Why Does My Hair Feel Like Straw After Showering?

When your hair feels dry, brittle, and strawlike, the common culprit is usually a lack of moisture. And the treatment depends on exactly what is causing that lack of moisture in the first place. Here are some of the common reasons for straw hair:

• Blow Dryers: Excessive use of dryers and heat styling tools such as curling irons, electric rollers, straighteners will damage your hair and cause split ends.
• Washing your hair too often: Shampooing too often means that you don't give your heads natural oils enough time to nourish your hair follicles
• Chemical Ingredients: Using a shampoo with harsh ingredients, such as alcohol and sulfates, will dry out your scalp and hair follicles
• Wrong Conditioner: Not using a conditioner often enough or one that’s designed for your type of hair
• Missing A Step: It can be easy to just shampoo, condition, and then call it a day. Hair, like any other part of your body, needs to be taken care of, and that means including a deep conditioning hair mask into your hair care routine at lease once a week.
• Friction: Not being gentle enough when you detangle wet hair will cause breakages and split ends
• Diet: Not eating a nutrient-rich diet that has enough of the vitamins and minerals necessary to support hair health will decrease hair growht
• Over Processed: Having your hair dyed, bleached or touched up too frequently will cause straw-like hair
• Hair Cut: Not having your hair cut often enough will resulting in split ends
• Sun: Not protecting your hair from the sun with a hat or using a product that protects your scalp against UV rays
• Changing Conditions: Exposing your hair to extreme environments such as a hot, dry climate or the cold, dry air 
• Chlorine: Overexposing your hair to chemicals from the pool will dry out your hair's natural moisture

Water is classified as hard or soft depending on its mineral content, mainly calcium and magnesium  About 85% of us live in hard water territory in Canada, meaning there are large amounts of calcium or magnesium.

More often then not, the root cause of the problem can be the water you use when washing your hair. The water in your very own household can be the true problem making your hair feel unbearable. The problem at hand is the hard water coming through your pipes. Hard water can cause hair to be dry and straw-like which result in split ends that cannot be easily repaired. The process is vicious and you will have to wash your hair more often making it less manageable.

Hard water has a high mineral content, usually containing calcium, magnesium, bicarbonates and sulfates. As the mineral increases, so does the degree of hardness. Each hair is made up of little scales. The hard water tends to make the scales stand up. Creating a rough and tangled feeling. A healthy and cost-efficient way to solving the problem is simply switching from hard water to softer water.

How do I get rid of the straw feeling in my hair?

How do I get my hair soft and silky? The first step in reversing straw-like hair may be as simple as addressing your hair care routine. Consider adjusting your hair habits and switching the products you've been using to something more gentle. If you really want to makeover your current look, you could even trim your hair of all the split ends and start over.

In Addition, try these:

• Lowering the heat setting on your hair drying and styling tools, and using them less frequently
• Select a shampoo that’s appropriate for your hair type and without harmful chemicals
• Use microfibre towels instead of cotton ones when drying your hair, as to reduce friction damage.
• Switch to a all-natural deep conditioner that’s appropriate for your hair type and use it often
• Protect your hair from the sun’s UV rays by wearing a hat, scarf, or other head covering
• Adjust your diet to include nutritional foods that support healthy hair growth

How do I keep my hair soft after showering?

For a long term solution, install a high-quality water softener. Water softening can remove the minerals that cause all dry and straw-like hair. Washing your hair in soft water will leave fewer scale deposits on the hair, getting rid of the constant itchiness and dead ends. As mentioned above, there are many solutions to temporarily alleviate flat or oily hair caused by hard water, but for long-lasting, continual results, installing a water softener is the way to go.

Soft water requires less soap and fewer rinses to achieve optimal results, meaning your hair will maintain its color and life for much longer. Soft water also balances your hair’s pH level, so you’re left with silky smooth hair after every wash. And, as an added bonus, soft water can help to reduce topical issues such as eczema and dry skin. 

This is an investment and long-term solution to solving the effects of hard water on your hair. If you want to keep washing your hair with your water supply, you can easily install a water softener in your home to soften the water before it gets to the house. There are a lot of great water softeners you can buy, and a lot of them are also affordable and easy to install.

Visit Aquatell Today to learn more about the best water softener for you!