General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsHard water and hair loss.
I was recently on the verge of shaving my head. Over the last few years I'd noticed my hair getting dull, limp and thin. I was starting to resign myself to the thought that this is just what my hair was going to do as I got older (I turned 50 last year). I have dreads and a lot of them were getting thin and even breaking. I started to suspect that WATER was having a negative effect on my hair because my hair always seemed to get worse after a good washing or even just a rinse. I went to google "Water dries out my hair" and I got as far as "Water dries..." before Google auto-completed and there in the drop box were results for "water dries out my skin" and "water dries out my hair".
Turns out that "hard" water was doing major damage to my hair and scalp. I moved two years ago and I think the water in my new place is even harder than it was in my previous residence because the problem definitely seemed to get worse over the last couple years. I ended up ordering an Aquasana shower filter from Amazon. I paid to have the thing delivered the next day (the only time I've ever done that). Now, I'm not one to go around endorsing products, and I'm not trying to use DU for that purpose, but I have to say that this thing has made a ton of difference after just one week. In fact, I could feel the difference on my skin and hair after the first use. My skin and hair feel softer and cleaner after I shower and I can see and feel the thinness in my hair reversing. I also don't feel itchy when I get out of the shower, which was a problem I'd often have. Lately, I've been seeing lots of commercials for products and services to help with hair loss suffered by men AND WOMEN. I know that it's hereditary for some people but I can't help but wonder if some sufferers of hair loss are literally washing their hair down the drain with hard water. Obviously, it doesn't affect everyone but I wanted to put this out there in case there's anyone here who is having the same problems I was having. So far, I'm really impressed with this shower filter and wish that I'd bought it sooner. Hope this helps someone.
oldandhappy
(6,719 posts)I appreciate this neighbor to neighbor information.
skypilot
(8,855 posts)...at Amazon. A handful of one-star reviews. Filter is supposed to last for six months. Some people complaining that it doesn't last that long. Might be households with more than one occupant and lots of shower usage. That's my theory anyway.
libodem
(19,288 posts)We have super hard water. A little calgon in the rinse cycle of the washing machine will bring back most of the suds.
Maybe a final rinse with softened water might help?
Maybe that Wen product? Maybe Rogaine? Maybe an equivalent product from a beauty supply house? I also recently encountered a video showing how to use a combo of vinegar and soda to clean hair without detergent.
Best of luck. And I agree hard water is drying.
skypilot
(8,855 posts)...that the use of this filter will reduce my reliance of hair and skin products. Hair products in particular would seem to work for me just once or twice and then stop working. I'm guessing it was the water counteracting any benefit the products initially produced.
ND-Dem
(4,571 posts)I showered and it didn't even feel like water, or like I was getting clean. I hated it.
What's that about? If anyone knows...
skypilot
(8,855 posts)...of what I'm experiencing. I think water softening systems put something INTO the water to remove or break down chlorine, calcium, lime, etc. The thing I bought attaches to the shower to filter all that nasty stuff out.
libodem
(19,288 posts)Like you can't get rinsed off. The water is 'silkier'.
ND-Dem
(4,571 posts)i didn't feel clean after; I didn't feel like I'd showered at all.
libodem
(19,288 posts)With conditioned water when you are used to regular ol' hard water. In our mountains, in some places, the water looks red from all the rusty iron. Gross. It will dye your hair if you have bleached it.
I have a general house filter and a pitcher filter for drinking. I don't mind the minerals but I loath the chlorine smell.
Erich Bloodaxe BSN
(14,733 posts)when we went there on vacation when I was a kid. They had a water softener system, and I never felt like I was getting clean, or that I was even getting the soap off.
ND-Dem
(4,571 posts)Trailrider1951
(3,417 posts)Our water is VERY hard. One thing I use is white distilled vinegar to counteract this hardness. I add 1/2 cup to my washing machine rinse water to help soften the fabrics. I also rinse my hair with a dilute solution of vinegar, and it leaves my hair soft. It also helps remove the hard water calcium stains around the sink and toilet. At less than $2 per gallon, white vinegar is cheap enough to use for most cleaning and rinsing projects. Hope this helps!
skypilot
(8,855 posts)I don't think it's for me though since I have dreadlocks and they can soak up whatever I put in them. I'd have to rinse forever to make sure I got rid of any vinegar smell and I don't want to have to use that much water--even "soft" water.
Hekate
(91,182 posts)Some of my dark blue cotton slacks and black slacks gray out very badly after only one or two washes. I use Woolite's liquid for darks, and it still happens. It's more than annoying.
KT2000
(20,618 posts)Saw an article that recommended white vinegar for black clothes so I tried it. One shirt came out different shades of black on each piece - front, back, sleeves. Other than that one shirt the others looked the same.
I started washing all darks inside out but I hang things on the line and the sun will fade things.
madokie
(51,076 posts)I was itching something terrible and tried everything I could think of to fix that then I read something about using vinegar as a water softener instead of commercial products. I have some dark colored shirts, tee shirts and underwear that so far have not shown any signs of getting lighter. I know that not using the water softener in the washer and no dryer sheets in the dryer and I don't itch anymore. Plus the washer smells better as a plus too. You know how a washing machine can have a smell to it, well all I've ever had has anyway but not now with the use of vinegar in the water. My wife still uses all that commercial stuff in her wash though Plus when I do the towels I use the vinegar and the other day my wife said these towels are really soft. I just smiled cause I knew it would be a lost cause to try to explain what the difference was, for peaceful purposes and all that
KamaAina
(78,249 posts)Come to think of it, limestone water is what makes Kentucky whiskey so good.
skypilot
(8,855 posts)...the Rand Paul connection is going right over my head.
KamaAina
(78,249 posts)You don't actually think that's his hair, do you?
skypilot
(8,855 posts)Where's Donald Trump from?
KamaAina
(78,249 posts)Supposedly The Donald was an early adopter of hair-plug technology, before they had all the kinks worked out. What you see on a breezy day is the result.
Oilwellian
(12,647 posts)I didn't know he was wearing a hair piece until we went outside one windy night. LOL
KamaAina
(78,249 posts)notadmblnd
(23,720 posts)ND-Dem
(4,571 posts)KamaAina
(78,249 posts)Liberal_in_LA
(44,397 posts)KamaAina
(78,249 posts)Liberal_in_LA
(44,397 posts)pintobean
(18,101 posts)between hard water and hair loss.
skypilot
(8,855 posts)...I never made a connection either. It was when I was reading some of the positive the reviews for the filter that I bought that I noticed quite a few people saying it made a difference for them. I'm not talking about hereditary hair loss. I'm talking about a gradual damaging and thinning of hair that is being caused by some environmental factor--in this case, hard water.
renate
(13,776 posts)2naSalit
(87,095 posts)problems many have with hair loss and other situations, diet should also be a consideration... dandruff seems to be a condition that is often a result of bad stuff - like preservatives - in one's diet. The skin sloughs off the scalp because shedding skin is one way for the body to shed toxins... in any and all ways possible. Perhaps this is a partial cause for hair loss as well..?
skypilot
(8,855 posts)...do their bit but it certainly can't hurt to remove chlorine, lime and calcium from the water we're bathing in everyday.
2naSalit
(87,095 posts)jillan
(39,451 posts)hair and skin are compared to when I shower at home.
There is something to this.
skypilot
(8,855 posts)...on my skin since I bought this filter. I don't usually pay that much attention to customer reviews but the ones on Amazon are overwhelmingly favorable and the people there described exactly what I'm experiencing.
DavidDvorkin
(19,520 posts)Here's my anecdotal evidence.
We've lived in the same house since the fall of 1971. We bought a very good water softener for the house shortly after we moved in and have since replaced it with a more modern one. Our water has therefore been very soft for almost 44 years. During that time, I went from a full head of hair to being bald.
I'm 71 now, but the hair loss began with a bald spot decades ago, after we had the water softener. The hair loss progressed in the standard male-pattern-baldness way.
skypilot
(8,855 posts)When I speak of hair loss I'm not talking about the hereditary and unavoidable kind. I'm talking about hair loss that occurs because of stresses on the hair. In my case, I'm convinced that hard water was a stressor on my hair. Like I said in the OP, my hair would usually look like crap after a wash or just a quick rinse. My scalp was also itchy all the time, even after I'd washed my hair. So far, I'm not having those problems.
On edit: Also, the thing I bought isn't a water softening system that you install for a house. It is just a filter that attaches to the shower.
Hekate
(91,182 posts)Grains of what, I'm not sure, but it appears to be a standard measurement of the hardness of water.
I got a new steam iron that came with directions to never use distilled water, but tap water. I've always used distilled water, and our local water is very hard, so I called the customer service line at Rowenta to ask why. Seems they think ordinary tap water is only up to 12 grains.
So I called our local Water District to ask what is our water like. It's almost 20 times what Rowenta thinks a person should put in their iron -- 231 grains.
It was worse during the last long drought, as new wells were being dug and more minerals came up. The water smelled so bad it made the coffee taste bad. That's when I finally got a jug with Britta filter to keep on my countertop.
Okay: skin and hair. Yes, really hard water can do a number on both. So can very dry air -- that may be one problem for the Arizona poster, and it's also worse in winter when indoor heaters dry out the house. Even though I live on the coast where the air is mild, I still use a lot of products for skin and hair, increasingly as I age.
Heredity, stress, age, and diet all play a part. Just do what you can for yourself on everything -- but heredity and age are the things you really can't change.
I'm glad you found this product. I will go look it up now, though I'm really hoping to get a household water softener one fine day.
valerief
(53,235 posts)Doesn't have all those What's This Shit? chemicals in it.
Warpy
(111,529 posts)Soap scum from hard water can make your hair look dull and lifeless. What I do is rinse off with white vinegar to cut the scum. It also works with darks in the laundry. It's cheaper than a Culligan setup.
Another thing that helps is not washing it every day. I wash it about every third day.
However, it doesn't tend to make your hair fall out. Mine came out in handfulls when I turned 50 but stabilized a couple of years later. It's nearly as thick as it was when I was 20.
skypilot
(8,855 posts)My dreads were just looking skinnier and skinnier and some of them would thin out at the mid-point and keep thinning until I'd have to cut the dread at that thin, weak point and then regrow it. The hair is still growing out of my HEAD but the dreads just seemed to be "dying". They also felt dry and brittle ALL THE TIME. This filter does seem to be making a difference in the short time I've used it.
on edit: A poster upthread mentioned the vinegar treatment. Think I'll have to pass on that because I'm afraid I wouldn't get all of the vinegar smell out.
Warpy
(111,529 posts)I run a little vinegar through my hair, distributing it with my fingers, then rinse.
I live in the desert, so it takes my very short hair no time at all to dry. I can see where the persistent faint odor could linger for a few hours in dreads at sea level, though.
mcar
(42,489 posts)Our water is hard too. I've been losing hair for several years (apologies but it's harder for a woman). I thought thyroid disease and menopause were the culprits but maybe the water contributes.
Thanks !
skypilot
(8,855 posts)...your hair loss is not due to anything serious. You have been to the doctor, right? I, of course, don't know your medical history or anything else about you but as I said earlier in this thread, it can't hurt to filter out the chlorine, calcium and lime that is in a lot of water. I hope it helps you if you decide to try it. The reviews on Amazon are very positive, with a lot of people saying they've been using these shower filters for years now. I wish I'd known years ago that they existed.
mcar
(42,489 posts)But thank you for caring skypilot . Thyroid disease has all kinds of odd symptoms. Unfortunately the treatment can also cause hair loss. Add in being a woman of a certain age ...
BlueJazz
(25,348 posts)skypilot
(8,855 posts)...so those water softener thingies aren't an option for me but this shower head filter does the trick. I wish they made one that I can attach to my bathroom sink.
BlueJazz
(25,348 posts)skypilot
(8,855 posts)*
Jamastiene
(38,187 posts)Since moving where I live now, my skin peels every single time I shower. My hair has always looked wiry but felt soft, until I moved where I am now. Now, it really is wiry and I'm losing too much of it. I shed far too much now compared to before. I hope to try one of those filters you mentioned when I get paid next.
skypilot
(8,855 posts)Skittles
(153,428 posts)skypilot
(8,855 posts)Here's what they look like.
http://www.aquasana.com/shower-head-water-filters
chillfactor
(7,599 posts)showers and baths in hard water for years and have never experienced what you have....different body chemistry I assume
skypilot
(8,855 posts)That's probably it. It's obviously not something that affects everyone. There are plenty people walking around whose hair and skin look just fine and I'm sure they deal with the same hard water as everyone else.
mercuryblues
(14,577 posts)so I can find this thread later. I am definitely going to get one to try.
skypilot
(8,855 posts)B Calm
(28,762 posts)the old guy who lived down the road back then told me I should use Ivory soap for shampoo. Maybe I should had listened to him??
I once knew a woman who was a nurse who said that Ivory soap was one of the worst things you could use. And she meant just on your skin. Can't remember the reason she gave. Just remember an Ivory soap commercial was on TV and she balked at it's claim that the soap any good for you.
TuxedoKat
(3,818 posts)but I recently bought my husband some powdered MSM for joint pain (supposed to be better than glucosamine and chondroitin) but in the comments at amazon people were saying it was helping their hair and nails grow in thicker and stronger. Biotin (one of the B vitamins) is supposed to be good for that as well. Do your research on MSM though as it may have blood-thinning properties.
skypilot
(8,855 posts)*
TuxedoKat
(3,818 posts)hope it is useful to you. There may be other supplements, etc., out there that are beneficial as well. I had never heard about Biotin being beneficial (and I read a lot of health related articles, studies, etc.) -- my teenage daughter told me and I pooh-poohed the idea at first, but her hairdresser confirmed it so I researched it on the internet and verified it. The info on MSM (sulfur) I just discovered by accident too. Just now I was googling info on toenails and discovered that Vicks is good for toenail fungus!
bettyellen
(47,209 posts)TuxedoKat
(3,818 posts)not having a problem with that at the moment but will remember in case I ever do. Thanks!
B Calm
(28,762 posts)hard water stains in the tub and in our clothing was awful. Soap was not lathering up, etc. We ended up leasing a new softener through hicks gas company and couldn't be happier! The new softener uses a lot less salt!
Response to skypilot (Original post)
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Charlotte Griffith
(2 posts)You might have taken hair loss medications before, but since losing 100 hair strands per day is completely natural and everyone's hair is definitely going to thinner as they age, that might a good idea if you take hair loss medications along with other solutions.
Hair loss could have resulted from too many items in which hard water is only one little cause...
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