Tell us about your water softener/hair experiences!

[mg1979]

I'be been reading through old threads and I’m thinking about trying to convince the hubby that we should invest in a water softener. I’m wondering if it’s worth it, what are all the benefits, and what’s the cost to install as well as maintenance. I'm hoping it'll lower hair care expenses. So for those of you that have water softeners, please answer the following?

1. What brand of water softener do you have? Where did you purchase it?
2. Who installed it (What company, was it professionally installed or by a friend or s.o.)?
3. Cost of product plus installation?
4. Cost to maintain?
5. Benefits or changes to hair (healthier, more moisturized, increased growth, use less shampoo/conditioner/other products, etc.)?
6. Other benefits or changes (skin no longer dry, use less body wash, use less lotion, brighter clothes, no spotting on dishes, use less detergent, etc.)?
7. Is it worth the cost? If it broke, would you buy another one?
8. Any downsides/cons to a water softener?
​

 

[southerncitygirl]

i don't have a water softener, but water filtration systems for my kitchen, shower and even one for when i take baths. i have seen my skin be less dry and itchy and its better for my hair cause it needs less shampoo to lather.....i find that a little shampoo and conditioner go a long way. you could put these in by yourself. i live in an apartment. my kitchen and shower filters are from www.multipureco.com an the bathtub filter is from www.gaiam.com why don't you do a reverse osmosis system? i think multipure has house systems not sure though.

 

[mg1979]

i don't have a water softener, but water filtration systems for my kitchen, shower and even one for when i take baths. i have seen my skin be less dry and itchy and its better for my hair cause it needs less shampoo to lather.....i find that a little shampoo and conditioner go a long way. you could put these in by yourself. i live in an apartment. my kitchen and shower filters are from www.multipureco.com an the bathtub filter is from www.gaiam.com why don't you do a reverse osmosis system? i think multipure has house systems not sure though.

Thanks for the info. I have a shower filter and a reverse osmosis filter for our drinking water, but it's my understanding that softeners & filters don't do the same thing. The water is extremely hard here & I really can't tell that the shower filter alone makes a difference in my hair.


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[Tybi]

Hey! We used to have a water softener at my parents home. We had well water so the softener was already installed when they purchased the home.

Not sure of the installation costs or which brand it was, but the salt that we had to buy cost us about $7/bag at wal mart, and we used about 4 bags a month on average.

My hair was so much softer, and easier to detangle. I also experienced much less breakage. Product lathered better, including dish and laundry detergent. And our skin was less dry. It also helps your appliances to maintain a longer life span.When the softener went out on us once the difference in water quality was amazing.

We live in Florida and the water down here is terrible. My new home does not have a softener, but i do use the Sprite shower head filter in my main bathroom. My skin feels like silk!

Also, since I don't own this home that I am now in I wont be purchasing one, but when I do buy I think I will have one installed along with a whole house filtration system. The only cons that I found was filling it up with salt every month so I will be buying a salt free model.

 

[Supergirl]

I'd love to know more about this too.

 

[mg1979]

Bumping...anyone else had a water softener?

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[simplyhair]

I have one...give me a minute to come back after getting the children settled w/homeschool and I'll respond.

 

[simplyhair]

I'm soooo sorry for taking all day to get back to this thread.

1. What brand of water softener do you have? Where did you purchase it?
Morton (same as table salt) | Menards (a Midwest "Home Depot")
http://www.systemsaver.com/morton-website/index.html

2. Who installed it (What company, was it professionally installed or by a friend or s.o.)?
Yes, professionally installed | Roto Rooter

3. Cost of product plus installation?
$344 but this may be a little higher than expected because we needed a little bit special stuff done for our setupOn sale w/tax $496

Our neighbor's father installed theirs though.

4. Cost to maintain?

You only need those big bags of salt and buy as many bags needed for the size softener that you buy. We need 2 bags for ours because we have 6 people in our household.

You can buy these bags at Walmart for $5-$6ish (or local hardware store). Plus, they ALWAYS have $1.00 coupons in the Sunday paper for the Morton salt pellets. And no, we are not going thru the bags super fast either. My DH picks up the bags every couple of months. It's not every month.

5. Benefits or changes to hair (healthier, more moisturized, increased growth, use less shampoo/conditioner/other products, etc.)?

Trick question....bites lip...I can't say honestly. I still struggled with my hair after it was installed. It was just dry, dry dry. My relaxed hair just wasn't what it used to be before I moved to this hard water area.

A salon I was going to had one installed because the water was so hard in our area.

6. Other benefits or changes (skin no longer dry, use less body wash, use less lotion, brighter clothes, no spotting on dishes, use less detergent, etc.)?

Yes, no more rust stains on shower head, toilet and refrigerator's water dispenser. You don't need as much soap/dishwashing liquid/detergent. Yes, no more spots on dishes...can't speak on a dishwasher cuz we do it by hand. Can't speak on less lotion cuz we get the Hawk here in Chicago...so we stay dry and lotioned up.

Oh, almost forgot, when you wash your hands or body with soap, you will get a slippery feel...almost oily that doesn't seem like it wants to come off. I forgot what that is called. Again, it has to do with the exchange of "something and something". If you call Morton customer service and ask for Lonnie (hopefully he is still there), he was a wealth of knowledge. Very helpful and in no hurry with my million questions Lonnie said the slippery feel is what you want and should expect. I think it's the oil from the soap itself. erplexed All I know is that we have not had any bad reaction from it.

7. Is it worth the cost? If it broke, would you buy another one?

Yes, just for the hard water stains alone that was everywhere in the house. You know, you like your house to be clean and these stains would be the hardest thing to get rid of especially on stainless steel.

Even though I could not see the benefit with my relaxed hair, I know without a shadow of a doubt if those hard water stains would build up on the shower head, toilet and stainless steel...just think of that building up on your hair.... So, all the money that I spend on hair care products to moisturize and protect my hair is all in vain because they cannot penetrate my strands due to the mineral build up. I think by the time I realized it was the hard water, I must have had so much build up that it was downhill.

So, to defeat the mineral water build up without a softener, a person would have to find some type of home concoction/recipe to remove it, buy those Malibu hard water packets from Trade Secrets/online or expensive Malibu salon treatments that literally strips your hair. Not sure if the swimmer's poo will do it. I think that only removes chlorine.

Yes, we would buy another one. I wouldn't want to pay for another plumber but you have to know what you are doing with softeners and plumbing.8. Any downsides/cons to a water softener?

YES, YES, YES, my beloved QP Creme Conditioning Shampoo no longer worked with the salt. I called and spoke with the chemist at Strength of Nature (new owner of QP). I complained that something wasn't right. He explained that there is an exchange of this and that (I am not chemistry major ) and counteracts/messes up the properties of the poo. Therefore, I no longer received the slip and moisturizing benefits of the poo. Totally hurt!!

Something else to consider, some people do not want the softener routed to their kitchen sinks because of the salt (high blood pressure...I guess) even though it's minimal salt. And you definitely do not want the softener routed to your outside spigots (washing car, sprinkler in the summer, etc)...that's just a waste and drain on your salt.

I hope this helps some. Sorry it's so long.

 

[simplyhair]

Thanks for the info. I have a shower filter and a reverse osmosis filter for our drinking water, but it's my understanding that softeners & filters don't do the same thing. The water is extremely hard here & I really can't tell that the shower filter alone makes a difference in my hair.


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I'm just now reading this. Yes, you are right. The softener and filter system do not do the same thing. The filter does not get rid as many minerals...if any at all except the chlorine. .

 

[simplyhair]

Check out this link:

http://malibuc.com/content/Cn_Hair_Solutions_Hard_Water.aspx

 

[mg1979]

6. Other benefits or changes (skin no longer dry, use less body wash, use less lotion, brighter clothes, no spotting on dishes, use less detergent, etc.)?

Yes, no more rust stains on shower head, toilet and refrigerator's water dispenser. You don't need as much soap/dishwashing liquid/detergent. Yes, no more spots on dishes...can't speak on a dishwasher cuz we do it by hand. Can't speak on less lotion cuz we get the Hawk here in Chicago...so we stay dry and lotioned up.

Oh, almost forgot, when you wash your hands or body with soap, you will get a slippery feel...almost oily that doesn't seem like it wants to come off. I forgot what that is called. Again, it has to do with the exchange of "something and something". If you call Morton customer service and ask for Lonnie (hopefully he is still there), he was a wealth of knowledge. Very helpful and in no hurry with my million questions Lonnie said the slippery feel is what you want and should expect. I think it's the oil from the soap itself. erplexed All I know is that we have not had any bad reaction from it.

7. Is it worth the cost? If it broke, would you buy another one?

Yes, just for the hard water stains alone that was everywhere in the house. You know, you like your house to be clean and these stains would be the hardest thing to get rid of especially on stainless steel.

Even though I could not see the benefit with my relaxed hair, I know without a shadow of a doubt if those hard water stains would build up on the shower head, toilet and stainless steel...just think of that building up on your hair.... So, all the money that I spend on hair care products to moisturize and protect my hair is all in vain because they cannot penetrate my strands due to the mineral build up. I think by the time I realized it was the hard water, I must have had so much build up that it was downhill.

So, to defeat the mineral water build up without a softener, a person would have to find some type of home concoction/recipe to remove it, buy those Malibu hard water packets from Trade Secrets/online or expensive Malibu salon treatments that literally strips your hair. Not sure if the swimmer's poo will do it. I think that only removes chlorine.

Yes, we would buy another one. I wouldn't want to pay for another plumber but you have to know what you are doing with softeners and plumbing.

8. Any downsides/cons to a water softener?

YES, YES, YES, my beloved QP Creme Conditioning Shampoo no longer worked with the salt. I called and spoke with the chemist at Strength of Nature (new owner of QP). I complained that something wasn't right. He explained that there is an exchange of this and that (I am not chemistry major ) and counteracts/messes up the properties of the poo. Therefore, I no longer received the slip and moisturizing benefits of the poo. Totally hurt!!

Something else to consider, some people do not want the softener routed to their kitchen sinks because of the salt (high blood pressure...I guess) even though it's minimal salt. And you definitely do not want the softener routed to your outside spigots (washing car, sprinkler in the summer, etc)...that's just a waste and drain on your salt.

simplyhair: Thanks sooooooo much for all the info! It's so helpful!

Yes, those hard water stains are ridiculous-nothing ever really looks clean. I can't imagine what the internal plumbing looks like or how much it effects the life span of appliances that use water. As far as it building up on the hair, yeah, I can only imagine what years of exposure to hard water can do to our hair. I have low porosity, so I'm sure that's blocking moisture from getting into the strands. If we get one, I may need to get something to remove whatever build up is already on there to even be able to tell if its helping!

As far as the shampoo thing, I wonder if having softened water eliminates a lot of the need for sulfate shampoos and if cowashing would be more effective.

Yeah, I was reading into whether or not the sodium in the softened water was a health concern..very mixed results. We do have a Reverse Osmosis unit for our drinking water so my hubby read the manual and it says it would remove the sodium. I didn't know if the water softener can just be hooked up to the shower/tubs, washing machine, dishwasher, etc. but not the kitchen sink or outside spigot.

Thanks again for all the info! Extremely helpful and detailed!

 

[simplyhair]

You're welcome! I'm glad I could help out.

 

[mg1979]

Hey! We used to have a water softener at my parents home. We had well water so the softener was already installed when they purchased the home.

Not sure of the installation costs or which brand it was, but the salt that we had to buy cost us about $7/bag at wal mart, and we used about 4 bags a month on average.

My hair was so much softer, and easier to detangle. I also experienced much less breakage. Product lathered better, including dish and laundry detergent. And our skin was less dry. It also helps your appliances to maintain a longer life span.When the softener went out on us once the difference in water quality was amazing.

We live in Florida and the water down here is terrible. My new home does not have a softener, but i do use the Sprite shower head filter in my main bathroom. My skin feels like silk!

Also, since I don't own this home that I am now in I wont be purchasing one, but when I do buy I think I will have one installed along with a whole house filtration system. The only cons that I found was filling it up with salt every month so I will be buying a salt free model.

Tybi, Thanks so much. I really hope it'll help with the bolded. I have a Sprite shower filter but I think the water is so hard that the benefits are minimal. I get a lot of build up on the outside of the shower head and have to use those hard core cleaners to get it off.

I need to look more into the salt free models. I thought I read something that said they use potassium. I wonder what the cost comparison is and pros and cons.

 

[Supergirl]

Thank you simplyhair

That was very helpful.

 

[mg1979]

I know the water here is hard, but I was just thinking of getting something to test just how hard it is. I was wondering because the water softeners on the Lowe's and Home Depot websites are different depending on how hard the water is and recommends testing first. Would these aquarium testing strips work?

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=11147325&lmdn=Water+Conditioners#prodTab1



Description: Stay informed with these test strips that measure the balances of pH, hardness, alkalinity, nitrates and nitrites in your aquarium. The wide color block around the hole of each strip makes it easy to match the color pad to the Easy Read color chart. The safe, nontoxic design allows you to test the water without relocating your underwater pets.

• For use in freshwater aquariums
• Measures the balances of pH, hardness, alkalinity, nitrates and nitrites in your aquarium
• Wide color block around the hole of each strip makes it easy to match the color pad to the Easy Read color chart
• Safe, nontoxic design allows you to test the water without relocating fish

 

[LivinMyLifeLikeItsGolden]

1. What brand of water softener do you have? Where did you purchase it? i'm not sure of the brand! sorry!
2. Who installed it (What company, was it professionally installed or by a friend or s.o.)?
3. Cost of product plus installation? i think it was around $700. i purchased mine when I was purchasing all the plumbing fixings for my house when it was being built. that company installed it at no extra charge. i hope. LOL. it just hooks up to my water system in my basement and you plug it in. runs every day at 2am
4. Cost to maintain? only the cost of the salts I have to add to it which are about $4 for 10 kg. you need about 2 bags to fill it up, but they last months
5. Benefits or changes to hair (healthier, more moisturized, increased growth, use less shampoo/conditioner/other products, etc.)? better lather, less dry hair, i definitely use less shampoo. i'm a conditioner lover, so i slather it on either way!
6. Other benefits or changes (skin no longer dry, use less body wash, use less lotion, brighter clothes, no spotting on dishes, use less detergent, etc.)? I can't live without a water softener. when I travel my skin is a nightmare. i have eczema so it really helps with the dryness
7. Is it worth the cost? If it broke, would you buy another one? totally worth every penny. i would always have a water softener in my house
8. Any downsides/cons to a water softener? not a one!!
__________________

 

[mg1979]

LivinMyLifeLikeItsGolden: thank you, that was very helpful.

I think I'm sold. I just need to decide on buying one from Lowes or Home Depot or going with the local water softener companies, which are Kinetico and Culligan.

 

[luckiestdestiny]

I just have a water filter but I loooove it. My hair and skin stay soft because of it. It's like night and day. I've had a filter for about a year and a half to two years and will continue to replace as needed.

 

[Avyn]

This is good info. I live in a very very dry area an I just cleaned my humidifier bc it stopped working and I cld not belive what I found inside!!!!! I became afraid to drink and shower with my tap water. There was more than just crust. I wish I had a picture to show you. There were rock hard deposits all over the inside of the humidifier. I literally had to break through them by pounding at it with the sharp point of a knife. I have only been running the humidifier for 2 or so months. I rent a home and now I am wondering if it would be worth me purchasing a softener or buying filters and what brands would take care of this.
Now that I think abt it. I'm wondering if this is why my hair breaks so easily in spite of all the measures I go through to strengthen it, aphogee protein, joico k pak, henna (not all at once) and why I can't retain length and why my hair became so porous! It is all coming together (as I type). All of these hair set backs started when I moved here! I have been wondering why what worked to keep my hair so thick & healthy before stopped working. Thanks for this thread OP!

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[mg1979]

This is good info. I live in a very very dry area an I just cleaned my humidifier bc it stopped working and I cld not belive what I found inside!!!!! I became afraid to drink and shower with my tap water. There was more than just crust. I wish I had a picture to show you. There were rock hard deposits all over the inside of the humidifier. I literally had to break through them by pounding at it with the sharp point of a knife. I have only been running the humidifier for 2 or so months. I rent a home and now I am wondering if it would be worth me purchasing a softener or buying filters and what brands would take care of this.
Now that I think abt it. I'm wondering if this is why my hair breaks so easily in spite of all the measures I go through to strengthen it, aphogee protein, joico k pak, henna (not all at once) and why I can't retain length and why my hair became so porous! It is all coming together (as I type). All of these hair set backs started when I moved here! I have been wondering why what worked to keep my hair so thick & healthy before stopped working. Thanks for this thread OP!

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I had the same thing with the rocks happen to me with my first humidifier! I've been here 5 years now. The water where I came from was hard too, but I think its worse here. My cat wouldn't even drink tap water when we first moved here! I finally got her drinking tap water, but she discovered my glass of bottled water one day a few weeks ago and is back to refusing to drink her tap water!

 

[LivinMyLifeLikeItsGolden]

No problem at all. My parents have both a water softener and a water filtration system. So, all our water is "softened" and drinking water is filtered. I think Culligan would offer something like that!

LivinMyLifeLikeItsGolden: thank you, that was very helpful.

I think I'm sold. I just need to decide on buying one from Lowes or Home Depot or going with the local water softener companies, which are Kinetico and Culligan.

 

[mg1979]

This is an interesting demo of how soap reacts differently in hard water versus soft water.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=sUo4iCAXvT0&NR=1

 

[mg1979]

So we're still comparing options. We discovered several local plumbers sell and install water softeners and you can also get Home Depot or Lowe's to do the installation. But all seem to want to come out and evaluate your plumbing set up to see if you need anything additional before they quote you a price.

In the meantime, I just wanted to share what my white co-workers' hair problems. Sh has mid back length straight hair, doesn't look at all prone to tangles. She had moved here recently from somewhere with soft water. She said the first time she washed her hair here it got so horribly tangled she thought she was going it have to cut it all off. Now if the hard water does this to her hair, I can't imagine how much worse its making my detangling process..

 

[mg1979]

@simplyhair & LivinMyLifeLikeItsGolden: do you know if your house was "pre-plumbed" meaning had the full line and loop already? This is what seems to be driving up the cost of us getting a water softener.

 

[simplyhair]

mg1979, sorry for the delay in responding. I am just now logging on.

No, our house was not pre-plumbed prior to the installation. Well, at least I think I know what you mean..."pre-plumbed".

You do mean, having a line already installed specifically for the water softener. If so, then, I said it correct above. We did get a couple of quotes but our price (mentioned in my post earlier) may be because of our location in the midwest.

We installed our softener in our unfinished basement. Therefore, he ran "plastic tubing" along the floor of the wall...I'm not sure the term for it but the water flows thru it to the sewer drain that is in the basement. And I believe he had to run something in the ceiling...but the ceiling is open so no bunch of work there either.

I was told it is better to install the water softener near the utility sink (if you have one) or near the water heater...don't quote me on the latter.

If you need pictures, let me know. Are they charging a lot more than what we paid?

Ok, just read your first post and that is true that they need to come out and see how your house is setup. That helps to determine what type of material or work needs to be done.

 

[mg1979]

@mg1979, sorry for the delay in responding. I am just now logging on.

No, our house was not pre-plumbed prior to the installation. Well, at least I think I know what you mean..."pre-plumbed".

You do mean, having a line already installed specifically for the water softener. If so, then, I said it correct above. We did get a couple of quotes but our price (mentioned in my post earlier) may be because of our location in the midwest.

We installed our softener in our unfinished basement. Therefore, he ran "plastic tubing" along the floor of the wall...I'm not sure the term for it but the water flows thru it to the sewer drain that is in the basement. And I believe he had to run something in the ceiling...but the ceiling is open so no bunch of work there either.

I was told it is better to install the water softener near the utility sink (if you have one) or near the water heater...don't quote me on the latter.

If you need pictures, let me know. Are they charging a lot more than what we paid?

Ok, just read your first post and that is true that they need to come out and see how your house is setup. That helps to determine what type of material or work needs to be done.

simplyhair: Yeah the quotes just for installation (plus the cost if the softener) is around a thousand or more! I'm thinking the price difference maybe b/c of how houses are built in Texas. We don't have a basement, I think most people don't. I think they have to dig in the yard to put the lines underground, & then having a sprinkler system complicates it further. Since it rarely rains here, I would think sprinkler systems are fairly common here too.

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[simplyhair]

mg1979 I almost choked when I saw a thousand or more. That's a tough pill to swallow. Is that quote across the board with everyone?

What about a reliable and highly recommended handyman? Can you ask a few people at work or in your neighborhood about someone that is not a ripoff/scam artist?

Are those quotes only thru Home Depot? If so, I can see them being highway to heaven with their prices. What about a private plumbing company? I'm drawing straws here. I'm sure there are other people in your area that have installed water softeners. Ask around...gotta be a cheaper way but installed correctly.

 

[mg1979]

mg1979 I almost choked when I saw a thousand or more. That's a tough pill to swallow. Is that quote across the board with everyone?

What about a reliable and highly recommended handyman? Can you ask a few people at work or in your neighborhood about someone that is not a ripoff/scam artist?

Are those quotes only thru Home Depot? If so, I can see them being highway to heaven with their prices. What about a private plumbing company? I'm drawing straws here. I'm sure there are other people in your area that have installed water softeners. Ask around...gotta be a cheaper way but installed correctly.

Those quotes actually were from private plumbing companies as well as water softener companies. Some of the smaller scale plumbing companies didn't even do this type of plumbing because they said it was too complex. So I'm not sure if a handyman could if a plumber can't. The Home Depot made me leave a message and they never called back. The Lowes charged just for an estimate, so we didn't schedule that yet. We still want to continue looking into this, getting quotes, etc. I just have to accept the fact that it may take some time to find a lower price...or save up enough money!

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[PlatinumBronze]

Bumpity bump......

I'm so happy I did a search on water filtration systems. I almost have to have a water filtration system installed at my home due to the fact where I live we have extremely hard water, so hard that both of my dogs have gotten bladder stones (2 different breeds, one male, one female, one is 8 yrs old, one is 2 yrs old). The vet said this is an extremely rare case and it has to be the tap water. I contacted the water division lab and after speaking with the supervisor I think I'm going to invest in a filtration/softening system for my home. The water lab supervisor was so knowledgeable and she recommended the home filtration system. I'm so paranoid right now I don't even trust the filters/purifiers nor bottled water. The home system will be a win win situation. Good for my pets, hair, skin, pipes, etc.

This thread has been extremely helpful so I'll know exactly what questions to ask when I start calling around on tomorrow. My prayer is that the cost doesn't exceed $1000. That's my budget.

 

[sheanu]

Bump! I'm looking into one now but these things are crazy expensive! Does anyone have brand recommendations? Salt vs non-salt softener thoughts? I'm leaving more towards salt as it seems to really "soften" the water by giving that slippery feel but idk about adding another item to the water in order to do so.