You ever wonder why it seems like you have a really good hair day, and then some weird ones? You could be using the same products, same techniques but no matter what you may have some buildup.
I know many youtube stars and social media influencers talk about build up and how to get rid of it but not many talk about the most important struggle that most of us face on a daily.
Hard Water
This is such a HUGE topic while in my chair and I am so excited on telling you why!
What exactly is hard water?
"The term hardness was originally applied to waters that were hard to wash in, referring to the soap wasting properties of hard water. Hardness prevents soap from lathering by causing the development of an insoluble curdy precipitate in the water; hardness typically causes the buildup of hardness scale (such as seen in cooking pans). Dissolved calcium and magnesium salts are primarily responsible for most scaling in pipes and water heaters and cause numerous problems in laundry, kitchen, and bath. Hardness is usually expressed in grains per gallon (or ppm) as calcium carbonate equivalent." https://www.wqa.org/learn-about-water/perceptible-issues/scale-deposits
The 5 classification on water
Soft, Slighty hard, Moderately Hard, Hard, Very Hard
Currently the water in the city of Tampa, FL we have hard water. It is 160ppm that is only 20 grains per gallon away from being classified as very hard! ONLY 20!!
Once I started to look into this, it started to make so much sense. My hair, my skin, and even my teeth! This was my biggest problem and it almost seemed like it was unavoidable.
It also made me realize this is why "New York Pizza" in Tampa, tasted nothing like it. yuck!
Local tip: Sam's and Eddies in Downtown Tampa actually imports the water from New York for their yummy pizza ;)
A few ways to tell if you have hard water is
White substance around shower head, and faucets
Build up in toilet bowl
Build up on your pots and pans after you wash them
Hard water can build up on your clothes, causing it to make your whites dingy.
Dry itchy skin, DRY SCALP
Check your local water companies website, or you can test your water with a kit.
Dandruff? Sometimes we even believe we have dandruff. I will say many times we opt to use head and shoulders, seldom blue, or any "dandruff clearing" shampoo. You may be misdiagnosing your self and causing your dry scalp to become even dryer. Be very careful when using products like that on curly hair, it can cause more dryness.
Hard water can even cause your electric build to go up due to build up in your pipes and the energy it needs to go through it! Isn't that crazy!?
Soooooo, just imagine what it's doing to your hair.
In order to correct and prevent hard water
You must clarify often if you don't not have a clarifying shampoo.
My favorite clarifying shampoo: Malibu C, Un-do-Goo (Buy this from an authorized deal or you may end up with compromised product.) If your more of a DIY person, check out my next blog where I go over how to clarify with items from your home!
Change your shower head to one that filters your water.
My favorite is: AquaCare By HotelSpa® Filtered Shower Head 3-Stage Water Filter Cartridge Inside. I found this at my local Walmart for $26.99, such a deal!
Here are a couple of links to more information on hard water
https://www.wqa.org/learn-about-water/perceptible-issues/scale-deposits
https://www.tampagov.net/sites/default/files/water/files/wqr2016web1.pdf
-NicolesCurls
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