Beauty q&a: does malibu treatment remove hard water and rust stains from hair?

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.