Hair loss can be triggered by all sorts of natural and environmental conditions.

The climate is one obvious factor.

Humidity and heat can badly damage the pH balance of your skin, resulting in excess sweating, inflammation of the hair follicles, and oily skin and hair.

But in recent years there have been growing concerns that something called ‘hard water’ has contributed to hair loss among both men and women in a variety of different locations.

And, as we travel more, our exposure to this kind of water is on the rise.

This has been a particular problem for people who emigrate to so-called ‘soft water countries’ find that their hair is badly damaged by the mineral composition of their new water supply.

So, are the reports true: can shower water cause hair loss?

Can shower water cause hair loss?

Hard Water Defined

Hard water is water that has a disproportionately high mineral content - meaning it contains excessive amounts of calcium or magnesium - when compared to soft water, which carries greater deposits of sodium. If it contains more than one grain per gallon (GPG) of one or more of the above mentioned minerals, the water is considered hard. 

You can test it out at home by boiling 1 gallon of water until there is no water left. A point of reference is the size of an aspirin tablet which equals to five grains.

Soft Water..............less than 1 grain

Slightly Hard ..........1 to 3.5 grains

Moderately Hard ........3.5 to 7 grains

Hard Water..............7 to 10.5 grains

Very Hard ..............10.5 plus grains

These minerals don’t pose any particular risk to your health, but they tend to dry-out your skin and hair by soaking up in the moisture in your body.

After showering in hard water, many people have reported a brittleness in their hair that wasn’t previously there. Hard water can make hair dull, dry, and prone to excess shedding.

Different Hair Types

You will react differently to water depending on what kind of hair you have.

Soft water is much better for coarse and damaged hair, while hard water will give thin or fine hair a slightly less oily texture.

On the whole, however, it’s best to avoid hard water if you’re concerned about hair loss or hair thinning.

There is significant anecdotal evidence to suggest that it can contribute to the hair loss process.

Hot Showers

There is also a growing belief that hot, steamy showers can do serious damage to your hair.

Hot water dehydrates your hair strands, which results in dry, brittle hair that is more susceptible to breaking and falling out.

“Not only are you washing your hair’s protective oils down the drain, but the heat throws your scalp's pores into overdrive to keep up with oil production, which can damage the root and lead to additional shedding,” Ryan Welter, MD, a Boston-based hair transplant surgeon, says.

“Opt for a warm shower, and try to rinse hair with the coolest temperature possible.”

Can I change my shower water so that it helps my hair grow?

Hard water is more prevalent in hot, dry parts of the world - the southern states of the US, for instance,or the Middle East and South Asia - than it is in wet, cooler areas, such as the Pacific Northwest, which tends to produce a purer quality of water.

But if you don’t want to move thousands of miles away from your home in order to achieve better hair, there are some other solutions that could help to resolve your hard water / hair loss problem.

You could use specially developed re-hydrating conditioners, for instance.

Or you could invest in a shower head filter that removes any harmful minerals. Shower filters reduce the chlorine content of your water by 98 per cent, removing the mercury, magnesium, and other contaminants, for softer, healthier hair strands.

But filters can often be expensive to purchase and fiddly to install and maintain.

How can Traditional Chinese Medicine help stop shower water-related hair loss?

The good news is that there are simpler solutions to your shower water-related hair loss out there.

Dr.Yu’s Formula has a range of excellent natural methods for dealing with shower water-related hair loss.

Dr. Yu’s Pro Hair Tincture, for instance, is a balm for your hair that promotes rapid hair regrowth. It is designed to halt the effects of rapid hair loss and cleanse your scalp of the grease and dirt that builds up over the course of your busy working life, and that might be clogging your hair follicles.

And then there’s Dr. Yu’s Formula Pro Hair 1, which is specifically designed to maintain hair growth at its natural rate, and to ensure that people can protect themselves from accelerated rates of hair loss.

Pro Hair 1 improves the health, strength and vitality of your hair by boosting your immune system, relieving your anxiety, and mitigating any sleeping disorders or nervous conditions that you may be suffering from.

By reducing your stress levels and improving your sleep, this product will help reduce the speed of your hair loss.

The recommended dosage for the Pro Hair 1 Formula is four capsules twice a day, leaving a few hours between each dose, or before or after taking any other medication or natural health products. The Formula is approved by Health Canada.

So, check out our Pro Hair 1 if you are worried about hard water damaging your hair.