Severe hard water damage! Are there gentler alternatives to chelating shampoos?

[ellebelle88]

I have extremely hard water here in Indiana. There's even a brown hard water ring that forms around the toilet after a week, even if I don't use it! I think its what has caused my horrible back acne and the extreme loss of hair I get in the shower whenever I wash it. I tried doing Naptural85's test of putting some dishwashing liquid into the tap water, but mine never turned cloudy to indicate hard water. Yet all of the hard water maps of the US, say that Indiana has some of the hardest water. I guess I'm gonna have to get my hands on some of those hard water test strips.

 

[ILuvCurls]

I have extremely hard water here in Indiana. There's even a brown hard water ring that forms around the toilet after a week, even if I don't use it! I think its what has caused my horrible back acne and the extreme loss of hair I get in the shower whenever I wash it. I tried doing Naptural85's test of putting some dishwashing liquid into the tap water, but mine never turned cloudy to indicate hard water. Yet all of the hard water maps of the US, say that Indiana has some of the hardest water. I guess I'm gonna have to get my hands on some of those hard water test strips.

Thank you for your comment ellebelle88 I had never made the connection between acne and hard water until I read your post. I then did a google search for "acne and hard water" and discovered there are many articles written on this subject. So that probably explains why I've been experiencing acne breakouts and clogged pores in addition to the hair damage. From now on, only filtered water for my hair & face!

 

[Allandra]

I absolutely love Quantum shampoo. It doesn't dry my hair out at all. I can even comb my hair very easily after using the shampoo (yes, before applying conditioner). I don't have hard water, but I still like to keep my hair and scalp nice and clean (keeps my hair and scalp looking good, makes my products work well and I absolutely love getting EVERYTHING off of my hair and scalp on a regular basis - once or twice a month for me).

I just shampoo with Quantum twice and apply a mixture of moisturizing conditioner with my Aubrey Organics GPB, put on a plastic cap, and sit under my Pibbs for 30 minutes, let my hair cool and rinse with cool water and voila.

I remember when my cousin used Quantum shampoo for the very first time. She was amazed at how good and clean her hair became and even how much better her curls popped. I love seeing people use it for the very first time (to see how amazed they are at how good their hair and scalp actually feels once REALLY cleaned).

In my opinion, it's a must have.

 

[Allandra]

ILuvCurls

Do you do all of this this each time you wash your hair or just because you used a chelating shampoo?

Here is update #1: (Sorry, it's long). I only found 2 options for chelating shampoos where I live. 1) Ion Hard Water Shampoo. 2) Quantum Clarifying/Chelating Shampoo. I decided to go with the Quantum.

My procedure:
1) Oiled hair generously with coconut oil the day before chelating, and bunned overnight (since I expected a chelating shampoo would be very drying).

2) The next day, rinsed with reverse osmosis filtered water, applied Quantum chelating shampoo only once, massaged in for about 2 minutes, rinsed.

3) Deep conditioned with Phytojojoba mask; wrapped hair in saran wrap & plastic cap; used bonnet dryer on medium heat (I never use high heat) for 1 hour. Normally I only do 30 minutes. I let the DC remain in my hair for 3 more hours without heat. An unusually long DC treatment for me!

4) Rinsed with filtered water & applied a protein leave-in conditioner for balance (since my DC was a moisture treatment). On top of that I liberally applied a leave-in with lots of slip for easier detangling, since my hair still felt dry after chelating. After detangling I applied CHI Silk Infusion, Nexxus Heat Protexx, and coconut oil.

5) Air dried in a loose ponytail, then bunned.

6) Applied more coconut oil to my ends and flat ironed at 140 degrees Fahrenheit with only 1 pass (for smoothing and sealing, not straightening). Note: Normally I only do this on haircut days since I'm afraid of all direct heat but I've recently made a discovery: I'm surprised to find that by doing this I have less breakage than when I air dry only, since it keeps my hair smoother & tangle-free until the next wash day. But I will research this further before incorporating any direct heat into my regular routine.

My initial observations after 1st chelating treatment:
1) My hair is a bit dry, but softer & shinier with more body (probably due to #2 below). The ends don't feel as rough as before.

2) My DC treatment seems to have worked better.

3) Surprisingly the chelating shampoo didn't seem to dry out my hair more than clarifying poos or some of the harsh sulfate poos that claimed to be "moisturizing".

4) After a few applications I think the Quantum chelating poo should be able to effectively remove several years of hard water mineral buildup. Plus it's what I had available here. But since it is so stripping on my fragile hair (it has sulfates and sodium chloride) I will explore the milder options suggested in this thread, for future use.

5) It is too early to determine how much the thinning & breakage issues will improve, but I'm hopeful.

Below is a photo after my 1st chelating treatment. It looks dry but definitely feels softer, has more body and is shinier than before treatment.
Thanks again ladies, for your tips and advice!!!

 

[ILuvCurls]

@ILuvCurls

Do you do all of this this each time you wash your hair or just because you used a chelating shampoo?

Hello @Allandra This is not my regular routine at all. I only did this as an "emergency" procedure (as part of the chelating process) to treat hard water damage. I believe the mineral buildup is the most likely culprit of thinning and breaking ends on my natural hair, and I'm trying to save my hair before I have to chop another 2 inches off the ends on my next trim.

I plan to do the chelating a few more times (every 3 or 4 days) until my hair feels better and I see less breakage (hopefully).

 

[trynagrow]

I have superfine 4c strands that break when you look at it. the water here is also hard.

First get a screw on filter (Sprite brand filters 20 bucks at home depot or Lowe's ) for your shower and exclusively wash your hair there. You will notice a diff instantly in skin and hair.

Second I use Aubrey organics swimmers shampoo to chelate and clarify in one swoop, twice a month and follow with an hour long dc.

Hope you find a solution that works for you

Those using AO swimmer's shampoo . . . do you follow it up with their swimmer's conditioner? Or just any DC?

 

[DarkJoy]

Those using AO swimmer's shampoo . . . do you follow it up with their swimmer's conditioner? Or just any DC?

Actually I follow it up with a reconstructor til my hair feels strong. Just a few mins then a moisture DC for up to an hour.

 

[tjrj1998]

I absolutely love Quantum shampoo. It doesn't dry my hair out at all. I can even comb my hair very easily after using the shampoo (yes, before applying conditioner). I don't have hard water, but I still like to keep my hair and scalp nice and clean (keeps my hair and scalp looking good, makes my products work well and I absolutely love getting EVERYTHING off of my hair and scalp on a regular basis - once or twice a month for me).

I just shampoo with Quantum twice and apply a mixture of moisturizing conditioner with my Aubrey Organics GPB, put on a plastic cap, and sit under my Pibbs for 30 minutes, let my hair cool and rinse with cool water and voila.

I remember when my cousin used Quantum shampoo for the very first time. She was amazed at how good and clean her hair became and even how much better her curls popped. I love seeing people use it for the very first time (to see how amazed they are at how good their hair and scalp actually feels once REALLY cleaned).

In my opinion, it's a must have.

I started using this shampoo back in 2009 or so and I have never looked back. It is one of the few shampoos that doesnt make me itch like a dope fiend.

 

[McQuay30]

I used this shampoo on my and dd hair,it made her hair slick like and her hair sucked up the conditioner afterwards, for my hair clean, a little squeaky but appears so allow my conditioner afterward to work better, will be added to both regimen abt once a month or more as needed such as to remove chlorine or saltwater.

Sent from my iPad using LHCF

 

[Nazaneen]

I seriously cannot wait to try the Quantum shampoo.

 

[lookingforkeona]

Thank you Chicoro. Oh I see, so the C is for neutralizing the action of chlorine. I don't have an issue with chlorine as far as I know. I don't swim .

Your siggy, though....

 

[ILuvCurls]

OK ladies, here is a 2 month update on the hard water issue:

After chelating 4 times to remove hard mineral buildup; for the past 2 months I have been using ONLY the reverse osmosis filtered water from our kitchen sink to wash my hair. (I fill up my camping shower with it and use it in the shower for my hair & face).

Results:

1) Hair is noticeably softer, and less brittle.

2) I no longer see as many ends breaking off into the bathroom sink when combing my hair. I still see a few occasionally, but nothing like before; it was getting pretty bad and interfering with length retention. (I have a lot of hair, but still had to chop off my thinning ends every 2 to 4 months).

3) Less dryness; well, my hair is still rather dry in its natural state, there doesn't seem to be much I can do about that. But after eliminating the hard water, it is not as frizzy and flyaway as before. I find I can control it better.

Conclusion: I believe the hard water was the main culprit causing excessive dryness, brittleness and breakage. I've been encouraged by my hair's new healthier condition, which has prompted me to make other changes to my regimen;

1) I oil my hair regularly now (especially the ends), with pure oils vs. the silicone-laden products I used before.
2) I've switched to seamless combs, thanks to suggestions on LHCF!

I hope to see healthier, thicker & longer hair from now on.

 

[curlicarib]

Which shampoo did you use?

 

[Priss Pot]

Redken Cleansing Cream works great for me! It's not incredibly moisturizing, but it doesn't leave me with the super squeaky feeling like the harsher shampoos.

 

[ILuvCurls]

I used the Quantum chelating shampoo, since it was the only one I could find here in town.

 

[ILuvCurls]

Priss Pot; I love your super thick, curly hair in your photo!

 

[Nazaneen]

I'm finding that the Quantam tangles my hair .

 

[curlicarib]

I'm finding that the Quantam tangles my hair .

It does mine too, but I've learned to just leave it be and add my detangling conditioner. I let that sit for a minute or two then detangling is a breeze. But.............**disclaimer** My hair detangles very easily. I can usually do my entire head in about 3 - 4 minutes. If so long. And I usually use a protein conditioner between shampoo and detangler (Paul Mitchell The Detangler knock off from Sally's).

 

[Nazaneen]

It does mine too, but I've learned to just leave it be and add my detangling conditioner. I let that sit for a minute or two then detangling is a breeze. But.............**disclaimer** My hair detangles very easily. I can usually do my entire head in about 3 - 4 minutes. If so long. And I usually use a protein conditioner between shampoo and detangler (Paul Mitchell The Detangler knock off from Sally's).

I use cheapie vo5 con to detangle between lathers. Its effective