My Water don't Mix with My Shampoo!

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Do you notice that your Sisterlocks are dull and your scalp is dry even after you've shampooed, conditioned and oiled it! Well ladies, your water could very well be the cause. Households, depending on what area you live in, will have whats called "hard water". This hard water affects how your shampoo works, how your hair feels and how long your color lasts. It even makes your scalp itchy and dry. What causes it? The chlorine, fluoride,calcium and mineral deposits in the water.
See, when you use water to clean anything, the surface tension of the water must be reduced in order for the water to spread and penetrate the hair. What causes the water to spread and penetrate is called a "surfactant". If this wasn't added, water would stay beaded up on the surface of the hair and would not be able to wash away the dirt and grease from our hair. SOAP is a natural surfactant. Detergents, which were made at the beginning of the 20 century, are synthetic surfactants that are found in most shampoos today. I hear your question"So why did we switch from natural soap to detergents?"The reason why the detergents are more preferable is because they react less to the mineral deposits in the hard water and are easily washed away; real soap forms a film when used with hard water.
Hard water makes the scales along the hairs' shaft stand up; therefore, it is quite difficult to wash the soap out of the hair. Moreover, the use of conditioners are now needed to smooth the scales and reduce the roughness of the hair. Look at your favorite shampoo right now! Go on! Does the ingredients list include: Sodium Lauryl sulfate (SLS), Sodium Laureth Sulphate (SLES), Ammonium Lauryl Sulphate (ALS)? These are petrochemicals and although they do not react with hard water, they don't form the lather that we crave when we shampoo our hair either. Thus, a booster is added to give US THAT RICH LATHER THAT WE LOVE!

You can request a free test kit for your home by contacting Diamond Crystal water softening products. Consumers can call (800) 428-4244 for the free kit, which includes an easy-to-use test strip, a coupon for a free bag of water softening salt, and other helpful information.

In the mean time you could either collect rain water to wash your hair or make an acid rinse to restore the pH balance of your hair. To make the acid rinse, use about a tablespoon of organic apple cider vinegar to 8 ounces of water or the juice from a whole lime to 8ounces of water; put the mix in a spray bottle and spray it on your hair until it is completely saturated. This will take off any film from product build up or the residue from the reaction of the soap and hard water. It will also close the cuticle layer so the shampoo and debri can rinse away from the hair easily. Your hair will be softer and shiner as a result!