I vacationed in an area w/soft water & I didn't like it! Is your town on the list?

[HoneyDew]

Ok, I was in San Francisco and in the Sonoma/Napa area. I could tell a HUGE difference in the water there. My skin and hair were softer after washing. That I loved.

BUT, I had the hardest time washing off oils and silicones!!! Even off my hands. I put some Kemi Oyl on my hair and tried to wash my hands and it took several washes to get it off.

I am a strong cone user and, even with my Kenra Clarifying in hand, my hair did not get as clean as it does at home. My hair felt really sticky using my normal regimen.

It made me think 2nd about buying a water softener and just sticking with my chelating shampoo. At home, if I go more than 2 shampoos without a chelating shampoo, my hair gets brassy and dull looking and starts to break and feel hard.

Maryland, on the hard water map, shows that we don’t really have hard water, but I think we do have some calcium deposits to deal with because after moving to my house in 1998, I developed some major hair and skin problems and it has taken me years to find hair and skin care products that help me deal with it all.

So, I just wanted to share my experience. Either I get a water softener and change my regimen (less oils and cones) or just stick with what I know is working now.

But, I saw quite a few black women in San Francisco with pretty and healthy hair. It is something to think about.

Oh, I found this online: (http://www.health.com/health/article/0,23414,1051104,00.html)

Dull Hair? Maybe It's Your Bath Water

Find out if your hometown is wreaking havoc on your hair.

You’ve invested in a series of expensive hair-care products, all of them guaranteed to impart smoothness, moisture, and shine. If your brittle locks don’t seem to be listening, however, consider that your water source may be to blame. Mineral-rich hard water will fight against even your best efforts. But that doesn’t mean a lifetime of bad hair days. For tips on testing for and dealing with hard water, as well as other tips for restoring life to your tresses, go to “Hair 911,” page 130, in the April 2005 issue.
Top 10 Cities With Hard Water
1. Santa Ana, CA
2. Cincinatti, OH
3. Jacksonville, FL
4. Mesa, AZ
5. Indianapolis, IN
6. Phoenix, AZ
7. Scottsdale, AZ
8. Las Vegas, NV
9. Salt Lake City, UT
10. Oklahoma City, OK

Top 10 Cities With Soft Water
1. Detroit, MI
2. Portland, OR
3. San Francisco, CA
4. Boston, MA
5. Montgomery, AL
6. Atlanta, GA
7. Seattle, WA
8. New York, NY
9. Sacramento, CA
10. Raleigh, NC
(Source: Malibu Wellness, Inc. Taken from a study conducted by public distributed quality water reports of 100 populations in the U.S.)

 

[determined_to_grow]

Re: I vacationed in an area w/soft water & I didn't like it! Is your town on the list

NY made the list? Whoa who would have thought!

 

[HoneyDew]

I went to Malibu Wellness to try to find the study. I am still looking, but I did find this. I think it may be my problem.

It is may not be the quality of the water in Maryland, but the buildup on my pipes. That may explain my my problems started after I bought my place. Maybe my pipes have mineral buildup and it is getting in the water.

(http://malibu.locateadoc.com/content/CN_Wellness_News_Detail.aspx?ID=58)
Homes with lead and copper pipes may be causing a build-up of these mineral resulting in discoloration of your hair, lack of shine and volume, dry-feeling hair and the inability for chemical services to process properly. According to Prevention Magazine, "while nearly all municipal water mains are now concrete, the pipes in some older homes are made from lead. So lead in water is still a problem." Additionally, many new homes are built with copper piping.

Concrete is made of calcium and your water can pick up dissolved solids of calcium that can deposit on to your hair, like a magnet causing dry-feeling hair, hair lacking shine and volume, dandruff-like flaking, the inability for chemical services (color, highlights, perms, straighteners and relaxers) to properly process and in worse case scenarios, hair loss.
Copper pipes that carry chlorinated water can cause oxidized copper to deposit on to your hair, like a magnet, and can tint blonde hair green and brunettes darker, as well as, cause the inability for chemical services to properly process.
Lead pipes that carry chlorinated water can cause oxidized lead to deposit on to your hair, like a magnet, and can tint your hair darker, as well as, cause the inability for chemical services to properly process.
The EPA had cited the cities of Beverly Hills and Santa Monica, California for contamination of copper and lead caused by the corrosion of the pipes in homes. If you live in a metropolitan area, log on to the EPA's web site at http://www.epa.gov/safewater to access your city's water quality report.

The good news is, the build-up caused by these minerals can be effectively removed in the salon with a fresh-dried vitamin normalizing treatment with EC Mode's Ultra Crystal Gel Normalizer followed by EC Mode's Emergent-C ReVITAlizer. Then weekly, use the appropriate ReVITAlizer (click on At-Home Treatments in the Hair Care Catalog) to prevent further build-up of the minerals in your water from attaching on to your hair. Schedule your Normalize and ReVITAlize service in the salon today to guarantee your chemical service results and restore the health and wellness of your hair!

 

[nomoweavesfome]

new york, new york? as in NYC??? can't be. mm- mm - I ain't buyin!

great tip tho and you are right. Happens to me as well everytime I go to daddy's house.

 

[ajargon02]

Soft water doesn't have all the chemicals that the hard water does. It's better for your body inside and out. I love my filtration system! I cant' even drink teh water where I live, b/c they had a mold issue, and the water smells bad,and crap floats in it. Since I got the filter, the water tastes normal, my hair is so much softer, and my skin doesn't get so flippin dry. To each her own....

 

[Sharpened]

Soft water doesn't have all the chemicals that the hard water does. It's better for your body inside and out. I love my filtration system! I cant' even drink teh water where I live, b/c they had a mold issue, and the water smells bad,and crap floats in it. Since I got the filter, the water tastes normal, my hair is so much softer, and my skin doesn't get so flippin dry. To each her own....

I have noticed the amount of rust in the water has jumped over the last 6 years...water works denies it though. Which system do you have?

 

[winterinatl]

Re: I vacationed in an area w/soft water & I didn't like it! Is your town on the list

My parents have a water softener in their home in Anchorage, Alaska. I hate that thing. I thought it would be great for my hair and skin, but YOU CAN'T RINSE OFF! Not to mention they have a water saving shower head that has this fine mist spray so it takes an hour to wash my hair there.

It's good to see Atlanta has soft water.

Oh! Basically the water softener companies add sodium to the water to make it softer.

 

[p31woman]

YAY ATLANTA!!!

 

[Ebonygurl00]

I had NO idea SF made the list!! Maybe that's why my hair hates cones, because when I wash my hair at my friends house in SF, my hair is so dry. Thanks for the article!!

OT: How did you like SF?

 

[Cichelle]

Re: I vacationed in an area w/soft water & I didn't like it! Is your town on the list

Thanks for that info on mineral buildup and pipes, HoneyDew.

I've known for a while now that the water where I live is considered "soft". But I could not understand the mineral buildup we have. Now I see that the pipes could have something to do with it. Just a few years back, this building switched most of the pipes to copper. And I KNOW the water is chlorinated.

 

[MzPrince]

That is true about Jacksonville. I hate the hard water here.

 

[HoneyDew]

Re: I vacationed in an area w/soft water & I didn't like it! Is your town on the list

Thanks for that info on mineral buildup and pipes, HoneyDew.

I've known for a while now that the water where I live is considered "soft". But I could not understand the mineral buildup we have. Now I see that the pipes could have something to do with it. Just a few years back, this building switched most of the pipes to copper. And I KNOW the water is chlorinated.

I knew it had to be the pipes or something for me, because my area is listed as having softer water. When I lived at home, I never had the skin and hair problems I've had since I moved to my own home.

I spoke with a Culligan guy and he was talking about water quality. He said that softer water needs less shampoo and soaps but it would take longer to rinse them out.

I bet that is why I had the sticky hair in San Fran. I piled on the same amount of shampoo and conditioner and I could not seem to rinse it clean.

My hair felt weighed down. If I get a softener installed, I would really have to get used to soft water and maybe slack off the cones.

 

[Ebonygurl00]

Re: I vacationed in an area w/soft water & I didn't like it! Is your town on the list

I knew it had to be the pipes or something for me, because my area is listed as having softer water. When I lived at home, I never had the skin and hair problems I've had since I moved to my own home.

I spoke with a Culligan guy and he was talking about water quality. He said that softer water needs less shampoo and soaps but it would take longer to rinse them out.

I bet that is why I had the sticky hair in San Fran. I piled on the same amount of shampoo and conditioner and I could not seem to rinse it clean.

My hair felt weighed down. If I get a softener installed, I would really have to get used to soft water and maybe slack off the cones.

That's what happens to me in SF. I always have to use less shampoo and conditioner.

 

[punchinella]

new york, new york? as in NYC??? can't be. mm- mm - I ain't buyin!

great tip tho and you are right. Happens to me as well everytime I go to daddy's house.

I believe this because when I lived in NY my hair was "better" (for a lack of a words) than anywhere else I've lived.

 

[oyveh]

Water softener systems are for appliances. Hard water will corrode dish washers, washing machine, etc. They use salt to condition the water. I lived in Highland Park, Il for 6 years. The first year my skin broke out horribly. Dermatologists couldn’t treat or diagnose me. When we went to South Carolina to visit my husband’s sister I noticed that we both looked better. I switched my face wash to Vichy and never had the problem again. It affected my hair by making it dry. I deep conditioned after every wash and was able to get my hair to thrive. We did not have to have a water treatment system in our house. The city water was not extreme, it was hard but not corrosive.

We then moved to Southern Maryland. My bra strap length hair melted in the water and it traumatized me. I think it was because my hair routine was based on hard water for six years. When my hair heavily moisturized hair came into contact with soft water my hair reacted as having hygral fatigue. Hygral fatigue is when your hair is over moisturized. I thought it was Covid. I saw multiple doctors, and a trichologist. What also happened was I couldn’t get my hair clean. It was sticky and greasy after washing. I started to use light proteins and eliminated cones. It took two years for me to solve this. I tested our water and it is a 0 on the ph scale. The scale is 0 to 14. 7 is neutral, 0 is extremely soft. Now I use shamp with laurel sulfate and no cones. Olaplex full treatment and aphogee 2 step protein has helped. I use a rice water light protein with every wash.

i use a vibrating facial scrub to prevent acne.

 

[lindseyerinc]

I’m having the opposite experience. I lived in Las Vegas my whole life and I relocated to Mobile, Al with my fiancé for a short while. My hair is thriving! The humidity and soft water have let my hair grow 1/2-3/4 of an inch in the last month and a half. I won’t know for sure until I relax again (I’m 8 weeks post) We will be moving back to Vegas this summer and I’m already planning on getting water filters and heavily featuring steam treatments in my routine going forward.

Turns out I had a great routine, just the hard water and horribly dry air wouldn’t let me retain an ounce of moisture.