How Shower Filters Can Improve Hair Health
The numbers don’t lie: Americans take hair health seriously. We spend up to $20 each month for hair care products (Yahoo Life), $31.9 for every unit of hair growth product, and $5.75 for hair relaxer kits (Statista). Overall, it averages to about $85.50 a year per person, just for hair care products (Statista). Unfortunately, many of these products contain potentially harmful ingredients that can negatively impact your health and hair quality. These effects can range from skin irritation to hormone disruption, or long-term damage like dryness and frizziness. These additives are sulfates, parabens, and silicones. Apart from damaging hair, some lesser-known components, like formaldehyde, benzene, and phthalates, are linked to severe health risks, such as endocrine system disruption and cancer (Consumer Notice). Though many of us are used to these products, selecting less harmful alternatives, such as mild surfactants, humectants, seed oils, and butters, can help. However, water quality plays an equally critical role in maintaining healthy hair and skin.
What Are the Effects of Hard Water on Hair?
Hard water leaves behind mineral deposits that affect hair health. A study investigating the effects of hard water on hair health examined the tensile strength and elasticity of hair exposed to hard and distilled water over 30 days (NIH). Hard water is often blamed for hair fragility and breakage, characterized by high concentrations of calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) and magnesium sulfate (MgSO₄). In contrast, soft water is believed to preserve hair strength.
Another study published in the NIH website revealed a significant decrease in hair strength when comparing hair baseline strength between hair treated with hard water as opposed to deionized water, leading to the conclusion that hard water may indeed contribute to an increased likelihood of hair breakage.
While hard water itself isn't harmful to your overall health, its effects on hair and skin can be problematic. A 2016 study (NIH) found that washing hair in hard water for 30 days caused damage, including reduced thickness and a ruffled appearance. Hard water can also result in symptoms such as breakage, thinning, tangles, dry scalp, dullness, and even brassiness or a green hue. Frizziness and hair loss caused by breakage are other concerns linked to prolonged exposure to hard water.
What Are the Short-Term Issues That May Lead to Long-Term Hair Damage?
Master hairstylist Marshall Lin (Healthline) warns that short-term effects like dryness and breakage can evolve into long-term problems, impacting healthy hair growth. Research involving 70 males revealed that hair lost strength when exposed to hard water, leading to breakage and thinning (NIH). Hard water also challenges professional hair colorists, making the hair harder to work with and increasing stress on the strands. In severe cases, particularly for individuals with eczema or psoriasis, hard water can affect the scalp and exacerbate hair loss (Dr. Patrick Angelos).
How Can We Mitigate Hard Water Damage with Advanced Filtration?
Reversing hard water damage requires effective tools and hair care techniques. One of the most efficient solutions is installing a shower hard water filter, such as the Dracoss shower filter, designed to deliver exceptional water purity while offering numerous hair and skin benefits. This advanced filter features a steel mesh to capture large particles like sand and debris, calcium sulfite to remove chlorine, odors, and rust, and activated carbon fabric (ACF) to eliminate impurities and sterilize water. It also includes KDF (copper ion) technology to inhibit bacteria, remove heavy metals, and balance pH levels, as well as vitamin C-treated balls to supplement skin health. A final steel mesh ensures no particulates remain, providing pure, mineral-free water.
In addition to using a hard water filter, clarifying shampoos applied weekly can help remove mineral buildup, while nourishing hair masks applied twice a week restore hydration and shine. Leave-in conditioners with low pH levels effectively close hair cuticles, sealing in moisture and blocking mineral deposits. For a natural remedy, a rinse made from water, vinegar, and citrus juice can help rebalance your hair's pH and promote scalp health. Combining these tools and techniques can help repair hard water damage and restore your hair's vitality.
How Can Dracoss’s Advanced Filtration Enhance Hair Health?
The components that make up the Advanced Filtration in each Dracoss shower cartridges work together to remove harmful impurities and balance water composition. These filters ensure cleaner, healthier water that ultimately benefits your hair and scalp. Here's a detailed look at how each filtration component works and its specific benefits for hair health:
Steel Mesh: Filtering Large Particles
The steel mesh serves as the first line of defense by capturing large particles like sand, debris, and rust flakes. These contaminants can accumulate on the scalp, clog hair follicles, and cause irritation. Removing these particles ensures cleaner water and prevents buildup that could hinder hair growth and health.
Calcium Sulfite: Eliminating Chlorine, Odors, and Rust
Calcium sulfite, used in the form of food-grade, heat-resistant mini balls, is highly effective at removing chlorine, odors, and rust from water. Chlorine is a major culprit in stripping natural oils from hair, leaving it dry, brittle, and prone to breakage. By neutralizing chlorine, this component helps maintain your hair's natural moisture levels, reducing dryness and frizz.
Activated Carbon Fabric (ACF): Purifying and Sterilizing Water
ACF is a specialized material designed to eliminate impurities and odors while sterilizing and disinfecting water. This ensures that your hair is not exposed to harmful bacteria or organic contaminants that could irritate the scalp or weaken hair strands. Clean, pure water promotes healthier hair and a balanced scalp environment.
KDF (Copper Ion): Balancing pH and Removing Heavy Metals
Heavy metals can cause dullness, discoloration, and breakage. The KDF component uses copper ions to inhibit bacterial growth, remove heavy metals like lead and mercury, and reduce chlorine and scale. By neutralizing these harmful elements, the filter prevents them from depositing on hair. Moreover, balancing the water's pH can help keep the hair's natural acidity, ensuring smoother, shinier strands.
Vitamin C Enrichment: Supporting Scalp and Skin Health
Vitamin C-treated balls enrich the water with this essential nutrient, which is beneficial for both the scalp and hair. Vitamin C helps neutralize chlorine residue, supports scalp health, and reduces dryness and flakiness, leading to a healthier foundation for hair growth while enhancing overall hair vitality.
Final Steel Mesh: Ensuring Complete Purity
The final steel mesh serves as a secondary barrier to filter out particulates or residues left out by previous stages, delivering completely pure water to your hair. This ensures no unfiltered contaminants reach your hair, allowing it to benefit fully from clean, mineral-balanced water.
When combined with an advanced filtration system, a consistent hair care routine, including moisturizing treatments and gentle cleansers, can help hair health further.
Takeaways:
Investing in your hair health means addressing both product choices and water quality. Hard water can cause dryness, frizz, and long-term damage, but an advanced filtration system like the Dracoss shower filter can effectively mitigate these effects by providing pure, balanced water for healthier hair and skin.
Conclusion
Achieving healthier, more vibrant hair begins with the water you use daily. By installing the Dracoss shower hard water filter, you can proactively protect your hair and scalp from hard water damage while enjoying the benefits of cleaner, softer water.
Ready to transform your shower experience and give your hair the care it deserves? Discover the Dracoss shower hard water filter today and see the difference pure water can make!
