For Long, Healthy Natural Kinky and Curly Hair - Your Dry Hair Days Are Over!
  • About
  • Queens
    • QueenOfKinks
  • Hair Blog
    • Magazine
    • Headbands
    • Scarf
  • TV
  • FreeInfo
  • Courses
    • HotOilTreatments
    • HairButters
    • DIYshampoos
    • DIYconditioners
    • DIYmoisturizers
    • DIYdetanglers
    • Property
  • Contact
    • FAQs
    • Advertise
  • About
  • Queens
    • QueenOfKinks
  • Hair Blog
    • Magazine
    • Headbands
    • Scarf
  • TV
  • FreeInfo
  • Courses
    • HotOilTreatments
    • HairButters
    • DIYshampoos
    • DIYconditioners
    • DIYmoisturizers
    • DIYdetanglers
    • Property
  • Contact
    • FAQs
    • Advertise
Search

The shower filter made my scalp itch!

14/10/2015

 
Picture
Check out Queen Sheila's Hair Journey & Regimen
Picture
Check out Queen Melissa's Hair Journey & Regimen
Picture
Check out Queen Shermaine's Hair Journey & Regimen
Picture
If you have been following NenoNatural.com for a while you may have heard me complain about my itchy scalp! My itchy scalps is what led to all these blogs on how to reduce or prevent itching!

I've finally discovered what the problem was. Seriously, I had latterly been talking to my hubby about seeing a specialist because it was getting so bad.

At first I thought it was grapeseed oil because the itchiness coincided with the first time I used it. Then I thought it may be a food allergy but I couldn't figure out what precisely. Then I went home to my country Malawi and noticed that my scalp wasn't itching and at this point I thought the British weather was the culprit, I began contemplating buying a one-way ticket back to the Warm Heart of Africa!

It's a small tragedy that led to the discovery of the real culprit: our bathtub started leaking so upon our return we started using our separate shower and this shower doesn't have a water filter. 

Two weeks into our return I realized the itching hadn't returned and the only thing that was different is that I wasn't using the shower hose with a filter - so the filter was it! One of the chemicals in the filter must make my scalp itch but it normally happens a few days after my wash, probably when the power of the peppermint essential oil that I add to my conditioner wears off!

If you have an itchy scalp and you use a shower filter try not using it for a month to see whether it's the problem. Keep in mind that it may not be; just because I'm allergic to something in my shower filter it doesn't mean you'll be!

Picture

​Get your FREE ebook on How To Grow Long, Healthy Natural Kinky or Curly Hair.

The 4 best ways to protect your hair from hard water!

25/2/2015

 
Picture
Check out Queen Neosha's Hair Journey & Regimen
Picture
Check out Queen Kassandeira's Hair Journey & Regimen
Picture
Check out Queen Samantha's Hair Journey & Regimen
PictureDo you live in an area with hard water?
Watch the video!

Put tersely, hard water damages hair.

Hard water has a large quantity of calcium, magnesium, iron and copper. It’s this high concentration of minerals that damages hair.[i]

Washing hair in hard water causes it to become/feel straw-like, dry and brittle; it’s likely that your hair will break or start thinning because the hair follicles become blocked thereby preventing the flow of nutrients to the scalp. Your scalp may also become dry and flaky.

Click one of the maps to see if you live in an area with hard water.

Picture
Picture
Don’t despair, there are some simple solutions to the hard water problem.

  1. Install a showerhead with a water filter. These filters enhance the pH balance of water and remove unwanted chemicals from it. You don't even have to replace the whole showerhead, I just got a filter that fits onto my existing shower head. See highly rated shower heads with water filters from Amazon below. But beware! The shower filter made my scalp itch!
  2. Try apple cider vinegar. Apple cider vinegar clears hair of minerals and gives it some shine. I would add a cup of apple cider vinegar to three litres of water and use that to rinse conditioner out of your hair. Apple cider vinegar has a pH between 4.25 and 5.00. Healthy hair has a pH between 4.50 and 5.00. I recommend you test the pH of your apple cider vinegar and only use it if it’s above 4.50.
  3. Try bottled water. I know at least one person that has resorted to buying water to wash their hair! Although this seems drastic, I would say it’s worth it if you’re visiting an area with hard water for a short period of time.
Finally, after washing your hair lock in the moisture with a shea butter based moisturiser or a good oil, e.g. jojoba.

4.   Add the juice of a lemon to water. Squeezing lemon juice into water can help to reduce the water's hardness. However, note that the pH of lemon juice is 2, i.e., it’s very acidic so you should dilute it in water (pH = 7) to reduce its acidity before applying it to hair. Healthy hair has a pH of 4.0 to 5.5.

PictureMagnetic Water Conditioner
How about magnetic water conditioners? 

These devices allegedly reduce lime scale; they are fitted to a pipe in the house and are reputed to benefit not only your hair but also other appliances whose function can be reduced by limescale, e.g. the central heating system, boiler and dishwasher.

However, although some argue that they work, the US Navy did a series of tests to check the effectiveness of ‘magnetic’ and ‘electric’ water softeners. They concluded that they have no effect at all. It appears that although the limescale is removed from water that come out the tap, that limescales stays in the pipes ultimately leading to problems with the heating system. “Magnetic lime scale reducers are a plumber's dream,” according to one Amazon product reviewer.

How about chelating shampoos?

Chelating shampoos prevent and remove mineral build-up but they strip hair of all the good stuff too so I personally wouldn’t recommend them. Even on Caucasian hair, a chelating shampoo should not be used more than once a week.

[i] How to Prevent Hair Build-up from Water

Picture

​Get your FREE ebook on How To Grow Long, Healthy Natural Kinky or Curly Hair.

Highly rated shower heads with water filters:

Hard water could be damaging your hair if...

5/12/2012

 
Picture
Hard water can be very damaging to hair. It contains a large quantity of minerals (calcium, magnesium, iron and copper) which bind to hair and block products from working effectively. 

Hard water could be damaging your hair if you notice one or more of the following:

1. Your hair gets very tangled after washing

2. Your colour-treated hair fades easily or turns brass-like and dull quite rapidly

3. Your hair's breaking and nothing appears to be able to stop it

4. Your hair is highly unresponsive to treatments, e.g. if you relax your hair it doesn't even straighten well

5. Your shampoo doesn't lather. Note that some natural shampoos don't lather anyway so if it's a new shampoo that isn't lathering, that could also be the issue

6. Your hair's always dry and it just won't respond to anything

You might also like:
The 3 best ways to protect your hair from hard water!

Picture

Get your FREE ebook on How To Grow Long, Healthy Natural Kinky or Curly Hair.

References:
The Science of Black Hair, pages 73-5
Hard Water Hair Damage?
Hair Treatment for Hard Water

    I now blog about wealth creation - so if you have any money questions meet me there, you can do all sorts of cool things like leave me a voicemail.
    Follow @NenoNatural
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

    By Heather Katsonga-Woodward

    I was a natural hair blogger and mixtress living between London & Chicago from 2012 to 2017. I always thought I was 4C but some say 4B; images below - you decide! Heather xx

    p.s. I now blog about wealth and personal finance on my personal website.

    Picture

    Categories

    All
    About
    Aloe Vera
    Bad Chemicals
    Bad Hair Practices!
    Baggying
    Big Chops
    Braids Weaves Wigs
    Brands
    Breakage/thinning
    Butters
    Carrier Oils
    Carrier Oils & Butters
    Children
    Color
    Conditioning Hair
    Co Washing
    Cultural Issues
    Damage
    Dandruff
    Detangling
    Detangling/combing
    Diet & Hair
    Dreadlocks
    Essential Oils
    Events
    Exercise
    Food For Hair
    Frizz Control
    Giveaways!
    Growth Phases
    Growth Stimulators
    Growth Tips
    Hair Type
    Hard Water Solutions
    Heat
    Homemade Hair Recipes
    Ingredients In Products
    Interviews
    Itchy Scalps
    Lice
    Magazines
    Makeup
    Matted Hair
    Max Hydration Method
    Microfiber
    Moisturising Dry Hair!
    Other Naturals
    Ph And Hair
    Porosity
    Pregnancy
    Press And Publicity
    Product Reviews
    Protective Styling
    Queen Of Kinks
    Random
    Regimen Building
    Salon Reviews
    Scalp Conditions
    Science
    Shampoos
    Shiny Hair
    Silicones
    Sleeping
    Stretching Hair
    Styles
    Swimming
    Texture Issues
    Thin Hair
    Tips & Challenges
    Tools & Products
    Transitioning
    Trimming
    Vitamins
    Washing
    Weather

    Picture
    Click for free eBook!
    Picture
    Check out the podcast!

    Archives

    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    October 2011

    Picture
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
Photo used under Creative Commons from robertivanc
  • About
  • Queens
    • QueenOfKinks
  • Hair Blog
    • Magazine
    • Headbands
    • Scarf
  • TV
  • FreeInfo
  • Courses
    • HotOilTreatments
    • HairButters
    • DIYshampoos
    • DIYconditioners
    • DIYmoisturizers
    • DIYdetanglers
    • Property
  • Contact
    • FAQs
    • Advertise