Help me rescue my hair - moved to hard water area!

[WhatTheFudge0]

I'm in a bit of a panic. I'm 4 months postpartum and my hair is falling out at an alarming rate. No bald patches but feel like I'm not far from it.

My hair nightmare is made all the more worse by now moving to an area where the water is hard. My hair feels permanently dry and brittle no matter what. I use good quality shampoo, conditioner and hair mask...also try to add some hair oil before washing.
But nothing seems to be working.

Help! What do I do?

Buy a Brita filter jug and filter use filtered water for your final rinse. That will make a huge difference. We installed a water softener in our home but that's not always practical.

Install a water softener if you can. We have just had one put in and it's changed my hair dramatically. Wish I had done it years ago!

You can buy shower heads with a filter in for hard water areas, they work really well.

Your hair loss is likely to be the hair you would have naturally shedded during the time you were pregnant but for some reason we retain it so although the quantity is alarming at times you won't be left bald unless you have other medical issues. Regular brushing can help remove it a bit like pets when they moult and prevents you clogging up the hoover.

I live in a hard water area and use Herbal Essences Daily Detox shampoo and conditioner which leaves my hair soft and shiny.

Thanks for the replies.
Having a water softener might be something I can get done. Can you please let me know which one you are using @Camembertcufflinks and @Lakrads? TIA

It's a monarch softener. Cost about £1k for a plumber to fit but worth it. Everything in the house that touches water seems cleaner and the amount of cleaning stuff you need to use goes down (washing powder etc).

What water softeners have people bought and di you mind explaining to me how they work please?

Oh sorry you just did! Ha!

We have one of these https://www.stone-stream.com/shop-all my skin and hair are so much happier. Cheaper than one for the whole house though not as effective - my DMIL has a whole house softener and I love staying there - but pretty good. My hair is less frizzy and my skin isn’t as dry.

We also have a Monarch. It's in the garage attached to the house. Have had it 10 years so can't remember cost. Salt cubes are delivered in 10kg bags and last a long time (probably a delivery every 18 months or so) and cost less than £200 a delivery.

I've just been checking salt delivery and I bought 10 x 10 kilo bags in April 22 which cost £63 (delivery included) and then restocked in March 24 and only bought 5 x 10 kilos (£42 delivery included). We are in SW London, so a very hard water area. Simply Salt delivers ours.

How do you clean this? Presumably the timescale gets stuck in the stones and then needs cleaning regularly?

Your hair will get used to it OP, I remember moving and it taking ages to settle down. Try Moroccan Oil smoothing cream in the meantime or VO5 serum oil is good.

This is interesting....I live in a hard water area and my hair is basically a frizzy disaster area, no matter how much intensive conditioning I do.

Going to experiment next time I wash and do a final rinse with water from the dehumidifier!😎

@Crazyeight I have the one that attaches to large shower head https://www.stone-stream.com/product-page/stonestream-universal-shower-water-filter so it isn’t an issue - though my DD had a clear one for a shower attachment at uni and it didn’t seem to be an issue - you can get ones that are solid too so you can’t see the stones.

Very hard water area here and no water softener. I use tigi bed head shampoo/conditioner in the massive bottles you get from Amazon, b and m or home bargains. I use the teal coloured one and my hair is really good.

Osmo hair mask is also good from Amazon.

I use oil after my shower and we have a water softener fitted. Before water softener I deep conditioned twice a week

My hair has thinned over the years and I dread it when we go on holiday to a soft water area because it makes my hair too soft and flat and lifeless

I need my hair to be a bit more stiff and bulky, same reason why I dont put too much conditioner on. I much prefer hard water for this reason

The same thing happened to me, Olaplex was the only thing that worked to repair my hair when I moved to a hard water area. I use 3, 4 and 5, also the 4 in 1 mask once a week. Good luck!

Maria Nila shampoos have sorted out my dry frizzy menopausal hair. Some days I don't even bother with conditioner now they're so good.

Good idea, worth a try.

I can't use shampoo or conditioner anymore as no matter what I try - from the cheapest to the most expensive, clarifying, detoxing, I've tried so many - it all leaves my hair feeling tacky/sticky, clumpy, lank and horrid. I'm having to use half a teaspoon of bicarb mixed in half a cup of water and then a teaspoon of vinegar in a cup of water to rinse and massage them through.

Then I put 2 or 3 drops of food grade argan oil through it while damp which is amazing stuff.