Jeez... college is not conducive to growth retention...

[CarLiTa]

For me at least.

It's only been a few months since being back (second year) and my ends are CHEWED up
I have been trying to get over the "BSL - below BSL" hump for quite some time now. I'd say nearly a year, and it is just DIFFICULT.

I come back, I'm using good products, moisturizing when necessary, and it's not just not working. Growth IS coming in, but the ends are just not cooperating.

I trimmed about 1" myself the other day, and I think I still have 0.5" of ROUGH ends to trim.

I am positive it is the water here, because I don't wear my hair out much at all, and I moisturize, but it just seems pointless. Another friend of mine, her ends got all chewed up suddenly as well, and she had to trim a couple of inches as well.

A few other black girls on campus have also mentioned the water not being too good on their hair.

I'm not sure what to do at this point. Maybe not wash as often? Or use some product to counteract the effects of the water?

Going to the salon for a weekly wash is out of the question. I'm in Boston, and black salons charge WAY too much. You go to one of those hair stylists and they ask you what school you go to, and when you tell them they're like "yeah, most of our clients are from Wellesley, Harvard, Tufts, blah blah"... as in assuming that just because we are at these colleges, we MUST have masses of money to be spending weekly for our hair, which is why they charge their ridiculous prices. It pisses me off.

Anyway, is anyone in the same boat?
Are there any techniques I can use to counteract the effects of the hard water on my ends?
Thanks for all your help

 

[bravenewgirl87]

Ay Yi. But, coconut oil is changing that for me.

 

[gymfreak336]

For me at least.

It's only been a few months since being back (second year) and my ends are CHEWED up
I have been trying to get over the "BSL - below BSL" hump for quite some time now. I'd say nearly a year, and it is just DIFFICULT.

I come back, I'm using good products, moisturizing when necessary, and it's not just not working. Growth IS coming in, but the ends are just not cooperating.

I trimmed about 1" myself the other day, and I think I still have 0.5" of ROUGH ends to trim.

I am positive it is the water here, because I don't wear my hair out much at all, and I moisturize, but it just seems pointless. Another friend of mine, her ends got all chewed up suddenly as well, and she had to trim a couple of inches as well.

A few other black girls on campus have also mentioned the water not being too good on their hair.

I'm not sure what to do at this point. Maybe not wash as often? Or use some product to counteract the effects of the water?

Going to the salon for a weekly wash is out of the question. I'm in Boston, and black salons charge WAY too much. You go to one of those hair stylists and they ask you what school you go to, and when you tell them they're like "yeah, most of our clients are from Wellesley, Harvard, Tufts, blah blah"... as in assuming that just because we are at these colleges, we MUST have masses of money to be spending weekly for our hair, which is why they charge their ridiculous prices. It pisses me off.

Anyway, is anyone in the same boat?
Are there any techniques I can use to counteract the effects of the hard water on my ends?
Thanks for all your help

Try a chelating shampoo to help with the hard water. ORS aloe shampoo is one. To help with your ends try sealing them with castor oil and coat them with conditioner before washing for another 5 minutes.

 

[CarLiTa]

How so?

I also have coconut oil... Dabur Vatika. But it just turns solid in my room, so I haven't been using it. I'll be in a rush to moisturize my hair and realize that it's solid, so i'd have to walk to the community bathroom to warm it up, so I just don't do it.

Maybe i could put it under my heater, come to think of it...

 

[CarLiTa]

Try a chelating shampoo to help with the hard water. ORS aloe shampoo is one. To help with your ends try sealing them with castor oil and coat them with conditioner before washing for another 5 minutes.

Thanks for your response
I have a concern though... after I use that chelating shampoo, I would be rinsing with the hardwater all over again though. Wouldn't that make it counter-productive?
Or will the benefits of the chelating shampoo stop whatever the hard water is doing?

 

[almondjoi85]

I have hard water at home, I actually tested it! Try deep conditioning every time you wash with no exceptions. I second the coconut oil, it works wonders. Also JoJoba oil is good too, but the coconut oil is my favorite.

 

[gymfreak336]

Thanks for your response
I have a concern though... after I use that chelating shampoo, I would be rinsing with the hardwater all over again though. Wouldn't that make it counter-productive?
Or will the benefits of the chelating shampoo stop whatever the hard water is doing?

It will help. The chelating poo with help remove mineral deposits. You can also look into getting a shower filter, which would really really help. They aren't too expensive either. Check out a home depot or lowes Search online too, you should be able to find something for less than 40 bucks

 

[CarLiTa]

Thanks again
I will definitely try the chelating shampoo and coconut oil, even jojoba.

As for the shower filter, it's a little hard. We have some unconvential shower heads here, lol. I'm thinking since I wash my hair weekly, it wouldn't be a bad idea to do the final rinse with drinking water.

Not necessarily bottled, but let's say... water from the water fountain. That has got to be less hard than the shower water, no?

 

[Missi]

this is my second yr in college too and boy do i hate the water: i actually had to drink some cause i had no more bottled water to take w/ my medicine: and i threw up

anyways: since the some odd months i've been here: during my DC: i applied coconut oil over my head for the first time today: and when I washed my hair out in the shower: my hair felt soft and smooth and not clumpy: hard: and locky from our nasty leaded water:


GYMFREAK: are the shower fitlers removeable: cuz I don't wanna get in trouble for screwing on a shower filter?

 

[caramelcutieinva]

I had the same problem in college.

I used distilled water for my hair.

 

[LynnieB]

similar problem on another board. i found some links that someone may find useful here.

http://chagrinvalleysoapandcraft.com/hardwater.htm
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/164606/the_best_hair_product_for_people_who.html
http://usa.lush.com/cgi-bin/lushdb/2479?expand=Haircare
http://www.ouidad.com/news_and_events/curl_talk_news/may2005.asp

 

[Leslie_C]

If you dont mind taking the time and dont want to spend money on filtered water...how about boiling water and letting it cool, then pouring it into jugs and using that to wash and rinse your hair? I work in pediatric home health and most of the parents dont have a lot of money so that is what we do to the water and use it for flushing the kids feeding tubes, and for the babies to mix with their formula. I have hard water too and Im thinking of trying this as an experiment to see if it helps my hair before investing in a shower filter.

 

[Nonie]

I had the same problem in college.

I used distilled water for my hair.

I was going to suggest distilled water too. I used to be able to get a gallon for $0.50 at Safeway so it's not going to be expensive. Also, doing an ACV rinse as a final rinse would help neutralize (soften) the hard water.

 

[czyfaith77]

I imagine this may be the culprit for the split ends taht everyone is talking about. Where I live, we generally ae not listed as having hard water but it is obvious that the water is treated with chlorine.

 

[CarLiTa]

I really think I am going to have to take some drastic measures from now on:

more deep conditioning, the chelating shampoo, rinsing with ACV or distilled water, and just keeping the ends super moisturized, because I am frustrated beyond words. My hair has been around the same length for the past year. It grows of course, but I am CONSTANTLY trimming
I feel like if this continues, I may never really be able to reach my hair goal, and all I need is 8 months of growth to get there, yet this water is stopping me

 

[misscrystal]

I love the title of this thread. I've been thinking the exact same thing going on 4 years.

I think all of Texas has hard water, so being from Houston and going to school near Dallas, my hair never catches a break.

I definitely agree with using a chelating shampoo. They can be kind of stripping, so I don't lather more than once and then follow with a moisturizing shampoo.

Also, you can try rinsing with distilled water. It's super cheap and a lot softer than what's coming out of your tap.

 

[Glitter]

How so?

I also have coconut oil... Dabur Vatika. But it just turns solid in my room, so I haven't been using it. I'll be in a rush to moisturize my hair and realize that it's solid, so i'd have to walk to the community bathroom to warm it up, so I just don't do it.

Maybe i could put it under my heater, come to think of it...

The heater idea would work. Also, can you store your hair things in the bathroom? The warmth from all of those showers will keep it liquid. Maybe a heating pad or hot water bottle once a week as well.