Hair loss due to hard water

Hard Water

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_water

Hard water is water that has high mineral content (in contrast with "soft water"). Hard water is formed when water percolates through deposits of calcium and magnesium-containing minerals such as limestone, chalk and dolomite.

Hard drinking water is generally not harmful to one's health, but can pose serious problems in industrial settings, where water hardness is monitored to avoid costly breakdowns in boilers, cooling towers, and other equipment that handles water. In domestic settings, hard water is often indicated by a lack of suds formation when soap is agitated in water, and by the formation of limescale in kettles and water heaters. Wherever water hardness is a concern, water softening is commonly used to reduce hard water's adverse effects.

Sources of Hardness

Water's hardness is determined by the concentration of multivalent cations in the water. Multivalent cations are cations (positively charged metal complexes) with a charge greater than 1+. Usually, the cations have the charge of 2+. Common cations found in hard water include Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺. These ions enter a water supply by leaching from minerals within an aquifer. Common calcium-containing minerals are calcite and gypsum. A common magnesium mineral is dolomite (which also contains calcium). Rainwater and distilled water are soft, because they contain few ions.

The following equilibrium reaction describes the dissolving and formation of calcium carbonate :

CaCO₃ (s) + CO₂ (aq) + H₂O (l) ⇋ Ca²⁺ (aq) + 2HCO₃⁻ (aq)

The reaction can go in either direction. Rain containing dissolved carbon dioxide can react with calcium carbonate and carry calcium ions away with it. The calcium carbonate may be re-deposited as calcite as the carbon dioxide is lost to atmosphere, sometimes forming stalactites and stalagmites.

Calcium and magnesium ions can sometimes be removed by water softeners.

Temporary hardness

Temporary hardness is a type of water hardness caused by the presence of dissolved bicarbonate minerals (calcium bicarbonate and magnesium bicarbonate). When dissolved these minerals yield calcium and magnesium cations (Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺) and carbonate and bicarbonate anions (CO₃^2-, HCO₃^-). The presence of the metal cations makes the water hard. However, unlike the permanent hardness caused by sulfate and chloride compounds, this "temporary" hardness can be reduced either by boiling the water, or by the addition of lime (calcium hydroxide) through the softening process of lime softening. Boiling promotes the formation of carbonate from the bicarbonate and precipitates calcium carbonate out of solution, leaving water that is softer upon cooling.

Permanent hardness

Permanent hardness is hardness (mineral content) that cannot be removed by boiling. When this is the case, it is usually caused by the presence of calcium sulfate and/ormagnesium sulfates in the water, which do not precipitate out as the temperature increases. Ions causing permanent hardness of water can be removed using a water softener, orion exchange column.

Total Permanent Hardness = Calcium Hardness + Magnesium Hardness

The calcium and magnesium hardness is the concentration of calcium and magnesium ions expressed as equivalent of calcium carbonate.

Total permanent water hardness expressed as equivalent of CaCO₃ can be calculated with the following formula: Total Permanent Hardness (CaCO₃) = 2.5(Ca²⁺) + 4.1(Mg²⁺)

Softening

It is often desirable to soften hard water. Most detergents contain ingredients that counteract the effects of hard water on the surfactants. For this reason, water softening is often unnecessary. Where softening is practised, it is often recommended to soften only the water sent to domestic hot water systems so as to prevent or delay inefficiencies and damage due to scale formation in water heaters. A common method for water softening involves the use of ion exchange resins, which replace ions like Ca²⁺ by twice the number of monocations such as sodium or potassium ions.

Washing soda (sodium carbonate - Na₂CO₃) is easily obtained and has long been used as a water softener for domestic laundry, in conjunction with the usual soap or detergent.

What Are The Effects Of Using Hard Water On Hair?

http://www.stylecraze.com/articles/what-are-the-effects-of-using-hard-water-on-hair/

Anamika 

Are you tired of trying out anything and everything to prevent hair loss? From changing your hair oil to shampoo, you’ve tried almost every hair care tip but nothing seems to work?

Well then, there might be many reasons for your hair loss. And, few of them may not be known to you. One such culprit could be your bathing water! Yes, you read it correct! Hard water especially, is very dangerous and causes severe hair loss and damage.

Does Hair Fall Due To Hard Water Happen?

Now, you must be wondering how hard water causes hair to fall! Well, the answer is, hard water contains a number of minerals and oxidizers. Some of them are not good for your hair and scalp. They weaken the hair causing it to break and fall. There is a scientific explanation to this theory as well. Minerals and oxidizers present in hard water are positively charged while our hair has negative electrical charge.
So, when a positive charged oxidizer or mineral comes in contact with a negatively charged hair, they get attracted like a magnet. This results in making the hair weak, frizzy and dry causing hair fall. Minerals such as copper, magnesium, calcium and iron are present in hard water which is not good for hair.

Consequences of Hard Water on Hair:

The consequences of washing hair with hard water can be the following:
1. Hair fall problems.
2. Dry, dull, frizzy and lifeless hair, even if you use a conditioner.
3. Eczema of scalp or dandruff.
4. Split-ends.
5. Graying of hair.
6. Thinning hair.
7. Hair gets tangled which may lead to its breakage.

Shampoo manufacturers love to spread misleading information claiming that shampoos/soaps are harsh. But, the real problem in most of the cases is hard water, not the shampoo/soap.

So, the first step is determining the hardness of your water. To test water’s hardness, simply take soap, try to lather it in a cup of water. If the soap lathers foam, it is good; if it doesn’t, then, you should avoid using it to bathe.

There are hard water hair loss care tips which you may follow to reduce the harsh effects.

The following tips will help alleviate dullness and roughness of hair:

1. Use a water softener machine. They are easily available in the market. They help eliminate the hardness of water.

2. Look for a shampoo that is specially formulated to fight with hard water issues. Choose a conditioner that can protect your hair against hard water and its coarse effects.

3. Take 1 or 2 tbsp white vinegar or lemon juice and add it in a bucket full of warm water (warm hard water). Use this to rinse off your hair. This makes the scale lie down flat and allows the shampoo to be rinsed off more easily.

No wonder washing hair with hard water is one of the major reasons for hair fall. But, like all other problems, it has a solution too. Just by following the above tips, you will surely be able to reduce the harsh effects of hard water. It will definitely help you regain your shiny and thick hair.