Basic survival tips: Beauty and cleanliness x “hard water”.

Have you heard of "hard water" ? Because it exist sand here in France the “ eau dure ” is a problem both for cleaning the house and for body care.

The water considered “eau dure” is water with a high limestone content, which according to experts is great for health (people drink tap water here without problems) but terrible for taps, clothes, appliances that use water ... not to mention the skin and dry hair.

All this because the limestone leaves the water with an alkaline pH, which in contrast to the pH of the hair, which is more acidic,becomes fragile, opaque and with split ends.

Limestone accumulates and impregnates any substance it finds. That is why taps, showers and even glasses and pots accumulate a white residue that only comes out with anti-lime products. In hair it is no different, they accumulate between open cuticles and do not come off so easily.

Interested in solving this problem, many companies and ordinary people try to find different solutions to minimize the effects of the European water limestone, so I decided to share the solutions that I have known and tried until today:

In Brazil I found this story of “glass cleaner”, “floor cleaner”, “roof cleaner”, “dish cleaner” … a “freshness” , I thought “good soap water cleans almost everything!” When the water is "good" it cleans almost everything! But as here the story is different, I started to use specific products for cleaning the house according to the surface and the expected result. The most general I can say is the use of pure alcohol vinegar to remove the thick limestone that accumulates in the bathtub and in the sinks.Of course the smell is strong and not pleasant, but I leave the house airing and after I use a cloth with something more fragrant to finish with that clean air.

Anti-lime filter : It is a filter that can be installed in the shower or on the tap, allowing the water to be as clean as possible.Depending on the model, you may or may not need professional help to install. I bought one that I installed myself but it only serves for a quick shower after a shower. I really use it to get the last water out of my body and hair.

Anti-lime shampoo: As I said in another post, products from Brazil do not have the same effects here, so even if you just come for a walk,I suggest buying new products when you arrive. Shampoos that contain substances that remove lime from water during hair washing are stronger than the normal anti-residues that we are used to using on hair. Look here for additional insights: Best Shampoo for Hard Water

It is worth experimenting and evaluating whether in their case its use is recommended since they dry out and damage the hair a lot, sometimes more than the limestone itself. I particularly use an anti-residue shampoo and a color corrector every 15 days (because after all, here blonde hair turns orange!)