What Are the Effects of Hard Water on Hair?

If you live in the San Antonio area, the chances are pretty good that you’re bathing and washing your hair in hard water. The groundwater that supplies most households in the Central Texas region carries a high concentration of dissolved minerals such as calcium and magnesium, a characteristic that’s typically referred to as water hardness. Hard water leaves a scaly residue behind on dishes, countertops, bathtubs, and – you guessed it – your skin and hair.

Hard Water & Soap Don’t Play Well Together

Bathing in hard water can leave your skin feeling rough, itchy, and dry. Likewise, shampooing your hair in a hard-water shower can leave your hair feeling dry and brittle. Over time, experts say washing your hair in hard water can even cause temporary hair loss, mostly because your hair will be more susceptible to breakage. What’s more, color-treated hair that’s washed in hard water is less likely to sport the true color that’s shown on the box and, even if it does, there’s a good chance that it will fade prematurely.

These effects occur because the minerals in hard water react negatively with the chemical makeup of soaps, shampoos, and hair dye. The hard-water minerals also bind with the chemicals in soap products and form a scaly soap scum that’s difficult to rinse away from your skin and hair.

What’s the Best Solution?

At Sweetwater Home Services, we’ve been solving San Antonio residents’ water quality problems since 1987, and there are no hard-water woes we can’t tame. Whether your home receives municipally treated water or depends on a private well, we have the industry’s most effective and reliable water softener systems ready to rid your home of hard water for good. Contact us today to find out how you can say goodbye to hard water and get started on the path to silky smooth hair and skin.