|
|
 |
How
Your Water
Affects Your Hair |
 |
|
We recently returned from vacation
(of course we brought our own soap and shampoo bars) and
were amazed how our shampoo experience differed from
place to place. We stayed in each location about
five days, and after a few days in each place my hair
felt and behaved differently, and never the way it felt
at home. If your hair does not seem to be
adjusting to the shampoo bars, it may be due to your
water. The characteristics of your water can
determine how well (or poorly) your shampoo and
conditioning routine works. Also, if your house
water is chlorinated, mineralized or fluoridated, it can
also have an effect on your hair. |
 |
|
Hello Ida,
I had ordered from you 2
summers ago and didn't have much luck with your lovely
smelling poo bars, now I realize it was from my hard
water. Since getting a water softener the
bars now work amazingly!
Lori,
Canada
|
WHY DO WE NEED
SOAP AT ALL?
|
 |
In any cleaning process involving water,
the surface
tension of water must be reduced so the water can
spread out, wet, and soak into a surface. Surface
tension is what causes water to bead up. You can see
surface tension at work by doing a little experiment. Place a drop of water onto a piece of waxed paper and
notice how the drop will hold its shape and will not
spread. You can even play a game and push the little
drops together--they will join to make bigger drops.
Now add a bit of soap to your water and place a drop of
the soapy water on the waxed paper—it will no longer
hold its shape. When teaching about surface tension, I
had a contest with my students to see if any of them
could put more drops of water on the head of a penny
than I could. I put a few drops of soap in their
water—and guess who always won? It was a great teaching
tool because it demonstrated how soap reduces surface
tension. Many of them went home and challenged their
parents!
|
|
Substances that decrease surface tension are called
surface-active
agents
or
surfactants. Soap is a natural surfactant.
Basically, any surfactant that is not a soap is a
detergent. You hair and scalp get clean because
surfactants decrease the surface tension of water and
allow the water to mix with the dirt and grease (sebum)
so it can be washed away.
For years people used soap to wash their hair, dishes,
clothes, etc. Around the beginning of the twentieth
century, household detergents became available. It
is believed that the first synthetic detergents were
developed by the Germans in the First World War period,
due to a shortage of fat needed in the soapmaking
process.
But why did people switch from natural soap to
synthetic detergent? Soaps and detergents behave
differently in hard water. Soaps can form a scum in
hard water that will not rinse away easily. Detergents
react less to the minerals in hard water. Plus
synthetic detergents were much cheaper than soap.
|
WHAT IS HARD
WATER?
|
Many incorrectly believe that only “well water” is hard
water. However, according to the U.S. Geological
Survey, it is estimated that more than 85% of the
water used by consumers in the US can be classified at
some level of “hard” water. |
 |
Rainwater is soft and mineral free. But, when it
falls to the ground it seeps through the soil and rocks
and dissolves minerals which give it its character. If
the rainwater water passes through hard rock, it
remains soft. However, if the ground water seeps
through softer rocks, like the limestone very common in
the Great Lakes Basin, it dissolves lots of minerals,
principally calcium and magnesium, along the way. The
degree of hardness becomes greater as the calcium and
magnesium content increases. The term “hard water” was
originally coined to refer to water that was difficult
or hard to work with. Hard water requires much more
soap, shampoo, or detergent than soft water; and the
minerals in hard water can decrease soap’s lathering capabilities. |
What does this have to do with hair?
|
 |
You need water to shampoo your hair and hard water
makes it harder to wash your hair. Each
hair shaft is made up of little scales, like shingles on
a roof. Hard water tends to make the scales stand up,
which makes your hair feel rough and tangly. Since your
hair is tangled and rough, it is more difficult to rinse
out all of the soap. Soap is less effective in
very hard
water because its reacts with the excess minerals to form calcium or magnesium
salts. These are not easily soluble in water and can
result in soap film. Washing hair in soft water will
have a different result because it leaves fewer
insoluble deposits on the hair. |
|
In commercial shampoos, natural soap has been replaced by
synthetic surfactants.
What's the difference between a synthetic surfactant and
natural soap?
- Soaps are
biodegradable products produced from natural,
renewable resources like olive, palm, or coconut oils.
- Synthetic surfactants, like Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (SLS),
Sodium Laureth Sulphate (SLES), Ammonium Lauryl Sulphate
(ALS), and others, are made from petrochemicals and
created in a chemical factory.
Although these synthetic surfactants do not react with
hard water minerals as much, they do not produce the
lather that consumers like. The lather comes from
the addition of synthetic lather
or foam boosters--like
cocamide
monoethanolamine.
So, these detergent shampoos lather well in all types of
water and rinse off easily and completely.
That's their
only good point. Sadly detergent is very harsh,
and damages your hair. It cleans out dirt and
strips out the oil, including the natural oil that makes
your hair shiny and strong. Conditioner was introduced
as people noticed that detergent shampoo took all of the
oils out of their hair and left it feeling dry and
brittle. The oils your hair needs to be healthy
come
naturally from your scalp. Conditioner simply
puts artificial oils in your hair so that you do not
notice the damage done by your detergent shampoo.
Natural soap is better for washing hair, because it does
not strip the oils that are naturally in hair.
Commercial shampoo is detergent. Detergents are really
excellent cleaners (for dishes, laundry, and garage
floors)! |
WHAT CAN WE DO?
|
Shampoo manufacturers love to spread misinformation
claiming that soap is "harsh." But, the problem with
using a natural soap shampoo is often in the water, not
the soap.
The first step is determining the hardness of your
water. The map below provides some general
information for those living in the US. If you are served by a municipal water
company, call the city offices or the Superintendent of
Water and ask for the test results. Another way is to
call for a free hard water test kit from the makers of
Diamond Crystal water softening products. Consumers can
call (800) 428-4244 for the free kit, which includes an
easy-to-use test strip, a coupon for a free bag of water
softening salt, and other helpful information.
If your water is not too hard, just use your all natural
soap shampoo and a bit of conditioner. The
conditioner will help the scales on your hair lie flat,
and allow the last of the soap to rinse out. You
might have to experiment with different soaps and
conditioners.
 |
If your water is very hard you can use a weak acid
rinse, like vinegar or lemon juice. The acid makes the
scales lie down flat, and again allows the soap to be
rinsed more easily. Please read our information on Natural
Vinegar Rinses.
|
|
I believe I found another way for those of your
customers with hard water that cannot afford a
water softener and is something better than the
vinegar rinse. I had bought some samples of
your shampoo bars. I was very sad to
realize that my water is hard as hard can be
here. I was looking for water softeners
but they are too rich for my blood and tried
your vinegar rinse solution but it just didn't
work for me. I was starting to get
really depressed about it, so I decided to think
just what was the problem. I decided to
try regular filtered water instead, since
filtered water takes away all that stuff that
makes it unsafe for drinking. So, I filled up
some bottles with filtered water and took a
shower with that. It WORKED! It rinsed all
of the soap from my hair and my hair was left
feeling very soft. I got online right away
and found shower head filters that cost much
much less than a water softener.
Jessica
|
|
If
you have hard water,
try using rainwater to rinse your hair!
Collect some
rainwater and
filter it through a couple of coffee filters. |
|
|
Hard Water Levels
in the United States
|
Alaska: Moderately Hard
Hawaii: Soft |
 |
Extremely Hard Water
Over 10˝ grains per gallon |
|
Hard Water
7 to 10 grains per gallon |
|
Moderately Hard Water
3˝ to 7 grains per gallon |
|
|
Slightly Hard Water
˝ to 3˝ grains per gallon |
|
Soft Water
0 to ˝ grains per gallon |
|
Map from Morton Salt
http://www.systemsaver.com/morton-website/education/water-facts/common-water-problems.html
 |
1 Grain = 1/7000 of 1 lb.
An average household of 4, with water
hardness of 7 grains per gallon, would have the
equivalent of 146 lbs. of rock in their water supply in
a given year. |
|