Ladies: Does hard/ soft water make a big difference 4 u? (home vs. travel water)

Diva_Esq

New Member
I am from Omaha, Nebraska. We have VERY HARD water. I have to use more lotions, conditioner, etc. b/c of it, but since I live there, it becomes somewhat normalized for me.

I am in Chicago, IL on a business trip. My skin and hair are LOVING the softer water here. What a difference in the amount of condish I had to use to cowash today! I also needed less body wash and my hair and skin felt so soft and not stripped when I got out of the shower. :drool:

Have you ever traveled and noticed a huge difference in the water softness or your hair/ skin's condition?

Would a showerhead filter at home help me to recreate this effect, or will I have to wait until I buy my new home and get a water softener installed with my water system?

What is the water like in your city/ state (soft, hard, etc.)

Thanks for sharing your experiences, ladies! :D
 

Melaninme

Well-Known Member
I have extremely hard water in my area. My hair immediately knows when I use hard water to shampoo/condition. My hair will have a rough feel to it and after towel blotting it it resembles a birds nest. Also, when detangling my hair after using hard water, I tend to loose more hair then when using soft water.

Also, I've used shower filters in the past. They help a bit, but the water was still hard. I used a hard water test strip to see if the filter made a difference. Again, it helped, but the water was still hard, just not as hard as before the use of the filter.

I use distilled water only when shampooing and conditioning. It's more work, but well worth it for me.

HTH.
 

Diva_Esq

New Member
I have extremely hard water in my area. My hair immediately knows when I use hard water to shampoo/condition. My hair will have a rough feel to it and after towel blotting it it resembles a birds nest. Also, when detangling my hair after using hard water, I tend to loose more hair then when using soft water.

Also, I've used shower filters in the past. They help a bit, but the water was still hard. I used a hard water test strip to see if the filter made a difference. Again, it helped, but the water was still hard, just not as hard as before the use of the filter.

I use distilled water only when shampooing and conditioning. It's more work, but well worth it for me.

HTH.

Thanks for sharing your experience. That does help. In what city & state do you reside?
 

jcdlox

Active Member
I was just wondering the same thing yesterday. I went to Israel earlier this year and my skin was glowing! The climate and the water must have helped. I don't know about how my hair responded because I had it in braids but I'd like to know more about water filters. As soon as I came back to Missouri harsh dry winter air and water my face erupted! :wallbash:
 

simplyhair

Active Member
I am approx 50 miles southwest of Chicago and have EXTREMELY hard water. I am in a very rural area. I went three without knowing the water was hard and it was the culprit to my messed up hair.

I made a few threads here and here.

We did have a water softener installed. The down side to the water softener is that my beloved shampoo (QP Creme Conditioning Poo) no longer works. Well, none of my clarifying poos or the new ION Moisturizing Poo works. The typical shampoos are commerically made for HARD water areas.

When I use these poos my hair is completely matted, tangled and looks and feels like dreds. I do not know if that is the case with others who a water softener but it never fails with me. I've been told that the soft water does not rinse the commercial poos out completely. I was advised to go for the sulfate, natural, castille or poo bars.

I plan on trying it out today and see how it goes.
 
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Bnster

New Member
I am approx 50 miles southwest of Chicago and have EXTREMELY hard water. I am in a very rural area. I went three without knowing the water was hard and it was the culprit to my messed up hair.

I made a few threads here and here.

We did have a water softener installed. The down side to the water softener is that my beloved shampoo (QP Creme Conditioning Poo) no longer works. Well, none of my clarifying poos or the new ION Moisturizing Poo works. The typical shampoos are commerically made for HARD water areas.

When I use these poos my hair is completely matted, tangled and looks and feels like dreds. I do not know if that is the case with others who a water softener but it never fails with me. I've been told that the soft water does not rinse the commercial poos out completely. I was advised to go for the sulfate, natural, castille or poo bars.

I plan on trying it out today and see how it goes.

Hum interesting. Let us know. I wanted a water softener, but it did not happen.
 

TaraDyan

Natural again ... this time for good!
I am from Omaha, Nebraska. We have VERY HARD water. I have to use more lotions, conditioner, etc. b/c of it, but since I live there, it becomes somewhat normalized for me.

I am in Chicago, IL on a business trip. My skin and hair are LOVING the softer water here. What a difference in the amount of condish I had to use to cowash today! I also needed less body wash and my hair and skin felt so soft and not stripped when I got out of the shower. :drool:

Have you ever traveled and noticed a huge difference in the water softness or your hair/ skin's condition?

Would a showerhead filter at home help me to recreate this effect, or will I have to wait until I buy my new home and get a water softener installed with my water system?

What is the water like in your city/ state (soft, hard, etc.)

Thanks for sharing your experiences, ladies! :D

This is too funny. I am also from Omaha, Nebraska, but I moved to the Atlanta, Georgia area in 2000. We went back to Omaha to visit family just last week, and I was telling my sister that I had forgotten how HARD Omaha's water is. My hair suffered all week because of it. It tangled easily, was rough and brittle to the touch and frizzed like nobody's business (my hair is normally very smooth and silky with lots of shine). My skin was also ashy and rough feeling. I was constantly lotioning up my situation ... and it was 100% attributed to the hard water in Omaha. :perplexed Even though Georgia's water is not as hard as Nebraska's, I still have a shower filter installed in my bathroom, and I believe it makes a big difference. My hair and skin were never so happy to get back home. All is right with the world once again. :yep:

I think you should definitely invest in either a shower filter or water softener, because Omaha is sho nuff a hard water town. I have a friend there that has a Culligan system installed, and she swears by it. I know if I ever move back to Nebraska, a water softener will be a must for me.
 

Diva_Esq

New Member
This is too funny. I am also from Omaha, Nebraska, but I moved to the Atlanta, Georgia area in 2000. We went back to Omaha to visit family just last week, and I was telling my sister that I had forgotten how HARD Omaha's water is. My hair suffered all week because of it. It tangled easily, was rough and brittle to the touch and frizzed like nobody's business (my hair is normally very smooth and silky with lots of shine). My skin was also ashy and rough feeling. I was constantly lotioning up my situation ... and it was 100% attributed to the hard water in Omaha. :perplexed Even though Georgia's water is not as hard as Nebraska's, I still have a shower filter installed in my bathroom, and I believe it makes a big difference. My hair and skin were never so happy to get back home. All is right with the world once again. :yep:

I think you should definitely invest in either a shower filter or water softener, because Omaha is sho nuff a hard water town. I have a friend there that has a Culligan system installed, and she swears by it. I know if I ever move back to Nebraska, a water softener will be a must for me.

That's very funny! Yes, super hard and I am feeling the difference and reminded when I travel! Thanks for your input. Glad your "situation" is back right! :)
 
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