sweetcocoa
Active Member
This is from the online book(Richard Stein) that I posted last week...
THE WATER YOU RINSE
--AND SHAMPOO--IN
If your hair looks drab even after you have done your best for it, you should consider the possibility that the water you are washing in is hard. This means it contains dissolved minerals (iron, copper, and sulfur are some of the more common ones) that can not only dull your hair--and sometimes even tint it pinkish or greenish--but damage it, too. Dissolved minerals and other impurities can act on protein in the hair shaft to break it down and discolor it, leaving you with dry, dull, treated-looking hair that will be increasingly resistant to your attempts to make it look shiny and healthy.
If you do have hard water, my suggestion is to make gallon jugs of softened water to use for shampooing and--just as important--rinsing. You should notice an immediate improvement in the condition and look of your hair...especially in the winter. Use any good, water softening preparation and follow the directions; if it's good enough for your laundry, it's good enough for your hair.
An alternative to softened water is plain distilled water. You can buy distilled water in gallon jugs at any grocery store. It isn't expensive but can be an annoyance to lug home. Distilled water is distinguished by what is not in it rather than by what is.
By the way, some people think that a cold-water rinse helps to flatten out the hair's cuticle so it appears shinier. There is no real evidence that this is so, and it is my own belief that the warmer the rinse water, the more likely it is to carry off dissolved dirt, waxes, and other debris. If you are convinced of cool-water benefits, however, rinse completely with warm water first, then once again with cool.
THE WATER YOU RINSE
--AND SHAMPOO--IN
If your hair looks drab even after you have done your best for it, you should consider the possibility that the water you are washing in is hard. This means it contains dissolved minerals (iron, copper, and sulfur are some of the more common ones) that can not only dull your hair--and sometimes even tint it pinkish or greenish--but damage it, too. Dissolved minerals and other impurities can act on protein in the hair shaft to break it down and discolor it, leaving you with dry, dull, treated-looking hair that will be increasingly resistant to your attempts to make it look shiny and healthy.
If you do have hard water, my suggestion is to make gallon jugs of softened water to use for shampooing and--just as important--rinsing. You should notice an immediate improvement in the condition and look of your hair...especially in the winter. Use any good, water softening preparation and follow the directions; if it's good enough for your laundry, it's good enough for your hair.
An alternative to softened water is plain distilled water. You can buy distilled water in gallon jugs at any grocery store. It isn't expensive but can be an annoyance to lug home. Distilled water is distinguished by what is not in it rather than by what is.
By the way, some people think that a cold-water rinse helps to flatten out the hair's cuticle so it appears shinier. There is no real evidence that this is so, and it is my own belief that the warmer the rinse water, the more likely it is to carry off dissolved dirt, waxes, and other debris. If you are convinced of cool-water benefits, however, rinse completely with warm water first, then once again with cool.
