It's taken me a while to realise that my hair has taken a nose dive since moving out here. After process of elimination I came to the conclusion it was the water out here. I did some research and discovered that Korea has incredibly hard water, which has a massive impact of hairs lustre and manageability. Hard water contains lots of minerals which leave a residue on your hair. Over time these gradually build up and leave hair knotty, dry and un- manageable.
The easiest way of tackling this problem is to use a clarifying shampoo that will detoxify your hair. Or you can use a rinse. I recently made my own rinse of white vinegar, lemon and tepid water. It worked a charm! Vinegar has many benefits for hair as it makes hair stronger and also closes the hair cuticle which causes hair to frizz. It can even help with an itchy or flaky scalp too.
You should never use vinegar without diluting first, and depending on your hair you should choose the type of vinegar wisely. Apple cider vinegar has the highest acidity level which means its not recommended for coloured hair as it can strip the colour. White vinegar is less acidic, my hair is coloured and I used a tablespoon mixed with 3 cups of bottled water. If your hair easily fades then I would recommend rice vinegar as its more gentle.
Shampoo your hair as normal and then use the rinse. If you have a flaky scalp or dandruff I would recommend adding some tea tree with the rinse to soothe (leave on for 10 minutes). My hair is blonde and I have highlights so I used white vinegar. I left it on for 5 minutes then followed with a nourishing conditioner. If you have normal/greasy hair I wouldn't use a conditioner after, as vinegar makes hair softer. Don't worry about the smell either it fades!
Because my hair is coloured and blondes have a hard time fighting the fade at the best of times, I decided to find a clarifying shampoo. Whilst doing my research, it seemed I needed to find one without acetic acid in as this is the main fiend in fading colour.
I regularly use strawberry net http://kr.strawberrynet.com/main.aspx which is an online cosmetic company that ships free to anywhere worldwide. It sells a wide range of cosmetics and perfumes and offers loyalty discounts the more you buy. Its been a great lifeline whilst living out here!
Whilst browsing the range of clarifying shampoos I came across Parisian brand, Phyto. After reading a few reviews and checking the ingredient list (It doesn't contain Acetic acid) I ordered it. It cost £12 which is around 20,000 KRW for 125 ml. I have used it twice and I'm already feeling the benefits. My hair is a lot more manageable and shiny!
The shampoo contains plant extracts including witch hazel, chamomile and sage which gives it a strong menthol smell! Slightly different from the usual girly shampoo smell! The only downside is It does make your hair feel incredibly dry after shampoooing, but as long as you use a nourishing conditioner the dryness fades and you are left without hard water hair!! Its recommend to use this weekly.
I will be hunting for a clarifying shampoo that's readily available in Korea over the next few weeks. Have you used a good product that combats hard water? If so let me no!
