How does my home’s water impact my hair and scalp?
When it comes to hair’s health, there are various things that can impact how healthy your hair, or your client’s hair, is feeling. It’s well known that factors such as heat styling, colouring your hair and using certain hair products can all have a damaging effect on your hair if used improperly, but many aren’t aware that your home’s water can also have an impact on your scalp and hair.
In a bid to reveal how import your salon’s water supply is, and also how important your client’s local water is, below we’ve explained the various ways your water can affect your hair, skin and even your tea! We also analysed the most recent water reports from 47 towns and cities across the UK looking at elements such as water hardness, pH levels as well as amounts of fluoride, chloride, nickel and lead in an effort to find out where in the country has the best and worst locations for hair health
Read on to find out more...
Water effects on the hair
If you find that you struggle to create suds when adding soap to your water, or you have mineral deposits on home’s faucets, then you may have hard water. The good news is, you can confirm your suspicions simply by entering your postcode into a water hardness checking tool online.
So, how does your water hardness affect your hair? Well, hard water contains a high proportion of magnesium, calcium, copper and iron. These minerals can create a film on the hair, making it harder for your hair to gain moisture and thus leaving your or your client’s locks dehydrated and lacking shine.
It can also make hair fizzy and brittle, resulting in more split ends and even cause further problems such as thinning hair or dry and itchy scalps.
For those with coloured hair, unfortunately, hard water can also cause hair dyes to fade quicker and even add brassiness to your hair, potentially reducing the longevity of any blonde shades.
Other elements such as chloride, fluoride and heavy metals like nickel and lead can also dry out your hair, take away shine and leave residue on the scalp. Large amounts of sodium fluoride can also inflame our scalp, making it more prone to flakiness and irritation.
Soft water contains fewer minerals and more sodium than hard water and thus causes less damage to your hair and scalp. It’s worth noting that soft water may leave fine hair in particular feeling slightly limp after a wash but this can be improved with your styling products after washing.
When it comes to pH, our hair has a natural pH of 4.5 to 5.5, and so pure water that is a pH7, is more alkaline than hair. UK water regulations mean that tap water around the country should have a pH between 6.5 and 9.5, but what does that mean for our hair?
Well, as the pH balance of your hair increases, the shaft of your hair cuticle opens. This can mean that using water or products that have a high pH level can lead to possible damage and fizziness, or cause flaking on your scalp. They can be particularly damaging for curly hair, as this texture already has a partially open cuticle, making them more sensitive.
Swansea is revealed to be the best location for hair and scalp health
When looking at local water reports, we found that Swansea residents are enjoying the best water for their hair in the country.
The Welsh city is a reportedly a soft water area, with below 60 particles of hardness dissolved in per million particles of water (PPM) and has low levels of all of the key minerals and metals compared as part of the study, meaning residents can enjoy the best water when washing their hair.
With soft water, a 7.37 pH, and low levels of metals, Manchester came in second in the rankings. Joining them at the top is Liverpool, Bradford, and Warrington.
Best water for hair care:
1.Swansea
2.Manchester
3.Liverpool
4.Bradford
5.Warrington
6.Sheffield
7.Glasgow
8.Blackpool
9.Durham
10.Edinburgh
Overall, cities in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland were all found to have soft water, with Scottish cities claiming both 7th and 10th place in the best water lists. Meanwhile the English cities and towns in the study had much more variety when looking at water hardness.
Not everyone is as lucky when it comes to their local water
When it comes to the worst water for hair and scalp health, the study found that Chelmsford came in at the bottom of the rankings. Due to its hard water qualities and high levels of chloride (66.12 mg per litre), Chelmsford residents may be more likely to struggle with their hair due to their local water.
Worst water for hair care
1.Chelmsford
2.Norwich
3.London
4.Bristol
5.Northampton
6.Bath
7.Plymouth
8.Leicester
9.Newcastle
10.Southampton
This is followed by Norwich and London, both areas have been rated as “very hard” when looking at water hardness and featured relatively higher rates of chloride (64.2 and 44 mg per litre, respectively) according to the data from their local water providers.
When it came to areas with the hardest water, the study found that four UK cities qualified for this rating, with over 276 particles of hardness in their water.
Very hard water cities (over 276 PPM):
1.London
2.Norwich
3.Oxford
4.Southampton
How our water effects other elements
And it’s not just our hair that hard water can affect, our skin can also suffer when washing with hard water. Similar to our scalps, hard water can leave a film on our face, leaving the skin feeling dry, flaky and itchy but may also cause problems like acne and eczema.
To counter these impacts, after washing, you should moisturise your skin while it’s still damp to help lock in this extra moisture. Look out for ingredients such as ceramides that will help repair your skin barrier.
For beauty professionals based in a hard water area, remember not to skip on any moisturising parts of your treatment and relay to your clients how they can deal with hard water when doing their skincare routines at home. You may even consider offering treatments specifically made for the water hardness in your local area, so residents can have a treatment tailored to their needs.
For those that like having a beverage with their salon treatments, you may be surprised that your water can even impact the taste of coffee and tea!
Those in a hard water area will not only notice a change to their skin and hair but can find that their cups of coffees have muted flavours and metallic notes. More magnesium can add brighter, fruiter notes to the beverage, whereas calcium can create heavier, creamier flavours to the brew. When it comes to our cuppas, hard water usually makes tea darker and thicker.
How can we minimise hard water impacts?
If you are located in a hard water area, there are certain steps you can take to help reduce any damage from the minerals and metals in your water and help to cleanse your hair from any mineral build-up or films, whether doing so at home on your own hair, or as a hair professional caring for the hair of your clientele.
Using cleansing shampoos, or products that are specifically designed to remove metals and build up from the hair. For example, L'Oreal’s Metal Detox range is specially formulated to remove the build-up of minerals and chlorine from hair, making it an ideal solution for those who have been experiencing the negative effects of hard water on their hair.
Equally, buying filtered shower heads could be an option if you’re wanting to get rid of your hard water from the get-go. Having one of these in your salon can mean that your shampoos and treatments will foam better when washing the hair, and your clients can leave with their hair feeling more thoroughly cleaned and fresh.
You may find that educating your regular clients on how to best clean their hair depending on their local water supplies can encourage them to hair for their care in the proper way, build your relationship and trust with them, and ensure that any cut and colours you’re creating remain healthy and are maintained by your client after leaving the salon.
Freelance Focus, is a one stop resource for anyone working as a freelancer or thinking of going freelance in the hair & beauty industry, which includes a FREE downloadable guide filled with advice, useful insights, experiences and tips (from experienced freelancers) to help you understand the steps needed to make the right choices for you.
If you shop online, we can include a free copy of the magazine in your order (where possible and while stocks last - just add it to your basket). Alternatively, you can pick up your free copy in any of our stores, or read it online here...
Discover the results of a new survey on UK consumer loyalty to hair and beauty professionals. Nearly 7 million admit feeling more guilty about 'cheating' on their hairdresser than a romantic partner.
The New Year looks like it’s going to be full of self expression and your clients are going to want to glow from head to toe. Read on for our guide to the trends you’ll need to nail.
Hello 2023! The nails trends you need to follow this year are here...and we LOVE them! To find out what styles you should be rocking read more...
Newsletter sign up
* Required fields are marked with an asterisk.
Marketing Communications
Email: Stay up to date with the latest news, offers and ideas.
Text: Be alerted when we have a VAT Free sale or exclusive promotions.
Post: Receive our bi-monthly mailer full of offers and new products.
Privacy Statement
This privacy policy sets out how Capital Hair and Beauty Ltd (CHB) uses and
protects any information that you provide when using the
capitalhairandbeauty.co.uk website or otherwise provide CHB with your
personal information.
CHB is committed to protecting your privacy. If we ask you to provide
certain information by which you can be identified when using the website,
you can be assured that it will only be used in accordance with this
privacy policy. We treat all your personal information as fully
confidential and do not pass your information on to third parties without
consent unless legally required to do so.
By providing us with your personal information, you agree and consent to
its transfer, processing, use and disclosure as outlined in this privacy
policy. This policy does not apply to data you place on any publicly
accessible page. For example, when you submit a product review.
CHB may change this policy by updating this page. You should check this
page from time to time to ensure you are happy with the changes. This
policy is effective from 21st May 2018.
What personal data will be processed?
When you shop on this site or in one of our stores, personal information such as your name, email
address, phone number, invoice/delivery addresses, type of business and, where applicable the IP address used
to connect your computer to the internet are collected by us. This data
enables us to process and fulfil your order or transaction. We also ask for your mobile
number, which helps us (and courier companies working on our behalf) to
contact you if there’s a problem with your order.
Other information we collect
We may collect technical information regarding the type of electronic
device used, such as the make and model, operating system, internet browser
and also which pages of the site are visited and for how long. This is
statistical data about our users' browsing behaviour and does not identify
you personally. Debit/credit card details are entered on secure pages
hosted by our payment service providers, whether this be Secure Trading or
PayPal, this data is stored securely on their servers, we do not have
access to this. Where card details are given for payment processing over the phone, we do not record or store these details.
We also use CCTV in our stores for the security of our employees and customers.
How will we process data?
Personal data collected is used in the processing and delivering of orders.
Names, email addresses, mobile numbers, postal addresses and business type
may also be used to send you marketing communications (if you have opted in
to receive them). You can opt out of these at any time by visiting ‘my
preferences’ in your online account.
Browsing behaviour data is collected and analysed to see how well our
website is performing on a variety of electronic devices and internet
browsers.
We also use this data for remarketing in conjunction with Google, which
allows us to display adverts to you on third party websites after you have
visited our website. To opt out of this please visit Google’s ad settings.
Who will process data?
Personal data is stored on secure servers, separate to the website server.
We may share this information with third party service providers employed
by us to perform functions on our behalf, such as courier companies
delivering orders, mailing companies sending postal mail, email service
providers sending emails and texts (SMS) and payment service providers
processing payments. PayPal transactions are subject to the PayPal privacy
policy.
We may also share certain data including email addresses (if you are opted
in to receive emails from us) with third party social media platforms in
order to show you targeted ads when you visit them. Third parties such as
Google use cookies to store browsing behaviour data, which enables us to
use their remarketing services. Please refer to our cookie policy for more
information.
Why are we processing data?
We require this information to provide you with a service (processing
orders), it also helps us to ensure that content on our sites is presented
in the best way for you and the electronic device used to access the
content. To send you information regarding our products or services (if
requested by you), protect you and us against fraud and to notify you about
changes to our service.
When will data be processed?
This data will be processed when your order is picked, packed and
dispatched by our distribution centre, or if you enter a competition or
free prize draw. It will also be used every time we send a marketing
communication, if you have opted in and the communication is deemed by us
to be relevant to you.
Any user specific browsing data will be retained for 26 months after you
last visited our site, after which time it will be deleted.
Unsubscribing from marketing communications
To unsubscribe from marketing communications please visit the ‘my account’
section of your online account and select ‘my details and preferences’. You
can then change your opt in preferences for email, text and post.
Alternatively simply click on the unsubscribe links that are sent out with
each email/text or get in contact with us.
Right to access your data
You have the right to request a copy of the data we hold about you, or to
have your data erased in certain circumstances. Please contact us if you’d
like to request this. Please note that depending on your interactions with
us, some data may need to be retained due to legal requirements.