Is My Shower Head Damaging My Hair?

by Mary Wolff

There are lots of things that affect the overall health of your curls. While the more obvious ones like humidity and using the wrong products may be on your radar, there might be one culprit that surprises you. Even if you have great showering habits that protect your curls in every way possible, your shower head may be to blame for your lackluster strands.

Continue Reading
Is my shower head damaging my hair?
There are a few things to consider in terms of your shower head. For instance, hard water from your shower head can definitely damage your hair. The minerals left behind from hard water can leave hair with an oily build up that leaves you never feeling quite clean. This build up can be more than a nuisance. It can lead to dull, lifeless hair that is more prone to tangles.

Aside from hard water, you could have higher concentrations of chlorine in your water. Chlorine is naturally found in most tap water, and while it is usually in small levels to keep the water drinkable, even a little chlorine can damage hair.

Another concern with shower heads is the accumulation of mold, mildew, and bacteria. It’s no surprise that such a damp area will become full of these nasty side effects. If you don’t regularly clean your shower head, all of this ends up on your scalp and hair in trace amounts that may lead to fungal infections of the scalp. Worse than that, a dirty shower head can lead to more illnesses during the year like the flu, common cold, and even eye infections.

Are there ways to fix these issues?
If you have hard water, your best bet is to install a water softener filtration system. This will filter out more of the minerals so your hair gets a cleaner, less residue prone wash. Even if you don’t have what is considered hard water, a filter will help reduce the chlorine levels that are reaching your hair in the shower.

With or without the issue of hard water, all shower heads should be properly cleaned. Every six months, they should be cleaned with a solution such as white vinegar. Simply fill a plastic bag with white vinegar, wrap it so that the shower head sits in the bag, tie it up so it stays securely in place, and leave it to soak for about an hour. You can also remove the shower head and soak it in a bowl of white vinegar.

from Natural Hair Care | Curly Nikki http://ift.tt/2tF5mUw