Hard vs Soft Water

[alexandros]

Makes SUCH a difference to my hair. I went on holiday to a place where they had hard water and my hair really felt like crap. I hadn't actually realised what the difference was, I just thought it was due to the hot weather or something. But anyway, do you guys notice this effect? It makes my hair really crispy/hard/difficult to manage. Also, an interesting bit of information for any of you guys wondering why your hair feels like crap in some places.

 

[metalheaddude]

Hard water sucks! Soft all the way


Of course this is dependant on the temperature of the water. Warmer climates tend to have softer water.

 

[alexandros]

Can you do anything to manage this? e.g. products.

or would you basically need to install a water softener?

 

[metalheaddude]

I thought water hardness was dependant on water temperature?

However I actually have a tropical fish tank and fish and I have a water hardness tester because it needs to be very soft for the fish, they die in hard water, because these fish are from tropical waters. Anyway if the water is to hard, in the testing kit is this white power substance you can pour into the water which apparently softens the water! Not sure its safe for humans tho :dunno:

 

[EasyEd]

I agree completely. I just moved to a place with soft water pressure and lived in a place with hard pressure water before and my hair looks a lot better with softer water pressure.

 

[alexandros]

I'm not talking about the pressure. Hard water contains dissolved minerals, it's basically dependant on how the water is provided in your area and where it comes from. Soft water is treated and has had these minerals removed. Hard water tends to taste better to drink. However, hard water when heated leaves marks and clogs pipes due to residue... that's why many people tend to have a water softener installed for the property. Also I've been reading about it online now and have found that hard water tends to leave you feeling dry, which is bad for my hair as it feels like straw and I can't style it as well. My hair only looks okay and full if I use matt gel/wax with soft water. Really annoying! Maybe I should buy some of that stuff you get for your fish tank and just stick my head in it! haha. unk:

 

[bubka]

Hard water sucks! Soft all the way


Of course this is dependant on the temperature of the water. Warmer climates tend to have softer water.

No, it has to do with dissolved minerals within the solution, such as calcium, sulfer, and magnesium... absolutely nothing to do with temperature, actually warmer water can hold more solute and be "harder"

welcome to 8th grade science

 

[hair today gone tomorrow]

Hard water sucks! Soft all the way


Of course this is dependant on the temperature of the water. Warmer climates tend to have softer water.

No, it has to do with dissolved minerals within the solution, such as calcium, sulfer, and magnesium... absolutely nothing to do with temperature, actually warmer water can hold more solute and be "harder"

welcome to 8th grade science

bubka i used to hate you...but i kinda enjoy watching you rip people now
its hilarious.

 

[bubka]

hey, metalhead has a point, temperature does effect water hardness, if it is cold enough, it is a solid :whistle:

 

[metalheaddude]

Hard water sucks! Soft all the way


Of course this is dependant on the temperature of the water. Warmer climates tend to have softer water.

No, it has to do with dissolved minerals within the solution, such as calcium, sulfer, and magnesium... absolutely nothing to do with temperature, actually warmer water can hold more solute and be "harder"

welcome to 8th grade science

Lol bubka you're such a pathetic dumb *** seriously. 8th grade science huh? Yeah thats about the extent of your scientific knowledge thats for sure! :whistle:

How about a lesson in big boy science now, like thermodynamics. Sorry if this is out of your league, but ever noticed what happens to metal when its super heated? Yeah it becomes softer. Strangely enough this pretty much happens to any substance on earth. Including water, the hotter the water, the softer the water. Dumb ***. Anyone who has done laps in an olympic pool in the middle of winter, then swim in an indoor heated pool immeadiately after will know this. The difference is obvious! Swimming in the cold water outside is a hell of a lot harder than the indoor heated pool, let me assure you! Try it yourself if you dont believe me. Actually you probably cant swim sorry.

Ahh your really are starting to embaress yourself now Bubka. I pity you.

Get some book smarts before considering tangling with me again, you look foolish.. :book:

 

[s.a.f]

[Bubka. I pity you.
Get some book smarts before considering tangling with me again, you look foolish.. :book:

...... Ahh, nevermind.
:roll:

 

[bubka]

Are you trying to say there is more friction in a cold pool than a warm pool? Are you HONESTLY saying that it takes more effort to swim in a pool that is cooler?

We are not talking about melting metals (solids) in to liquids, we are talking about WATER

Anyways, here are the actual facts about thermodynamics, which when talking about "fluid" water, we call is "fluid dynamics" (which I am sure you already know :whistle:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluid_dynamics

Here is a graph that shows Viscosity (friction of fluids) of Water
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viscosity

I have no clue where you think that water is "harder" to swim in at colder temperatures :jackit: :jackit:

 

[alexandros]

Um... why have we switched from one issue to another? I'm talking about hard water in terms of its generally accepted definition i.e. dissolved minerals in the water. I'm not talking about temperature of water at all or whether it's "hard" to swim in it?!

 

[bubka]

Um... why have we switched from one issue to another? I'm talking about hard water in terms of its generally accepted definition i.e. dissolved minerals in the water. I'm not talking about temperature of water at all or whether it's "hard" to swim in it?!

hey, thats what metalhead said

yes, you need a water softener to either deionize the mineral ions, or one that filters them out
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_softener

 

[Jacob]

Hard water with a shower filter should make a difference as well.

 

[metalheaddude]

Are you trying to say there is more friction in a cold pool than a warm pool? Are you HONESTLY saying that it takes more effort to swim in a pool that is cooler?

We are not talking about melting metals (solids) in to liquids, we are talking about WATER

Anyways, here are the actual facts about thermodynamics, which when talking about "fluid" water, we call is "fluid dynamics" (which I am sure you already know :whistle:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluid_dynamics

Here is a graph that shows Viscosity (friction of fluids) of Water
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viscosity

I have no clue where you think that water is "harder" to swim in at colder temperatures :jackit: :jackit:

I go by experience and what the experts say and ive heard them say when watching the olympics they can swim faster in heated indoor pools. So dont try and bedazzle me with your fancy graphs! :nono:

 

[bubka]

I go by experience and what the experts say and ive heard them say when watching the olympics they can swim faster in heated indoor pools. So dont try and bedazzle me with your fancy graphs! :nono:

They heat the pool because it's called the "summer" Olympics

any decrease in water viscosity is negligible

as I said before, WARMER WATER holds MORE MINERALS (ions) which make it "harder"

keep on making an *** out of yourself with your "the water is cold, thats why it is hard" religious belief

 

[malibujoe]

Hard water sucks! Soft all the way


Of course this is dependant on the temperature of the water. Warmer climates tend to have softer water.

You really are clueless. Hard water dependant on temperature of the water? Hey genius, is warmer water hard or soft? Do you know what minerals are?

 

[Jacob]

Hmmmmmmm...

http://blogs.chron.com/sciguy/archives/2006/06/does_hot_water.html

The solutes Katz has in mind are calcium and magnesium bicarbonate, which make most drinking water "hard". When the water is heated, these precipitate out to form the solid scale that "furs" up the inside of a kettle.

Water that has never been heated still contains these solutes. As it freezes, ice crystals form, and the concentration of solutes in the remaining water becomes ever higher up to 50 times as high as normal. This lowers the freezing point of the water, just like salt sprinkled on a road in winter. "The water therefore has to cool further before it freezes," says Katz.

 

[bornthisway]

I wonder if there is any major link between hard water and hair loss. From what I've read so far I don't think so.. but who knows. There are some copper theories, and a few others but nothing that seemed to garner much attention. /shrug