Hard Water and Your Hair: What's Really Going On

If your hair sometimes feels rough, looks dull or seems harder to manage no matter what products you use, your shower water might be playing a part. Here is a plain-English look at what is going on, and what actually helps.

What 'hard water' means

Hard water simply means water with a higher level of dissolved minerals, mostly calcium and magnesium. Most municipal water in New Zealand, the US and Canada is also treated with chlorine to keep it safe to drink. None of this is harmful to wash in, but minerals and chlorine can leave a residue that affects how hair and skin look and feel.

How it changes the look and feel of hair

Mineral residue can sit on the surface of the hair, which is often why hair can feel coated, look less shiny, or seem like it never quite rinses clean. Chlorine can add to that dry, squeaky feeling after a shower. This is about the surface feel and appearance of your hair, not its health, but those surface effects are exactly what most of us notice day to day.

Simple ways to soften the everyday rinse

• Filter your shower water. A shower filter reduces chlorine taste and odour and traps sediment as the water flows, so what reaches your hair feels gentler and rinses cleaner. Worth being straight about the limit: a shower filter does not soften hard water. Calcium and magnesium need a water softener, which is a different piece of equipment entirely. What a filter changes is the chlorine and the sediment.
• Rinse cooler. Very hot water can leave hair feeling stripped; a cooler final rinse helps it look smoother.
• Use a microfibre towel. A soft microfibre wrap dries hair with less friction than a rough bath towel, so it looks less frizzy.
• Brush gently when wet. A flexible detangling brush eases knots without tugging.

The bottom line

You cannot change your town's water supply, but you can change what comes out of your shower. Reducing chlorine and sediment is a small, sensory upgrade: softer-feeling water, smoother-looking hair, a calmer few minutes. Explore Ablu's filtered shower range or read about the inline Vitamin C filter. Our guide to how to choose a shower filter in New Zealand is also clear about what a filter will not do for hardness.

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