How To Prevent Hair Loss Due To Hard Water

Do Calcium Deposits Contribute To Hair Loss

Hard water is essentially calcium carbonate, and when this calcium comes into contact with your hair and scalp, this can lead to calcification, which researchers have shown can cause hair loss.

Calcification can start to restrict blood flow to the hair follicles and cause inflammation in the scalp. These are two things that lead to the destruction of the follicles.

Because of this I recommend using magnesium oil in your own homemade shampoo to counteract the affects of the calcium deposits.

Hair Loss Symptoms: How Much Is Too Much

Losing some strands of hair on a daily basis is quite common. Hair loss occurs when for some reason your hair stops growing, which is also known as anagen effluvium. The question is how much hair fall is normal and when should you start worrying? If you lose more 80-100 strands or 10% of your hair and havent noticed a decrease in hair loss even after 7-8 weeks, its time for you to get some help. In short, if you are always picking up strands of hair from your shirt or the shower drain is always clogged with hair, its a sign that something is wrong. These are evident signs of excessive hair loss and its necessary for you to find out the reasons for hair loss before its too late.

Tips To Counteract Hard Water Hair Issues

prevent you from getting clean. Here are some things that can work:

1. Use an Apple Cider Vinegar Rinse

The acid in a vinegar rinse like apple cider vinegar can remove the layers of magnesium and calcium build-up from previous showers with hard water.

Mix 1 tablespoon of vinegar with 3 cups of water , then apply it as close to the scalp as you can after shampooing. Let it sit for a few minutes then rinse away. This homemade solution is best applied once a week to neutralize the hair damage from hard water, and it can even prevent hair color from fading.

2. Apply Aloe Vera to the Scalp

Aloe vera is typically thought of for skin care, but it can help protect your hair from hard water effects too. Aloe vera juice can be applied directly to the scalp, and if you leave it on for 2-3 hours and rinse away, youll strengthen your hair, while reducing scalp inflammation. Hard water can make hair brittle aloe vera can restore it before you comb it out.

This process can be done a few times a week.

3. Rinse With Bottled Water After Every Shower

Softer, purified water applied throughout your scalp and hair as youre wrapping up your shower can help prevent scaly build-up from the magnesium and calcium in hard water.

Of course, its an extra step that can get expensive quickly, and its ultimately ignoring a bigger problem since hard water is damaging your skin besides, as well as your shower head, pipes and maybe even laundry.

4. Install a Water Softener for a Permanent Hard Water Fix

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Does Hard Water Cause Hair Fall

Hard water contains an excess amount of calcium and magnesium which mix with your hair products to form a salt. The salt that is formed leaves a residue on your scalp and hair, which blocks your scalp from absorbing the moisturizer from the conditioner. As a result, your hair gets dry, tangled and leads to breakage. When hair breakage goes unchecked, it can lead to hair thinning. Some of the ways how hard water affects your hair are:

• Calcium build-up doesnt let scalp absorb moisturizer
• Minerals crystallize on your scalp and make hair brittle
• Minerals in hard water make soap and shampoos ineffective
• Excess minerals block the pores on your scalp
• Makes hair frizzy
• Makes scalp dry leading to dandruff

Considering the negative effects of hard water on your hair, you need to take the right steps to avoid damage to your hair. The following tips below will help you save your hair from the effects of hard water. Read on.

Use A Hard Water Softener To Control Hair Fall

After getting the water quality tested, if you find out that you get hard water, its time to install a water softener to prevent hair fall. The only way to deal with the hard water problem and save your hair from excessive damage is by using soft water. The traditional methods of softening water dont serve your purpose and are time-taking. A water softener automatically converts hard water into soft. The non-electric appliance exchanges excessive minerals such as calcium and magnesium with sodium, thereby making water soft. The compact size makes it easy to install the softener even if you have space constraint. The effective hair fall solution will improve your tresses to a great extent and also prevent breakage.

Quick Tip: Install a bathroom water softener to get a continuous supply of soft water

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Soften The Water Before Washing Or Rinsing Your Hairs With It

• Water softener machines are now easy available and they do not even cost much. So, installing a water softener machine in your home or apartment is surely the easiest solution to avoid hair loss due to hard water.
• If you are not planning to install a water softener, you can opt for a much easier solution, that is, a shower or tap filter. High quality shower and tap filters are available in the market and these filters can reduce the amount of minerals present in the tap water considerably, saving your hairs from the ill effects of hard water.
• Another way of softening the hard water is to add some alum to it. Alum is a chelating agent which reacts with the minerals of the water and stores them in the form of sediment at the bottom of the bucket. Separate a bucket of water from the tap water and add 2 tablespoons of alum in it. Let the water stand for 25 minutes and then either you can sieve the water for separating the white particles, minerals and the remaining alum, or just use the water from the top without stirring the bottom of the bucket.

Using Hair Masks For Moisturization

Using hard water can make your hair frizzy and dry, hence right that you need to use products that will keep your hair hydrated and moisturized. You can use moisturizing masks for that or use nice conditioners that will add moisture to the hair and keep it hydrated. Using yogurt and banana hair masks can be great for your hair.

You can also try adding a few drops of coconut oil to your conditioner. It will help you tame the frizz and restore the moisturization to your hair.

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Options For Treating Hair Loss

Although hard water may cause damage to your hair that reduces its strength and elasticity, its generally not thought of as a common cause of hair loss.

Most hair loss in men occurs due to male pattern baldness, a form of hair loss thats caused by a combination of genetic factors and the hormone dihydrotestosterone, or DHT.

Over the course of years and decades, DHT can shrink and weaken your hair follicles, causing them to no longer produce new hairs. Weve talked about this more in our detailed guide to the relationship between DHT and male hair loss.

Is Hair Loss Due To Hard Water Reversible

The quicker you take action the faster you’ll be able to stop the damage inflicted on your hair by hard water. Converting the hard water to soft water is a good solution. But if that is not possible, a visit to your Ayurvedic doctor can help you reverse the hair damage.

According to Ayurvedic principles, every person has a unique ‘Prakriti’ or body constitution. This is determined by the level of the Tri Doshas or Life Energies in your body that regulate the body functions. When the Tri Doshas, Vata Pitta and Kapha are not in harmony the body falls into a diseased state which includes âKesha Rogasâ or hair problems.

Constant exposure to hard water can elevate your Vata Dosha levels and cause various dryness related problems. A Vata Prakriti individual will easily get affected by hard water conditions. Your Ayurvedic doctor will guide you on the perfect hair care regime that will reverse the hair damage and bring back your hair’s lost health and shine.

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Rinsing Hair With Lemon Water

Just like apple cider vinegar, lemon water is also acidic in nature. Rinsing with lemon juice will help in getting rid of the chemical and mineral build-up from your hair. Add two teaspoons of lemon juice to a mug of water and rinse your hair using this water after you are done shampooing. Let it sit for a few minutes, and then wash it off.

Tip: Remember to dilute the apple cider vinegar and the lemon juice before applying to your hair and scalp.

Hard Water And Hair Loss Important Tips

When water is classified as something hard, this simply means that it contains unwanted minerals like calcium and magnesium carbonates, bicarbonates and sulfates that usually come at high levels.

In case you are not aware, hard water is coined by the experts due to the excessive amount of certain minerals like calcium, magnesium and copper present in the water. When such kinds of minerals are found in your water, its quality is considered to be poor. According to studies, hard water can lead to the onset of hair loss.

There are actually certain ways and procedures that can help you prevent the onset of hair loss due to the constant use of hard water. Take the time follow the basic recommendations below and get benefited along the way:

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Hard Water Can Cause Hair Damage And Breakage But Not Permanent Hair Loss

What hard water does when it reacts with the surfactants in shampoo, is it forms chemicals which stick to the scalp and strands. Scalp calcification is often a side effect of shampooing with hard water, which means your scalp gets coated with calcium carbonate. This prevents the follicles from getting the nutrients they need. Not only that, the minerals in hard water can sit on the scalp and cause eczema, which irritates the scalp and causes flaking. Since this is literally the root from which your hair grows, hair thinning is related to scalp health.

But it doesnt end there. Hard water is bad for hair strands, too. The coating of minerals prevents moisture from entering the cuticles and keeping them nourished. So, hair gets dry and frizzy. Thats not all. A lot of the products you use might also become less effective after reacting with the minerals in this water. Your hair colour also fades or becomes brassy. Hair feels and looks flat and weighed down, too. All in all, hard water is not good for hair, and that needs to be remedies if you want luscious locks.

Why Calcium Buildup In Hair Is Bad

Calcium deposits on the scalp, also known as scalp calcification, happens when too much of this white substance accumulates in between your hair and hardens over time.

While Calcium itself is not harmful to the human body, too much of it can cause your body to react defensively.

For example, if the excess is preventing your skin from working in its natural way, your body will send defensive signals in the form of inflammation.

Think about it.

The pores on the scalp need to breathe and regulate follicular activities.

When excess calcium builds up over time, the pores cannot function.

Over time, this results in slow follicular activity and dry, brittle hair.

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How Does Hard Water Affect Hair

Hard water has many undissolved minerals and salts loaded in it. This mineral build-up tends to have an unpleasant impact on your hair or skin.

The study of the Department of Dermatology, PSG Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Coimbatore, India demonstrated that washing hair using hard water could damage hair. It was found that the hair washed by hard water continuously was thinner. Another report suggests that hard water can decrease hair strength and cause it to break.

Other than that, hard water may increase the chances of your hair being brittle and dull. It can also make your hair frizzier.

Hard Water & Hair Loss: The Basics

• Hard water refers to water with a high mineral content, particularly the minerals calcium and magnesium.

• If you have hard water at home, you may notice spots or a cloudy, film-like texture that can develop on your dishes. You may also notice a thin film of residue when you wash your hands using soap.

• Scientific research on the effects of hard water on hair is mixed. Although some studies have concluded that hard water weakens hair and changes its appearance, others have found that washing your hair in hard water has no effect on strength or elasticity.

• If you have a skin condition that can cause hair loss, such as eczema or psoriasis, hard water may worsen your symptoms.

• You can reduce the effects of hard water on your hair by installing a shower head thats designed to soften your water or using a clarifying shampoo to wash your hair.

• If youre losing significant amounts of hair, hard water may not be to blame. Most mens hair loss is caused by male pattern baldness, which can be treated using medication.

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Tips For Washing Hair In Hard Water

Hard water washes are damaging for your tresses. So if this is your only option it is better to give your hair some extra care. Follow the below tips to prevent hair loss for hard water.

1. Use a shower filter to reduce hair damage. A water softener or RO installation is also a good option to change your hard water to soft water.

2. Use a clarifying shampoo or a lemon, amla/ vinegar rinse to prevent minerals from building up on your scalp and clogging your hair follicles.

3. Give your hair extra hydration. Hard water tends to dry up and roughen the cuticle layer of your hair. Moisturize or deep condition your hair after a shower.

4. Oil massages are an excellent way to revive hair that has lost its shine and strength.

5. Keep the water temperature to a minimum. High temperatures make your hair lose its moisture easily. Moreover, it opens up the cuticle layer and allows further mineral deposition on your hair strands.

âWater, from various sources, like well, pond, river and their properties are described in length in ayurvedic texts. Broadly, they are classified as Shuddha jala, and Dushta jala. The modern day pollution in water is appalling. Our efforts should also be directed towards minimizing our own individual contribution to this pollution,â says Dr. Zeel Gandhi, Chief Ayurvedic Doctor at Vedix.

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