Is hard water reeking havoc on your hair and skin?
What is hard water and what can you do about it?
Signs that you have hard water...
*A white residue left over on your dishes is a sign that calcium levels in your water are high.
*Water from your faucet that comes out with a hint of orange color indicate that iron levels in your water are high (most common in well water).
*After you wash your hands and it still feels like a residue is left behind is a sign you have hard water.
*Your skin is left dry and itchy after you shower is a sign you have hard water.
*Hard water may not be the direct cause of some skin conditions, but it can irritate and make symptoms of dermatitis worse because it changes the PH of your skin.
*Increase breakage of hair can indicate you have hard water.
*If your hair lacks luster, shine and softness is also a sign you have hard water.
*Hard water can also leave your scalp dry, itchy and even oily from a buildup of minerals.
What is Hard Water?
Essentially, hard water is based off of the amount of dissolved solids in your water. Dissolved solids in water refers to any mineral, salt, metal, cautions or anions dissolved in water. Hard water specifically refers to high mineral content in water. These minerals are usually calcium, magnesium and iron. The EPA determines the safety levels of these minerals in municipal water. The mineral content may be high in your water because the minerals calcium, magnesium, and iron are considered safe to drink, after all they are a natural substance and not a man made toxins. However, the high mineral content may be damaging to your hair and skin even though at "high" levels they are considered safe to consume.
Bellow is a regional map of high calcium levels in water...
What can you do to protect your hair and skin from hard water?
*Get your water tested, to find out the mineral levels. Even though you can assume they are within the safety levels set by the EPA, it is still helpful to know how high your mineral content actually is for your skin and hair health.
*Install a shower head filter in every shower. Water filters can and do filter out the excess minerals in your water, this may save your hair and skin from hard water in your shower.
*Install an 'in home' water filtration system. This may be the expensive route, but it will take care of the hard water throughout your entire house, and cover every faucet.
*After washing your hair in the shower, soak your ends and pour filtered or reverse osmosis water on your scalp. This can be done in any type of cup or container. This will help rinse away any residue left behind. Tip: use room temperature water! Hot water can also damage your hair and scalp.
*Use a vinegar rinse once a month to help breakup buildup left on your scalp and hair.
*Use herbs such as Shikakai, and Zizyphus, that help cleans the scalp, add shine and softness to hair and do not affect the PH of your scalp.
*A good scalp and hair oil can also help protect your hair when dealing with hard water! Oil your hair at lease once a week.
Hard water increases hair breakage...
Hard water decreases strength of hair and thus increases breakage. Some agree that hair is valued as a most important part of human body, it portrays an individual's personality and confidence. Therefore, a great care is taken in handling hair to prevent hair problems.
However, hair problems are usually observed in all communities and commonly hair loss (16%–96%) and breakage. It is a well-established fact that there are underlying genetic causes of hair loss, but hair breakage, on the other hand, is mostly thought to be due to the use of hard water.
~Corielle
A Protective Hair Oil- protct your hair from enviromental damage.
Comentarios