Soft water = 0–60 mg/L or 0–3.5 GPG
- Moderately hard water = 61 to 120 mg/L or 3.5–7 GP
- Hard water = 121 to 180 mg/L or 7–10.5 GPG
- Very hard water = levels above 181 mg/L or more than 10.5 GPG, Ava.
Without measuring the hardness of your water, it is very difficult to tell where on the scale you sit. But one way you could do an at-home test is by simply washing your hands with soap. If you find a film has been left on your hands or you can still feel some sort of substance, this means the water is hard and the soap has reacted with the high levels of calcium to form this unwanted substance. Equally, if you see spots or films left on your cutlery etc, after unloading the dishwasher, this is the same reaction seen by the dishwasher tablet with the calcium in the water.
Bringing it back to hair, how does this water hardness affect our hair? Hard water affects your hair in many ways, one of which being is that it leaves your hair feeling very dry. The unwanted minerals in this water leave the same film as discussed early on your hair. With this film clinging to your hair molecules, all your £70+ shampoos and hair masks have no way to absorb into the hair. Meaning that your hair is not benefiting from any of these overly expensive products you are buying.
Additionally, all the time you have spent in the hairdresser salon dying your hair may have been for nothing; the harder the water, the more the colour of your hair is affected.
But how does this happen? When you dye your hair, the colour is sealed into the cuticles. Here is when the dreaded hard water comes along and ruins your hair once again, the hard water stops the cuticles from sealing meaning that a large percentage of the dye colour is being washed out before you even leave the salon. Not to mention how it washes out after every single wash at home!
It has even been proven that ‘blondes have the downfall of showing metals in the hair while brunettes will only know by texture change and that blonde hair can start appearing anywhere from green-toned to brassy or metallic,’ Rotunno.
Whilst other side effects from hard water include itchy scalp, thinning of hair and even a dull look, let’s discuss what we can do to combat this natural hardness found within water.
Our options are:
- Using a shampoo with ethylene diamine tetra which washes out the excess minerals and film left on the hair
- Use a toner frequently to help with any colour damage
- Regularly use a hair treatment to remove any unwanted dirt or film
- Purchase a water filter to attach to your shower head which will stop these minerals reaching your hair.
Taking a look at this image provided by Hardness of Water | U.S. Geological Survey (usgs.gov), you can see what the current water hardness is like in your country. If you can see it is something to be concerned about, have a think about the methods mentioned above to reduce these minerals reaching and damaging your hair.
Our experts:
Ava, What’s The Ideal Water Hardness Level? What You Should Know — QWL (qualitywaterlab.com)
Rotunno, The Effects of Hard Water on Hair — and What to Do About It (realsimple.com)
