Why it’s Time to Filter Chlorine & Chloramines from Your Home
Elitia Barnes Tap water is full of other things besides hydrogen and oxygen. By the time tap water reaches our water main, it’s been on a long journey, collecting everything from natural minerals to potentially harmful bacteria along the way. This is why cities treat water with chemicals like chlorine and chloramines to kill off harmful contaminants. Chlorine and chloramines make tap water potable but there are still harsh chemicals involved. This brings me to how chlorine and chloramines affect our hair.
My hair is very curly. Keeping my hair properly hydrated is crucial for avoiding frizz and breakage. Chlorine is harsh on hair and strips it of natural oils. Our hair needs those oils to help absorb and lock in moisture. With each shower or bath, the chlorine and chloramines in tap water deplete our hair of natural oils, leaving it dry and brittle. When our hair is dehydrated, it loses elasticity and shine. Chlorine also dries out your skin and scalp, increasing the appearance of dandruff.
Subjecting our hair to chlorine and chloramines can also lead to increased hair loss. Yes, hair loss. Chlorine weakens our hair. Thin and fragile hair is more likely to break or fall out.
When it comes to maintaining hair color, let’s start with the fact that chlorine is a bleaching agent. Like any other bleach, even trace amounts of chlorine over time will have a lightening effect on your hair. The impact of chlorine on color treatments is even more visible and annoying. You know how your hair color goes from va-va-voom to faded and brassy? That’s chlorine.
This isn’t great news considering how much money and time we invest in our hair. It’s discouraging knowing our tap water is washing all our efforts down the drain. So stop the never-ending search for perfect color saving shampoos or moisturizing conditioners. It’s time to do something about our water quality.
Clearly when it comes to our hair, tap water isn’t our friend. How do we get rid of the chlorine and chloramines in our water? One way is to install a salt free whole house water system, certified to give you clean, chemical free water for the entire home. Filtering out chlorine and chloramines does more than protect our hair. With a whole house system, the water we drink will also be clean and taste better!
Remember, not all water filters are created equal. Always double check that the whole house water system has been tested and certified for the removal of chlorine and chloramines.