The Cynical One Says: I want to know what you think about getting a “Malibu Treatment” to remove the chemical residue from well water? Does well water effect blonde hair? What does a Malibu treatment actually do? Can I do this at home? Is this even worth my time, or can I just use a claryifying shampoo from time to time?
The Right Brain Responds:
There are two main problems that COULD be caused by using well water. The first is hard water residue which is formed when soap comes in contact with “hard” metal ions such as calcium and magnesium. The soap interacts with the metal ions forming an insoluble “gunk” that sticks to the sides of the tub.
Well water woes
Is this a serious problem? We doubt it because modern shampoos use cleansers known as surfactants that don’t interact with the metal ions so you shouldn’t really be getting much water residue on your hair. In other words, a bar of soap might cause this to happen, but shampoo and body washes would not.
The second problem is rust deposition which occurs when there’s a high concentation of iron in the water. Rusty well water CAN stain light colored hair an orangish-yellow color, but we doubt that this is a serious problem for most people either. If your water is that bad, you’re probably using a water softener anyway!
IF you did get hard water deposits on your hair what should you do? A quick web search shows a lot of homemade remedies recommending vinegar and lemon juice, which are mildy acidic. In reality, an alkaline cleanser remove hard water deposits better, NOT an acidic one. So much for believing everything you read on the web…
Kick it with a chelator
But the best thing would be to use a chemical agent called a “chelator” that ties up the metal ions and makes the residue easier to use. It just so happens that the Malibu 2000 Well Water Action Shampoo and the Malibu 2000 Quickin Demineralizing treament DO contain an effective chelating agent known as EDTA. Without testing, we can’t be sure these products really work because the pH of the product and the concentration of EDTA are important. BUT, at least they look promising. If you do decide to try them, you’ll have to disregard all the claims Malibu makes about the hard water deposits clogging your pores and stopping hair growth. There’s no data to show that hard water causes hair loss!
The Brain’s Bottom Line:
Given the prevalence of soft water we think that, unlikely, but not impossible for you to experience significant problems. Hard water and iron deposits are probably more of a made up marketing need than a serious hair care problem. But, if you have experience with either problem we love to hear about it and what you did to fix it.
What do YOU think? Are hard water deposits a problem for YOUR hair? Leave a comment and share your rust stained thoughts with the rest of the Beauty Brains community.
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{ 26 comments… read them below or add one }
How about the chlorine in tap water? Does it do any damage to skin?
thanks for the info on bar soap’s role in hard water build up. i hadn’t considered that!
iron rich, hard well water is a huge problem for many residents, myself included, in maryland. think sinks, tubs and toilets with red rust rings overlaid of white scale! yuck!
i like nexxus aloe rid shampoo for removing what i perceive as hard water build up in my hair. it contains EDTA. again, i don’t know that i really have hard water build up but i like how my hair feels and styles after using this particular shampoo a few times a month.
Another problem you can encounter with well water is a high acidity level, even if your water isn’t considered ‘hard’. While the acidity itself isn’t necessarily a problem for your hair & skin, it does have an effect on copper pipes. When the water sits in the pipes for a prolonged period, like overnight, can cause some copper to leach off the pipes and into the water. If your water has a metallic taste or you notice blue-green stains in your sinks & tubs, acid water may be the cause. And just like the staining of your plumbing fixtures, the copper staining can find it’s way into hair. Chemically treated hair is especially vulnerable and will take on a greenish tone. Fortunately, the shampoos/treatments that work for iron will also work for copper. In the long run, you will want to address the cause of the acidity because the erosion of copper will eventually cause the pipes to leak – and no amount of EDTA-containing shampoo is going to help that.
I had horrible hard water stains on my hair in high school. I’m blonde, and my hair was positively orange. We used Barkeepers Friend paste and a toothbrush to get it off and then a conditioning treatment afterward. Harsh, but it worked.
I love mAlibu products and esp their Swimmer Line. I also use the aforementioned Malibu well water chelator they talk about above and I swear by it! We have hard iron in our water and when i put a packet’s worth on and leave it sit under a plastic cap for an hour, you can smell the iron coming off your hair when you rinse it out its really nice.
I also use it everytime right before I get a hair coloring or perm and I started using it in the beginning because my hair wasn’t perming then when my hair dresser suggested it maybe once every month or so and again right before each haircolor or perm the next perm turned out really tight and I liked that, I truly believe in that it removes whats not supposed to be there so your hair is open to receive all of the color and perm chemicals you can get. Hair gets very dry and brassy from copper in water too and I am planning to try one of their other products to remove brassiness.
This professional beauty consultant/author above should really try things first before hating on them.
Malibu2000 are high quality products.
Just to clarify I also live in Philadelphia and have the same hard water as Dawnamitsu above and I don’t think the minerals cause red rusty hair they just dry it out and cause structural damage to the hair cuticle and can react with processed colors of hair making them weird. They also block the cuticle from getting the full effect of processes. I mean it’s $3.00 packet…you gonna spend upwards of $90 for a color or perm and I think of them as like a backup ins plan to all that money spent on treatments. seriously.
I used lemonade packets, a small amount of water and hair conditioner. I had terrible rust stains in my hair – I live 2 blocks off the beach, Hurricane Ike hit here a few months ago and they are still working on getting our water straightened out (the entire city is on wells….) Anyway, I had tried a clarifying shampoo and Clairol Shimmer LIghts (worked a little, not really) then tried the lemonade. It took EVERY BIT OF RUST out of my hair in 10 minutes! I just put it all over my hair, poured the rest all over, put it in a shower cap and it was gone! I have dirty blonde hair – closer to brown, that I get pretty heavily highlighted. My hair was dry for a few days, I think that was from the Clairol shimmer lights that I used for 5 days though….
I use the Malibu treatment at home. I have to purchase it through a licensed professional, but it is cheaper than going to a salon. I use the demineralizer for hard water and then there is a shampoo and conditioner that really helps. My scalp is no longer stained orange. Thank goodness!
I have to say that it GREATLY affects your hair! My hair is destroyed because of my water. It turns even my toilet bowls orange! I never switched shampoos or conditioners and my hair was unbelievably healthy and shiny. I moved here and its completely dry and brittle. I didnt know what was happening until I asked my hair stylist.
What do you mean lemonade packets?
Like Crystal light mix or kool-aid lemonade powder mix?
I want to try and just want to make sure!
We used fresh lemons, squeezed them onto the hair soaking it, then we put a shower cap on for 1 hour…. the hair cleared up nicely.
We still noticed minor orange color,so we are going to repeat the process again in a couple days.
I thought this was a gimmic, but it works surprisingly well!
Hi, I have horrible well water, that has definitly made my hair orange, especially when I try to have it colored, I have used the Iron away and it does seem to help. I just bought the chelating product and the Heating hair cap, I hope it works as good for me as it did for Maude. I’m in the mountains of central Ca. and we just are not getting enough rain and snow, anymore. I want a water softener, next on the list!
Hello, i have very very very bad hard water.
My hair turns ORANGE from it and getting malibu treatments definitely help it is something you can do at home for about $3 however getting it done is a better option because a salon has better heating caps and clarifying shampoos specially designed for pre-treatment the costs is about $15 each time for me but the results prove to be worth it. Also, yes blonde hair is affected more than others because it shows the buildup more.
Malibu Wellness put out a new line of treatments called Malibu Wellness Actives that are based on the same patented technology in the Crystal Gel treatment everyone’s talking about above. The treatments are formulated for different purposes — brightening blondes and highlights, hard water, swimmers hair, dandruff and eczema, extensions and wigs, relaxing and straightening, prepping for color, etc. Very inexpensive, travel-friendly packets you mix up in your hands before applying.
I used to live in the city and I had white hair. We moved to the country and are on a well and now my hair is a horrible yellow! I’ve tried every product on the market and also home remedies and NOTHING removes it, not even Malibu products. I’ve spent a small fortune. I’m trying a shower filter now hoping for some kind of results. Can’t afford the water softener for the home. Seems like there should be something out there that really works. I’d really hate to move back to the city but looks like that might be the only option.
I have very hard, iron rich water where I live in MN. I have well water and my softner went out a while ago. Without the water softner, my blond hair turns a bright orangish color.
I use Malibu 2000 and the difference is dramatic. Once we get a new softner, I don’t think I’ll need the Malibu, but for now, if I don’t use it, my husband calls me pumpkin head after about a month without the Malibu treatment.
I beg to differ w/ some of your negative comments about well water and Malibu Treatments. I live in SW Minnesota. My hair never got past my shoulders. It was breaking off even w/ spendy salon products. My hairdresser always commented about smelling the iron in my hair. Perm solutions were dark purple. My hair is white in front (au natural). Our water is softened (40 grain hardness w/ rust and manganese – blackish stuff). I don’t get the orange colors others have mentioned but I wouldn’t be w/o the Malibu. For the past year monthly Malibu’s have left my hair softer & healthier. It dry’s much quicker and has grown to just below armpit length even with a couple inches cut off to grow out layers. Often it felt like I already had a trim just from the treatment. It’s not a marketing gimmick!
We can only go where the scientific evidence points us. Your anecdotal story is not supported by scientific studies. It may very well be true as you say it, there just isn’t any scientific proof that it is.
I live in Minneapolis and have been coloring my hair with Aveda color for years. For the past 6 years or so my color does not last as long due to the water in my home. We have hard water, use a softener. My color tech does not know what to do with my hair. When I get it colored, under the foil, she says it bubbles and smells. It’s burning off the junk build up in my hair. One of her co-workers said to use a Malibu product to help remove the brassy/greenish tones my hair turns about a month after the new color. I spend about $100 on my color at an Aveda salon… something has to work to keep the nice expensive color that I paid for… what will help. I need an answer from someone that knows what they are talking about…
I also disagree with thebeautybrains statement that hard water staining blond hair is a gimmick. I have lived in rural Ohio all of my life and have battled rust discoloration in my light blond hair. Even with a water softener, rust stains our tub and toilet as well as my hair. Malibu treatments do help. Sally Beauty Supply sells the Ion clarifying treatment line which includes shampoos, conditioners and crystal gels to rid your hair of rust and minerals. I use the shampoo daily and the gel as needed. I have also tried the lemonade powder home remedy – works as a quick temporary fix. Sometimes life experience trumps “scientific data”.
I have rusty well water and I have had the MALIBU TREATMENTS on my hair….I found something much cheaper and it WORKS!!!! Buy any lemonade mix in a packet(i.e. KoolAde, Wyler’s, or any store brand of lemonade flavored drink mix without sugar….I use 2 packages per treatment….empty 2 packages in a cup or small bowl and add just enough water to make a thick paste…be careful to not get it watery….work paste through your hair and place on a shower cap….I leave it on for 10-15 minutes…..it may start to burn a little bit…..then wash it out with your shampoo….IT WORKS!!!!
Malibu works for me! We live in Mi and have very high iron bacteria in our region, we have a dual filtration AND dual water softener system-it just isn’t enough to take it all out. Our toilets, sinks and bathtubs still get a hue of orange and when the salt gets low or the filter needs changing (which is 1x a mo) it can become a dark orange/brown film. Muratic acid removes it from the fixtures-don’t even think about on hair. Anyhow, yes iron does deposit into hair, my hair naturally is a medium brown-yet friends would comment how it would shine like copper in the sun, if you take the ends of my long hair and place it near the roots there is a very obvious change in color. I rarely use styling products in my hair and rarely blow dry it, yet the ends would become very dry and brittle, crunchy almost. 6 months ago we started using Malibu Well Water Shampoo and Scalp Wellness Conditioner-I love them both. I rotate them every other day with a few different products and do shampoo twice (it doesn’t suds a lot the first time, the second time only a wee amount suds a lot-use excess on skin to make it softer and less dry) it keeps my hair from getting dry/brittle and any darker. I have yet to do the chelation-I am slightly afraid my ‘copper highlights’ are really premature greys colored by iron
As a side note, we also use and really like the EC Mode skin care products for my finicky combination skin, I’ve had better luck than with Mary Kay, Burts, Clinique, etc. I really like the Zinc C Serum and Oil-less lotion.
Karen Mobley – Thanks for the “heads-up!” I am going to try your suggestion! You were very descriptive and I really appreciate that! I cannot wait to try this! Thanks so much! Heather
I wish people wouldn’t put generalizations out there for everybody to follow. I am from Michigan and my closest friend has prematurely white hair. She moved from the city (Grand Rapids) to the country, in my neighborhood. I warned her about the rusty water turning her hair orange and suggested that she use bottled distilled water on her hair. She didn’t want to spend the money, and well…..now she sports a lovely orange glow! She is living proof!
I will suggest the Malibu Treatments and the lemon packets to her. Thanks for all of your comments. They’ve been very helpful.
I tried Karen’s suggestion of the lemonade packets and it does indeed work. I have extremely hard water. My hair was really orange. I was skeptical. I usually do the malibu treatments but with the cost and the time i thought I’d give this a try. I bought 4 packets of the unsweetened mix. They were 10 for a $1.00. I used four in one shot. I was a bit nervous because when I put it in my hair (I wet it first) I noticed my hands turned yellow. I made a thick paste and covered my hair with it. I left it in for 10 minutes. Does burn a bit but when i rinsed it out i was shocked! My hair was back to it’s original color. It even has the body and shine too. Give it a try. word of caution: I got some of the mix on the bathroom counter and it stained it yeallow but I’m sure with a little bleach it will come out!
YES!! I have grown up with well water, and we do not have a treatment on it and my hair has always turned a burnt orange after just a few washes. I recently moved back to my childhood home and I have color treated hair. I bought ION for Hard Water but it is not doing the trick this time!! I am looking for a product that does work. I think in the past I used Malibu, but I can not remember as it was 10 years a go. All I know is that the water does make your hair turn orange